Converting sugar directly to diesel

Sweet diesel! Scientists have discovered a process to convert sugar directly into renewable diesel that could replace fossil fuels used in vehicles.

University of California, Berkeley scientists found that a long-abandoned fermentation process once used to turn starch into explosives can be used to produce renewable diesel.

Researchers teamed up to produce diesel fuel from the products of a bacterial fermentation discovered nearly 100 years ago by the first president of Israel, chemist Chaim Weizmann. The retooled process produces a mix of products that contain more energy per gallon than ethanol that is used today in transportation fuels and could be commercialised within 5-10 years.

While the fuel's cost is still higher than diesel or gasoline made from fossil fuels, scientists said the process would drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, one of the major contributors to global climate change. What I am really excited about is that this is a fundamentally different way of taking feed-stocks  sugar or starch  and making all sorts of renewable things, from fuels to commodity chemicals like plastics, said Dean Toste, professor of chemistry and co-author in a statement.

The late Weizmann's process employs the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum to ferment sugars into acetone, butanol and ethanol. Researchers developed a way of extracting the acetone and butanol from the fermentation mixture while leaving most of the ethanol behind, while developing a catalyst that converted this ideally-proportioned brew into a mix of long-chain hydrocarbons that resembles the combination of hydrocarbons in diesel fuel. Tests showed that it burned about as well as normal petroleum-based diesel fuel.

It looks very compatible with diesel, and can be blended like diesel to suit summer or winter driving conditions in different states, said coauthor Harvey Blanch. The process is versatile enough to use a broad range of renewable starting materials, from corn sugar (glucose) and cane sugar (sucrose) to starch, and would work with non-food feed-stocks such as grass, trees or field waste in cellulosic processes.

You can tune the size of your hydrocarbons based on the reaction conditions to produce the lighter hydrocarbons typical of gasoline, or the longer-chain hydrocarbons in diesel, or the branched chain hydrocarbons in jet fuel, Toste said.

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Movies releasing this week - dates : November 2012

Telugu - Upcoming movies in this week

Chaduvukovali (U)

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Drama
Language: Telugu
Certification: U
Director: Venkateswara Rao Maddali
Producer: Venkateswara Rao Maddali   
Cast:
Baby Aney
Seetha





Srikanth's Anucharudu

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Action - Romance
Language: Telugu
Director: Ashok Alle
Producer: Praveen Bala   
Cast:
Srikanth
Tarun


Aa Roju

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Horror
Language: Telugu
Director: Sangeeth Sivan
Producer:
Cast:
Sada
Sneha Ullal





Srihari's Yamaho Yama

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Comedy - Romance
Language: Telugu
Director: Jitender Y
Producer: G.Vijaykumar Goud   
Cast:
Sai Ram Shankar
Parvathi Melton
More Cast & Crew


Jagan Nirdoshi

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Action
Language: Telugu
Director: Venkanna Babu
Producer: Sakhamuri Mallikarjuna Rao   
Cast:
Shiva
Sanjjanaa Galrani





Navadeep's  movie 'Mythri'

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Horror
Language: Telugu
Director: P Surya Raju
Producer: Rajesh Kumar   
Cast:
Navdeep
Sada





Edalo Cheragani Gurutulu

Release Date: 09 Nov 2012
Genre: Romance
Language: Telugu
Director: Akrosh
Producer:
Cast:
Satish Chandra
Alekhya





Parvathipuram

Release Date: 10 Nov 2012
Genre: Action - Romance
Language: Telugu
Director: MA Chowdary
Producer: G Madhukar, Srinivas Naidu   
Cast:
Madhan
Amrutha

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Rana's KVJ release postponed

Daggubati Rana’s upcoming movie ‘Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum’ release date is likely to be postponed to November 30.

Earlier, it has been reported that ‘KVJ’ will be released on November 9 along with Nagarjuna’s ‘Damarukam’. ‘KVJ’ is not the only movie to be postponed, but Vijay’s ‘Thuppakki’ and Maruti’s ‘Bus Stop’ movies have also joined the list.
KVJ’ has Rana Daggubati and Nayanatara in the lead roles while Kota Srinivasa Rao, LB Sriram and Posani are playing important roles. Mani Sharma has composed the music and Krish is the director.

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'Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum' New trailer

Watch Rana Daggubati, Nayantara starrer 'Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum' new trailers
Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Movie New Trailer 01

Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Movie New Trailer 02

Movie Details
Cast: Rana
Director: Krish
Music: Mani Sharma.
Producer:  Rajeev Reddy & Sai Babu Jagarlamudi

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Vishwaroopam will not offend anyone: Kamal

Kamal Haasan, who turns 58 Wednesday, says his upcoming bilingual action-thriller "Vishwaroopam" will not hurt any community.

