Let your baby babble with your talk

New York: Here comes brand new advice for new mothers - having one-on-one conversation with your baby would help him/her develop better language skills. Shunning earlier theories that the more words babies hear the faster their vocabulary grows, a new research shows that what spurs early language development is the quality, not quantity.

“What our analysis shows is that the prevalence of baby talk in one-on-one conversations with children is linked to better language development, both concurrent and future,” said Patricia Kuhl, co-author and co-director of University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences.

Researchers examined several 30-second snippets of verbal exchanges between parents and babies.  The criteria was to measure parents' use of a regular speaking voice versus an animated baby talk style, and whether speech occurred one-on-one between parent and child or in a group, said the study published in the journal Developmental Science.

The more parents exaggerated vowels - for example "How are youuuuu?" - and raised the pitch of their voices, the more the one-year olds babbled, added the study. Baby talk was most effective when a parent spoke with a child individually, without other adults or children around, it said.

"The fact that the infant's babbling itself plays a role in future language development shows how important the interchange between parent and child is," Kuhl said. "Some parents produce baby talk naturally and they don't realise that they are actually benefiting their toddlers,” said first author Nairán Ramírez-Esparza, an assistant psychology professor at University of Connecticut. 

(IANS)

Let your baby babble with your talk

New York: Here comes brand new advice for new mothers - having one-on-one conversation with your baby would help him/her develop better language skills. Shunning earlier theories that the more words babies hear the faster their vocabulary grows, a new research shows that what spurs early language development is the quality, not quantity.

“What our analysis shows is that the prevalence of baby talk in one-on-one conversations with children is linked to better language development, both concurrent and future,” said Patricia Kuhl, co-author and co-director of University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences.

Researchers examined several 30-second snippets of verbal exchanges between parents and babies.  The criteria was to measure parents' use of a regular speaking voice versus an animated baby talk style, and whether speech occurred one-on-one between parent and child or in a group, said the study published in the journal Developmental Science.

The more parents exaggerated vowels - for example "How are youuuuu?" - and raised the pitch of their voices, the more the one-year olds babbled, added the study. Baby talk was most effective when a parent spoke with a child individually, without other adults or children around, it said.

"The fact that the infant's babbling itself plays a role in future language development shows how important the interchange between parent and child is," Kuhl said. "Some parents produce baby talk naturally and they don't realise that they are actually benefiting their toddlers,” said first author Nairán Ramírez-Esparza, an assistant psychology professor at University of Connecticut. 

(IANS)

India test-fires n-capable missile

Bhubaneswar: India Tuesday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile from a military base in Odisha, a senior defence official said. The indigenously-developed ballistic missile with a maximum range of 350 km was fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

"The test was carried out by the strategic forces command as a part of the regular training exercise. The test was successful and the missile was tested for its full range," test range director M.V.K.V. Prasad informed reporters.

(IANS)

India test-fires n-capable missile

Bhubaneswar: India Tuesday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile from a military base in Odisha, a senior defence official said. The indigenously-developed ballistic missile with a maximum range of 350 km was fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

"The test was carried out by the strategic forces command as a part of the regular training exercise. The test was successful and the missile was tested for its full range," test range director M.V.K.V. Prasad informed reporters.

(IANS)

Devyani seeks indictment deadline extension, Bharara opposed

New York/Washington: Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade has sought a one-month extension of the deadline for charging her in the visa fraud case but her plea has been opposed by the prosecution, even as the US today said it wants to resolve the "ordeal" as soon as possible.

Khobragade has requested for the extension of the January 13 indictment deadline, saying the "pressure of the impending" deadline is interfering with the ability of the parties to have meaningful discussions. India-born US prosecutor Preet Bharara's office is required to file charges against the 39-year-old diplomat within 30 days of her arrest.

However, in the request submitted late yesterday with Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Khobragade's counsel sought postponement of the preliminary hearing date, currently scheduled for January 13 and extension of the indictment deadline by 30 days "to and including February 12, 2014".

"Significant communications have been had between the prosecution and the defense and amongst other government officials and it is our strong view that the pressure of the impending deadline is counterproductive to continued communications," Khobragade's counsel Daniel Arshack said in the request.

The lawyer told the judge that he has conferred with the prosecution concerning extending the deadline and has been informed that the prosecution will not seek an extension of the deadline. "We therefore, wish to inform the court that we waive the 30 day time limit set by the court on December 12, 2013 because we believe that the time limit is interfering with the parties ability to continue to have meaningful discussions," Arshack said in his request to the judge.

Responding to Arshack's request, Bharara wrote to the judge that his office is opposed to the extension of the deadline sought by Khobragade, saying plea discussions can continue even after she is charged. "This office remains receptive to continuing the plea discussions that have taken place over the past several weeks. We have participated in hours of discussion in the hope of negotiating a plea that could be entered in Court before January 13," Bharara said.

