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Kishore

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The Sorrow of Bihar

Bihar: Again Flooded!

The Sorrow of Bihar, the Kosi, has struck again. The river in neighbouring Nepal changed its course last week due to a two-and-a-half kilometre breach in the Kosi barrage embankment. Villages in Bihar were flooded, crops destroyed and houses flattened by the fury of the river. This year’s floods have been described as one of the worst in recent years. Ten flood-related deaths have been reported so far with six deaths in Madhepura and four from Saharsa. But unconfirmed reports claim that the toll may be as high as 55.

According to figures provided by the state’s Disaster Management Department, approximately 19.78 lakh people from 725 villages in the districts of Madhepura, Araria, Supaul and Saharsa, have been affected by the floods. “Over 1 lakh people have been evacuated by the government agencies involved in rescue operations,” Prataya Amrit, additional disaster management secretary, told rediff.com. According to official sources, nearly 10 lakh people are still trapped in the flooded areas, particularly in Madhepura, Araria, Supaul and Saharsa districts.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decsribed the situation as a catastrophe and appealed to the Centre for help. Over 32 lakh people have been left homeless, with the floods affecting 15 of the state’s 38 districts. During his visit to the flood-hit areas in the state on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the floods as a national calamity and announced the immediate release of Rs 1,000-crore flood relief for Bihar. Image: Villagers are transported in army boats following their rescue from floodwaters in Sursur area in Araria district.

Several government agencies, including the army, the Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force and local police were helping in the rescue operations. “The government plans to intensify its evacuation operations in the next 48 hours,” he said. He said that over 400 boats have been deployed in the rescue operations but this number will double by Saturday. Emergency supplies were rushed to lakhs of people who have been marooned by the floods. Army helicopters are being used to air drop food packets in the flooded areas. Image: Medical staff use a stretcher to carry a patient in Patna after the evacuation of a hospital due to severe waterlogging. Photographs: AFP/Getty Images

 

Mission Olympic 2008

India Won 3 medals in Beijing 2008 olympic. Winners are Abhinav Bindra (Gold), Shushil Kumar (Bronze), Vijendra Singh (Bronze). The three great north Indians make a history aging in India.

Abhinav Bindra (Gold medalist): Men’s 10m Air Rifle.

Shushil Kumar (Bronze medalist): Men’s 66kg freestyle wrestling.

Vijendra Singh (Bronze Medalist): Men’s 75kg category Boxer.

Abhinav Bindra gave India its first individual Olympic gold medal, and ninth overall, when he won the 10 metres air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics on Monday morning. Before his feat India had won eight gold medals in hockey, six of them at successive Games, three silver medals (two in athletics and one in hockey) and five bronze medals from the Olympics. On Monday, Bindra was fourth after qualifying but had a brilliant final round and even hit a near perfect 10.8 on his last visit to pull in front of Henri Hakkinen of Finland, who dropped to bronze with a poor final shot of 9.7. A look at India’s medal winners at the Olympics: Medal Name Olympics Sport Event Silver Norman Pritchard 1900 Paris Athletics Men’s 200 metres Silver Norman Pritchard 1900 Paris Athletics Men’s 200 metres hurdles Gold National team 1928 Amsterdam Field hockey Men’s competition Gold National team 1932 Los Angeles Field hockey Men’s competition Gold National team 1936 Berlin Field hockey Men’s competition Gold National team 1948 London Field hockey Men’s competition Gold National team 1952 Helsinki Field hockey Men’s competition Bronze Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki Wrestling Men’s freestyle bantamweight Gold National team 1956 Melbourne Field hockey Men’s competition Silver National team 1960 Rome Field hockey Men’s competition Gold National team 1964 Tokyo Field hockey Men’s competition Bronze National team 1968 Mexico Field hockey Men’s competition Bronze National team 1972 Munich Field hockey Men’s competition Gold National team 1980 Moscow Field hockey Men’s competition Bronze Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta Tennis Men’s singles Bronze Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney Weightlifting Women’s 69 kg Silver Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore 2004 Athens Shooting Men’s double trap Gold Abhinav Bindra 2008 Beijing Shooting Men’s 10m Air Rifle Bronze Sushil Kumar 2008 Beijing wrestling Men’s 66kg freestyle Bronze Vijendra Singh 2008 Beijing Boxing Men’s 75kg category

