Amarnath Tewary | Patna Daily Pioneer
When the Bihar Government set up State Information Commission to provide information to seekers under RTI Act through Jankari on telephone a year ago, it was first of its kind in the country, prompting other States to emulate it. Again, another achievement: 262 Government officials were punished in a year for not supplying information, willingly or unwillingly, to RTI applicants.
In recent times several reports have come up when Government officials had demanded huge sums of money up to Rs 74 lakh in the name of miscellaneous charges from RTI
applicants.
The State Information Commission took notice of such cases and others before cracking
the whip against the erring officials.
While addressing a seminar on Sunday, Secretary of State Information Commission SK
Mishra said in the last one year altogether 262 officials have been charged under RTI
Act. “Besides, during the last three years, altogether 12,000 cases were brought to the
notice of the commission and around 1.35 lakh people sought various kinds of information from different departments,” he said.
“The RTI Act has become a potent tool in the hands of the common people and more and
more are using it for their purpose,” said Mishra.
The given information even surprised a team of young researchers from the US and
China who had visited the State recently. The visiting team wondered why so many
Government officials from top to bottom were punished for not providing the required
information within stipulated time.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had launched the Jankari scheme, through which one can
get information by making a phone call.
“This system has worked wonders and the Government has been taking action against
those officials who were found guilty of not providing the required information on one pretext or other,” said Nitish Kumar. “There should be transparency in the functioning of
the Government and everyone has the right to know what he wants to know,” he said.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
‘Information Commission is the biggest threat’- Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner
Business and Economy, 10/11/2011
Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission (CIC)
B&E: Right To Information has completed 6 years recently. What would you term as its biggest achievement so far?
Shailesh Gandhi (SG): I think the biggest achievement is that it has started empowering ordinary citizens. It’s just beginning, but people have begun to see the power of using Right to Information. In a small way, government servants have started getting used to the idea that they will have to be transparent. Though it’s not happening from the heart in most cases, the acceptance that they have to respect citizens is slowly creeping in. Earlier, the ordinary citizen just didn’t matter to anybody. I personally feel that what we saw in the Anna movement is part of a reflection of the aspirations that RTI has raised. My guess is that such a movement would not have been possible before the RTI came. Transforming a defective elective democracy to a truly participative one is the base achievement of RTI.
B&E: The RTI Act has seen some staunch criticism by the political class. Would you agree with statements that RTI has inbuilt weaknesses and that it adversely affects the deliberative process of the government?
SG: I personally don’t subscribe to it. The fundamental question is do we have a strong commitment to think that we want a good, vibrant democracy or not? If you have a conviction that democracy is good and it is not negotiable, then one says more transparency is good as citizens own the information. Then if it (work) slows down – so be it. If you have this belief that those in power know best and that citizens are an unnecessary hindrance, then transparency, RTI et al are just impediments. If you believe in democracy, all these discussions are irrelevant. We call ourselves a democracy because we have a constitution and elections. But these are necessary conditions for a democracy and not sufficient ones.
B&E: Do you think these reactions from the political class due to the impact that RTI has begun to show now?
SG: In July 2006 (after being passed in parliament in May 2005 and operationalised on October 12), the government had decided that the RTI Act was not something worth handling. The cabinet had already passed amendments that they wanted to introduce in parliament. Civil society began demonstrating and then the government backtracked. At that time, 10 exemption clauses that existed in the RTI act were to be made 13. In the definition of information, they (cabinet) had said that file notings is not information and the role of the commission was to be made recommendatory. In 2009, there was a similar call by the President in her first address to the parliament. DoPT took it forward but as pressure mounted unanimously, the government again backtracked.
B&E: Despite assurances by the government that there was no plan to relook the RTI Act, do you think the proposed debate poses a threat to RTI?
SG: Let’s take it in a broader context. There are three major threats to RTI. One is the government diluting the Act, which is serious but citizens have been resisting it fairly consistently. I think in real politik terms, the government will not be able to do much. Another major threat to RTI is the judicial system. Today, just the central commission has got around 800-1000 decisions in courts. Most of them get stayed and the way that our judicial system is, it may take two decades for the file judgements to come from the courts. Slowly, we may see a major threat from the delays in the judicial system. The largest and most vicious threat of all, which unfortunately most people are not aware of, is the Information Commission itself. The central commission today has a pendency of over 20,000 appeals and complaints which means an average backlog of over 10 months. If it continues like this, in the next 3 years we might see a backlog of two to three years. If things continue this way for the next five years, the Information Commission will become more like our judicial system. B&E: Why is this happening? How do you propose to deal with this?
SG: There is no accountability and this is a malaise or disease across all judicial and constitutional bodies in India. Nobody feels that we need to deliver to citizens. The concept that “I am accountable” just does not exist. Everyone thinks we will do things at our own pace. What’s more unfortunate is that even citizens are not demanding it. They have also got used to the fact that judicial and constitutional bodies will do what they want, when they wants and the citizens just wait. What we call the aam aadmi, in whose name we do most of the things in the country, will be completely left out. Dealing with it, on the other hand, is not very difficult. To my mind, first people (Information Commission) have to commit that we will deliver to citizens. Then we need to look at our needs and work things out. Problem is that this need is not being felt – neither by the bodies nor by the citizens. Our commissions are actually our checks and balances of democracy and they have become completely unaccountable.
Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission (CIC)
B&E: Right To Information has completed 6 years recently. What would you term as its biggest achievement so far?
Shailesh Gandhi (SG): I think the biggest achievement is that it has started empowering ordinary citizens. It’s just beginning, but people have begun to see the power of using Right to Information. In a small way, government servants have started getting used to the idea that they will have to be transparent. Though it’s not happening from the heart in most cases, the acceptance that they have to respect citizens is slowly creeping in. Earlier, the ordinary citizen just didn’t matter to anybody. I personally feel that what we saw in the Anna movement is part of a reflection of the aspirations that RTI has raised. My guess is that such a movement would not have been possible before the RTI came. Transforming a defective elective democracy to a truly participative one is the base achievement of RTI.
B&E: The RTI Act has seen some staunch criticism by the political class. Would you agree with statements that RTI has inbuilt weaknesses and that it adversely affects the deliberative process of the government?
SG: I personally don’t subscribe to it. The fundamental question is do we have a strong commitment to think that we want a good, vibrant democracy or not? If you have a conviction that democracy is good and it is not negotiable, then one says more transparency is good as citizens own the information. Then if it (work) slows down – so be it. If you have this belief that those in power know best and that citizens are an unnecessary hindrance, then transparency, RTI et al are just impediments. If you believe in democracy, all these discussions are irrelevant. We call ourselves a democracy because we have a constitution and elections. But these are necessary conditions for a democracy and not sufficient ones.
B&E: Do you think these reactions from the political class due to the impact that RTI has begun to show now?
SG: In July 2006 (after being passed in parliament in May 2005 and operationalised on October 12), the government had decided that the RTI Act was not something worth handling. The cabinet had already passed amendments that they wanted to introduce in parliament. Civil society began demonstrating and then the government backtracked. At that time, 10 exemption clauses that existed in the RTI act were to be made 13. In the definition of information, they (cabinet) had said that file notings is not information and the role of the commission was to be made recommendatory. In 2009, there was a similar call by the President in her first address to the parliament. DoPT took it forward but as pressure mounted unanimously, the government again backtracked.
B&E: Despite assurances by the government that there was no plan to relook the RTI Act, do you think the proposed debate poses a threat to RTI?
SG: Let’s take it in a broader context. There are three major threats to RTI. One is the government diluting the Act, which is serious but citizens have been resisting it fairly consistently. I think in real politik terms, the government will not be able to do much. Another major threat to RTI is the judicial system. Today, just the central commission has got around 800-1000 decisions in courts. Most of them get stayed and the way that our judicial system is, it may take two decades for the file judgements to come from the courts. Slowly, we may see a major threat from the delays in the judicial system. The largest and most vicious threat of all, which unfortunately most people are not aware of, is the Information Commission itself. The central commission today has a pendency of over 20,000 appeals and complaints which means an average backlog of over 10 months. If it continues like this, in the next 3 years we might see a backlog of two to three years. If things continue this way for the next five years, the Information Commission will become more like our judicial system. B&E: Why is this happening? How do you propose to deal with this?
SG: There is no accountability and this is a malaise or disease across all judicial and constitutional bodies in India. Nobody feels that we need to deliver to citizens. The concept that “I am accountable” just does not exist. Everyone thinks we will do things at our own pace. What’s more unfortunate is that even citizens are not demanding it. They have also got used to the fact that judicial and constitutional bodies will do what they want, when they wants and the citizens just wait. What we call the aam aadmi, in whose name we do most of the things in the country, will be completely left out. Dealing with it, on the other hand, is not very difficult. To my mind, first people (Information Commission) have to commit that we will deliver to citizens. Then we need to look at our needs and work things out. Problem is that this need is not being felt – neither by the bodies nor by the citizens. Our commissions are actually our checks and balances of democracy and they have become completely unaccountable.
Full disclosure
The Indian Express, Tue Oct 11 2011,
The Right to Information Act, brought in after decades of civil society pressure in 2005, has been one of the UPA’s biggest achievements. It is an enforceable right of public access to official workings, a radical switch that assumes government and governed have the same interests. In its brief life, RTI-enabled investigations have shed light on large matters like the Commonwealth Games corruption, the Adarsh scam and the 2G debates within government, apart from exposing land scams and misuse of public funds, even forcing the higher judiciary to declare assets. Confronted with the clamour for a Lokpal office, the RTI is the government’s most convincing proof of its commitment to accountability. So it is both predictable and disappointing that the RTI should now be viewed as a liability, in the wake of all these revelations. The finance and telecom ministries have demanded the PMO be kept out of its remit. Others claim the joint parliamentary committee investigating the 2G matter should have first dibs on this information. Ministers like Veerappa Moily and Salman Khurshid have also questioned the RTI, calling it an obstructive force, and one that impairs “institutional efficiency”.
It is only natural that the RTI should be unloved and unwanted by much of the executive and administration. It has been criticised for causing disruptions and wasting official time with “frivolous” petitions. It has been alleged that RTI would end up gagging official opinion, make civil servants more cautious with file-notings. Despite the fact that Section 8(1) of the RTI provides exemptions for material likely to threaten security, strategic, scientific or economic interests, information received in confidence from foreign governments, or information that will impede investigations, among other heads, many corners of the government have asked to be left out. If it was made to the government’s specifications, RTI would be reduced to meaninglessness — the requests considered not too frivolous, not too motivated, and not too threatening to institutional efficiency, could end up being a rather slender range of things.
The government must be reminded that the RTI’s recent embarrassing disclosures have only reflected the embarrassing actions within government. It has revealed the cross-purposes and the confusion within the government. However, if these developments are used as an excuse to roll back the RTI, the UPA would be diluting its obligations towards democratic accountability.
The Right to Information Act, brought in after decades of civil society pressure in 2005, has been one of the UPA’s biggest achievements. It is an enforceable right of public access to official workings, a radical switch that assumes government and governed have the same interests. In its brief life, RTI-enabled investigations have shed light on large matters like the Commonwealth Games corruption, the Adarsh scam and the 2G debates within government, apart from exposing land scams and misuse of public funds, even forcing the higher judiciary to declare assets. Confronted with the clamour for a Lokpal office, the RTI is the government’s most convincing proof of its commitment to accountability. So it is both predictable and disappointing that the RTI should now be viewed as a liability, in the wake of all these revelations. The finance and telecom ministries have demanded the PMO be kept out of its remit. Others claim the joint parliamentary committee investigating the 2G matter should have first dibs on this information. Ministers like Veerappa Moily and Salman Khurshid have also questioned the RTI, calling it an obstructive force, and one that impairs “institutional efficiency”.
It is only natural that the RTI should be unloved and unwanted by much of the executive and administration. It has been criticised for causing disruptions and wasting official time with “frivolous” petitions. It has been alleged that RTI would end up gagging official opinion, make civil servants more cautious with file-notings. Despite the fact that Section 8(1) of the RTI provides exemptions for material likely to threaten security, strategic, scientific or economic interests, information received in confidence from foreign governments, or information that will impede investigations, among other heads, many corners of the government have asked to be left out. If it was made to the government’s specifications, RTI would be reduced to meaninglessness — the requests considered not too frivolous, not too motivated, and not too threatening to institutional efficiency, could end up being a rather slender range of things.
The government must be reminded that the RTI’s recent embarrassing disclosures have only reflected the embarrassing actions within government. It has revealed the cross-purposes and the confusion within the government. However, if these developments are used as an excuse to roll back the RTI, the UPA would be diluting its obligations towards democratic accountability.
Indira Awas whistle-blower shot dead
Indira Awas whistle-blower shot dead
- Note beside body in Latehar village claims PLFI role, police sceptical
The Telegraph, Saturday , December 31 , 2011
Ranchi, Dec. 30: An RTI crusader, who exposed misappropriation of Indira Awas Yojana funds two months ago, was shot dead in a Latehar village last evening in a grim rerun of the fatal attack on MGNREGS activist Niyamat Ansari in the same rebel-hit district in March.