"Indeed, as recently as Saturday, January 5, the Government outlined reasonable parameters for a plea that could resolve the case, to which the defendant has not responded," he said. 
The US, meanwhile, stated that it wants the issue to be resolved as soon as possible, with State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf saying "As I've said, many, many times throughout this whole ordeal, that we don't want this to define our relationship going forward and don't think that it will."

"We want it to be resolved as soon as possible. Certainly, that's our goal, but we're only part of this process," Harf said. She said the US does not want India-US ties to be affected by the arrest of the Indian diplomat in New York. Asked if the US was hopeful that the issue would be resolved, Harf said, "absolutely".

The US and Indian officials are believed to be working on both the diplomatic and judicial front to arrive at an amicable resolution of the issue, with American officials insisting that law would take its own course. "We're the diplomatic part that focuses on the relationship and all the issues we work together on. There is a separate judicial and legal process that is working its way through right now," Harf said.

"There is a reason we have these processes, and hopefully that will work itself out soon as well, but I don't want to get ahead of that process, and certainly don't want to speak for it," she noted. India has sought an US apology and withdrawal of charges against Khobragade.  The US, however, insists that this is an isolated incident. Harf said that the US is "letting it (this entire episode) run its course" and was focused on "where to go from here because, as we've always said, the relationship with India is incredibly important."

A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard. She was released on a USD 250,000 bond. 
India retaliated by downgrading privileges of a certain category of US diplomats among other steps last month.

Devyani seeks indictment deadline extension, Bharara opposed

New York/Washington: Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade has sought a one-month extension of the deadline for charging her in the visa fraud case but her plea has been opposed by the prosecution, even as the US today said it wants to resolve the "ordeal" as soon as possible.

Khobragade has requested for the extension of the January 13 indictment deadline, saying the "pressure of the impending" deadline is interfering with the ability of the parties to have meaningful discussions. India-born US prosecutor Preet Bharara's office is required to file charges against the 39-year-old diplomat within 30 days of her arrest.

However, in the request submitted late yesterday with Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Khobragade's counsel sought postponement of the preliminary hearing date, currently scheduled for January 13 and extension of the indictment deadline by 30 days "to and including February 12, 2014".

"Significant communications have been had between the prosecution and the defense and amongst other government officials and it is our strong view that the pressure of the impending deadline is counterproductive to continued communications," Khobragade's counsel Daniel Arshack said in the request.

The lawyer told the judge that he has conferred with the prosecution concerning extending the deadline and has been informed that the prosecution will not seek an extension of the deadline. "We therefore, wish to inform the court that we waive the 30 day time limit set by the court on December 12, 2013 because we believe that the time limit is interfering with the parties ability to continue to have meaningful discussions," Arshack said in his request to the judge.

Responding to Arshack's request, Bharara wrote to the judge that his office is opposed to the extension of the deadline sought by Khobragade, saying plea discussions can continue even after she is charged. "This office remains receptive to continuing the plea discussions that have taken place over the past several weeks. We have participated in hours of discussion in the hope of negotiating a plea that could be entered in Court before January 13," Bharara said.

"Indeed, as recently as Saturday, January 5, the Government outlined reasonable parameters for a plea that could resolve the case, to which the defendant has not responded," he said. 
The US, meanwhile, stated that it wants the issue to be resolved as soon as possible, with State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf saying "As I've said, many, many times throughout this whole ordeal, that we don't want this to define our relationship going forward and don't think that it will."

"We want it to be resolved as soon as possible. Certainly, that's our goal, but we're only part of this process," Harf said. She said the US does not want India-US ties to be affected by the arrest of the Indian diplomat in New York. Asked if the US was hopeful that the issue would be resolved, Harf said, "absolutely".

The US and Indian officials are believed to be working on both the diplomatic and judicial front to arrive at an amicable resolution of the issue, with American officials insisting that law would take its own course. "We're the diplomatic part that focuses on the relationship and all the issues we work together on. There is a separate judicial and legal process that is working its way through right now," Harf said.

"There is a reason we have these processes, and hopefully that will work itself out soon as well, but I don't want to get ahead of that process, and certainly don't want to speak for it," she noted. India has sought an US apology and withdrawal of charges against Khobragade.  The US, however, insists that this is an isolated incident. Harf said that the US is "letting it (this entire episode) run its course" and was focused on "where to go from here because, as we've always said, the relationship with India is incredibly important."

A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard. She was released on a USD 250,000 bond. 
India retaliated by downgrading privileges of a certain category of US diplomats among other steps last month.

Demands in Devyani case not unreasonable: India

Washington: Asserting that its demand after Devyani Khobragade's arrest is not unreasonable, India has said the case is not about mistreatment of a domestic employee but rather of US laws being gamed for immigration purposes. "This case is about not the mistreatment of a domestic employee but rather US laws being gamed for immigration purposes," Indian Embassy spokesman Sridharan Madhusudhanan, wrote in a letter to The Washington Post.

India has been demanding the withdrawal of the case against Khobragade and an apology from the US for the treatment meted out to the 39-year-old diplomat, including a strip search and detention with criminals after her arrest on December 12. India's demands are not unreasonable, Madhusudhanan asserted, referring to an op-ed published in the daily a few days ago.

