2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 28, ശനിയാഴ്‌ച

Fire-ball like objects spotted over Kerala

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com




Kochi: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of Kerala on Friday night.

While the fireballs were first sighted in Ernakulam district, other parts of the state too reported seeing the phenomenon. On Friday night, fireballs were spotted over Kochi town, Paravoor, Vypeen, Piravom, Angamaly and Aluva. The phenomenon was witnessed even in Kottayam and in Kozhikode. Many people who had spotted the meteorite-like objects reported defeaning sounds and shaking of window panes.

Media houses, police and fire stations received several calls from panic-stricken people who had sighted meteorite-like objects in and around Ernakulam.

Social media too was abuzz with reports.

Minister Adoor Prakash said there was nothing to panic.
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
Ne
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.9UovYxdM.dpuf
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]


Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf

Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf

Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf
Kozhikode: Bright fireballs were reported from various parts of the state on Friday night spreading panic.
The fire balls were reportedly seen at around 9.50 pm and in many places, mild tremors and thunder sounds accompanying the fire balls escalated apprehensions among the people.
The incidents were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts.
Minister Adoor Prakash said there was no need to panic.
K.M Sunil, Education officer of the Regional Science Centre, Kozhikode, told Madhyamam daily that it could probably be a meteor blast midair during its descent to the earth.
Social media too was abuzz with reports about the sighting.
Recently, similar incidents were reported in the US, Russia and various parts of Europe. NASA had explained that these could be the debris of the disintegrated Chinese rocket that was carrying the Yaogan Weixing-26 satellite.
- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/kerala/2015/feb/28/fireballs-appear-various-parts-kerala#sthash.kFkBGqIW.dpuf

GDP in 2015-16 to be 8-8.5%; double-digit growth soon, says Jaitley

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday said growth in the next financial year will rise to 8-8.5 % and clock double-digit level in the subsequent years.
"Growth in 2015-16 is expected to be between 8-8.5 per cent. Aiming for a double digit rate seems feasible very soon," he said while presenting the Budget for 2015-16 in the Lok Sabha.
The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) has recently revised the base year for calculation of GDP growth to 2011-12. As per this, the economic growth rate in 2013-14 is estimated at 6.9 per cent and for 2014-15 at 7.4 per cent.
The Economic Survey had yesterday said that growth will receive a boost from the cumulative impact of reforms, lower oil prices, likely monetary policy easing facilitated by lower inflation, and forecasts of a normal monsoon in 2015-16.
The government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which assumed power in May last year, has initiated a slew of economic reforms, including de-regulation of diesel prices, raising FDI caps in several sectors, and direct transfer of LPG subsidy to beneficiaries.
Highlights
  • Clean energy cess increased from Rs 100 to 200 per metric ton of coal to finance
  • Increase in exemption limit of health insurance premium from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000
  • Retrospective tax provisions will be avoided
  • Tax department to put out a clarification on indirect transfer of assets and dividend paid by foreign firms
  • Reduced taxes on technical services to 10% from 25%
  • Propose to reduce rate of basic custom duty on certain imports to minimize impact of duty inversion
  • 100 per cent tax exemption in CSR activities for Clean Ganga fund and ‘Swachh Bharat Kosh’
  • According to black money law, provision of punishment up to 10 years
  • Implementation of GAAR deferred for two years, will be applied from 2017
  • Govt to abolish wealth tax
  • Exemptions for individual tax payers to continue
  • Propose to enact a comprehensive new law on black money
  • ​Non-filing of returns, or filing of returns with inadequate information will attract rigorous imprisonment
  • Concealment of income will be prosecutable with rigorous imprisonment
  • Quoting PAN a must for all purchases above Rs 100,000
  • Foreign Exchange Management Act to allow for seizure of foreign assets
  • 'Benami' property transaction bill to tackle black money transaction in real estate soon
  • High corporate tax with too many exceptions gives us worst of both worlds, we neither get revenues nor investments
  • Revive growth, investment for jobs to youth
  • Rs 13, 12, 2000 crore for non-planned expenditure
  • GST is expected to play transformative role in the way our economy functions
  • It has been our endeavour in the last 9 months to foster a stable taxation policy
  • Corporate tax reduced from 30% to 25% for next four years
     