Though a hand-written note found beside 40-year-old Pradeep Prasad’s body in Salodi, 104km from the state capital, said the PLFI — a breakaway CPI(Maoist) faction — was responsible for the killing, police are yet to confirm Naxalite role in the incident.
According to Town police, who exercise jurisdiction over Salodi village, Prasad — the Latehar block convener of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, a trade union outfit — was returning to his native Mukka village on a motorbike around 6pm, when he was intercepted. His bullet-riddled body — two wounds in the forehead and one in the chest — was discovered around 8am today.
Latehar SP G. Kranti Kumar expressed his inability to name any individual or organisation behind the attack. “Though the PLFI has claimed responsibility for the murder in Salodi, we are yet to ascertain the genuineness of the note found beside the body. Anybody can write it to mislead the police. We are also trying to verify the motive behind the killing,” he said.
Local villagers said Prasad often invoked the RTI Act to highlight corruption in government departments and might have made several enemies in the process.
“In October, he had exposed embezzlement of funds meant for distribution among beneficiaries of Indira Awas Yojana in villages here, which led deputy commissioner Rahul Purwar to suspend a panchayat sevak, Ishidor Aiend,” a villager said.
On whether Prasad was the victim of a conspiracy hatched by unscrupulous government functionaries, the SP said: “We are yet to ascertain the exact motive behind the killing and are investigating the case from all angles.” He reiterated that the PLFI note could be a decoy to confuse police.
Surprisingly, DGP G.S. Rath said he was not aware of the incident in Latehar, but insisted that the PLFI was not active in that district.
“Latehar is the base of breakaway Maoist groups like the Jharkhand Janmukti Morcha and the Tritiya Prastuti Committee,” he added.
After Prasad’s body was recovered, angry residents blocked NH-75 near Latehar bus stand for two hours from 9am, demanding adequate compensation for the activist’s family. Prasad is survived by his wife and five children — one son and four daughters.
The protest quelled after the district administration provided Rs 10,000 for last rites and assured Prasad’s kin of further financial assistance soon.
On March 2, Niyamat Ansari — a trusted aide of economist and MGNREGS architect Jean Drèze — was targeted by unscrupulous contractors, backed by Maoists, for exposing rampant corruption in the Centre’s flagship rural job scheme in a Latehar village.
While Ansari died after being beaten up brutally by a 12-member gang at Jerua, 130km from the state capital, his friend and colleague Bhukan Singh had a narrow escape because he wasn’t home when the rebel-backed group came hunting for him.
Both Ansari — the block convener of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and MGNREGS Sahayata Kendra — and Singh had hit headlines on February 20, when they detected financial irregularities in two projects at Rankikala village in Manika block of the district and lodged an FIR against former BDO Kailash Sahu.
More than Rs 2 lakh were recovered from Sahu and his accomplices during raids that followed.
After much dilly-dallying, the Arjun Munda government sanctioned a CBI probe into Ansari’s killing in July. The central agency is yet to begin investigations.
- Note beside body in Latehar village claims PLFI role, police sceptical
The Telegraph, Saturday , December 31 , 2011
Ranchi, Dec. 30: An RTI crusader, who exposed misappropriation of Indira Awas Yojana funds two months ago, was shot dead in a Latehar village last evening in a grim rerun of the fatal attack on MGNREGS activist Niyamat Ansari in the same rebel-hit district in March.
Though a hand-written note found beside 40-year-old Pradeep Prasad’s body in Salodi, 104km from the state capital, said the PLFI — a breakaway CPI(Maoist) faction — was responsible for the killing, police are yet to confirm Naxalite role in the incident.
According to Town police, who exercise jurisdiction over Salodi village, Prasad — the Latehar block convener of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, a trade union outfit — was returning to his native Mukka village on a motorbike around 6pm, when he was intercepted. His bullet-riddled body — two wounds in the forehead and one in the chest — was discovered around 8am today.
Latehar SP G. Kranti Kumar expressed his inability to name any individual or organisation behind the attack. “Though the PLFI has claimed responsibility for the murder in Salodi, we are yet to ascertain the genuineness of the note found beside the body. Anybody can write it to mislead the police. We are also trying to verify the motive behind the killing,” he said.
Local villagers said Prasad often invoked the RTI Act to highlight corruption in government departments and might have made several enemies in the process.
“In October, he had exposed embezzlement of funds meant for distribution among beneficiaries of Indira Awas Yojana in villages here, which led deputy commissioner Rahul Purwar to suspend a panchayat sevak, Ishidor Aiend,” a villager said.
On whether Prasad was the victim of a conspiracy hatched by unscrupulous government functionaries, the SP said: “We are yet to ascertain the exact motive behind the killing and are investigating the case from all angles.” He reiterated that the PLFI note could be a decoy to confuse police.
Surprisingly, DGP G.S. Rath said he was not aware of the incident in Latehar, but insisted that the PLFI was not active in that district.
“Latehar is the base of breakaway Maoist groups like the Jharkhand Janmukti Morcha and the Tritiya Prastuti Committee,” he added.
After Prasad’s body was recovered, angry residents blocked NH-75 near Latehar bus stand for two hours from 9am, demanding adequate compensation for the activist’s family. Prasad is survived by his wife and five children — one son and four daughters.
The protest quelled after the district administration provided Rs 10,000 for last rites and assured Prasad’s kin of further financial assistance soon.
On March 2, Niyamat Ansari — a trusted aide of economist and MGNREGS architect Jean Drèze — was targeted by unscrupulous contractors, backed by Maoists, for exposing rampant corruption in the Centre’s flagship rural job scheme in a Latehar village.
While Ansari died after being beaten up brutally by a 12-member gang at Jerua, 130km from the state capital, his friend and colleague Bhukan Singh had a narrow escape because he wasn’t home when the rebel-backed group came hunting for him.
Both Ansari — the block convener of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and MGNREGS Sahayata Kendra — and Singh had hit headlines on February 20, when they detected financial irregularities in two projects at Rankikala village in Manika block of the district and lodged an FIR against former BDO Kailash Sahu.
More than Rs 2 lakh were recovered from Sahu and his accomplices during raids that followed.
After much dilly-dallying, the Arjun Munda government sanctioned a CBI probe into Ansari’s killing in July. The central agency is yet to begin investigations.
Indian duo find neutrino fault - Scanner on faster-than-light claim
The Telegraphm, Sunday , December 25 , 2011
G.S. MUDUR
A graphic showing traces of collision particles at the CMS experience at CERN in Geneva. (AFP)
New Delhi, Dec. 24: Two Indian physicists have identified a problem in the experimental observations earlier this year that appeared to show that subatomic particles called neutrinos can travel faster than light, defying Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity.
The physicists Ramnath Cowsik and Utpal Sarkar, collaborating with Shmuel Nussinov from Tel Aviv University, have used the laws of conservation of energy and momentum to show that the neutrinos claimed to be faster than light contradict the very observations that spotted them.
Scientists from the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) had reported earlier this year that neutrinos produced in high-speed proton-proton collisions in an underground laboratory near Geneva had travelled 730km to Italy about 60 billionths of a second faster than light.
Their findings had stunned the physics community because special relativity theory, which has survived every experimental test since Einstein proposed it a century ago, dictates that nothing can travel faster than light.
Cowsik, Sarkar, and Nussinov applied principles of conservation of energy and momentum to the neutrino production process in CERN. Their calculations, based on equations taught in masters-level physics courses, show that if the neutrinos detected in Italy had indeed travelled faster than light, they would have had much lower energies than observed. A paper pointing out this problem is published today in the journal Physical Review Letters.
“The conservation of energy and momentum laws are fundamental to physics. If we assume they apply to these neutrinos, the experiment should not be seeing the neutrino energies that it did,” Cowsik, professor of physics at the Washington University, St. Louis in the US, said.
The CERN neutrinos are produced in a step-wise process. The proton-proton collisions create subatomic particles called pions which decay into neutrinos and another type of particles called muons. The energy balance calculations show that if the neutrinos that are produced through such pion decays travelled faster than light, the neutrinos would carry a smaller fraction of energy that is shared between the neutrinos and the muons.
The calculations emerged from an informal chat about the CERN results the three physicists had when Nussinov and Sarkar, a senior physicist at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, were visiting Cowsik’s office in St Louis about a month ago.
“This is a strong paper with well-articulated arguments,” said Amitava Raychaudhuri, Palit professor of theoretical physics at Calcutta University. “Their calculations show that faster-than-light neutrinos are inconsistent with the neutrino energies seen.”
Cowsik and his colleagues checked their calculations by analysing the neutrino energies seen in an observatory called IceCube buried in Antarctic ice that has been tracking neutrinos created when cosmic rays strike the Earth’s atmosphere. These neutrinos are also produced from the decay of pions and mimic the CERN production process. “The contradictions are exacerbated in the Antarctic experiment — we see neutrinos with extreme high energies,” Cowsik said.
The scientific teams from CERN and the neutrino detector laboratory in Gran Sasso in Italy, aware of the significance of their observations first reported in September this year, have thus far declined to speculate on the theoretical interpretation of their results.
In October, two US-based physicists Andrew Cohen and Sheldon Glashow had published a paper in the journal Physical Review Letters, in which they had shown that faster-than-light neutrinos would rapidly radiate energy in pairs of electrons and positrons.
“But even very strong theoretical calculations can be questioned because they make some assumptions,” Raychaudhuri said. “The feeling within the physics community is that we need another test — we’re all waiting for a second independent experiment to see how neutrinos behave.”
Cowsik said he has “great respect” for the experimental teams in CERN and Gran Sasso. “When physicists encounter such experimental results and they don’t find any obvious errors in their observations, they are compelled to publish and report their findings.”
But, he said, the theoretical calculations suggest that the experimental details need to be reexamined.
How one man rattled the ruling alliance
From rediff.com page (Saisuresh Sivaswamy, December 28, 2011):
As Annus Horribilis ends with a whimper, the tantalising question is: In its 100th anniversary as the capital of colonial India, will Delhi become the graveyard of yet another dynasty, asks Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
In 1911, when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was perfecting his passive resistance movement in South Africa against the apartheid regime, which he later successfully deployed against the British colonial power in India as Satyagraha, little could he have imagined that 100 years later, an old man wearing his trademark topi would employ the same tactic against the party he forged into an instrument of Indian independence.
Was it then, and is it now, merely a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man? Or was the situation ripe, in 1911 and 2011, for the emergence of a symbol of resistance against an effete government, which both Gandhi and Anna Hazare seized?
In Gandhi's case, we have the advantage of hindsight stretching over 100 years. In Hazare's it's but a mere year.
And what a year it has been!
Read further and move through the slides at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-yearend-2011-anna-domini-how-one-man-rattled-the-ruling-alliance/20111228.htm
As Annus Horribilis ends with a whimper, the tantalising question is: In its 100th anniversary as the capital of colonial India, will Delhi become the graveyard of yet another dynasty, asks Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
In 1911, when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was perfecting his passive resistance movement in South Africa against the apartheid regime, which he later successfully deployed against the British colonial power in India as Satyagraha, little could he have imagined that 100 years later, an old man wearing his trademark topi would employ the same tactic against the party he forged into an instrument of Indian independence.
Was it then, and is it now, merely a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man? Or was the situation ripe, in 1911 and 2011, for the emergence of a symbol of resistance against an effete government, which both Gandhi and Anna Hazare seized?
In Gandhi's case, we have the advantage of hindsight stretching over 100 years. In Hazare's it's but a mere year.
And what a year it has been!
Read further and move through the slides at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-yearend-2011-anna-domini-how-one-man-rattled-the-ruling-alliance/20111228.htm
'Constitutional Lokpal would have been difficult to repeal' - says former Chief Justice
Dec 30, 2011, 12.00AM IST
With the Lokpal Bill becoming the focus of attention within and outside Parliament, Justice V N Khare, former chief justice of India, spoke with Rudroneel Ghosh on the constitutional dimensions of the anti-corruption legislation:
How does the failure to confer constitutional status on the Lokpal affect the anti-corruption ombudsman?
Such an anti-corruption ombudsman was earlier established in Haryana and Punjab through a legislative instrument, that is through an ordinary statute. But there were some political bigwigs who were involved in corruption and the Lokayukta was on the verge of catching them. What the government did then was it repealed the (Lokayukta) Act itself through an ordinance. This happened both in Haryana and Punjab. My apprehension is that if a political heavyweight is under investigation, and the ombudsman has been established through an ordinary statute, then a simple ordinance can be passed to scrap the whole institution. But if the body has constitutional status, then it can't be amended like this. It would have been difficult to repeal the Lokpal had it been given constitutional status.
Can the opposition argue that the minority quota in the Lokpal is unconstitutional?
No. Consider Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution. Nowhere do they talk about a Hindu, Muslim or Christian quota. What they say is that nothing will prevent Parliament from enacting a law for advancement of educationally and socially backward class of citizens and members of the scheduled caste. There's no mention of religion. When you identify certain Hindu castes such as Yadavs, Kurmis, etc you don't say 'Hindus' are getting reservation; you say they are backward groups and on this basis you give them reservation. Similarly, among the Muslim community you can identify certain backward segments and have a quota for them. So it's not a question of religion but educationally and socially backward communities.
Does the Lokpal Bill impinge on the country's federal structure?