"These include respecting Indian legal processes and affording our diplomats the same immunities and courtesies under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations that the US government seeks for its officials posted abroad," the Indian diplomat said. Madhusudhanan said the diplomat was the first complainant in this dispute, both in New York and in India.

"Additionally, the domestic worker's employment contract is partly with the government of India, which pays for her medical care, travel and significant portions of her salary and living costs. Therefore, any dispute should be resolved in an Indian court," he contended.

"It is surprising that a pre-existing legal case in India and Indian diplomatic initiatives have been ignored. This case is about not the mistreatment of a domestic employee but rather US laws being gamed for immigration purposes," Madhusudhanan said.

Refuting media reports that claimed in India, US diplomats have been stripped of their identity documents, he said those officials posted in consulates have been issued identity cards with stipulations similar to those their Indian counterparts receive in the US.

The US Embassy in New Delhi has not been deprived of security, the official said, adding that traffic barricades that blocked a public street have been dismantled, but the embassy continues to receive exceptional protection by the Indian government.

"If anything, security has been stepped up recently. However, securing immunities and privileges for US officials abroad is best done by respecting international conventions and according entitled courtesies in the US," Madhusudhanan wrote in response to the op-ed published earlier by Martina E Vandenberg, a pro bono human rights attorney. Vandenberg, president of the Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center, had argued that diplomats who commit crimes should not get a free pass.

Demands in Devyani case not unreasonable: India

Washington: Asserting that its demand after Devyani Khobragade's arrest is not unreasonable, India has said the case is not about mistreatment of a domestic employee but rather of US laws being gamed for immigration purposes. "This case is about not the mistreatment of a domestic employee but rather US laws being gamed for immigration purposes," Indian Embassy spokesman Sridharan Madhusudhanan, wrote in a letter to The Washington Post.

India has been demanding the withdrawal of the case against Khobragade and an apology from the US for the treatment meted out to the 39-year-old diplomat, including a strip search and detention with criminals after her arrest on December 12. India's demands are not unreasonable, Madhusudhanan asserted, referring to an op-ed published in the daily a few days ago.

"These include respecting Indian legal processes and affording our diplomats the same immunities and courtesies under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations that the US government seeks for its officials posted abroad," the Indian diplomat said. Madhusudhanan said the diplomat was the first complainant in this dispute, both in New York and in India.

"Additionally, the domestic worker's employment contract is partly with the government of India, which pays for her medical care, travel and significant portions of her salary and living costs. Therefore, any dispute should be resolved in an Indian court," he contended.

"It is surprising that a pre-existing legal case in India and Indian diplomatic initiatives have been ignored. This case is about not the mistreatment of a domestic employee but rather US laws being gamed for immigration purposes," Madhusudhanan said.

Refuting media reports that claimed in India, US diplomats have been stripped of their identity documents, he said those officials posted in consulates have been issued identity cards with stipulations similar to those their Indian counterparts receive in the US.

The US Embassy in New Delhi has not been deprived of security, the official said, adding that traffic barricades that blocked a public street have been dismantled, but the embassy continues to receive exceptional protection by the Indian government.

"If anything, security has been stepped up recently. However, securing immunities and privileges for US officials abroad is best done by respecting international conventions and according entitled courtesies in the US," Madhusudhanan wrote in response to the op-ed published earlier by Martina E Vandenberg, a pro bono human rights attorney. Vandenberg, president of the Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center, had argued that diplomats who commit crimes should not get a free pass.

Bone-chilling cold cripples airline flights in US

The chaos in the nation's air travel system worsened Monday as a wave of frigid weather forced airlines to cancel thousands more flights, stranding passengers from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Los Angeles. Compounding the issue, at least for one airline, were new regulations requiring more rest time for pilots that began at the beginning of the year.

JetBlue Airways said the combination of bad weather and the new Federal Aviation Administration rules led it to cancel all of its flights into and out of Boston and the three New York area airports for 17 hours starting Monday afternoon. The regulations made airlines build more leeway into their already tight pilot scheduling. Once the delays hit, some pilots who formerly would have been available to fly were not allowed to.

'In the midst of us repairing those schedules disrupted by this week's winter storms, we're facing an additional challenge as new F.A.A. rules went into effect for crew rest,' JetBlue said in a statement. The biggest impact on the airlines was in the Northeast and the Midwest, where polar weather swooped in. Airlines canceled 4,400 flights on Monday, bringing the total to more than 18,000 since last Thursday, according to FlightView.com, a flight information website.

The delays, during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, marooned thousands of people trying to return home from holiday trips, begin a new school term or get back to work. Fans of Florida State and Auburn scrambled to find their way to Pasadena, Calif., for college football's national championship game at the Rose Bowl on Monday night.