 

"My film is neither about terrorism nor Islam. It won't even hurt any community for that matter. The story traverses through the adversities of war, and, therefore it may appear as though it's about terrorism, but it's not," Kamal told reporters here Wednesday.
Kamal, who has written and directed "Vishwaroopam", has co-produced the film with PVP cinemas.
The film, which has music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, stars Rahul Bose, Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar and Jaideep Ahlawat in lead roles.
The film has an Hindi version, which is titled "Vishwaroop".

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'Chemistry' telugu movie trailer

Watch Sriram Kodali, Amritha Rao starrer Chemistry first look trailer

Director: Jonnalagadda Vachaspati Music: Ghantasala Vishwanath

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Shruti Haasan to romance Ram

Actress Shruti Haasan fortunes have shot up skywards since the record breaking success of Gabbar Singh.

 

The actress who used to be referred as "iron leg" has become the golden girl of Tollywood with filmmakers making a beeline to cast her in their films. Buzz is that the singer turned actress has been signed up to play the lead opposite actor Ram in his next venture.
Santosh Srinivas, who directed Kandireega earlier with Ram is directing the untitled movie. Bellamkonda Suresh who produced Kandireega is also producing this film. The movie had run into trouble after the director and producer had a fall out initially after Bellamkonda Suresh allegedly slapped the director. But everything seems to be resolved and the film is expected to go on the floors soon.
Ram is currently shooting for director Bhaskar's film, Ongole Gitta. Shruti Haasan on the other hand is occupied with her Bollywood assignments, Prabhu Deva's film and Arjun Rampal's D Day.

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AP High Court strikes down life ban on Azharuddin

 The Andhra Pradesh High Court Thursday struck down the life ban imposed on former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) 12 years ago.

A division bench of the high court set aside the order of a lower court which had upheld the ban.
It was on Dec 5, 2000, that the BCCI banned Azhar from playing cricket for life after being found guilty of match-fixing.
The Hyderabadi had challenged the Indian cricket board's decision in the City Civil Court, which upheld the ban. He then moved to high court against the lower court's order, his lawyers arguing that the BCCI imposed the ban without any evidence.
The 49-year-old is currently a member of parliament from Moradabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Azhar, one of India's successful captains, played 99 Tests scoring over 6,215 runs during his career. He also played 334 One-Day Internationals scoring 9,378 runs in his 15-year international career.

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Hyderabad team for Ranji match against MP

VVS Laxman will lead Hyderabad in its Ranji Trophy Group `A' League match to be played against Madhya Pradesh here from November 9 to 12.

 

Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) today announced a 14-member team for the four-day match. The team: VVS Laxman (Captain), DB Ravi Teja, P Akshath Reddy, N Arjun Yadav, Hanuman Vihari, Abhinav Kumar, Ibraheem Khaleel, A Lalith Mohan, Vishal Sharma, Ahmed Quadri, Anwar Khan, M A Khader, P Kaneshkk Naidu and Ashish Reddy. Sunil Joshi is the chief coach of the team.

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Indian sport is moving in the right direction: Gopichand

Sports in India has started moving in the right direction and the impact of the six medals the country won at the London Olympics will be huge, said national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand here today. It is huge. Whatever we are seeing in Indian sport, a lot was started by the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Indian sports has started to move in the right direction, which is good. All positive vibes sports is getting is thanks to the six medals in Olympics, Gopichand said.
Gopichand, who was here in his capacity as brand ambassador for a new concept - Mumbai Games - featuring nine sports among eight city teams, said for those outside the country the number of medals, comprising two silvers and four bronzes, may not look a huge haul.
Although it (medal haul) might be looked differently from outside the country, it is a fantastic achievement and a great push forward. It is very important that sport becomes part of everyday life, and a lot of developed nations have realised that. Health, character come from sport, said the former All England men's singles champion.
As a country, we don't have sports as a focus. How many time do we talk about sport in the Parliament or Assembly? Nothing. All of us need to look constructively and not lose time in blaming the system. As a nation, we are young. The last thing we want is an unhealthy and old nation, he remarked.
To buttress his point, Gopichand recalled an old incident that happened in Russia when he was a player.
The Indian team was in Khabarovsk in Russia in the 1990s. We used to play badminton Test matches, India vs Russia.The liaison officer took us around to a theatre and said it was the biggest theatre for 200 people. The entire team laughed and said we have about 20 of them in a small place.
He sounded offended and took us around to a massive sports complex. 'How many of these do you have in your country? We have 20 of them in Khabarovsk. We (sheepishly) said none, Gopichand said.
Sports will be great if two brothers say we want to play, if a family goes out and plays. Kids will remember those quality moments. A lot of time when we go to the corporate world, the thinking is not the same (not like sportspeople) and (we) hope they have played (some) sport. Hopefully, the respect for sports grows, said Gopichand.
Gopichand, who is on the governing council of the Indian Badminton League which is to be launched on November 10, was reluctant to talk about the USD one millon prize money event ahead of the official unveiling.
It is great news for badminton. The badminton fraternity will benefit. It is going to be exciting, the biggest league in the world, he said.