Article 252 of the Constitution provides that in case Parliament doesn't have the power to enact a law, it can on the request of the states make law for those states as well as whosoever is concerned with the law. Article 253 says that Parliament is empowered to enact laws for the enforcement of international treaties and UN conventions. For example, there is no legislative subject called human rights. But because we were a signatory to the UN Human Rights Convention, we enacted laws to establish the National Human Rights Commission. Similarly, the 2003 UN convention on fighting corruption empowers Parliament to make laws to tackle graft. It is on this basis that the Lokpal Bill has been introduced under Article 253. If the UN convention did not exist, then you could say the Lokpal Bill impinges on federalism. But not in this case.
Is there any merit in the Team Anna argument that the CBI should be brought under the Lokpal?
I don't think that the entire CBI can be brought under the Lokpal. The CBI is a huge organisation whose investigative capabilities are used for so many things other than fighting corruption. At best you can put 50 or 60 CBI officers on deputation with the Lokpal. However, if the CBI is under the government and the government is the prosecutor, there is a clear conflict of interest in prosecuting government corruption. I believe the CBI should be autonomous in any case.
Do you think the Lokpal can be a magic bullet against corruption?
Not at all. Just like water finds its own level, people will find other routes to corruption. But the Lokpal can be a deterrent and create some fear in the minds of potential offenders.
Link to the Times of India, Opinion page: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-30/edit-page/30569236_1_lokpal-bill-constitutional-status-anti-corruption-ombudsman
With the Lokpal Bill becoming the focus of attention within and outside Parliament, Justice V N Khare, former chief justice of India, spoke with Rudroneel Ghosh on the constitutional dimensions of the anti-corruption legislation:
How does the failure to confer constitutional status on the Lokpal affect the anti-corruption ombudsman?
Such an anti-corruption ombudsman was earlier established in Haryana and Punjab through a legislative instrument, that is through an ordinary statute. But there were some political bigwigs who were involved in corruption and the Lokayukta was on the verge of catching them. What the government did then was it repealed the (Lokayukta) Act itself through an ordinance. This happened both in Haryana and Punjab. My apprehension is that if a political heavyweight is under investigation, and the ombudsman has been established through an ordinary statute, then a simple ordinance can be passed to scrap the whole institution. But if the body has constitutional status, then it can't be amended like this. It would have been difficult to repeal the Lokpal had it been given constitutional status.
Can the opposition argue that the minority quota in the Lokpal is unconstitutional?
No. Consider Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution. Nowhere do they talk about a Hindu, Muslim or Christian quota. What they say is that nothing will prevent Parliament from enacting a law for advancement of educationally and socially backward class of citizens and members of the scheduled caste. There's no mention of religion. When you identify certain Hindu castes such as Yadavs, Kurmis, etc you don't say 'Hindus' are getting reservation; you say they are backward groups and on this basis you give them reservation. Similarly, among the Muslim community you can identify certain backward segments and have a quota for them. So it's not a question of religion but educationally and socially backward communities.
Does the Lokpal Bill impinge on the country's federal structure?
Article 252 of the Constitution provides that in case Parliament doesn't have the power to enact a law, it can on the request of the states make law for those states as well as whosoever is concerned with the law. Article 253 says that Parliament is empowered to enact laws for the enforcement of international treaties and UN conventions. For example, there is no legislative subject called human rights. But because we were a signatory to the UN Human Rights Convention, we enacted laws to establish the National Human Rights Commission. Similarly, the 2003 UN convention on fighting corruption empowers Parliament to make laws to tackle graft. It is on this basis that the Lokpal Bill has been introduced under Article 253. If the UN convention did not exist, then you could say the Lokpal Bill impinges on federalism. But not in this case.
Is there any merit in the Team Anna argument that the CBI should be brought under the Lokpal?
I don't think that the entire CBI can be brought under the Lokpal. The CBI is a huge organisation whose investigative capabilities are used for so many things other than fighting corruption. At best you can put 50 or 60 CBI officers on deputation with the Lokpal. However, if the CBI is under the government and the government is the prosecutor, there is a clear conflict of interest in prosecuting government corruption. I believe the CBI should be autonomous in any case.
Do you think the Lokpal can be a magic bullet against corruption?
Not at all. Just like water finds its own level, people will find other routes to corruption. But the Lokpal can be a deterrent and create some fear in the minds of potential offenders.
Link to the Times of India, Opinion page: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-30/edit-page/30569236_1_lokpal-bill-constitutional-status-anti-corruption-ombudsman
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Journalism ultimate: BBC prepares for Tony Blair's death
Indo-Asian News Service, Updated: December 28, 2011 16:26 IST London:
Former British prime minister Tony Blair is just 58 years old, but the BBC has started filming his obituary.
The "ghoulish" decision to ask former cabinet colleagues to contribute to the programme about Blair's life has shocked some within the Labour party, the Sun reported.
"It seems in pretty poor taste that the Beeb is already preparing for Tony's death....He is still a relatively young man who I'm sure has got a lot of years left in him yet," said a Labour party source.
Blair, who was premier for ten years, did have a minor heart scare while being in office. But he is known to keep himself in shape.
He and wife Cherie "who already had three children" had baby son Leo in 2000 when he was the prime minister.
"We don't comment on obituaries," said a BBC spokeswoman.
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/bbc-prepares-for-tony-blairs-death-report-161474?pfrom=home-otherstories&cp
Former British prime minister Tony Blair is just 58 years old, but the BBC has started filming his obituary.
The "ghoulish" decision to ask former cabinet colleagues to contribute to the programme about Blair's life has shocked some within the Labour party, the Sun reported.
"It seems in pretty poor taste that the Beeb is already preparing for Tony's death....He is still a relatively young man who I'm sure has got a lot of years left in him yet," said a Labour party source.
Blair, who was premier for ten years, did have a minor heart scare while being in office. But he is known to keep himself in shape.
He and wife Cherie "who already had three children" had baby son Leo in 2000 when he was the prime minister.
"We don't comment on obituaries," said a BBC spokeswoman.
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/bbc-prepares-for-tony-blairs-death-report-161474?pfrom=home-otherstories&cp
Decades later, a Cold War secret is revealed
Associated Press, Updated: December 28, 2011 12:13 IST
Danbury: For more than a decade they toiled in the strange, boxy-looking building on the hill above the municipal airport, the building with no windows (except in the cafeteria), the building filled with secrets.
They wore protective white jumpsuits, and had to walk through air-shower chambers before entering the sanitized "cleanroom" where the equipment was stored.
They spoke in code.
Few knew the true identity of "the customer" they met in a smoke-filled, wood-paneled conference room where the phone lines were scrambled. When they traveled, they sometimes used false names.
At one point in the 1970s there were more than 1,000 people in the Danbury area working on The Secret. And though they worked long hours under intense deadlines, sometimes missing family holidays and anniversaries, they could tell no one - not even their wives and children - what they did.
They were engineers, scientists, draftsmen and inventors - "real cloak-and-dagger guys," says Fred Marra, 78, with a hearty laugh.
He is sitting in the food court at the Danbury Fair mall, where a group of retired co-workers from the former Perkin-Elmer Corp. gather for a weekly coffee. Gray-haired now and hard of hearing, they have been meeting here for 18 years. They while away a few hours nattering about golf and politics, ailments and grandchildren. But until recently, they were forbidden to speak about the greatest achievement of their professional lives.
"Ah, Hexagon," Ed Newton says, gleefully exhaling the word that stills feels almost treasonous to utter in public.
It was dubbed "Big Bird" and it was considered the most successful space spy satellite program of the Cold War era. From 1971 to 1986 a total of 20 satellites were launched, each containing 60 miles of film and sophisticated cameras that orbited the earth snapping vast, panoramic photographs of the Soviet Union, China and other potential foes. The film was shot back through the earth's atmosphere in buckets that parachuted over the Pacific Ocean, where C-130 Air Force planes snagged them with grappling hooks.
The scale, ambition and sheer ingenuity of Hexagon KH-9 was breathtaking. The fact that 19 out of 20 launches were successful (the final mission blew up because the booster rockets failed) is astonishing.
So too is the human tale of the 45-year-old secret that many took to their graves.
Hexagon was declassified in September. Finally Marra, Newton and others can tell the world what they worked on all those years at "the office."
"My name is Al Gayhart and I built spy satellites for a living," announced the 64-year-old retired engineer to the stunned bartender in his local tavern as soon as he learned of the declassification. He proudly repeats the line any chance he gets.
"It was intensely demanding, thrilling and the greatest experience of my life," says Gayhart, who was hired straight from college and was one of the youngest members of the Hexagon "brotherhood".
He describes the white-hot excitement as teams pored over hand-drawings and worked on endless technical problems, using "slide-rules and advanced degrees" (there were no computers), knowing they were part of such a complicated space project. The intensity would increase as launch deadlines loomed and on the days when "the customer" - the CIA and later the Air Force - came for briefings. On at least one occasion, former President George H.W. Bush, who was then CIA director, flew into Danbury for a tour of the plant.
Though other companies were part of the project - Eastman Kodak made the film and Lockheed Corp. built the satellite - the cameras and optics systems were all made at Perkin-Elmer, then the biggest employer in Danbury.
"There were many days we arrived in the dark and left in the dark," says retired engineer Paul Brickmeier, 70.
He recalls the very first briefing on Hexagon after Perkin-Elmer was awarded the top secret contract in 1966. Looking around the room at his 30 or so colleagues, Brickmeier thought, "How on Earth is this going to be possible?"
One thing that made it possible was a hiring frenzy that attracted the attention of top engineers from around the Northeast. Perkin-Elmer also commissioned a new 270,000-square-foot building for Hexagon - the boxy one on the hill.
Waiting for clearance was a surreal experience as family members, neighbors and former employers were grilled by the FBI, and potential hires were questioned about everything from their gambling habits to their sexuality.
"They wanted to make sure we couldn't be bribed," Marra says.
Clearance could take up to a year. During that time, employees worked on relatively minor tasks in a building dubbed "the mushroom tank" - so named because everyone was in the dark about what they had actually been hired for.
Joseph Prusak, 76, spent six months in the tank. When he was finally briefed on Hexagon, Prusak, who had worked as an engineer on earlier civil space projects, wondered if he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
"I thought they were crazy," he says. "They envisaged a satellite that was 60-foot long and 30,000 pounds and supplying film at speeds of 200 inches per second. The precision and complexity blew my mind."
Several years later, after numerous successful launches, he was shown what Hexagon was capable of - an image of his own house in suburban Fairfield.
"This was light years before Google Earth," Prusak said. "And we could clearly see the pool in my backyard."
There had been earlier space spy satellites - Corona and Gambit. But neither had the resolution or sophistication of Hexagon, which took close-range pictures of Soviet missiles, submarine pens and air bases, even entire battalions on war exercises.
According to the National Reconnaissance Office, a single Hexagon frame covered a ground distance of 370 nautical miles, about the distance from Washington to Cincinnati. Early Hexagons averaged 124 days in space, but as the satellites became more sophisticated, later missions lasted twice as long.
"At the height of the Cold War, our ability to receive this kind of technical intelligence was incredible," says space historian Dwayne Day. "We needed to know what they were doing and where they were doing it, and in particular if they were preparing to invade Western Europe. Hexagon created a tremendous amount of stability because it meant American decision makers were not operating in the dark."
Among other successes, Hexagon is credited with providing crucial information for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s.
From the outset, secrecy was a huge concern, especially in Danbury, where the intense activity of a relatively small company that had just been awarded a massive contract (the amount was not declassified) made it obvious that something big was going on. Inside the plant, it was impossible to disguise the gigantic vacuum thermal chamber where cameras were tested in extreme conditions that simulated space. There was also a "shake, rattle and roll room" to simulate conditions during launch.
"The question became, how do you hide an elephant?" a National Reconnaissance Office report stated at the time. It decided on a simple response: "What elephant?" Employees were told to ignore any questions from the media, and never confirm the slightest detail about what they worked on.
But it was impossible to conceal the launches at Vandenberg Air Force base in California, and aviation magazines made several references to "Big Bird." In 1975, a "60 Minutes" television piece on space reconnaissance described an "Alice in Wonderland" world, where American and Soviet intelligence officials knew of each other's "eyes in the sky" - and other nations did, too - but no one confirmed the programs or spoke about them publicly.
For employees at Perkin-Elmer, the vow of secrecy was considered a mark of honor.
"We were like the guys who worked on the first atom bomb," said Oscar Berendsohn, 87, who helped design the optics system. "It was more than a sworn oath. We had been entrusted with the security of the country. What greater trust is there?"
Even wives - who couldn't contact their husbands or know of their whereabouts when they were traveling - for the most part accepted the secrecy. They knew the jobs were highly classified. They knew not to ask questions.
"We were born into the World War II generation," says Linda Bronico, whose husband, Al, told her only that he was building test consoles and cables. "We all knew the slogan `loose lips sink ships.'"
And Perkin-Elmer was considered a prized place to work, with good salaries and benefits, golf and softball leagues, lavish summer picnics (the company would hire an entire amusement park for employees and their families) and dazzling children's Christmas parties.
"We loved it," Marra says. "It was our life."
For Marra and his former co-workers, sharing that life and their long-held secret has unleashed a jumble of emotions, from pride to nostalgia to relief - and in some cases, grief.