One traveler, Courtney Morrissey, said she was supposed to start a new job on Monday in Denver but has been stuck in Rochester, N.Y., since last Thursday after three different flights she had rebooked were canceled. She is now scheduled to fly on Wednesday. 'I am not holding my breath,' Morrissey said. 'Every time they put me on a new flight now, I expect that to be canceled.'

Widespread cancellations are increasingly common in the airline industry, which relies on the hub-and-spoke model of connecting flights. Airlines also now operate on a much tighter schedule, leaving them with little slack, and have few spare planes to rebook passengers. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy forced airlines to cancel more than 20,000 flights over a four-day period.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport was hit the hardest, with more than 1,600 flights canceled on Monday as temperatures fell below minus 12 degrees. 
United Airlines operated a pared-down schedule as ground workers and bag handlers could not stay more than 15 minutes on the tarmac. Refueling operations also took longer than usual, said Mary Ryan, a United spokeswoman.

JetBlue stopped all service from 5 p.m. Monday to 10 a.m. Tuesday from Logan Airport in Boston and from Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airport in the New York area. The airline warned of the effect of the new FAA regulations on service.

The new rules mandate a minimum rest period for pilots of 10 hours before they report for duty, up from eight hours, and includes a provision that they get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. It also limits the number of hours a pilot can fly and sets cumulative flight duty limits. 'These rules further impact our ability to operate an already disrupted schedule, causing our pilots to 'time out' even sooner,' JetBlue said. 'As a result, additional cancellations are likely to occur as we work to reset the operation.'

Capt. Sean Cassidy, a first vice president at the Air Line Pilots Association, said it was too soon to know what impact, if any, the new rules had on the recent cancellations. Airlines have had nearly two years to plan for the new regulations. 
'It's rather unfortunate that the day the new rule change became mandatory happens to coincide with this massive weather system,' Cassidy said. 'It is very difficult to extrapolate.' Still, Cassidy added, 'some airlines were better prepared than others, that's fair to say.'

These regulations, the most significant change for pilots in decades, were long in the making but were given a new impetus after the 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, which killed 49 people on board. The investigation found that fatigue had most likely contributed to the crew's performance.

'Some carriers got out front of this and planned better than others, and hired-up for the added resources required,' said Bob Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y. 'When the cusp of a significant adjustment like this coincides with serial bad weather across the country and a heavy holiday traffic period, it would be unrealistic to expect good things to happen, and they didn't and in some cases still haven't, and won't for days to come.'

In fact, airlines are still struggling to regain their footing from last week's snowstorm that blanketed the Northeast. 'It's just been a very challenging string of weather events,' said Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines. 'Whenever you have that line up when you can't get a day to reboot and reset all your operations and assets, it gets to be very challenging.'

Some airlines fared better than others. Delta, for instance, canceled 695 flights on Monday, including 75 on its mainline operations and 620 in Delta Connection, its regional partner. That amounted to about 15 percent of its daily flights.

The weather disruptions affected travelers even in sunny climes. At Fort Lauderdale International Airport, the backlog of people waiting at the JetBlue counter on Monday morning was hundreds deep, forcing airport employees to steer them outdoors to queue up. There, they were handed free bottles of water to help cope with the 84-degree temperature.

Nancy Labrecque, a nursing student from Montreal who had just returned from a cruise in the Bahamas, said she arrived to the airport at 6:30 a.m. but found that her flight to New York had been canceled.

Traveling with her husband and two children, she was told they might have a chance on Friday. 'I was not being picky. I said, 'Take me somewhere else,' but there were no flights to anywhere,' she said. 'We were in line for 4 1/2 hours. This is a fiasco.'

Michael A. Nonnemacher, director for operations at the Fort Lauderdale airport, said that flights grounded in New York or elsewhere end up having a domino effect on later flights that depend on that aircraft. 'It's a whole trickle-down effect,' he said. 'When you have this number of flights canceled, you have a systemwide effects. It's like a plume.'

Melissa Garcia arrived at the airport at 9 a.m. Monday with her husband, two children and baby sitter. At noon, the nanny was still holding their place in line. Her 11:20 a.m. flight to Newburgh, N.Y., was canceled. At about 11 a.m., the airline sent an email offering a refund.

'If you look at the other airlines, they are delayed, not canceled,' Garcia said. 'We're still waiting to find another flight. It's supposed to be first come first served, but when we got here the line was to the door.' She added, 'I don't think this is related to the weather.'

Garcia, a biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is out of sick and vacation days. If her vacation is extended, she will have to take unpaid days off. 'I'm not mad yet,' she said. 'I just want to get home.' 
The New York Times

'

Bone-chilling cold cripples airline flights in US

The chaos in the nation's air travel system worsened Monday as a wave of frigid weather forced airlines to cancel thousands more flights, stranding passengers from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Los Angeles. Compounding the issue, at least for one airline, were new regulations requiring more rest time for pilots that began at the beginning of the year.

JetBlue Airways said the combination of bad weather and the new Federal Aviation Administration rules led it to cancel all of its flights into and out of Boston and the three New York area airports for 17 hours starting Monday afternoon. The regulations made airlines build more leeway into their already tight pilot scheduling. Once the delays hit, some pilots who formerly would have been available to fly were not allowed to.