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"My success is due to hardwork and discipline" : Saina

 Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today said that it is sheer hardwork and discipline that has helped her to reach where she is today.

 Asked to name two things that makes here special, Saina said hard work and discipline enabled her to emerge as a top-ranking badminton player.

 The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is still some time away but Saina feels that her victory in Denmark augers well for her.
 When fellow Olympic medallist Gagan Narang asked what changes does she want to see in the sporting scenario, she said,I want sportspersons to get good facilities so that they can excel in life.
 Replying to a query, Saina said she had ice cream whenever she won a tournament which she cannot have as she had to maintain her fitness.
 When Narang questioned as to what would be her message, she said the youth should have self-belief and discipline to excel in their chosen field. The women are no inferior to men and they can do what they do.
 To a query on her plans to set up an academy in Bangalore, she said she was offered help by the Haryana and Karnataka governments.
 Saina said that meditation helps her to keep her mind cool and maintain mental strength.
 To another query, she said the burning desire to win keeps her motivated and free from fatigue. Narang also stressed that passion and fire keeps the motivation going.

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Kingfisher Airlines' Q2 Net Loss Widens to Rs 754 Cr

Debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines today reported net loss of Rs 754 crore for the July-September quarter, a sharp increase from Rs 469 crore in the year-ago period, and said it is working on a plan to resume services.

The revenue plunged to Rs 200 crore during its second quarter of this fiscal from Rs 1,553 crore in the same period last year because of disruption in operations and eventual suspension of its license by aviation regulator DGCA.

Even as the company's expenses declined across various heads, the firm suffered huge restructuring cost. Its tax expenses also rose sharply.

Announcing the result, the carrier said it is in discussions with various stakeholders to ensure that there are no future disruptions and expects to resume operations in the near future.

 Kingfisher Airlines is preparing a comprehensive plan for re-start of operations which will be shared with the DGCA and bankers, the carrier said in a BSE filing.

Shares of the company were trading at Rs 12.85, up 0.16 per cent on the BSE at 1025 hrs.

The carrier is already saddled with accumulated loss of Rs 8,000 crore besides a debt burden of over Rs 7,524 crore, a large part of which has not been serviced.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had recently suspended the flying licence of Kingfisher following the airline's failure to come up with a viable plan of financial and operational revival.

It faces the risk of losing its licence if a revival plan is not submitted by next month, while bankers are working on plans to handle large scale defaults by the airline.

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Fujitsu expects to double staff in 3 yearrs

Fujitsu Consulting expects to double its headcount to 6,000 people, hiring mostly from tier II and III towns, in the next two-three years to cash in on the talent pool in the country.
The company currently has about 3,000 people in India across four development centres in Noida, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Given the strong talent pool here, we are looking to double our headcount in two-three years time, especially at our Noida and Pune facility, Fujitsu Consulting India Vice President Sunil Bhave said.
The company is strengthening its presence as part of its plan to increase presence in key growth markets and expanding its IT services offerings to its global client base from India. Fujitsu Consulting offers IT and application management services as well as its own proprietary solutions. We are looking at primarily hiring from tier II and II towns.

We believe that maintaining a diversity mix would enable an overall development in the organisation and the country as a whole. Hence, we are planning to hire aggressively from cities and towns other than the metros, he said. Bhave added that the company has received tremendous response from campus placements and a significant number of the new hires would be freshers.
The company focuses on sectors like utilities and infrastructure, retail, manufacturing and consumer durables as well as some segments of oil and gas industry. Our size has helped us focus on clients and we have witnessed strong growth last year. This year, too, we are looking at atleast 10-20 per cent growth depending on how the client budgets turn out, Bhave said. He declined to comment on the company's revenues.