The city's mayor, Mark Boughton, only discovered that his father had worked on Hexagon when he was invited to speak at an October reunion ceremony on the grounds of the former plant. His father, Donald Boughton, also a former mayor, was too ill to attend and died a few days later.
Boughton said for years he and his siblings would pester his father - a draftsman - about what he did. Eventually they realized that the topic was off limits.
"Learning about Hexagon makes me view him completely differently," Boughton says. "He was more than just my Dad with the hair-trigger temper and passionate opinions about everything. He was a Cold War warrior doing something incredibly important for our nation."
For Betty Osterweis the ceremony was bittersweet, too. Not only did she learn about the mystery of her late husband's professional life. She also learned about his final moments.
"All these years," she said, "I had wondered what exactly had happened" on that terrible day in 1987 when she received a phone call saying her 53-year-old husband, Henry Osterweis, a contract negotiator, had suffered a heart attack on the job. At the reunion she met former co-workers who could offer some comfort that the end had been quick.
Standing in the grounds of her late husband's workplace, listening to the tributes, her son and daughter and grandchildren by her side, Osterweis was overwhelmed by the enormity of it all - the sacrifice, the secrecy, the pride.
"To know that this was more than just a company selling widgets ... that he was negotiating contracts for our country's freedom and security," she said.
"What a secret. And what a legacy."
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/decades-later-a-cold-war-secret-is-revealed-161387?pfrom=home-otherstories&cp
Danbury: For more than a decade they toiled in the strange, boxy-looking building on the hill above the municipal airport, the building with no windows (except in the cafeteria), the building filled with secrets.
They wore protective white jumpsuits, and had to walk through air-shower chambers before entering the sanitized "cleanroom" where the equipment was stored.
They spoke in code.
Few knew the true identity of "the customer" they met in a smoke-filled, wood-paneled conference room where the phone lines were scrambled. When they traveled, they sometimes used false names.
At one point in the 1970s there were more than 1,000 people in the Danbury area working on The Secret. And though they worked long hours under intense deadlines, sometimes missing family holidays and anniversaries, they could tell no one - not even their wives and children - what they did.
They were engineers, scientists, draftsmen and inventors - "real cloak-and-dagger guys," says Fred Marra, 78, with a hearty laugh.
He is sitting in the food court at the Danbury Fair mall, where a group of retired co-workers from the former Perkin-Elmer Corp. gather for a weekly coffee. Gray-haired now and hard of hearing, they have been meeting here for 18 years. They while away a few hours nattering about golf and politics, ailments and grandchildren. But until recently, they were forbidden to speak about the greatest achievement of their professional lives.
"Ah, Hexagon," Ed Newton says, gleefully exhaling the word that stills feels almost treasonous to utter in public.
It was dubbed "Big Bird" and it was considered the most successful space spy satellite program of the Cold War era. From 1971 to 1986 a total of 20 satellites were launched, each containing 60 miles of film and sophisticated cameras that orbited the earth snapping vast, panoramic photographs of the Soviet Union, China and other potential foes. The film was shot back through the earth's atmosphere in buckets that parachuted over the Pacific Ocean, where C-130 Air Force planes snagged them with grappling hooks.
The scale, ambition and sheer ingenuity of Hexagon KH-9 was breathtaking. The fact that 19 out of 20 launches were successful (the final mission blew up because the booster rockets failed) is astonishing.
So too is the human tale of the 45-year-old secret that many took to their graves.
Hexagon was declassified in September. Finally Marra, Newton and others can tell the world what they worked on all those years at "the office."
"My name is Al Gayhart and I built spy satellites for a living," announced the 64-year-old retired engineer to the stunned bartender in his local tavern as soon as he learned of the declassification. He proudly repeats the line any chance he gets.
"It was intensely demanding, thrilling and the greatest experience of my life," says Gayhart, who was hired straight from college and was one of the youngest members of the Hexagon "brotherhood".
He describes the white-hot excitement as teams pored over hand-drawings and worked on endless technical problems, using "slide-rules and advanced degrees" (there were no computers), knowing they were part of such a complicated space project. The intensity would increase as launch deadlines loomed and on the days when "the customer" - the CIA and later the Air Force - came for briefings. On at least one occasion, former President George H.W. Bush, who was then CIA director, flew into Danbury for a tour of the plant.
Though other companies were part of the project - Eastman Kodak made the film and Lockheed Corp. built the satellite - the cameras and optics systems were all made at Perkin-Elmer, then the biggest employer in Danbury.
"There were many days we arrived in the dark and left in the dark," says retired engineer Paul Brickmeier, 70.
He recalls the very first briefing on Hexagon after Perkin-Elmer was awarded the top secret contract in 1966. Looking around the room at his 30 or so colleagues, Brickmeier thought, "How on Earth is this going to be possible?"
One thing that made it possible was a hiring frenzy that attracted the attention of top engineers from around the Northeast. Perkin-Elmer also commissioned a new 270,000-square-foot building for Hexagon - the boxy one on the hill.
Waiting for clearance was a surreal experience as family members, neighbors and former employers were grilled by the FBI, and potential hires were questioned about everything from their gambling habits to their sexuality.
"They wanted to make sure we couldn't be bribed," Marra says.
Clearance could take up to a year. During that time, employees worked on relatively minor tasks in a building dubbed "the mushroom tank" - so named because everyone was in the dark about what they had actually been hired for.
Joseph Prusak, 76, spent six months in the tank. When he was finally briefed on Hexagon, Prusak, who had worked as an engineer on earlier civil space projects, wondered if he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
"I thought they were crazy," he says. "They envisaged a satellite that was 60-foot long and 30,000 pounds and supplying film at speeds of 200 inches per second. The precision and complexity blew my mind."
Several years later, after numerous successful launches, he was shown what Hexagon was capable of - an image of his own house in suburban Fairfield.
"This was light years before Google Earth," Prusak said. "And we could clearly see the pool in my backyard."
There had been earlier space spy satellites - Corona and Gambit. But neither had the resolution or sophistication of Hexagon, which took close-range pictures of Soviet missiles, submarine pens and air bases, even entire battalions on war exercises.
According to the National Reconnaissance Office, a single Hexagon frame covered a ground distance of 370 nautical miles, about the distance from Washington to Cincinnati. Early Hexagons averaged 124 days in space, but as the satellites became more sophisticated, later missions lasted twice as long.
"At the height of the Cold War, our ability to receive this kind of technical intelligence was incredible," says space historian Dwayne Day. "We needed to know what they were doing and where they were doing it, and in particular if they were preparing to invade Western Europe. Hexagon created a tremendous amount of stability because it meant American decision makers were not operating in the dark."
Among other successes, Hexagon is credited with providing crucial information for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s.
From the outset, secrecy was a huge concern, especially in Danbury, where the intense activity of a relatively small company that had just been awarded a massive contract (the amount was not declassified) made it obvious that something big was going on. Inside the plant, it was impossible to disguise the gigantic vacuum thermal chamber where cameras were tested in extreme conditions that simulated space. There was also a "shake, rattle and roll room" to simulate conditions during launch.
"The question became, how do you hide an elephant?" a National Reconnaissance Office report stated at the time. It decided on a simple response: "What elephant?" Employees were told to ignore any questions from the media, and never confirm the slightest detail about what they worked on.
But it was impossible to conceal the launches at Vandenberg Air Force base in California, and aviation magazines made several references to "Big Bird." In 1975, a "60 Minutes" television piece on space reconnaissance described an "Alice in Wonderland" world, where American and Soviet intelligence officials knew of each other's "eyes in the sky" - and other nations did, too - but no one confirmed the programs or spoke about them publicly.
For employees at Perkin-Elmer, the vow of secrecy was considered a mark of honor.
"We were like the guys who worked on the first atom bomb," said Oscar Berendsohn, 87, who helped design the optics system. "It was more than a sworn oath. We had been entrusted with the security of the country. What greater trust is there?"
Even wives - who couldn't contact their husbands or know of their whereabouts when they were traveling - for the most part accepted the secrecy. They knew the jobs were highly classified. They knew not to ask questions.
"We were born into the World War II generation," says Linda Bronico, whose husband, Al, told her only that he was building test consoles and cables. "We all knew the slogan `loose lips sink ships.'"
And Perkin-Elmer was considered a prized place to work, with good salaries and benefits, golf and softball leagues, lavish summer picnics (the company would hire an entire amusement park for employees and their families) and dazzling children's Christmas parties.
"We loved it," Marra says. "It was our life."
For Marra and his former co-workers, sharing that life and their long-held secret has unleashed a jumble of emotions, from pride to nostalgia to relief - and in some cases, grief.
The city's mayor, Mark Boughton, only discovered that his father had worked on Hexagon when he was invited to speak at an October reunion ceremony on the grounds of the former plant. His father, Donald Boughton, also a former mayor, was too ill to attend and died a few days later.
Boughton said for years he and his siblings would pester his father - a draftsman - about what he did. Eventually they realized that the topic was off limits.
"Learning about Hexagon makes me view him completely differently," Boughton says. "He was more than just my Dad with the hair-trigger temper and passionate opinions about everything. He was a Cold War warrior doing something incredibly important for our nation."
For Betty Osterweis the ceremony was bittersweet, too. Not only did she learn about the mystery of her late husband's professional life. She also learned about his final moments.
"All these years," she said, "I had wondered what exactly had happened" on that terrible day in 1987 when she received a phone call saying her 53-year-old husband, Henry Osterweis, a contract negotiator, had suffered a heart attack on the job. At the reunion she met former co-workers who could offer some comfort that the end had been quick.
Standing in the grounds of her late husband's workplace, listening to the tributes, her son and daughter and grandchildren by her side, Osterweis was overwhelmed by the enormity of it all - the sacrifice, the secrecy, the pride.
"To know that this was more than just a company selling widgets ... that he was negotiating contracts for our country's freedom and security," she said.
"What a secret. And what a legacy."
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/decades-later-a-cold-war-secret-is-revealed-161387?pfrom=home-otherstories&cp
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Lok Sabha passes Lokpal Bill by voice vote: PTI
Rediff.com live feed, December 27, 2011
23:16 PM Defence, Coast Guard out of Lokpal ambit:
A landmark bill for the creation of the Lokpal was passed by the Lok Sabha tonight with the government making it clear that setting up of Lokayuktas by the states would not be mandatory, amending a contentious provision in view of opposition from allies and others.
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill 2011 was approved after the government moved a few other key amendments, including keeping the defence forces and Coast Guard personnel out of the purview of the anti-graft ombudsman and increasing the exemption time of former MPs from five to seven years.
A number of amendments moved by the Opposition, to include corporates, media and NGOs receiving donations, were defeated.
23:24 PM Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar in Lok Sabha: Quite interesting to see Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar seated next to each other in the Lok Sabha during the Lokpal Bill vote. Twelve years ago, the Maratha warlord had broken off from the Congress citing his unwillingness to accept her as prime minister, and launched the Nationalist Congress Party. Today, of course, the NCP is an ally of the UPA, and as the Lokpal Bill vote shows, share common concerns.
23:16 PM Defence, Coast Guard out of Lokpal ambit:
A landmark bill for the creation of the Lokpal was passed by the Lok Sabha tonight with the government making it clear that setting up of Lokayuktas by the states would not be mandatory, amending a contentious provision in view of opposition from allies and others.
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill 2011 was approved after the government moved a few other key amendments, including keeping the defence forces and Coast Guard personnel out of the purview of the anti-graft ombudsman and increasing the exemption time of former MPs from five to seven years.
A number of amendments moved by the Opposition, to include corporates, media and NGOs receiving donations, were defeated.
23:24 PM Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar in Lok Sabha: Quite interesting to see Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar seated next to each other in the Lok Sabha during the Lokpal Bill vote. Twelve years ago, the Maratha warlord had broken off from the Congress citing his unwillingness to accept her as prime minister, and launched the Nationalist Congress Party. Today, of course, the NCP is an ally of the UPA, and as the Lokpal Bill vote shows, share common concerns.
Philippine flood toll rises to 1,249
AFP, 26 Dec 2011
The death toll from killer floods in the Philippines rose to 1,249 on Tuesday, more than a week after the disaster struck, with officials expecting more corpses to be found.
The civil defence office initially said the confirmed number of fatalities had surged by more than 200 to 1,453, before revising the figure downwards due to double-counting.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said his National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council would no longer count the missing as no-one could give reliable figures on how many people are unaccounted for.
But Ramos told AFP he was sure the death toll would continue rising as more bodies were still being retrieved from the sea off the southern island of Mindanao or found trapped beneath fallen fallen logs and mud.
Tropical storm Washi brought heavy rains, overflowing rivers and flash floods to the southern Philippines from December 16 to 18, sweeping away whole villages built on sandbars and riverbanks.
Recovering the bodies has been hampered by the fatigue of rescue workers who have been labouring non-stop since the storm hit, said regional disaster council chief Ana Caneda.
"Even the (corpse) sniffing dogs are tired," she said.
Survivors at a sandbar in Cagayan de Oro city, trying to salvage belongings from the mud, instead dug up the bodies of three of their neighbours, the city government said.
Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and bore the brunt of the disaster, suffering most of the fatalities.
More than 376,000 people were displaced by the storm and almost 55,000 are still huddled in crowded makeshift evacuation centres, the disaster council said.