'In the midst of us repairing those schedules disrupted by this week's winter storms, we're facing an additional challenge as new F.A.A. rules went into effect for crew rest,' JetBlue said in a statement. The biggest impact on the airlines was in the Northeast and the Midwest, where polar weather swooped in. Airlines canceled 4,400 flights on Monday, bringing the total to more than 18,000 since last Thursday, according to FlightView.com, a flight information website.

The delays, during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, marooned thousands of people trying to return home from holiday trips, begin a new school term or get back to work. Fans of Florida State and Auburn scrambled to find their way to Pasadena, Calif., for college football's national championship game at the Rose Bowl on Monday night.

One traveler, Courtney Morrissey, said she was supposed to start a new job on Monday in Denver but has been stuck in Rochester, N.Y., since last Thursday after three different flights she had rebooked were canceled. She is now scheduled to fly on Wednesday. 'I am not holding my breath,' Morrissey said. 'Every time they put me on a new flight now, I expect that to be canceled.'

Widespread cancellations are increasingly common in the airline industry, which relies on the hub-and-spoke model of connecting flights. Airlines also now operate on a much tighter schedule, leaving them with little slack, and have few spare planes to rebook passengers. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy forced airlines to cancel more than 20,000 flights over a four-day period.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport was hit the hardest, with more than 1,600 flights canceled on Monday as temperatures fell below minus 12 degrees. 
United Airlines operated a pared-down schedule as ground workers and bag handlers could not stay more than 15 minutes on the tarmac. Refueling operations also took longer than usual, said Mary Ryan, a United spokeswoman.

JetBlue stopped all service from 5 p.m. Monday to 10 a.m. Tuesday from Logan Airport in Boston and from Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airport in the New York area. The airline warned of the effect of the new FAA regulations on service.

The new rules mandate a minimum rest period for pilots of 10 hours before they report for duty, up from eight hours, and includes a provision that they get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. It also limits the number of hours a pilot can fly and sets cumulative flight duty limits. 'These rules further impact our ability to operate an already disrupted schedule, causing our pilots to 'time out' even sooner,' JetBlue said. 'As a result, additional cancellations are likely to occur as we work to reset the operation.'

Capt. Sean Cassidy, a first vice president at the Air Line Pilots Association, said it was too soon to know what impact, if any, the new rules had on the recent cancellations. Airlines have had nearly two years to plan for the new regulations. 
'It's rather unfortunate that the day the new rule change became mandatory happens to coincide with this massive weather system,' Cassidy said. 'It is very difficult to extrapolate.' Still, Cassidy added, 'some airlines were better prepared than others, that's fair to say.'

These regulations, the most significant change for pilots in decades, were long in the making but were given a new impetus after the 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, which killed 49 people on board. The investigation found that fatigue had most likely contributed to the crew's performance.

'Some carriers got out front of this and planned better than others, and hired-up for the added resources required,' said Bob Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y. 'When the cusp of a significant adjustment like this coincides with serial bad weather across the country and a heavy holiday traffic period, it would be unrealistic to expect good things to happen, and they didn't and in some cases still haven't, and won't for days to come.'

In fact, airlines are still struggling to regain their footing from last week's snowstorm that blanketed the Northeast. 'It's just been a very challenging string of weather events,' said Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines. 'Whenever you have that line up when you can't get a day to reboot and reset all your operations and assets, it gets to be very challenging.'

Some airlines fared better than others. Delta, for instance, canceled 695 flights on Monday, including 75 on its mainline operations and 620 in Delta Connection, its regional partner. That amounted to about 15 percent of its daily flights.

The weather disruptions affected travelers even in sunny climes. At Fort Lauderdale International Airport, the backlog of people waiting at the JetBlue counter on Monday morning was hundreds deep, forcing airport employees to steer them outdoors to queue up. There, they were handed free bottles of water to help cope with the 84-degree temperature.

Nancy Labrecque, a nursing student from Montreal who had just returned from a cruise in the Bahamas, said she arrived to the airport at 6:30 a.m. but found that her flight to New York had been canceled.

Traveling with her husband and two children, she was told they might have a chance on Friday. 'I was not being picky. I said, 'Take me somewhere else,' but there were no flights to anywhere,' she said. 'We were in line for 4 1/2 hours. This is a fiasco.'

Michael A. Nonnemacher, director for operations at the Fort Lauderdale airport, said that flights grounded in New York or elsewhere end up having a domino effect on later flights that depend on that aircraft. 'It's a whole trickle-down effect,' he said. 'When you have this number of flights canceled, you have a systemwide effects. It's like a plume.'

Melissa Garcia arrived at the airport at 9 a.m. Monday with her husband, two children and baby sitter. At noon, the nanny was still holding their place in line. Her 11:20 a.m. flight to Newburgh, N.Y., was canceled. At about 11 a.m., the airline sent an email offering a refund.