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India UK to hold biannual talk on cyber security

International, Sakshi News, Sakshi Post,
In a bid to boost cooperation in the cyber security domain, India and the UK today decided to to conduct their Cyber Dialogue on a bi-annual basis to achieve objectives such as reducing the risk of threats from cyberspace to international security and tackle cyber crime.

This was announced after a comprehensive discussion between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his British counterpart William Hague on wide-ranging issues, including defence, counter-terrorism and cyber security.

A Joint Statement on Cooperation between India and the United Kingdom on Cyber Issues was also issued on the occasion. The statement noted that as part of the India-UK Strategic Dialogue, it was agreed that their Foreign Ministries would work together on areas of common interest in the cyber domain following which London Conference on Cyberspace in 2011 was organised by the UK. In October this year, the first structured dialogue between India and the UK on cooperation on cyber issues was held.

Both India and the United Kingdom share the core principles of liberty, transparency, freedom of expression and the rule of law which apply in cyberspace, the statement said. The objectives of the dialogue included enhancing international cooperation to reduce the risk of threats from cyberspace to international security and strengthening the bilateral cooperation to tackle cyber crime.

Further strengthening bilateral operational partnerships to identify and respond to threats from cyberspace and raise mutual resilience, collaborating on building skills and capacities to tackle threats from cyberspace and to use ICT for the objective of economic and social development are also part of the objectives, the statement said. It also include using existing cooperation between universities and business communities to develop synergy in research and development on cyber issues and creating a global multi-lateral, democratic and transport.

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Exclusive: Two's company, three's crowd in US politics — TS Sudhir

 As the dust settles on the American Presidential election, the question that many in this country are asking is why should the choice be restricted to only two candidates.

Yes, on paper, some other candidates do manage to figure but in the high-voltage contest between the Democrats and the Republicans, they get reduced to being also-rans. 

In every election, the battle is for the undecided one-third of the electorate, given that both Democrats and Republicans have the following of one-third each of the American electorate.
But despite one in every three persons not really siding with either of the two parties, they are forced to fall in line simply because there is no other significant choice. Most voters do not want their vote to go waste so a third party candidate does not stand any chance.
One of the candidates who created a stir as a third party candidate was businessman Ross Perot in 1992. He won 18.9 per cent of the vote and that remains the best finish by a non-major party candidate in a Presidential election in the last 100 years.
However, four years later, Perot's Reform Party disappointed by finishing with just 8.4 per cent of the vote. The New York Times in a reference to the Obama vs Romney contest described the voters' dilemma as "like trying to decide between liver and brussels sprouts—a selection they would rather not have to make." There were other candidates this time round as well but in the end, they did not even stand up to be counted.
But the defeat of the conservative extreme right Republicans has already started the murmurs within the party. Herman Cain, a former Presidential candidate has called for a large fraction of Republican party leaders to leave the party and form a third, even more conservative party.
His argument interestingly is that "a third party is needed to save America".
The apprehension however is a clone of the Republicans would only help the Democrats consolidate its position in power for ever. After the Republicans' crushing defeat in 2008 at the hands of Barack Obama, the Tea Party emerged. While Cain's comments are unlikely to result in any kind of split in the Republicans, the party itself may metamorphose itself into an ultra-conservative form.
Both parties also have a vested interest in ensuring it is a straight fight between them and no third party comes to eat into their votes and create problems in a close contest. After all, they have not forgotten Florida in 2000 when Democrat Al Gore lost to George Bush by 537 votes. The loss was attributed partly to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader who took more than that number of votes from Gore in Florida.
From the perspective of a country like India, where multi-party system and coalitions have made the administrative process slow, the American system looks too organised. But perhaps Indian politics truly embodies the spirit of free economy where the consumer (in this case the voter) is spoilt for choice.

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India Inc.cheers young faces in new cabinet

Amid the dashed hopes for a larger role for Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, India Inc. on Sunday cheered the induction of youths in the reshuffled cabinet.

 

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) president R.V. Kanoria said, "It is good to see a couple of young faces with independent charge in the Union cabinet."

"We wish the new team all success in taking economic reforms forward and put the economy on a higher growth trajectory," the FICCI chief added.

Described as members of Rahul Gandhi's youth brigade, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot were elevated to ministers of state with independent charge for power and corporate affairs respectively, while party spokesperson Manish Tewari has now been given independent charge of the information and broadcasting ministry as minister of state.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said Sunday the cabinet reshuffle showed that India?s young demographics is starting to get reflected in the country's political leadership.