The government has said it will set up tent cities in safe areas to temporarily house the evacuees -- perhaps for as long as three months-- until more permanent shelters can be erected.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the government was also preparing a scheme to pay households unaffected by the flood to host families who had lost their homes.
Ona said there had been no major disease outbreaks at the evacuation centres but potable water remained in short supply for thousands of people.
Around 50 people left one centre on their own initiative, pitching tents at a nearby car park.
"I decided to leave because of the bad odour and because it is just too crowded in there, especially when we sleep," said Alan Labiano, 43, who was sheltering with his wife and three children.
At night, he said, some people were sleeping on plastic chairs because there was nowhere to lie down.
The government has barred many of the disaster victims from returning to their homes, saying they should not have been allowed to live on such unstable, low-lying land in the first place.
A low pressure area brought new floods to the central and southern Philippines on Monday, forcing thousands more to flee their homes, the disaster council said.
In Valencia City, just 118 kilometres (73 miles) southeast of Cagayan de Oro, some 300 families were forced to take refuge on their rooftops due to the floods and had to be rescued by helicopters, a military report said.
The disaster council said an infant was missing after floods hit the port city of Surigao, 120 kilometres east of Cagayan de Oro, but there were no confirmed fatalities from the latest rains.
The death toll from killer floods in the Philippines rose to 1,249 on Tuesday, more than a week after the disaster struck, with officials expecting more corpses to be found.
The civil defence office initially said the confirmed number of fatalities had surged by more than 200 to 1,453, before revising the figure downwards due to double-counting.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said his National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council would no longer count the missing as no-one could give reliable figures on how many people are unaccounted for.
But Ramos told AFP he was sure the death toll would continue rising as more bodies were still being retrieved from the sea off the southern island of Mindanao or found trapped beneath fallen fallen logs and mud.
Tropical storm Washi brought heavy rains, overflowing rivers and flash floods to the southern Philippines from December 16 to 18, sweeping away whole villages built on sandbars and riverbanks.
Recovering the bodies has been hampered by the fatigue of rescue workers who have been labouring non-stop since the storm hit, said regional disaster council chief Ana Caneda.
"Even the (corpse) sniffing dogs are tired," she said.
Survivors at a sandbar in Cagayan de Oro city, trying to salvage belongings from the mud, instead dug up the bodies of three of their neighbours, the city government said.
Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and bore the brunt of the disaster, suffering most of the fatalities.
More than 376,000 people were displaced by the storm and almost 55,000 are still huddled in crowded makeshift evacuation centres, the disaster council said.
The government has said it will set up tent cities in safe areas to temporarily house the evacuees -- perhaps for as long as three months-- until more permanent shelters can be erected.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the government was also preparing a scheme to pay households unaffected by the flood to host families who had lost their homes.
Ona said there had been no major disease outbreaks at the evacuation centres but potable water remained in short supply for thousands of people.
Around 50 people left one centre on their own initiative, pitching tents at a nearby car park.
"I decided to leave because of the bad odour and because it is just too crowded in there, especially when we sleep," said Alan Labiano, 43, who was sheltering with his wife and three children.
At night, he said, some people were sleeping on plastic chairs because there was nowhere to lie down.
The government has barred many of the disaster victims from returning to their homes, saying they should not have been allowed to live on such unstable, low-lying land in the first place.
A low pressure area brought new floods to the central and southern Philippines on Monday, forcing thousands more to flee their homes, the disaster council said.
In Valencia City, just 118 kilometres (73 miles) southeast of Cagayan de Oro, some 300 families were forced to take refuge on their rooftops due to the floods and had to be rescued by helicopters, a military report said.
The disaster council said an infant was missing after floods hit the port city of Surigao, 120 kilometres east of Cagayan de Oro, but there were no confirmed fatalities from the latest rains.
Some notable points from Rediff commentary of Parliamentary Lokpal proceeding of 27 Dec 2011
16:46 PM PM: Believe in transparent, open governance:
In Parliament, the PM is speaking. Says the government tabled the Bill because we are confident that it reflects the sense of the House. Says the government is open to other voices, but the decision must remain with us (the Parliament). The PM says the government believes in transparent legislation.
Goes on to give a rundown of the government's anti-graft legislations.
16:51 PM PM: Show India that the House means business: The PM says the Parliament must keep public anger in mind and keep partisan politics at bay and pass the Lokpal Bill. "We must show the country that the House means business," says Dr Singh. He says legislation is a serious business and must always rest with the Parliament.
16:54 PM PM defends Lokpal Bill: India is looking at Parliament with bated breath and waits for the Bill to be passed.
16:56 PM PM: CBI should work independently of Lokpal, but should be accountable. Lokpal is a judicious bill and supports and independent CBI.
17:00 PM Section 24 may be dropped from Lokpal Bill: Section 24 likely to be dropped from the Lokpal Bill. That's the huge sticking point from an united opposition since it allows prosecution of MPs. Section 24 of the bill allows presiding officers to act on the basis of a Lokpal report even before a trial is completed. The Lok Sabha Speaker or Chairman of Rajya Sabha is required to table the Lokpal report and inform Lokpal about the action being taken - or not taken - against the members concerned.
17:06 PM
The PM also said there has been public anger against corruption over the last four years, but all politicians are not corrupt. He says that all systems of governance must be based on trust.
17:09 PM PM: Unless Lokayuktas are put in place, the cancer of corruption will spread.
17:37 PM
The Left has so far moved 11 amendments to the Lokpal Bill. Wants corporates under the Lokpal Bill, something that every other party has left out.
18:07 PM PM has given election speech in Parliament today:
The session has been extended to pass the Bill.
Lalu says: We aren't against a strong Lokpal Bill. The PM has given an election speech in Parliament today.
Anna Hazare's life is very important, we should have a Save Anna Campaign, Lalu says tongue-in-cheek
18:13 PM
Speaker says, "Please be serious, what is this!" as the House twitters at Lalu's speech. Lalu says the Bill be the death warrant for all elected representatives. Fasting is not a solution to all problems -- baath baath pe anshan.
Says PMji we don't doubt your integrity, if you bring in a strong Lokpal Bill, we will make you the Lokpal. PM and MPs laugh.
18:24 PM
Lalu urges Parliament to take this bill back. Says when the bill is put to vote they should have the courage to reject it since it is nothing but a "phansi ka phanda" noose around the Parliament's neck.
He tells the BJP to stop giving speeches, and bring in suggestions to better the Lokpal Bill.
18:28 PM Lalu directing his ire at Team Anna tells the government: You have created this problem by entertaining those who will never be satisfied. Says they (Team Anna) want to impose power rejection and if they win they want the power to recall. Yeh kya hai, he asks, voice raised in fever-pitch theatrics.
18:45 PM Here's what the New York Times' India blogs has on Anna's fast: Frustration and hope at Hazare's fast in Mumbai.
18:47 PM And another read from the NYT's India blogs: Parliament kicks off 'fight of the year'.
18:52 PM
In Parliament, the BJP's Yashwant Sinha speaks.
Says it is toughest to be Parliamentarians. We are at the public's disposal 24x7. People who think its easy to fight and win elections, don't know anything.
18:54 PM PM's statement in Parliament today was like a farewell speech :
Always a good orator, expect this to be a lively speech. Yashwant Sinha says the need for Lokpal has never been so strong though it has come up for discussion many times.
Says PM's statement in Parliament today was like a farewell speech.
19:10 PM Govt's legislations are corruption centric: Yashwant Sinha :
Yashwant Sinha says two of our esteemed colleagues (alluding to A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi) are in jail, but not one of Atal Behari Vajpayee's ministers are in jail .
He says the government has no intentions of passing this bill. He tells the government that you cannot ignore the indignation of the people since it is your creation.
He says the government's legislations are corruption centric.
19:17 PM
Yashwant Sinha laughs at his own wit, calls the Lokpal Bill, Rogpal Bill.
19:30 PM
Does the Chair know? Sushma Swaraj has been tweeting links of her speeches from inside the House.
Tharoor says the Jan Lokpal bill came about through an undemocratic process, but the Lokpal Bill has effective checks and balances. Says the PM's speech was the speech of a statesman. The bill is not corruption-centric, it's people centric.
19:50 Tharoor: Our finest democratic move is to pass Lokpal:
Best lines from Tharoor's speech:
Let us today make one of our finest democratic moves by passing this Bill today.
We don't need a jasmine revolution, the scent of jasmine is in our democracy
For every bribe taker there is a bribe giver.We cannot point fingers and forget the moral responsibility of the society
Tharoor ends his speech with a rousing parallel to the national anthem: Let us end this session of Parliament with a rendering the national anthem knowing that we made a difference to the nation today by passing the Bill. This day, 100 years ago, the Jana Gana Mana was sung for the first time at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. Much bench thumping.
22:04 Speaker calls for voting on three bills.
22:10 Clause on Lokayukta amended.
22:17
Left seeks vote on bringing corporates under Lokpal Bill. BJP, JD(U) reject amendment.
22:20
Walkout by Bahujan Samaj Party (21 MPs) and Samajwadi Party (22 MPs) before vote reduces halfway mark to 250.
22:39 Lok Sabha votes on 74 clauses by 10.35 pm:
The Lok Sabha is moving in double quick time, already it has voted on 74 clauses in the Lokpal Bill.
22:41
Clause 75 of the Bill as amended stands part of the Bill, the Lok Sabha has just voted. Ditto on Clauses 76 to 80 stand part of the Bill.
22:41 As the Look Sabha votes on the Lokpal Bill, here's a photograph from MMRDA ground in Mumbai, of an ailing Anna Hazare.
22:46 If Anna resists, he may be taken forcefully to hospital:
Toral Varia reports from Mumbai that Anna Hazare who has been on a fast at the MMRDA grounds, is likely to be hospitalised. Sources say the cops are waiting for the results of Anna's blood tests conducted by JJ hospital doctors. If Anna resists, he will be forcefully taken to the hospital, most likely JJ hospital.
Currently Team Anna is trying to convince him to call off his fast which could affect the Jail Bharo andolan too. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has also made a personal appeal to Anna to call off the fast.
Meanwhile, IAC member Kiran Bedi has flown to New Delhi and IAC holds that as of now Anna is not going to any hospital. However, security personnel have been briefed to be on standby. Ambulances and other ammenities needed are all ready to take Anna to the hospital.
22:52 Amendment number 16 rejected in division of votes: Speaker Meira Kumar called for a division on amendment number 16 at 10.55 pm, and the results were: Ayes: 189; Noes: 247; Abstentions: 2. With this, this particular amendment was rejected.
22:53 PM's farewell speech? Sinha, Mukherjee in war of words:
The Lok Sabha debate on the Lokpal Bill saw some acrimonious exchanges between the treasury (ruling) and opposition benches. At one point, BJP leader Yaswhant Sinha took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Lokpal Bill debate speech in Lok Sabha, calling it a "farewell speech".
Sinha's observation during the debate on the Lokpal Bill in the Lower House was countered a few hours later by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who sarcastically told the BJP not to be impatient for power.
22:55 Anna is very resolute, says IAC volunteer:
Meanwhile, Shazia Ilmi of the IAC told Toral Varia that Anna Hazare is not doing well.
"His condition is not very good. Not very conducive to continue the fast. He is still very resolute. Arvind (Kejriwal) and others are trying to convince him. He needs to have medication to bring down his fever and and control his BP. And for that he needs to eat. But he is very resolute. But he is definitely not going to any hospital as of now. Clearly he is not in any condition to continue the fast. It will have an impact on the Jail Bharo plan. We will have to replan everything."
22:57 Voice vote gets Lokpal Bill through Lower House: Lokpal bill passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote, reports PTI, but not much clarity on it. The Lok Sabha members are still shuffling about.
23:03 PM Left, BJD and AIADMK walk out after voice vote: With the Lokpal Bill passed through a voice vote, the Left, BJD and the AIADMK staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha.
In Parliament, the PM is speaking. Says the government tabled the Bill because we are confident that it reflects the sense of the House. Says the government is open to other voices, but the decision must remain with us (the Parliament). The PM says the government believes in transparent legislation.
Goes on to give a rundown of the government's anti-graft legislations.
16:51 PM PM: Show India that the House means business: The PM says the Parliament must keep public anger in mind and keep partisan politics at bay and pass the Lokpal Bill. "We must show the country that the House means business," says Dr Singh. He says legislation is a serious business and must always rest with the Parliament.
16:54 PM PM defends Lokpal Bill: India is looking at Parliament with bated breath and waits for the Bill to be passed.
16:56 PM PM: CBI should work independently of Lokpal, but should be accountable. Lokpal is a judicious bill and supports and independent CBI.
17:00 PM Section 24 may be dropped from Lokpal Bill: Section 24 likely to be dropped from the Lokpal Bill. That's the huge sticking point from an united opposition since it allows prosecution of MPs. Section 24 of the bill allows presiding officers to act on the basis of a Lokpal report even before a trial is completed. The Lok Sabha Speaker or Chairman of Rajya Sabha is required to table the Lokpal report and inform Lokpal about the action being taken - or not taken - against the members concerned.
17:06 PM
The PM also said there has been public anger against corruption over the last four years, but all politicians are not corrupt. He says that all systems of governance must be based on trust.