'If you look at the other airlines, they are delayed, not canceled,' Garcia said. 'We're still waiting to find another flight. It's supposed to be first come first served, but when we got here the line was to the door.' She added, 'I don't think this is related to the weather.'

Garcia, a biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is out of sick and vacation days. If her vacation is extended, she will have to take unpaid days off. 'I'm not mad yet,' she said. 'I just want to get home.' 
The New York Times

'

SC to hear natural gas pricing matter March 4

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hold March 4 hearing in the plea by Communist lawmaker Gurudas Dasgupta and NGO Common Cause seeking review of the government decision to hike the natural gas price from $4.2 to $8.4 million British thermal unit (mmBtu) from April 2014 .

Common Cause has sought a court monitored probe by a special investigation team or the Central Bureau of Investigation into increasing gas prices, giving retrospective tax benefits and not insisting on the relinquishment of gas blocks ion KG basin by the Reliance Industries.

Dasgupta has also sought as a halt to the arbitration proceedings to decide the issue. While saying that the matter would be taken up for hearing on March 4, a bench of Chief Justice P.Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the contending parties to complete the filing of rejoinders within two weeks.

At the outset of the hearing, Common Cause's counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court that 'this is an extremely urgent matter. If the decision to raise prices is implemented then it would cause a huge outflow of lakhs of crores of rupees'.

Senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Dasgupta, too pressed for an early hearing. Dasgupta has contended that government and Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily were working out a 'strategy to use arbitration proceedings as a subterfuge and a pretence to take the contentious and public interest issues away from the scrutiny' of the apex court.

Common Cause has sought the quashing of the decision to increase the gas prices effective from April 2014 and the cancellation of the Production Sharing Contract. 
Common Cause and other eminent people has also sought probe 'into the high level collusion between RIL and the political establishment and the corruption involved, including on the aspects of not taking any action against RILfor hoarding the gas. 

SC to hear natural gas pricing matter March 4

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hold March 4 hearing in the plea by Communist lawmaker Gurudas Dasgupta and NGO Common Cause seeking review of the government decision to hike the natural gas price from $4.2 to $8.4 million British thermal unit (mmBtu) from April 2014 .

Common Cause has sought a court monitored probe by a special investigation team or the Central Bureau of Investigation into increasing gas prices, giving retrospective tax benefits and not insisting on the relinquishment of gas blocks ion KG basin by the Reliance Industries.

Dasgupta has also sought as a halt to the arbitration proceedings to decide the issue. While saying that the matter would be taken up for hearing on March 4, a bench of Chief Justice P.Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the contending parties to complete the filing of rejoinders within two weeks.

At the outset of the hearing, Common Cause's counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court that 'this is an extremely urgent matter. If the decision to raise prices is implemented then it would cause a huge outflow of lakhs of crores of rupees'.

Senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Dasgupta, too pressed for an early hearing. Dasgupta has contended that government and Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily were working out a 'strategy to use arbitration proceedings as a subterfuge and a pretence to take the contentious and public interest issues away from the scrutiny' of the apex court.

Common Cause has sought the quashing of the decision to increase the gas prices effective from April 2014 and the cancellation of the Production Sharing Contract. 
Common Cause and other eminent people has also sought probe 'into the high level collusion between RIL and the political establishment and the corruption involved, including on the aspects of not taking any action against RILfor hoarding the gas. 

Over 2,000 delegates to attend annual diaspora meet

New Delhi: Over 2,000 non-resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (PIOs) from all across the world are likely to attend the 12th edition of the annual diaspora meet beginning here Tuesday. The focus of the three-day event - which began in 2003 - will be on engaging the youth diaspora in different sectors.

'The event is expected to open new horizons of a strong network of young overseas Indians to contribute to India's engagement with youth in all sectors,' Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said Monday.

The event is organised every year by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa. This is an effort to connect with the nearly 25 million Indian diaspora living across the globe.

Addressing a media conference here, Ravi said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the diaspora meet Wednesday, while President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory speech on Thursday.

Ravi said over 2,000 delegates from the heterogeneous and diverse overseas Indian community spread across the globe are likely to take part in the event. 
The 11th edition of the annual convention was held in Kochi in partnership with the Kerala government.

Malaysian Minister of Natural Resource and Environment Datuk Seri G. Palanivel will be the chief guest. According Ravi, the purpose of the annual event called 'Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)' is to have a meaningful interaction with overseas Indians in order to address their issues and concerns.

Several states as well as the central government departments will also be pitching for investments from Indian diaspora participating at the meet. Chief ministers of different states including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Goa Chief Minister Manohan Parrikar and Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh are scheduled to address the meet and seek investments for their respective states.

On the first day of the event, there will be sessions directed at youths. In fact, the first day will be called 'Youth PBD', Ravi said. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will coordinate and manage the event, while the federal ministry of sports and youth affairs will be the partner ministry for the event. There will be a concurrent exhibition with participation from the state governments, corporates, financial institutions and non-government organisations at the event.