Low-cost airlines SpiceJet on Friday announced boxer Vijender Kumar can fly for life in their domestic flights in recognition of his historic feat of winning a bronze in Beijing Olympics. Vijender became the first ever Indian to win an Olympic medal, a bronze in 75kg category in Beijing Olympics. The airlines has earlier honoured Abhinav Bindra and Sushil Kumar with the same offers after their gold (in shooting) and bronze (in wrestling) winning feats respectively. Vijender can now travel free on SpiceJet’s domestic network all his life, SpiceJet Chief Commercial Officer Samyukth Sridharan said in a release. “We are delighted to welcome Vijender into our family of SpiceJetters by offering him unlimited free personal travel for life along with Abhinav Bindra and Sushil Kumar. Sportsmen like Vijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar and Abhinav Bindra have made us proud and will help more people to focus on their dream,” Sridharan said.

 

Indian army shuffle with Militants

Security forces have launched a massive operation to track down a group of armed militants who, they claim, infiltrated into the Indian territory in Jammu from across the border under the cover of firing from the Pakistani side, early on Tuesday morning.

Firing at LoC, Indian soldier killed

“A group of three to four militants have infiltrated into the state through Kanachak border after cutting the fence and under the cover of firing from the Pakistan side around 1.45 am.

“A massive operation is on to track down the militants. The Border Security Force, army and police have cordoned off the entire belt and tracker dogs have been pressed into operation,” said Deputy Inspector General, BSF, S Sagwan.

BSF thwarts major infiltration bid on LoC

He alleged that under the cover of firing, “Pakistan pushed in militants into this side of the border,” adding that firing continued for over an hour.

Giving details, the DIG said a group of 20 to 30 unidentified ultras took positions close to the International Border on Pakistan side and opened indiscriminate firing on border patrol parties in Kanachak border area of Jammu district around 12.30 am.

Pakistan denies death of 4 soldiers in LoC firing

The BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated. There were no casualties on this side in the firing.

Asked whether Pakistan troops were involved in the firing, he said that their involvement cannot be ruled out as they are responsible for the security for the entire belt.

The BSF has swung into action and launched a massive cordon and search operation in Kanachak border belt and adjoining areas, just 15 kms from Jammu .The ultras infiltrated through the Layliyal border outpost in Kanachak area by cutting a three-tier fence, the top BSF official said, adding some arms and ammunition were recovered from the area.

When asked about the alleged ceasefire violation yet again, he said, “We are looking into all aspects and we are not ruling out the possibility of Pakistani rangers”.

 

Vande Mataram

In Devanagari script
वन्दे मातरम्
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामलां मातरम् |
शुभ्र ज्योत्स्ना पुलकित यामिनीम्
फुल्ल कुसुमित द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्,
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदां वरदां मातरम् ||

In Bengali script
বন্দে মাতরম্
সুজলাং সুফলাং মলযজশীতলাম্
শস্য শ্যামলাং মাতরম্ |
শুভ্র জ্যোত্স্ন পুলকিত যামিনীম্
ফুল্ল কুসুমিত দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্,
সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্
সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্ ||

Devanagari transliteration
vande mātaram
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ malayajaśītalām
śasya śyāmalāṃ mātaram
śubhra jyotsnā pulakita yāminīm
phulla kusumita drumadalaśobhinīm
suhāsinīṃ sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ mātaram

Bengali Romanization
bônde matorom
shujolang shufolang môloeôjoshitolam
shoshsho shêmolang matorom
shubhro jotsna pulokito jaminim
fullo kushumito drumodôloshobhinim
shuhashining shumodhuro bhashinim
shukhodang bôrodang matorom

 

Vande Mataram

In Devanagari script
वन्दे मातरम्
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामलां मातरम् |
शुभ्र ज्योत्स्ना पुलकित यामिनीम्
फुल्ल कुसुमित द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्,
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदां वरदां मातरम् ||

In Bengali script
বন্দে মাতরম্
সুজলাং সুফলাং মলযজশীতলাম্
শস্য শ্যামলাং মাতরম্ |
শুভ্র জ্যোত্স্ন পুলকিত যামিনীম্
ফুল্ল কুসুমিত দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্,
সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্
সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্ ||

Devanagari transliteration
vande mātaram
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ malayajaśītalām
śasya śyāmalāṃ mātaram
śubhra jyotsnā pulakita yāminīm
phulla kusumita drumadalaśobhinīm
suhāsinīṃ sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ mātaram

Bengali Romanization
bônde matorom
shujolang shufolang môloeôjoshitolam
shoshsho shêmolang matorom
shubhro jotsna pulokito jaminim
fullo kushumito drumodôloshobhinim
shuhashining shumodhuro bhashinim
shukhodang bôrodang matorom

 

US warns Russia of lasting impact

US warns Russia of lasting impact

The US defence chief has warned relations with Russia could be damaged for years if Moscow does not step back from “aggressive” actions in Georgia.