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DMK not against Kudankulam nuclear power plant

DMK President M Karunanidhi today clarified that his party was not against the controversial Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, saying, DMK always supports industrial growth in a scientific manner.
Speaking to reporters here, the 88-year-old former Chief Minister said, We are not against developmental projects like Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. We are in favour of industrial growth in a scientific manner.
He was replying to a question on Union Minister V Narayanasamy's reported observation that DMK initially supported the Kudankulam power project, but later backed out.

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Passenger on board turns violent on IndiGo flight

An unruly passenger on-board an IndiGo flight from Mumbai allegedly got violent and created a ruckus in the aircraft, forcing authorities to hand him over to security officials when the plane landed at the IGI airport here today.
The passenger, identified as Mohammed Muslim Sheikh, had boarded the IndiGo flight (6E196) from Mumbai but suddenly got violent and started screaming and shouting and physically assaulted a crew member on board, sources said.
He also tried to move forward in the plane but was restrained by the crew and fellow passengers till the aircraft landed at the airport here.
Cabin crew also took security measures to block his access to the front of the aircraft, they said.
In the meantime, the pilot-in-command informed the airport authorities and requested for the security personnel on arrival of the flight.
After the aircraft landed at the IGI airport, the man was deplaned and handed over to the CISF.
Confirming the incident, an IndiGo spokesperson said, IndiGo is in the process of lodging a FIR with the police and IndiGo shall assist the security agencies in their investigation.

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"Varsities not producing well-educated graduates"

The university system was not producing “well-educated” graduates to meet needs of Indian companies, giving an opportunity to firms to enter the sector in the “guise” of training, Minister of State for Higher Education Shashi Tharoor said.
He also said that the national education policy in the past has been out of step with the times.
“The major problem remains that our national education policy in the past has remained out of step with the time. Whereas countries in the Middle-East and China are going out of their way to woo foreign universities to set up campuses in their countries, India turned away many academic suitors who have come calling in recent years,” he said.
Speaking at a two-day Higher Education Summit, Mr. Tharoor said, “Companies are entering the higher education space in the guise of training. Our University system simply is not producing well educated graduates to meet the needs of Indian companies today.”
The HRD Minister said there will be no need for many Indian students to go abroad to study if good higher education institutes were set up in the country. “We will also work towards putting our reform agenda back on track,” he said.
Mr. Tharoor said there is a proposal to establish 50 centres for research in frontier areas of science, design innovation centres, innovation centres in different universities and also research parts of the IITs and other technical institutions.
“If finally established, it would transform the research environment in our country,” he said.
Mr. Tharoor favoured expediting setting up of National Mission for teachers and recommendations of the Narayana Murthy Committee and the Kakodkar Committee besides increasing the spending of 2 per cent on research.
The minister said with the ranks of educated unemployed in the country swelling in the absence of adequate employment opportunities, there is possibility of their falling prey to the activities of terrorists and Maoists.
“We must give them a better chance of employment through more and improved educational possibilities. My message is it is time to let a thousand educational flowers bloom,” he said.
He said even though India with 621 universities and 33,500 colleges has one of the largest network of higher education institutes across the world and second in terms of student enrolment, our gross enrolment ratio of 18.8 per cent in 2011 is still less than the world average of 26 per cent.
He said there was need to develop higher levels of education and skill development and an environment must be created in which not only the economy grows rapidly but also enhances good quality employment.
Mr. Tharoor said as India aims to grow at 8.2 to 8.5 per cent GDP, the country needs to invest in education and help improve the quality of education.

Referring to a few world-class institutes like IIT’s and IIMs and some colleges, the Minister said, “These are still islands in a sea of mediocrity”.
Citing a UGC survey of 1,471 colleges and 111 universities, he said 73 per cent of the colleges and 68 per cent of the universities are found to be of medium or low quality.
He also said that a FICCI survey has revealed in 2009 that 64 per cent employers are “somewhat satisfied” with the quality of new graduates coming out of engineering institutes.
The minister lamented that spending on education is only 1.22 per cent of GDP, against USA’s 3.1 per cent or South Korea’s 2.4 per cent. He also said that the student-teacher ratio in India was 26:1 against the global average of 15:1.
He said the rapid expansion of higher education sector has also led to shortage of faculty.

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Airlines told to prepare for fog with trained pilots

 With fog likely to affect flights in and out of Delhi and other cities in North India for a longer period this year, aviation regulator DGCA has asked all airlines to deploy sufficient number of pilots trained to operate air service in such a condition.