IANS

Over 2,000 delegates to attend annual diaspora meet

New Delhi: Over 2,000 non-resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (PIOs) from all across the world are likely to attend the 12th edition of the annual diaspora meet beginning here Tuesday. The focus of the three-day event - which began in 2003 - will be on engaging the youth diaspora in different sectors.

'The event is expected to open new horizons of a strong network of young overseas Indians to contribute to India's engagement with youth in all sectors,' Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said Monday.

The event is organised every year by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa. This is an effort to connect with the nearly 25 million Indian diaspora living across the globe.

Addressing a media conference here, Ravi said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the diaspora meet Wednesday, while President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory speech on Thursday.

Ravi said over 2,000 delegates from the heterogeneous and diverse overseas Indian community spread across the globe are likely to take part in the event. 
The 11th edition of the annual convention was held in Kochi in partnership with the Kerala government.

Malaysian Minister of Natural Resource and Environment Datuk Seri G. Palanivel will be the chief guest. According Ravi, the purpose of the annual event called 'Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)' is to have a meaningful interaction with overseas Indians in order to address their issues and concerns.

Several states as well as the central government departments will also be pitching for investments from Indian diaspora participating at the meet. Chief ministers of different states including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Goa Chief Minister Manohan Parrikar and Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh are scheduled to address the meet and seek investments for their respective states.

On the first day of the event, there will be sessions directed at youths. In fact, the first day will be called 'Youth PBD', Ravi said. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will coordinate and manage the event, while the federal ministry of sports and youth affairs will be the partner ministry for the event. There will be a concurrent exhibition with participation from the state governments, corporates, financial institutions and non-government organisations at the event.



IANS

World's first Ramayan University to come up in Bihar

Patna: A Hindu trust in Bihar plans to set up the world's first Ramayan University in the state's Vaishali district. 'We have decided to set up a Ramayan University that will function as an advanced centre of research on Ramayan,' said Acharya Kishore Kunal, secretary of the Patna-based cash-rich Mahavir Mandir Trust.

Kunal, who mooted this unique project, said it would be like any other modern university with basic infrastructure for higher studies and research, including WiFi campus and online facility. He said the trust has acquired about 25 acres of land for the university at Biddupur in Vaishali, about 50 km from the state capital Patna.

He said there is no timeframe for building the university but they would try to finish the project as early as possible.Kunal told IANS here the university would also teach and train knowledgeable Hindu priests for conducting rituals during festivals and family functions. 'Hindu priests will pass out of the university and that will end the dearth of knowledgeable priests,' he said.

The university will have specialised five-year course in astrophysics, astronomy, Hindu mythology, vedas and upanishads. It will preserve and promote the literature of the Ramayan in Sanskrit, Hindi, vernacular texts and languages of South-east Asian countries. Kunal said the Valmiki Ramayan would be the main foundation of the syllabus, but other Ramayans like Adhyatma and Anand as well as Sanskrit works like Raghuvansha of Kalidas would also be included.

Ram Charit Manas of Tulsidas in Hindi, Tamil Ramayan of Kamb, Marathi Ramayan of Eknath and Ramayans prevalent in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia too would be part of the syllabi. Hindu scriptures such as Gita would also be taught. 'The USP (unique selling proposition) of the university would be that it would provide opportunity for higher research of ancient scriptures,' Kunal said.

Meanwhile, the trust has already began work to build the world's largest Hindu temple, the Virat Ramayan Mandir, in the state's West Champaran district, about 125 km from here. Costing over Rs.500 crore, it would be 405 feet high and have a hall with a seating capacity of 20,000.

It would be almost twice the height of the world-famous 12th century Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, which rises 215 feet. Of the 18 temples in the complex, the Shiv temple would have the largest Shivling in the world.

World's first Ramayan University to come up in Bihar

Patna: A Hindu trust in Bihar plans to set up the world's first Ramayan University in the state's Vaishali district. 'We have decided to set up a Ramayan University that will function as an advanced centre of research on Ramayan,' said Acharya Kishore Kunal, secretary of the Patna-based cash-rich Mahavir Mandir Trust.

Kunal, who mooted this unique project, said it would be like any other modern university with basic infrastructure for higher studies and research, including WiFi campus and online facility. He said the trust has acquired about 25 acres of land for the university at Biddupur in Vaishali, about 50 km from the state capital Patna.

He said there is no timeframe for building the university but they would try to finish the project as early as possible.Kunal told IANS here the university would also teach and train knowledgeable Hindu priests for conducting rituals during festivals and family functions. 'Hindu priests will pass out of the university and that will end the dearth of knowledgeable priests,' he said.

The university will have specialised five-year course in astrophysics, astronomy, Hindu mythology, vedas and upanishads. It will preserve and promote the literature of the Ramayan in Sanskrit, Hindi, vernacular texts and languages of South-east Asian countries. Kunal said the Valmiki Ramayan would be the main foundation of the syllabus, but other Ramayans like Adhyatma and Anand as well as Sanskrit works like Raghuvansha of Kalidas would also be included.