17:09 PM PM: Unless Lokayuktas are put in place, the cancer of corruption will spread.
17:37 PM
The Left has so far moved 11 amendments to the Lokpal Bill. Wants corporates under the Lokpal Bill, something that every other party has left out.
18:07 PM PM has given election speech in Parliament today:
The session has been extended to pass the Bill.
Lalu says: We aren't against a strong Lokpal Bill. The PM has given an election speech in Parliament today.
Anna Hazare's life is very important, we should have a Save Anna Campaign, Lalu says tongue-in-cheek
18:13 PM
Speaker says, "Please be serious, what is this!" as the House twitters at Lalu's speech. Lalu says the Bill be the death warrant for all elected representatives. Fasting is not a solution to all problems -- baath baath pe anshan.
Says PMji we don't doubt your integrity, if you bring in a strong Lokpal Bill, we will make you the Lokpal. PM and MPs laugh.
18:24 PM
Lalu urges Parliament to take this bill back. Says when the bill is put to vote they should have the courage to reject it since it is nothing but a "phansi ka phanda" noose around the Parliament's neck.
He tells the BJP to stop giving speeches, and bring in suggestions to better the Lokpal Bill.
18:28 PM Lalu directing his ire at Team Anna tells the government: You have created this problem by entertaining those who will never be satisfied. Says they (Team Anna) want to impose power rejection and if they win they want the power to recall. Yeh kya hai, he asks, voice raised in fever-pitch theatrics.
18:45 PM Here's what the New York Times' India blogs has on Anna's fast: Frustration and hope at Hazare's fast in Mumbai.
18:47 PM And another read from the NYT's India blogs: Parliament kicks off 'fight of the year'.
18:52 PM
In Parliament, the BJP's Yashwant Sinha speaks.
Says it is toughest to be Parliamentarians. We are at the public's disposal 24x7. People who think its easy to fight and win elections, don't know anything.
18:54 PM PM's statement in Parliament today was like a farewell speech :
Always a good orator, expect this to be a lively speech. Yashwant Sinha says the need for Lokpal has never been so strong though it has come up for discussion many times.
Says PM's statement in Parliament today was like a farewell speech.
19:10 PM Govt's legislations are corruption centric: Yashwant Sinha :
Yashwant Sinha says two of our esteemed colleagues (alluding to A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi) are in jail, but not one of Atal Behari Vajpayee's ministers are in jail .
He says the government has no intentions of passing this bill. He tells the government that you cannot ignore the indignation of the people since it is your creation.
He says the government's legislations are corruption centric.
19:17 PM
Yashwant Sinha laughs at his own wit, calls the Lokpal Bill, Rogpal Bill.
19:30 PM
Does the Chair know? Sushma Swaraj has been tweeting links of her speeches from inside the House.
Tharoor says the Jan Lokpal bill came about through an undemocratic process, but the Lokpal Bill has effective checks and balances. Says the PM's speech was the speech of a statesman. The bill is not corruption-centric, it's people centric.
19:50 Tharoor: Our finest democratic move is to pass Lokpal:
Best lines from Tharoor's speech:
Let us today make one of our finest democratic moves by passing this Bill today.
We don't need a jasmine revolution, the scent of jasmine is in our democracy
For every bribe taker there is a bribe giver.We cannot point fingers and forget the moral responsibility of the society
Tharoor ends his speech with a rousing parallel to the national anthem: Let us end this session of Parliament with a rendering the national anthem knowing that we made a difference to the nation today by passing the Bill. This day, 100 years ago, the Jana Gana Mana was sung for the first time at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. Much bench thumping.
22:04 Speaker calls for voting on three bills.
22:10 Clause on Lokayukta amended.
22:17
Left seeks vote on bringing corporates under Lokpal Bill. BJP, JD(U) reject amendment.
22:20
Walkout by Bahujan Samaj Party (21 MPs) and Samajwadi Party (22 MPs) before vote reduces halfway mark to 250.
22:39 Lok Sabha votes on 74 clauses by 10.35 pm:
The Lok Sabha is moving in double quick time, already it has voted on 74 clauses in the Lokpal Bill.
22:41
Clause 75 of the Bill as amended stands part of the Bill, the Lok Sabha has just voted. Ditto on Clauses 76 to 80 stand part of the Bill.
22:41 As the Look Sabha votes on the Lokpal Bill, here's a photograph from MMRDA ground in Mumbai, of an ailing Anna Hazare.
22:46 If Anna resists, he may be taken forcefully to hospital:
Toral Varia reports from Mumbai that Anna Hazare who has been on a fast at the MMRDA grounds, is likely to be hospitalised. Sources say the cops are waiting for the results of Anna's blood tests conducted by JJ hospital doctors. If Anna resists, he will be forcefully taken to the hospital, most likely JJ hospital.
Currently Team Anna is trying to convince him to call off his fast which could affect the Jail Bharo andolan too. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has also made a personal appeal to Anna to call off the fast.
Meanwhile, IAC member Kiran Bedi has flown to New Delhi and IAC holds that as of now Anna is not going to any hospital. However, security personnel have been briefed to be on standby. Ambulances and other ammenities needed are all ready to take Anna to the hospital.
22:52 Amendment number 16 rejected in division of votes: Speaker Meira Kumar called for a division on amendment number 16 at 10.55 pm, and the results were: Ayes: 189; Noes: 247; Abstentions: 2. With this, this particular amendment was rejected.
22:53 PM's farewell speech? Sinha, Mukherjee in war of words:
The Lok Sabha debate on the Lokpal Bill saw some acrimonious exchanges between the treasury (ruling) and opposition benches. At one point, BJP leader Yaswhant Sinha took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Lokpal Bill debate speech in Lok Sabha, calling it a "farewell speech".
Sinha's observation during the debate on the Lokpal Bill in the Lower House was countered a few hours later by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who sarcastically told the BJP not to be impatient for power.
22:55 Anna is very resolute, says IAC volunteer:
Meanwhile, Shazia Ilmi of the IAC told Toral Varia that Anna Hazare is not doing well.
"His condition is not very good. Not very conducive to continue the fast. He is still very resolute. Arvind (Kejriwal) and others are trying to convince him. He needs to have medication to bring down his fever and and control his BP. And for that he needs to eat. But he is very resolute. But he is definitely not going to any hospital as of now. Clearly he is not in any condition to continue the fast. It will have an impact on the Jail Bharo plan. We will have to replan everything."
22:57 Voice vote gets Lokpal Bill through Lower House: Lokpal bill passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote, reports PTI, but not much clarity on it. The Lok Sabha members are still shuffling about.
23:03 PM Left, BJD and AIADMK walk out after voice vote: With the Lokpal Bill passed through a voice vote, the Left, BJD and the AIADMK staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha.
China Testing 500 km/h High-Speed Train
December 26, 2011 By Zachary Shahan
It’s no secret that China is light years ahead of the U.S. on the development and use of high-speed trains. The latest news out of China is that it launched a super-fast high-speed rail (HSR) test train over the weekend. State-run media announced today that the train can travel up to 500 kilometers per hour (~310.7 miles per hour).
The train, designed to look like an ancient Chinese sword, was made by a subsidiary of CSR Corp Ltd, China’s largest train maker.
The train “has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts, compared with 9,600 kilowatts for the CRH380 trains currentlyin service on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, which hold the world speed record of300 km per hour,” China Daily notes.
Source: Clean Technica (http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/26/china-testing-500-kmh-high-speed-train/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29)
It’s no secret that China is light years ahead of the U.S. on the development and use of high-speed trains. The latest news out of China is that it launched a super-fast high-speed rail (HSR) test train over the weekend. State-run media announced today that the train can travel up to 500 kilometers per hour (~310.7 miles per hour).
The train, designed to look like an ancient Chinese sword, was made by a subsidiary of CSR Corp Ltd, China’s largest train maker.
The train “has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts, compared with 9,600 kilowatts for the CRH380 trains currentlyin service on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, which hold the world speed record of300 km per hour,” China Daily notes.
Source: Clean Technica (http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/26/china-testing-500-kmh-high-speed-train/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29)
Monday, December 26, 2011
Anna and Mamata top the Yahoo list of Newsmakers of the Year
Every year, there is a handful of luminaries or dark horses who grace the forefront with either actions or words that set them apart from the rest of the landscape. These newsmakers gain equal parts attention and notoriety, sometimes unwillingly and other times otherwise, but they define the year that is to be and more often than not shadow the rest of the wannabes - such is their staying power while new names crop up every year, some of them continue to make news year after year after year. Here are 2011's top newsmakers.
1. Anna Hazare
2. Mamata Banerjee
3. ‘Amma’ Jayalalithaa
4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
5. B S Yeddyurappa
6. Lal Kishanchand Advani
7. Kiran Bedi
8. Osama bin Laden
9. Sushil Kumar
10. Honourable Mention: Irom ‘The Iron Lady’
1. Anna Hazare
The face behind the Lokpal movement, Kisan Baburao better known as Anna Hazare is considered by many netas and babus as their biggest nemesis and a hindrance to their aspirations. His crusade against corruption has grabbed headlines all over and inspired the common Indian to demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill that would hold politicians accountable for their actions.
Even though his growing popularity surprised many, Anna Hazare has been a social activist for over two decades, relentlessly working towards social and political reforms in the country.
Born in 1937, Anna Hazare joined the army in 1963 and it was during one of his visits to his village of Ralegaon Siddhi that forced him to retire from the army and to dedicate his life to rooting out problems that the villagers were facing.
His biography says Anna Hazare accidently came across a book by Swami Vivekananda and as he began to read it he realised that the ultimate motive of human life should be service to humanity and thus he decided to devote his life to public service.
Always seen in white, Anna Hazare lives in a single room within the village temple compound.
This Gandhian hails the Lokpal movement as India's second freedom struggle. Leading a frugal life with integrity and honesty, overnight he has become a role model for India's middle class.
Anna has resorted to many hunger strikes to make his demands heard, a fact that doesn't augur well with his critics as they have labelled him a blackmailer and an armchair fascist.
2. Mamata Banerjee
The 34-year-old regime of the Left front finally crumbled to a feisty Mamata Banerjee, making her the first woman chief minister of West Bengal when her party won the assembly elections this year.
Mamata clad in a white sari and rubber slippers managed to do what many in Bengal thought was undoable till a few years back. Her angry denunciations of the Left administration made her an instant hit with the struggling Bengali. She systematically mounted protests against forced land acquisitions in the state by the then Left-ruled government.
During her short stint as the union railway minister she showered Bengal with railway projects which in turn gave Bengalis a glimpse of what she can do for their state if given a chance.
In 2011, Mamata gifted new trains and several new projects to six districts in north Bengal and didn’t let it go unnoticed by adding, "Railways have invested more funds in the six districts than the State has done for development of north Bengal". A smart move any time of the year.
'Didi', or elder sister as she is fondly called, strategised her campaign against the Communists in a manner that depicts the political scenario of India today. She stands against all that is wrong in Bengal- from wrongful land acquisitions, bad infrastructure to corruption and stagnation in the state's economy- she has gone to the aam junta with these issues and promised to make things right.
Moreover, what has appealed to the voters this time is Mamata’s humble background and her will to succeed and to put Bengal on the world map, just like it was back in the 19th century.
(skipped to the tenth in the list)
10. Honourable Mention: Irom ‘The Iron Lady’
Even though she doesn't strictly fulfil the newsmaker category, this iron-willed lady of Manipur has waged a long and lonely battle against an apathetic government the only way she can. Thanks to Anna Hazare's fast, Irom received some media attention this year, starved that she was of it for the last 11 years.
Irom Sharmila Chanu has been fasting for 11 years to seek the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA from her state, Manipur. She has the grit to try and persuade the government to repeal a law that empowers the security forces to arrest without a warrant, and shoot anyone at sight.
Dubbed as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Irom began her fast in 2000 after she witnessed the killing of 10 people by Assam Rifles jawans at a bus stop. For the past 10 years, she has not eaten a single morsel, resulting in her being force-fed by a tube through her nose.
Irom hopes one day the Indian government will recognise her and her fight against human rights violations in the north east. She has also urged Anna Hazare to visit Manipur and see what is happening there.
Although she has won international awards, Irom's cause has never managed to strike a chord with the otherwise vocal middle class. Very few know or care about what is happening in Manipur, and how people in the state are being constantly bullied by the armed forces.
Irom's heroic protest and her voice for a better homeland are still being ignored. Next time you attend a candlelight vigil, say a silent prayer and light a candle for this extraordinary woman.
1. Anna Hazare
2. Mamata Banerjee
3. ‘Amma’ Jayalalithaa
4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
5. B S Yeddyurappa
6. Lal Kishanchand Advani
7. Kiran Bedi
8. Osama bin Laden
9. Sushil Kumar
10. Honourable Mention: Irom ‘The Iron Lady’
1. Anna Hazare
The face behind the Lokpal movement, Kisan Baburao better known as Anna Hazare is considered by many netas and babus as their biggest nemesis and a hindrance to their aspirations. His crusade against corruption has grabbed headlines all over and inspired the common Indian to demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill that would hold politicians accountable for their actions.