Russian troops have begun handing back the town of Gori to the Georgians

But Robert Gates said he did not see a need for US military force in Georgia. His words came as Moscow said the idea of Georgian territorial integrity was an irrelevance. Georgia’s breakaway regions – Abkhazia and South Ossetia – would never agree to being part of Georgia again, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Earlier, Russia said it had began handing back the town of Gori to Georgian police but insisted its troops would stay in the area. A Russian general said his forces were there to remove weaponry and help restore law and order in Gori, which lies some 15km (10 miles) from South Ossetia and on a key route to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Elsewhere, eyewitnesses in the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti said that Russian troops had entered the town in armoured vehicles. Moscow had earlier denied the reports but Russia’s deputy chief of staff, Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn, told a televised news conference it was legitimate for Russians to be in Poti as part of intelligence-gathering operations. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that more than 100 Russian vehicles, some of them armoured, had gathered outside the major western Georgian town of Zugdidi. Despite concerns that Moscow may not be keen quickly to leave Georgian territory, Mr Gates said the Russians did seem to be pulling back. “They appear to be withdrawing their forces back towards Abkhazia and to the zone of conflict… towards South Ossetia,” he said. Gen James Cartwright, vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said he believed Russia was “generally complying” with the terms of the truce, which called for its withdrawal from hostilities. But, Mr Gates warned: “If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the US-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come.” The Russians were trying to redress what they regarded as the many concessions forced on them after the breakup of the Soviet Union and were trying to “reassert their international status”, Mr Gates said. Georgia was also being punished for its efforts to integrate with the West and in particular to join Nato, the defence secretary went on. The BBC’s Justin Webb in Washington says Mr Gates’s address was the first effort by a senior member of the Bush administration to set out what the Americans believe is happening in Russia. But while Mr Gates said Russia’s aggressive posture was not acceptable, our correspondent says, he took an unusual step for the Bush administration in ruling out the use of US force. This is not a fight that America wants to have. Withdrawal Georgia attacked the rebel region of South Ossetia from Gori a week ago, prompting Russian retaliation. The Georgians say it followed continuous provocation. Both sides agreed to a French-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday, amid international concern, but it has seemed fragile so far. Earlier on Thursday in Moscow, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would respect any decision South Ossetia and Abkhazia made about their future status. His words followed warnings from the US that Russia had to respect Georgia’s territorial sovereignty and withdraw its forces. Meanwhile, the US has sent its second shipment of humanitarian aid into Georgia. Russia has questioned whether the deliveries contain only humanitarian supplies.

Russia has questioned what is in US aid deliveries to Georgia

 