Ram Charit Manas of Tulsidas in Hindi, Tamil Ramayan of Kamb, Marathi Ramayan of Eknath and Ramayans prevalent in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia too would be part of the syllabi. Hindu scriptures such as Gita would also be taught. 'The USP (unique selling proposition) of the university would be that it would provide opportunity for higher research of ancient scriptures,' Kunal said.

Meanwhile, the trust has already began work to build the world's largest Hindu temple, the Virat Ramayan Mandir, in the state's West Champaran district, about 125 km from here. Costing over Rs.500 crore, it would be 405 feet high and have a hall with a seating capacity of 20,000.

It would be almost twice the height of the world-famous 12th century Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, which rises 215 feet. Of the 18 temples in the complex, the Shiv temple would have the largest Shivling in the world.

CPI (M) to launch hunger strike from Jan 15 over LPG price

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A hunger strike will be launched by the CPI (M) from January 15 in 1400 centres coming under140 constituencies in protest against the hike in LPG prices, said CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. One person will stage a 24 hour strike and there is no time limit for the strike, he said. Severe hardships are caused to the people over the steep hike in LPG prices and the concerned union minister is not willing to withdraw the hike. An amount of Rs 230 has been hiked in the domestic connection and this cannot be accepted.  From 2006 onwards, the centre had relaxed 28 lakh crores for big corporates. The price was hiked to help some corporates. The policy of the government is to cut short subsidy for ordinary people and relaxing tax for corporates. The chief minister is cheating the people, he alleged. The Parliament has not passed a law to make mandatory aadhaar card. The Supreme Court has also not mentioned it. Still the centre is surpassing the court, he said at the press meet held in the capital city. The CPM has not ended the strike against the chief minister in the solar case and will continue it in the assembly. Many new things are being revealed daily.  It is strange Saritha S Nair, accused in the solar case, travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam via Puthupally. The revelation of Saritha’s mother that a Congress leader forced her not to utter anything as it would topple the government, should be seen seriously. The people are aware of everything and there is no doubt they would react at the right time.   The induction of Ramesh Chennithala will not solve any problems. The revelation of JSS chief K R Gowri Amma that she was invited in the last assembly polls to lead the state is baseless. Will anybody be made the chief minister from outside the CPM, asked Pinarayi?

CPI (M) to launch hunger strike from Jan 15 over LPG price

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A hunger strike will be launched by the CPI (M) from January 15 in 1400 centres coming under140 constituencies in protest against the hike in LPG prices, said CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. One person will stage a 24 hour strike and there is no time limit for the strike, he said. Severe hardships are caused to the people over the steep hike in LPG prices and the concerned union minister is not willing to withdraw the hike. An amount of Rs 230 has been hiked in the domestic connection and this cannot be accepted.  From 2006 onwards, the centre had relaxed 28 lakh crores for big corporates. The price was hiked to help some corporates. The policy of the government is to cut short subsidy for ordinary people and relaxing tax for corporates. The chief minister is cheating the people, he alleged. The Parliament has not passed a law to make mandatory aadhaar card. The Supreme Court has also not mentioned it. Still the centre is surpassing the court, he said at the press meet held in the capital city. The CPM has not ended the strike against the chief minister in the solar case and will continue it in the assembly. Many new things are being revealed daily.  It is strange Saritha S Nair, accused in the solar case, travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam via Puthupally. The revelation of Saritha’s mother that a Congress leader forced her not to utter anything as it would topple the government, should be seen seriously. The people are aware of everything and there is no doubt they would react at the right time.   The induction of Ramesh Chennithala will not solve any problems. The revelation of JSS chief K R Gowri Amma that she was invited in the last assembly polls to lead the state is baseless. Will anybody be made the chief minister from outside the CPM, asked Pinarayi?

CCTV cameras to be installed in women coaches: Chennithala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After assuming office as the home minister, the first announcement made by Ramesh Chennithala in the assembly was about the safety of women. He said CCTV cameras will be installed in women’s coaches in trains. It will be discussed with the centre. Replying during the question hour, Chennithala said they will again hold talks with the centre on shifting of women’s compartments to the centre of the train.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said all the deserved will be provided BPL cards. BPL list will be expanded and it will not be prepared only according to centre’s criteria. The central and state governments are implementing various welfare schemes, but many are not aware of it.  So, will consider discussing such projects in grama sabhas, he said.

CCTV cameras to be installed in women coaches: Chennithala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After assuming office as the home minister, the first announcement made by Ramesh Chennithala in the assembly was about the safety of women. He said CCTV cameras will be installed in women’s coaches in trains. It will be discussed with the centre. Replying during the question hour, Chennithala said they will again hold talks with the centre on shifting of women’s compartments to the centre of the train.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said all the deserved will be provided BPL cards. BPL list will be expanded and it will not be prepared only according to centre’s criteria. The central and state governments are implementing various welfare schemes, but many are not aware of it.  So, will consider discussing such projects in grama sabhas, he said.