Even though his growing popularity surprised many, Anna Hazare has been a social activist for over two decades, relentlessly working towards social and political reforms in the country.
Born in 1937, Anna Hazare joined the army in 1963 and it was during one of his visits to his village of Ralegaon Siddhi that forced him to retire from the army and to dedicate his life to rooting out problems that the villagers were facing.
His biography says Anna Hazare accidently came across a book by Swami Vivekananda and as he began to read it he realised that the ultimate motive of human life should be service to humanity and thus he decided to devote his life to public service.
Always seen in white, Anna Hazare lives in a single room within the village temple compound.
This Gandhian hails the Lokpal movement as India's second freedom struggle. Leading a frugal life with integrity and honesty, overnight he has become a role model for India's middle class.
Anna has resorted to many hunger strikes to make his demands heard, a fact that doesn't augur well with his critics as they have labelled him a blackmailer and an armchair fascist.
2. Mamata Banerjee
The 34-year-old regime of the Left front finally crumbled to a feisty Mamata Banerjee, making her the first woman chief minister of West Bengal when her party won the assembly elections this year.
Mamata clad in a white sari and rubber slippers managed to do what many in Bengal thought was undoable till a few years back. Her angry denunciations of the Left administration made her an instant hit with the struggling Bengali. She systematically mounted protests against forced land acquisitions in the state by the then Left-ruled government.
During her short stint as the union railway minister she showered Bengal with railway projects which in turn gave Bengalis a glimpse of what she can do for their state if given a chance.
In 2011, Mamata gifted new trains and several new projects to six districts in north Bengal and didn’t let it go unnoticed by adding, "Railways have invested more funds in the six districts than the State has done for development of north Bengal". A smart move any time of the year.
'Didi', or elder sister as she is fondly called, strategised her campaign against the Communists in a manner that depicts the political scenario of India today. She stands against all that is wrong in Bengal- from wrongful land acquisitions, bad infrastructure to corruption and stagnation in the state's economy- she has gone to the aam junta with these issues and promised to make things right.
Moreover, what has appealed to the voters this time is Mamata’s humble background and her will to succeed and to put Bengal on the world map, just like it was back in the 19th century.
(skipped to the tenth in the list)
10. Honourable Mention: Irom ‘The Iron Lady’
Even though she doesn't strictly fulfil the newsmaker category, this iron-willed lady of Manipur has waged a long and lonely battle against an apathetic government the only way she can. Thanks to Anna Hazare's fast, Irom received some media attention this year, starved that she was of it for the last 11 years.
Irom Sharmila Chanu has been fasting for 11 years to seek the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA from her state, Manipur. She has the grit to try and persuade the government to repeal a law that empowers the security forces to arrest without a warrant, and shoot anyone at sight.
Dubbed as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Irom began her fast in 2000 after she witnessed the killing of 10 people by Assam Rifles jawans at a bus stop. For the past 10 years, she has not eaten a single morsel, resulting in her being force-fed by a tube through her nose.
Irom hopes one day the Indian government will recognise her and her fight against human rights violations in the north east. She has also urged Anna Hazare to visit Manipur and see what is happening there.
Although she has won international awards, Irom's cause has never managed to strike a chord with the otherwise vocal middle class. Very few know or care about what is happening in Manipur, and how people in the state are being constantly bullied by the armed forces.
Irom's heroic protest and her voice for a better homeland are still being ignored. Next time you attend a candlelight vigil, say a silent prayer and light a candle for this extraordinary woman.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Conjoined twins share single heart in Brazil
Birth defects like the Mermaid syndrome, a deformity where the legs are fused together, Craniopagus, a phenomenon where twins are joined at the head, and Dicephalic parapagus, a condition of having two heads, occur rarely but prove challenging to the medical world. Recently in Brazil, a baby was born with two heads; Jesus and Emanuel are in stable condition, but doctors are hesitant to perform surgery is such delicate conditions.
The two-headed born baby is pictured in Anajas, northern Brazil December 21, 2011. Doctors in Brazil said on Wednesday said they are unsure whether they can operate on a baby born with two heads, although the newborn boy is in stable condition. The "twins", named Jesus and Emanuel, have two brains, two backbones and a single heart.
REUTERS/JR Avelar/Handout.
The two-headed born baby is pictured in Anajas, northern Brazil December 21, 2011. Doctors in Brazil said on Wednesday said they are unsure whether they can operate on a baby born with two heads, although the newborn boy is in stable condition. The "twins", named Jesus and Emanuel, have two brains, two backbones and a single heart.
REUTERS/JR Avelar/Handout.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill 2011 Introduced in Lok Sabha
by NNLRJ INDIA,
Law Resource India, 23 Dec 2011
Government today introduced in Lok Sabha the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, aimed at setting up the body of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas at the level of the States. Government also introduced a Bill for amending the Constitution for conferment of Constitutional status on both bodies. Government also withdrew earlier Lokpal Bill, 2011 as it decided to introduce a new comprehensive Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 Bill after consideration of the suggestions made by the Parliamentary Committee which recommended significant changes in the scope and content of the earlier Bill. The salient features of the proposed new Bills are as under:-
Focus on improving accountability
Establishment of new institution in the Constitution called Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for the States. These autonomous and independent bodies, shall have powers of superintendence and direction for holding a preliminary inquiry, causing an investigation to be made and prosecution of offences in respect of complaints under any law for the prevention of corruption.
The Bill provides a uniform vigilance and anti corruption road map for the nation, both at Centre and States. The Bill institutionalizes separation of investigation from prosecution and thereby removing conflict of interest as well as increasing the scope for professionalism and specialization.
Structure of the Institution:
Lokpal will consist of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight Members of which fifty percent shall be judicial Members. Fifty per cent of members of Lokpal shall be from amongst SC, ST, OBCs, Minorities and Women. There shall be an Inquiry Wing of the Lokpal for conducting the preliminary inquiry and an independent Prosecution Wing. Officers of the Lokpal to include the Secretary, Director of Prosecution, Director of Inquiry and other officers.
Process of selection:
The selection of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal shall be through a Selection Committee consisting of –
Prime Minister; Speaker of Lok Sabha; Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court Judge nominated by CJI; Eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India A Search Committee to assist Selection Committee in the process of selection. Fifty per cent of members of Search Committee shall be from amongst SC, ST, OBCs, Minorities and Women.
Jurisdiction:
Prime Minister to be brought under the purview of the Lokpal with subject matter exclusions and specific process for handling complaints against the Prime Minister. Lokpal can not hold any inquiry against the Prime Minister if allegations relate to:
International relations;
External and internal security of the country;
Public Order;
Atomic energy
Space.
Any decision of Lokpal to initiate preliminary inquiry or investigation against the Prime Minister shall be taken only by the Full Bench with a majority of 3/4th. Such proceedings shall be held in camera. Lokpal’s jurisdiction to include all categories of public servants including Group ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ & ‘D’ officers and employees of Government. On complaints referred to CVC by Lokpal, CVC will send its report of PE in respect of Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ officers back to Lokpal for further decision. With respect to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees, CVC will proceed further in exercise of its own powers under the CVC Act subject to reporting and review by Lokpal.
All entities receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of Rs. 10 lakhs per year are brought under the jurisdiction of Lokpal. Lokpal will not be able to initiate inquiry suo moto.
Other significant features of the Bill
No prior sanction shall be required for launching prosecution in cases enquired by Lokpal or initiated on the direction and with the approval of Lokpal. A high powered Committee chaired by the Prime Minister with leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India as members, will recommend selection of the Director, CBI. Provisions for confiscation of property acquired by corrupt means, even while prosecution is pending.
Lokpal to be final appellate authority on all decisions by public authorities relating to provision of public services and redressal of grievances containing findings of corruption. Lokpal to have power of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them. The Bill lays down clear time lines for :
Preliminary enquiry – three months extendable by three months.
Investigation – six months extendable by six months.
Trial – one year extendable by one year.
The Bill proposes to enhance punishment under Prevention of Corruption Act :
(a) Maximum punishment from 7 years to 10 years
(b) Minimum punishment from 6 months to 2 years
The Bill proposes to give legal backing to Asset Declaration by public servants. The Bill also seeks to make necessary consequential amendments in the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
Law Resource India, 23 Dec 2011
Government today introduced in Lok Sabha the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, aimed at setting up the body of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas at the level of the States. Government also introduced a Bill for amending the Constitution for conferment of Constitutional status on both bodies. Government also withdrew earlier Lokpal Bill, 2011 as it decided to introduce a new comprehensive Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 Bill after consideration of the suggestions made by the Parliamentary Committee which recommended significant changes in the scope and content of the earlier Bill. The salient features of the proposed new Bills are as under:-
Focus on improving accountability
Establishment of new institution in the Constitution called Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for the States. These autonomous and independent bodies, shall have powers of superintendence and direction for holding a preliminary inquiry, causing an investigation to be made and prosecution of offences in respect of complaints under any law for the prevention of corruption.
The Bill provides a uniform vigilance and anti corruption road map for the nation, both at Centre and States. The Bill institutionalizes separation of investigation from prosecution and thereby removing conflict of interest as well as increasing the scope for professionalism and specialization.
Structure of the Institution:
Lokpal will consist of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight Members of which fifty percent shall be judicial Members. Fifty per cent of members of Lokpal shall be from amongst SC, ST, OBCs, Minorities and Women. There shall be an Inquiry Wing of the Lokpal for conducting the preliminary inquiry and an independent Prosecution Wing. Officers of the Lokpal to include the Secretary, Director of Prosecution, Director of Inquiry and other officers.
Process of selection:
The selection of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal shall be through a Selection Committee consisting of –
Prime Minister; Speaker of Lok Sabha; Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court Judge nominated by CJI; Eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India A Search Committee to assist Selection Committee in the process of selection. Fifty per cent of members of Search Committee shall be from amongst SC, ST, OBCs, Minorities and Women.
Jurisdiction:
Prime Minister to be brought under the purview of the Lokpal with subject matter exclusions and specific process for handling complaints against the Prime Minister. Lokpal can not hold any inquiry against the Prime Minister if allegations relate to:
International relations;
External and internal security of the country;
Public Order;
Atomic energy
Space.
Any decision of Lokpal to initiate preliminary inquiry or investigation against the Prime Minister shall be taken only by the Full Bench with a majority of 3/4th. Such proceedings shall be held in camera. Lokpal’s jurisdiction to include all categories of public servants including Group ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ & ‘D’ officers and employees of Government. On complaints referred to CVC by Lokpal, CVC will send its report of PE in respect of Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ officers back to Lokpal for further decision. With respect to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees, CVC will proceed further in exercise of its own powers under the CVC Act subject to reporting and review by Lokpal.
All entities receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of Rs. 10 lakhs per year are brought under the jurisdiction of Lokpal. Lokpal will not be able to initiate inquiry suo moto.
Other significant features of the Bill
No prior sanction shall be required for launching prosecution in cases enquired by Lokpal or initiated on the direction and with the approval of Lokpal. A high powered Committee chaired by the Prime Minister with leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India as members, will recommend selection of the Director, CBI. Provisions for confiscation of property acquired by corrupt means, even while prosecution is pending.
Lokpal to be final appellate authority on all decisions by public authorities relating to provision of public services and redressal of grievances containing findings of corruption. Lokpal to have power of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them. The Bill lays down clear time lines for :
Preliminary enquiry – three months extendable by three months.
Investigation – six months extendable by six months.
Trial – one year extendable by one year.
The Bill proposes to enhance punishment under Prevention of Corruption Act :
(a) Maximum punishment from 7 years to 10 years
(b) Minimum punishment from 6 months to 2 years
The Bill proposes to give legal backing to Asset Declaration by public servants. The Bill also seeks to make necessary consequential amendments in the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Two 'Akash' news : One about brighter India and the other about the darker
When birth of one "Akash" lightens up millions of young Indian faces, the death of another "Akash" darkens the face of the brighter India.
Just announced is the launch of the Tablet PC 'Akash', which will be available to the students at a meagre price of Rs 2500.
Around the same time, there came a news of a Delhi youth named 'Akash' beaten two death on the road of the capital in broad daylight.
Here are the news items:
Aakash tablet goes on sale for Rs 2500 online
By The Mobile Indian | Yahoo! India News – Thu, Dec 15, 2011
(http://in.news.yahoo.com/aakash-tablet-goes-on-sale-for-rs-2500-online-.html)
DataWind, the Canadian company that is manufacturing Aakash, has started the online booking and pre booking of the much anticipated low cost Android tablet. Online booking is for students' version of the tablet and pre booking is for UbiSlate 7, the upgraded version of Aakash.
Students' version of Aakash will be available for Rs 2,500 and will be delivered in seven days. The commercial version, UbiSlate 7 is priced at Rs 2,999. The payment mode for both the tablets is cash on delivery.
The commercial version of Aakash tablet will be powered by Android 2.3 and will have a resistive touchscreen, Cortex A8-700 MHz processor and graphics accelerator HD video processor, 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB of internal memory.
Youth beaten to death in road rage incident
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS
(http://in.news.yahoo.com/youth-beaten-death-road-rage-incident-160234079.html)
New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) A 19-year-old youth was beaten to death by a father and son duo in a road rage incident Friday afternoon in Mangolpuri area of west Delhi, police said, adding that the accused have been arrested.