At a meeting convened by DGCA, met department officials said the anticipated period of fog during 2012-13 at the Delhi airport would be from December 10 to February 10. In the past few years, foggy conditions have subsided by the third week of January.
The meeting, which reviewed fog preparedness at the Delhi and other north Indian airports, was attended by officials of Airports Authority of India, domestic and foreign carriers, Delhi International Airport Ltd, CISF and the Indian Meteorological Department, an official spokesperson said. DGCA directed airlines to ensure that adequate numbers of Category-III trained pilots were available to operate flights to and from Delhi during fog. The airlines were also told that the operations of planes like ATR turboprops, regional jets and Bombardier Q400s, which are not CAT-III compliant, should be rescheduled during the fog period.
The regulator also asked airlines to provide advance information to passengers and provide them with basic amenities along with food at alternate airports in case of diverted flights. While DIAL representative made a presentation on the preparations and contingency plans during the fog period, AAI officials said they have issued instructions to alternate airports near Delhi to prepare for fog situation.
Construction work, which could affect aircraft operations, should be stopped near the operational area at the IGI airport as well as the alternate airports like Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Varanasi during the fog period, the aviation regulator instructed.
The meeting came following direction from Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh to take all necessary steps in advance to meet eventualities arising out of fog during the winter season particularly at the airports in North India. Singh asked authorities to ensure that passengers should not be put to unnecessary inconvenience and flight cancellations should be minimised without compromising safety, an official statement said.
He also advised Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other authorities concerned to make use of the best available technology for smooth navigation and landing of aircraft during fog. The DGCA directed the airports to display meteorological information for passengers on flight information displays (FIDs) and update it every 15 minutes.
Weather information on the IGI airport should be displayed on prominent news channels, it said. Airlines should provide information to passengers about delays, rescheduling, cancellation of flights in advance through SMS, email, phone. Airlines should also provide information to DIAL on flight status for updating the same on FIDs, he said.
After the fog situation improves, priority should be given to diverted flights and ATC should sequence the planes and give clearance for take-off based on the start-up request to avoid congestion, he said, adding that ground infrastructure would be augmented at alternate airports during fog.
He said that airlines must ensure that passengers were provided basic amenities along with food at alternate airports in case of diverted flights. Airlines should position a senior level officer at IGI airport during the fog period for passenger facilitation.
To avoid any misconduct or violence on the part of passengers, CISF have been directed to provide necessary help to the airlines. DIAL would be holding daily evening meetings of all stakeholders during the fog period to review the situation during the day and plan for the next day's operations.
PTI

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My conscience was always clear: Azharuddin

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin said he always believed in the "almighty allah" and his conscience was clear as his 12-year-long battle to clear his name of the match-fixing charges ended Thursday.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court Thursday overturned the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2000 on charges of match-fixing.
Azharuddin, now a Congress MP from Moradabad, said he played the game honestly and was a relieved man as the court struck down the BCCI's ban as "illegal".

"I have always played the game honestly and with command. Today I am a relieved man after what I have suffered for the last 12 years. I fought this battle for so long with patience. It has been a tough battle and I am grateful to everyone who has supported me during this difficult period," Azhar told reporters at his official residence In New Delhi.

As soon as the news broke out, party workers and fans burst crackers at his residence at Lodhi Garden. Amidst the huge media presence, party colleagues and fans came with bouquets to congratulate him. It was certainly early Diwali at C-1/12, Lodhi Garden.

But despite the celebrations, Azharuddin remembered his younger son Ayazuddin, who passed away last year in a road accident.

"The last year has been very tough. Today I want to be happy with my elder son Abbas. I wish the judgment had come a bit early," he said.
Asked who all from the cricket fraternity supported him during the last 12 years,

Azharuddin said: "I always got support from Raj Singh Dungarpur, Kapil paaji and Kamal Morarka."

Azharuddin said he was never hurt with the BCCI's action. "I was never hurt with their action. That was their line of thinking. I can't blame them for that," he said.

Asked if he felt that the BCCI would not pursue the case any longer after Pakistan  also came soft on Salim Malik, a former captain, who was also banned for life, Azharuddin said: "It is tough to say. But I think it has been a good move to bring back the banned cricketers in the normal fold of life."

Malik's name also figured in the inquiry conducted by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that led to life bans on Azharuddin and Delhi cricketer Ajay Sharma.
When the BCCI Dec 5, 2000 banned the two Indian cricketers for life, Azharuddin was left stranded on 99 Tests.