On The Eve of Independence Day

`We must stand united against threats emanating from terrorism`

President Pratibha Patil addressing the nation on eve of Independence Day urged the people to work unitedly to realise their full strength and potential. She said that India is a conglomeration of a diversity of cultures, languages and religions but running through this is a unity which has given to us resilience and strength. “We must stand united against the threats emanating from terrorism. Terrorists, with their disruptive agenda, will never succeed in discouraging us from our resolve to build a strong India, or from working with our neighbours to eliminate this menace from our region, or from our commitment to forge co-operative relations with other countries across the world,” the 73-year-old President said. “The ideologues of terrorism have little respect for human life. They incite violence and mindless destruction,” she said. The President said she was confident that the concept of India that is functioning in unison in a milieu of a vast diversity will continue to define the country’s identity. “We should pause and reflect on how our conduct and our actions are promoting unity. We must ask ourselves whether our actions are contributing to strengthening of the national fabric and bringing about tolerant thinking. “We should demonstrate our ability to listen to each other to understand each other and if perceptions do not agree, give to the others the freedom to hold their views,” she said. Reminding the people that they have duties towards the country, society and family, said in discharging them there was “an obligation to act responsibly.” Patil also touched upon energy security in her speech and said “as a developing country our demands for energy are growing. We cannot let lack of energy become a constraint on our ability to deliver high levels of growth. “With the challenges of increased oil prices and climate change, the question of energy security confronts us. We need to look at energy mixes that are sustainable in the long run and are cleaner sources of energy, gradually making deliberate shift to renewable energy,” the President said. She said it should be country’s national mission to begin exploring ways in which new sources of energy can be harnessed viably. “Technologies increasing efficiency in energy-intensive sectors need to be developed…any contribution to save energy is a step towards environment protection and in saving the wide diversity of flora and fauna on the planet,” she said. Patil said due to the government’s efforts and perseverance many achievements have been made by the country in different. “But there are several tasks that await completion and new challenges that need to be addressed. A nation’s work never ends,” she said. Referring to the government’s flagship programmes for improving the lives of the people, the President said those involved in the implementation of development and social welfare schemes must work with dedication and zeal and without causing delays. “Implementation done in a transparent and accountable manner will ensure that welfare schemes reach the genuine beneficiaries in a timely manner. Thus, preventing corruption in our system and enhancing efficiency in governance,” she said. Advocating special attention for the development of agriculture and rural areas, Patil said no one should forget that the food security of the country is dependent on the growth of its agriculture. “Seventy per cent of our population lives in villages and is dependent on agriculture. Therefore, the development of India will not be comprehensive or complete unless there is development in the rural areas and increased agriculture productivity,” she added. The President said social evils like dowry, female feoticide, discrimination against girl child, domestic violence, tobacco, drugs and alcohol were blocking the country from becoming a progressive nation. “We must look at a nationwide addiction focussed eradication programme. Eliminating addiction and fighting social evils can be a slow process as it involves changing attitudes,” she added. Stressing for inclusion of women in development programmes, the President said “real development cannot take root if it bypasses women, who represent the very pivot around which social change takes shape.”

 

We proude of you Abhinav!!!