The incident took place around 1.30 p.m. near Kamdhenu Public School in Mangolpuri. The deceased, identified as Akash, was beaten to death by Anil, 19, and his father Srawan, 45.
A senior police official said that Akash's scooter accidentally hit the bike of the accused from behind near the school. The bike suffered a little damage. The father and son demanded compensation from Akash. He refused, saying it had happened by accident. This enraged the father and son and they beat him mercilessly till he became unconscious.
The accused fled leaving Akash on the road. A PCR call was made and the police rushed the victim to Sanjay Gandhi hospital where he was declared brought dead, said the official.
Just announced is the launch of the Tablet PC 'Akash', which will be available to the students at a meagre price of Rs 2500.
Around the same time, there came a news of a Delhi youth named 'Akash' beaten two death on the road of the capital in broad daylight.
Here are the news items:
Aakash tablet goes on sale for Rs 2500 online
By The Mobile Indian | Yahoo! India News – Thu, Dec 15, 2011
(http://in.news.yahoo.com/aakash-tablet-goes-on-sale-for-rs-2500-online-.html)
DataWind, the Canadian company that is manufacturing Aakash, has started the online booking and pre booking of the much anticipated low cost Android tablet. Online booking is for students' version of the tablet and pre booking is for UbiSlate 7, the upgraded version of Aakash.
Students' version of Aakash will be available for Rs 2,500 and will be delivered in seven days. The commercial version, UbiSlate 7 is priced at Rs 2,999. The payment mode for both the tablets is cash on delivery.
The commercial version of Aakash tablet will be powered by Android 2.3 and will have a resistive touchscreen, Cortex A8-700 MHz processor and graphics accelerator HD video processor, 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB of internal memory.
Youth beaten to death in road rage incident
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS
(http://in.news.yahoo.com/youth-beaten-death-road-rage-incident-160234079.html)
New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) A 19-year-old youth was beaten to death by a father and son duo in a road rage incident Friday afternoon in Mangolpuri area of west Delhi, police said, adding that the accused have been arrested.
The incident took place around 1.30 p.m. near Kamdhenu Public School in Mangolpuri. The deceased, identified as Akash, was beaten to death by Anil, 19, and his father Srawan, 45.
A senior police official said that Akash's scooter accidentally hit the bike of the accused from behind near the school. The bike suffered a little damage. The father and son demanded compensation from Akash. He refused, saying it had happened by accident. This enraged the father and son and they beat him mercilessly till he became unconscious.
The accused fled leaving Akash on the road. A PCR call was made and the police rushed the victim to Sanjay Gandhi hospital where he was declared brought dead, said the official.
AMRI Kolkata Fire: Two disturbing post-incident news
Here here two really disturbing post-incident news on the AMRI Kolkata fire.
One talks about the AMRI authorities reluctance in calling the fire fighters in the fateful night of the fire and the other is about tracing a missing dead after 12 days.
Here they go:
AMRI didn't call fire brigade to save skin
Subhro Niyogi, TNN | Dec 18, 2011, 04.11AM IST
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/AMRI-didnt-call-fire-brigade-to-save-skin/articleshow/11150494.cms)
KOLKATA: The staff at south Kolkata's AMRI Hospital had tried to douse the December 9 fire that killed 92 people, for more than an hour before a patient's relative called the fire brigade.
"No one called from the hospital that day," said West Bengal Fire Services additional director-general Debapriya Biswas. The management at the upscale hospital was averse to calling the fire brigade as they seemed to fear the consequences after the fire was put out. Two months ago, a security guard Haradhan Chakraborty was suspended for a fortnight for calling fire brigade.
"After a fire brigade attends to a fire, there is a preliminary probe and a report is filed. The report puts irregularities on record. The hospital was already on notice for altering the use of basement and stocking hazardous materials. If these were mentioned in the report, a closure order would be issued," said a hospital employee. Former fire services director Baren Sen agreed that could be a reason for not calling the fire brigade. If there is a fire in a hospital, a station officer leads the team and then files a report.
"Even if the fire is controlled swiftly and there is no loss of life, the report would be filed within an hour. If inflammable goods were found in the basement, an FIR would be filed. The hospital's false commitment to the fire brigade in August to clear the basement would have been exposed leading to action, including closure," Sen said. The hospital may have hoped it could get away with violation of rules if the fire brigade was kept out.
AMRI fire: Tripura man's body found after 12 days
Published: Thursday, Dec 22, 2011, 14:16 IST
Place: Agartala | Agency: IANS
(http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_amri-fire-tripura-man-s-body-found-after-12-days_1628849)
The mutilated body of a Tripura man, who went missing after the AMRI Hospital fire Dec 9, has been found at the morgue of SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, officials said Thursday.
Santosh Das, 25, had fractured his left leg in an accident in Tripura Nov 30 and was subsequently taken to Kolkata for treatment.
“The burnt, mutilated body of Santosh was found by his relatives on Wednesday night,” Tripura Bhavan resident commissioner in Kolkata Ashudeb Das told IANS by phone.
The man's parents, distraught since the sole bread earner of the family went missing, broke down after getting the news.
Santosh was admitted to the AMRI Hospital Dec 1.
“I met (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee, several police officers, searched 21 hospitals and some morgues, but could not find my brother till Tuesday night,” Santosh’s younger brother Paritosh told IANS by phone from Kolkata.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, in a recent letter to Banerjee, urged her to help trace Santosh.
With Santosh's body found, the toll from Tripura in the Kolkata hospital fire rose to seven.
In the worst fire tragedy ever in any hospital in India, 94 people were killed in AMRI Hospital.
One talks about the AMRI authorities reluctance in calling the fire fighters in the fateful night of the fire and the other is about tracing a missing dead after 12 days.
Here they go:
AMRI didn't call fire brigade to save skin
Subhro Niyogi, TNN | Dec 18, 2011, 04.11AM IST
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/AMRI-didnt-call-fire-brigade-to-save-skin/articleshow/11150494.cms)
KOLKATA: The staff at south Kolkata's AMRI Hospital had tried to douse the December 9 fire that killed 92 people, for more than an hour before a patient's relative called the fire brigade.
"No one called from the hospital that day," said West Bengal Fire Services additional director-general Debapriya Biswas. The management at the upscale hospital was averse to calling the fire brigade as they seemed to fear the consequences after the fire was put out. Two months ago, a security guard Haradhan Chakraborty was suspended for a fortnight for calling fire brigade.
"After a fire brigade attends to a fire, there is a preliminary probe and a report is filed. The report puts irregularities on record. The hospital was already on notice for altering the use of basement and stocking hazardous materials. If these were mentioned in the report, a closure order would be issued," said a hospital employee. Former fire services director Baren Sen agreed that could be a reason for not calling the fire brigade. If there is a fire in a hospital, a station officer leads the team and then files a report.
"Even if the fire is controlled swiftly and there is no loss of life, the report would be filed within an hour. If inflammable goods were found in the basement, an FIR would be filed. The hospital's false commitment to the fire brigade in August to clear the basement would have been exposed leading to action, including closure," Sen said. The hospital may have hoped it could get away with violation of rules if the fire brigade was kept out.
AMRI fire: Tripura man's body found after 12 days
Published: Thursday, Dec 22, 2011, 14:16 IST
Place: Agartala | Agency: IANS
(http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_amri-fire-tripura-man-s-body-found-after-12-days_1628849)
The mutilated body of a Tripura man, who went missing after the AMRI Hospital fire Dec 9, has been found at the morgue of SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, officials said Thursday.
Santosh Das, 25, had fractured his left leg in an accident in Tripura Nov 30 and was subsequently taken to Kolkata for treatment.
“The burnt, mutilated body of Santosh was found by his relatives on Wednesday night,” Tripura Bhavan resident commissioner in Kolkata Ashudeb Das told IANS by phone.
The man's parents, distraught since the sole bread earner of the family went missing, broke down after getting the news.
Santosh was admitted to the AMRI Hospital Dec 1.
“I met (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee, several police officers, searched 21 hospitals and some morgues, but could not find my brother till Tuesday night,” Santosh’s younger brother Paritosh told IANS by phone from Kolkata.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, in a recent letter to Banerjee, urged her to help trace Santosh.
With Santosh's body found, the toll from Tripura in the Kolkata hospital fire rose to seven.
In the worst fire tragedy ever in any hospital in India, 94 people were killed in AMRI Hospital.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Planet found orbiting habitable zone of sun-like star
Irene Klotz | Reuters – Tue, Dec 6, 2011
MOFFET FIELD, California (Reuters) - The most Earth-like planet ever discovered is circling a star 600 light years away, a key finding in an ongoing quest to learn if life exists beyond Earth, scientists said on Monday.
The planet, called Kepler-22b, joins a list of more than 500 planets found to orbit stars beyond our solar system. It is the smallest and the best positioned to have liquid water on its surface -- among the ingredients necessary for life on Earth.
"We are homing in on the true Earth-sized, habitable planets," said San Jose State University astronomer Natalie Batalha, deputy science team lead for NASA's Kepler Space Telescope that discovered the star.
The telescope, which was launched three years ago, is staring at about 150,000 stars in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, looking for faint and periodic dimming as any circling planets pass by, relative to Kepler's line of sight.
Results will be extrapolated to determine the percentage of stars in the Milky Way galaxy that harbor potentially habitable, Earth-size planets.
This is the first detection of a potentially habitable world orbiting a Sun-like star, scientists reported in findings to be published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Kepler-22b is 600 light years away. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km).
GROUND TELESCOPES
Planets about the same distance from their parent stars as Earth take roughly a year to complete an orbit. Scientists want to see at least three transits to be able to rule out other explanations for fluctuations in a star's light, such as small companion stars. Results also are verified by ground and other space telescopes.
Kepler-22b, which is about 2.4 times the radius of Earth, sits squarely in its star's so-called "habitable zone," the region where liquid water could exist on the surface. Follow-up studies are under way to determine if the planet is solid, like Earth, or more gaseous like Neptune.
"We don't know anything about the planets between Earth-size and Neptune-size because in our solar system we have no examples of such planets. We don't know what fraction are going to be rocky, what fraction are going to be water worlds, what fraction are ice worlds. We have no idea until we measure one and see," Batalha said at a news conference at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffet Field, California.
If Kepler-22b has a surface and a cushion of atmosphere similar to Earth's, it would be about 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C), about the same as a spring day in Earth's temperate zone.
Among the 2,326 candidate planets found by the Kepler team, 10 are roughly Earth-size and reside in their host stars' habitable zones.
Another team of privately funded astronomers is scanning the target stars for non-naturally occurring radio signals, part of a project known as SETI, or the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
"As soon as we find a different, a separate, an independent example of life somewhere else, we're going to know that it's ubiquitous throughout the universe," said astronomer Jill Tarter, director of the SETI Institute in Mountain View.
The Kepler team is meeting for its first science conference this week.
MOFFET FIELD, California (Reuters) - The most Earth-like planet ever discovered is circling a star 600 light years away, a key finding in an ongoing quest to learn if life exists beyond Earth, scientists said on Monday.
The planet, called Kepler-22b, joins a list of more than 500 planets found to orbit stars beyond our solar system. It is the smallest and the best positioned to have liquid water on its surface -- among the ingredients necessary for life on Earth.
"We are homing in on the true Earth-sized, habitable planets," said San Jose State University astronomer Natalie Batalha, deputy science team lead for NASA's Kepler Space Telescope that discovered the star.
The telescope, which was launched three years ago, is staring at about 150,000 stars in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, looking for faint and periodic dimming as any circling planets pass by, relative to Kepler's line of sight.
Results will be extrapolated to determine the percentage of stars in the Milky Way galaxy that harbor potentially habitable, Earth-size planets.
This is the first detection of a potentially habitable world orbiting a Sun-like star, scientists reported in findings to be published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Kepler-22b is 600 light years away. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km).
GROUND TELESCOPES
Planets about the same distance from their parent stars as Earth take roughly a year to complete an orbit. Scientists want to see at least three transits to be able to rule out other explanations for fluctuations in a star's light, such as small companion stars. Results also are verified by ground and other space telescopes.
Kepler-22b, which is about 2.4 times the radius of Earth, sits squarely in its star's so-called "habitable zone," the region where liquid water could exist on the surface. Follow-up studies are under way to determine if the planet is solid, like Earth, or more gaseous like Neptune.
"We don't know anything about the planets between Earth-size and Neptune-size because in our solar system we have no examples of such planets. We don't know what fraction are going to be rocky, what fraction are going to be water worlds, what fraction are ice worlds. We have no idea until we measure one and see," Batalha said at a news conference at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffet Field, California.
If Kepler-22b has a surface and a cushion of atmosphere similar to Earth's, it would be about 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C), about the same as a spring day in Earth's temperate zone.
Among the 2,326 candidate planets found by the Kepler team, 10 are roughly Earth-size and reside in their host stars' habitable zones.
Another team of privately funded astronomers is scanning the target stars for non-naturally occurring radio signals, part of a project known as SETI, or the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
"As soon as we find a different, a separate, an independent example of life somewhere else, we're going to know that it's ubiquitous throughout the universe," said astronomer Jill Tarter, director of the SETI Institute in Mountain View.
The Kepler team is meeting for its first science conference this week.
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