Asked if he regrets not having completed 100 Test matches, Azharuddin said: "I think I was probably destined to play 99 Test matches hence played that many. I believe what has to happen, will happen."

Azharuddin, however, regrets not having more than 22 Test centuries.
"I have 22 centuries. I think the way I started with three consecutive centuries, I should have got around 27-28 centuries. But I have no regrets. I led the team for nine years with success. That is how life is," he said.

The former India captain also thanked the Congress party for its support.

"I am grateful to the party for the support. Three years ago when I decided to join politics they always believed in me. I didn't know abc of elections but the party stood by me during the tough time," he said. 

Azharuddin had challenged the Indian cricket board's decision in the Hyderabad civil court, which upheld the ban. He then moved the High Court against the lower court's order. His lawyers argued that BCCI imposed the ban without any evidence.

Azharuddin, one of India's most successful captains, played 99 Tests and scored 6,215 runs during his career. He also played 334 One-Day Internationals scoring 9,378 runs in his 15-year international career.

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Govt. committed to promote partnerships in R&D: Reddy

Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jaipal Reddy on Thursday expressed his concern about connection between our knowledge and industrial application systems and said that the government

is committed to promote partnerships between industry and academia in research and development.

Launching the Prime Minister's Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research here Reddy said: "There are huge emerging opportunities that are waiting to be tapped and converted into value for the country by bridging the disconnects between the knowledge and wealth creation sector."

"Some concerns have been expressed at various levels that the connections between our knowledge and industrial application systems are weak. There are some pessimists who worry about such problems. The present doctoral fellowship is indeed working in the area of national gap and is targeted to bridge those disconnects," Reddy said.

"Our knowledge institutions like IISc, IITs, IISERs and Universities are creating intellectual properties in the form of papers in peer valued scientific journals, but the challenge is in the conversion of such knowledge into products of commercial value to the industrial users. While our public funded R and D (Research and Development) systems are busy publishing papers, the industries are searching for technologies for commercialization," added Reddy.

The Prime Minister's Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research offers opportunities with incentives for students registered for doctoral research starting the year 2012 in any of knowledge institutions as well as R and D personnel employed in industrial sector but registered into doctoral research programmes in cutting edge areas of importance.

The minister informed that a Sub-Committee of Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry was constituted for promoting Public-Private-Partnership in Research and Development and Clean Energy.

Reddy expressed his hope that the private sector will also invest more and more into research and innovations and partner our research institutions in solving national problems through accessible, available and affordable innovations.

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A common man was arrested for allegedly duping a teenage girl

A common man was arrested for allegedly duping a teenage girl of Rs 3 lakh in cash and gold ornaments under the pretext of marrying her and creating a fake profile on a social networking site, police said on Wednesday. The accused identified as Rajapathi (31) was apprehended from Bowenpally area of the city and Rs 4,75,000 cash and gold ornaments weighing approximately 18.5 tolas which he had pledged to a gold financing firm were recovered, ADG (CID) S V Ramana Murthy said.

Rajapathi, who is merely 3.5 feet tall, morphed his actual photograph with the image of a handsome youth to create the fake profile on a couple of social networking sites, he said.
Explaining the modus operandi, Murthy said Rajapathi proposed the girl to marry him to which she agreed. Though he avoided meeting her in person, Rajapathi made her believe that his was the genuine proposal, he said, adding the accused asked the girl to fund his medical expenses claiming that he has some kidney ailment.
The accused himself collected Rs 3 lakh in cash and 50 tolas of gold from the victim during January to October by posing himself as friend of Rajapathi, Murthy said, adding he would identify himself as Sreedhar while collecting the cash and would tell the victim that Rajapathi was in hospital.
However, sensing that something was amiss, the girl filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police station on October 17 following which the investigation was carried out.
Police said the accused told them during investigation that he had also trapped two girls using the similar modus operandi and confessed to the crime.

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Respite from rains, but some areas remain flooded

Residential areas in several places in rain-hit coastal districts of the state remained under flood water on Wednesday though the heavy rains have stopped. The area remained waterlogged because of poor drainage system in areas of Kakinada, Vijayawada and other coastal towns, official sources said.

 State Home Minister P Sabita Reddy, in-charge minister for East Godavari district, visited some rain-affected areas today.
 Alleging that government had failed to provide adequate relief, opposition TDP leader G Muddukrishnama Naidu demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visit the coastal areas.
 The heavy rains, which followed cyclone Nilam, should be declared a national calamity and the Centre should give a hefty financial assistance, he said.
 YSRCP honorary president Y S Vijayamma, who visited East Godavari district, said her party would raise the issue in the Assembly and ensure proper compensation for those affected.
 Government should convene the Assembly session immediately to discuss the woes of the rain-affected people, she said.