Abhinav Bindra wins 10m air rifle gold   Abhinav Bindra won India’s first ever individual Olympic gold medal on Monday with a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the men’s 10 metres air rifle event.   Bindra was fourth after qualifying but had a brilliant final round and even hit a near perfect 10.8 on his last visit to pull in front of Henri Hakkinen of Finland, who dropped to bronze with a poor final shot of 9.7. That allowed China’s Zhu Qinan, the defending Olympic champion and heavy favourite, to pass him on his final shot and win the silver medal. “It’s just great,” Bindra said just before climbing on to the podium. Zhu suffered a late lapse in concentration in the qualification earlier on Monday morning when he had to rush his final shots to make the time limit, thus dropping to second place behind Hakkinen ahead of the final. He was close to tears and said: “I was under tremendous pressure and at times I felt really agitated. But I tried my best.” India’s last Olympic gold medal was from hockey (8th gold) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics . Bindra’s feat betters the silver medal effort of double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the Athens Games in 2004. Randhir Singh, Indian Olympic Association secretary-general and former shooter who was present at the range, was stricken with nerves as the competition reached its climax. “I haven’t prayed so much in my life. With the second last shot they tied together and then he (Bindra) shot a 10.8. It couldn’t have got better,” he said. Bindra won the 2006 World championships and finished seventh in Athens four years ago. Earlier, Gagan Narang failed to make the final cut in the same event as he finished ninth with a score of 595/600. He shot a series of 97,100,100,100,98,100, while Bindra, a Khel Ratna winner, finished the qualifying event joint-fourth with Romania’s George Alin Moldoveanu. The duo had a score of 596/600. The bespectacled shooter scoring sequence was 100, 99, 100, 98, 100 and 99. Finland’s Henri Hakkinen qualified first for the event with a score of 598/600 after shooting a series of 100, 100, 99, 100, 100 and 99. China’s Qinan Zhu was a point adrift of Hakkinen with a series of 100, 100, 100, 100, 99 and 98. Police with sniffer dogs search one of the damaged areas Bengaluru has been attacked. Low intensity blasts in a span of one hour in six different places rocked the IT capital of India on Friday afternoon in which two people died and several others were injured. While the first seven blasts took place between 1.30-2.30 pm, the eighth blast blast took place at Hosaguddahalli, near Gopalan Mall, on Mysore road at around 5.30 pm and the ninth blast took place near the R V Engineering College on Mysore Road at 6.30 pm. The Bengaluru police have termed it as an act of terror. The first two blasts occurred at Adugodi at 1.30 pm behind the famous Forum Mall, which is a major shopping destination in Bengaluru. The second bomb was placed near a granite factory under some granite slabs. The blast at Madiwala occured near the check post at 1.50 pm, which were followed by a blast at Nayandahalli in a bus shelter at 2.10 pm. Between 2.10 and 2.30 pm very low intensity blasts were reported near the Mallya hospital at a park and on Richmond and Langford road. A woman who died in the blasts has been identified as Lakshmi. She, along with her husband, was standing at the bus stop when the explosion occurred. Reports suggest that she was hit on the head by a bolt. He husband Ravi has also been injured in the attack. Five other persons have been injured in the blasts. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Shankar Bidri said the blasts were of low intensity and gelatin sticks were used. Preliminary investigations show that the bombs were attached to a timer device and were triggered off by a mobile phone. A similar pattern was used in the Hyderbad twin blasts and also at Jaipur and Ajmer. While various theories are being floated regarding the cause of the blasts, the police maintain that it was only to scare people and create law and order problems. While the Intelligence Bureau are not ruling out the hand of the Students Islamic Movement of India behind the blasts, the cops maintain that it is too early to blame anyone. The IB says that the attack could be three pronged — one to scare the IT sector in Bengaluru, two to warn the Karnataka police in the wake of the arrests of SIMI cadres in Karnataka which led to the arrests of 10 supremos of SIMI in Indore and lastly as a retaliatory measure since the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power for the first time in south India. Looking closely at the manner in which the attacks were carried out, the IB says that it was more of an attempt to scare the people rather than kill. The bombs were of low intensity and the places in which they were hidden is a clear indication that the intention was more to scare the general public and in the case of the Madiwala and Adugodi explosions, the IT sector in particular. There are large number of IT professionals living in these two areas. Moments after the explosions, panic set in Bengaluru city. People were seen running helter skelter at the blast sites, while the rest of the city remained tense. What made matters worse was that all mobile lines were jammed and people were trying desperately to contact their near and dear ones. However, shops and establishments did not down shutters and offices and schools remained open even after hearing the news of the blasts. The only effect of the blasts were traffic jams all across the city. On the spot, people looked shaken up and were in a daze following the explosions. They said they heard a loud explosion and when they looked around there was dust that had kicked up and several window panes shattered. The police were quick to get into the thick of the action and both the dog squad and the forensic team were pressed into service. Bidri assured the people that the situation was under control and there was no cause for panic. He said that security had been beefed up and the police have taken stock of the situation. Gopal Hosur, joint commissioner, crime, said that there was nothing to worry. He said that the blasts were low intensity in nature. He assured the people that the situation was under control.

…

Abhinav Bindra gave India its first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics when he won the 10 metres air rifle event on Monday morning. The 25-year-old Indian shooting ace, who qualified in fourth place for the final, finished with an overall score of (596+104.5) 700.5 in a thrilling finale which went right down to the last shot. Bindra’s historic feat makes him India’s first individual gold medallist, bettering the silver medal feat of double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Athens 2004. India’s last gold medal at an Olympics came in 1980 when the hockey team emerged triumphant in Moscow .

Olympics 2008 medal tally
Pos.	Country	G	S	B	Total
*	India	1	0	0	1
1	China	6	3	0	9
2	US	3	4	4	11
3	South Korea	3	2	0	5
4	Australia	2	0	3	5
5	Japan	2	0	2	4
6	Great Britain	2	0	1	3
7	Czech Republic	2	0	0	2
8	Italy	1	2	1	4
9	Spain	1	0	1	2
9	Netherlands	1	0	1	2
10	Romania	1	0	0	1
10	Thailand	1	0	0	1
13	Russia	0	3	1	4
14	France	0	2	1	3
15	North Korea	0	1	2	3
16	Cuba	0	1	1	2
17	Austria	0	1	0	1
17	Hungary	0	1	0	1
17	Sweden	0	1	0	1
17	Turkey	0	1	0	1
17	Vietnam	0	1	0	1
17	Zimbabwe	0	1	0	1
23	Algeria	0	0	1	1
23	Argentina	0	0	1	1
23	Belarus	0	0	1	1
23	Chinese Taipei	0	0	1	1
23	Croatia	0	0	1	1
23	Georgia	0	0	1	1
23	Germany	0	0	1	1
23	Indonesia	0	0	1	1
23	Switzerland	0	0	1	1
23	Uzbekistan	0	0	1	1