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Marri Sasidhar Reddy warns students against suicides over Telangaana Issue

Sanathnagar Congress MLA, Marri Shashidhar Reddy has asked students not to end their lives for the cause of Telangana. He also requested the Centre to soon take a decision on the Telangana issue. 

It may be recalled that Santosh, a BSc student at Osmania University committed suicide on Wednesday over delay in declaring separate statehood for Telangana. The incident sparked wide protests from students as well as Telangana supporters, creating a tense atmosphere in the campus.

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Rs 6.7 crore seized cash belongs to Bala sai Baba?

A real estate businessman Rama Rao from Kurnool on Thursday claimed the Rs. 6.70 crore cash which was found in a three-wheeler and seized by the police on Wednesday before the DGP office, according to the police.

 

But he backed off when rumors suggested that the money belonged to the godman Balasai Baba also of Kurnool who has an ashram in Hyderabad, according to sources.

The police on Thursday afternoon announced that a businessman Rama Rao claimed the money and they are questioning him. The police had sought an explanation from him as to why he transported such a huge amount in an auto rickshaw without any security and why the auto driver fled when he saw the police.

According to the police Rama Rao said that he had sent the money to buy land in Hyderabad.

According to reliable sources, police suspect that the amount could have been shifted from the trust of Balasai Baba. However, the police have not confirmed that the money belonged to the trust, but police are probing this angle also.

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Chintalapudi Congress MLA Resigned

Chintalapudi Congress MLA Maddala Rajesh Kumar, who joined YSRCP recently, has sent resignation to Assembly Speaker N Manohar on Thursday.

 

He submitted his resignation in the speaker's office in the morning. He raised a banner of revolt against Congress leadership and switched loyalty to YSRCP.

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Sharmila padayatra enters Kurnool district

YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's sister Sharmila's 'Maro Praja Prastanam' Padayatra has entered in Kurnool district on Thursday.

After successfully completing her walkthan in Ananthapur district, Sharmila entered the district at Muddikera village around 4.30 in the evening. Sharmila was accorded a grand  reception by Muddikera villagers. She later garlanded the statue of late YSR, which was erected in the village.

While she was paying her respects to the legendary chief minister, everyone gathered there to support Sharmila. The yatra which was began on October 18, was completed in YSR district and Ananthapur district so far.

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Jayaprada to enter AP politics ? : A Gossip

Film actress and MP Jayaprada is all set to join a new political party. But the suspense is that the party has not been named nor identified.

 

Jayaprada, who was in Hyderabad to inaugurate a jewellery showroom said that she had left her heart in Andhra Pradesh and would like to enter AP politics soon.

Jayaprada did not name any party, but said said that she will abide by the majority people's decision. She also said that she cannot reveal all the details now as she is a member of the Parliament.

However, she made it clear that she will join the party by the majority's decision. It is being rumored that she may switch her loyalties to a strong party which has a huge rising supporter base in the state.

Jayaprada Nahata is an MP from Rampur constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

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YSRCP to meet on Friday

The YSR Congress Legislature Party is scheduled to meet on Friday under the leadership of its Honorary President, YS Vijayamma.

Party legislators are likely to draw up a strategy to help people in the flood affected areas. Cyclone Nilam had triggered heavy rains and many parts of the state were reeling from the effects of floods.  Thousands of acres of paddy, cotton and other crops were damaged by rains. Many people were also rendered homeless.

Vijayamma had recently toured the flood affected areas in the state. She had a face-to-face meeting with the farmers over the crops that were destroyed by cyclone Nilam.

The party legislators, MLCs and senior representatives of the party are also invited to the meeting which will be held at 11 am at the camp office of  YS Vijayamma.

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Controversial film : A Woman in Bramhanism receives ban ruling

The committee which was appointed to watch the movie 'A woman in Braamminism' has recommended a ban on the movie.

 

The chairperson of the committee, Nilam Sawhney, principal secretary, women and child welfare department, had watched the film along with eight other members on November 5 and felt that there was a lot of obscenity and vulgarity in it.
The committee also felt that since the movie would hurt the sentiments of the Brahmin community, it should not be released.
The committee report was sent to the government by the member-convener RV Chandravan, who is the managing director of the AP Film, TV and Theatre Development Corporation, and by the commissioner of the information and public relations department.

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