  • Exemptions for individual tax payers to continue
  • Propose to enact a comprehensive new law on black money
  • ​Non-filing of returns, or filing of returns with inadequate information will attract rigorous imprisonment
  • Concealment of income will be prosecutable with rigorous imprisonment
  • Defence Budget enhanced to Rs 2,46,727 crore rupees
  • To allocate Rs 75 crore for electric vehicles
  • Aim to make India manufacturing hub of the world
  • Propose to setup an IT-based student financial aid system under the PM ‘Vidya Laxmi scheme’
  • Govt proposes to bring in a regulatory reform law
  • Putting scam, scandal and corruption behind us, Parliament needs to look into a procurement law and how it will shape
  • Will increase visa-on-arrival facility from 43 to 150 countries
  • Propose to increase visa-on-arrival to 150 countries to increase tourism
  • Govt to do away with distinctions between FII and FDI and replace it with composite caps
  • Have decided to provide another 1000 crores to Nirbhaya fund
  • After success of visas on arrival in 43 countries, propose to increase the countries covered under this scheme to 150
  • Propose to introduce a gold monetization scheme
  • Propose to work on developing Indian gold coin, which carries the Ashok Chakra. It will help recycle gold available in country
  • Will deepen Indian bond market at par with the world standards
  • Intend to create a direct tax regime, which is internationally competitive on rates
  • Unclaimed deposits of Rs 3,000 crore in EPF to be used for benefit of senior citizens
  • Discourage transaction in cash to discourage black money
  • Second unit of Kudankulam nuclear power station to be commissioned in 2016
  • PPP model of Infrastructure to be re-vitalized and re-aligned
  • 5 ultra mega power projects through transparent auction system of 4,000 MW
  • Government is establishing a mechanism 'self employment' to support all aspects of start up business
  • Will enhance the allocations to MNREGA by 5,000 crore
  • Investment in infrastructure will go up by 70,000 crore in 2015-16
  • Propose the 'Nayi Manzil' scheme for youth
  • GST will put in place state of art indirect tax system by April 1, 2016
  • New scheme called ‘Nayi Manzil’ to enable minority youth without school leaving certificates to get employment
  • Tax-free infrastructure bonds for projects in railways and roads
  • An accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh for a premium of Rs 12 per month
  • Will also launch the 'Atal pension yojana', which will provide a defined pension
  • Govt committed to bring a universal social security system for all
  • Govt to contribute 50 per cent f beneficiary premium in its new accounts opened before 31st December 2015
  • Propose a new scheme of providing physical aids for senior citizens living below poverty line
  • The rupee has become stronger by 6.4 per cent
  • Estimated GDP is 7.4 per cent, we have to think in terms of a quantum jump
  • One of the achievements of my government has been is to conquer inflation
  • Domestic and international investors are seeing us with renewed hope
  • Our objective is to improve quality of life and to pass benefits to common man
     
  • Will achieve target of building 6 crore toilets, 50 lakh toilets already constructed
  • Expect the CPI inflation to remain close to 5 per cent towards the end of year
  • The three achievements of our government have been – ‘Jan Dhan Yojana’, transparent auctions and ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’
  • Domestic and international investors are seeing us with renewed hope
  • Our actions have not only being confined to core and macroeconomic areas alone
     
  • The latest CPI inflation is 5.1 per cent and WPI inflation is negative
  • We are round the clock, round the year government
  • The credibility of Indian economy has been re-established, the world is predicting that it's India's chance to fly
  • States more empowered more than before
  • Tax buoyancy is low, however, we will meet the promise of fiscal deficit of 4.1 per cent of GDP this year
     
  • 2 crore houses in rural India, 4 crore in urban India by 2022
  • Agricultural income is under stress, have to increase investment in infrastructure
  • Manufacturing has declined from 18 per cent to 17 per cent of the GDP
  • Public Investment needs to step in to catalyse the investment in PPP
  • 2015-16 GDP seen between 8-8.5 per cent, best in five years
     
  • Rs 6335 crores has been so far transferred directly as LPG subsidies to consumers
  • We intend to achieve to achieve fiscal deficit of 3 per cent in 3 years
  • National unified market for farm produce
  • Need a well-targeted system of subsidies rather than to cut subsidies
  • Double-digit growth seems feasible soon







No AIIMS for Kerala

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NEW DELHI:  The centre has not permitted a hospital similar to AIIMS for Kerala. Instead it will be set up in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Assam. Meantime, in his budget speech, Jaitley said the National Institute of Speech & Hearing (NISH) in Thiruvananthapuram will be elevated to a university. Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was the health minister, had promised to permit AIIMS for Kerala.
The centre did not consider Kerala’s demand for IIT. The one announced is for Karnataka. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) will be established in Jammu & Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. An institution equal to AIIMs will be started in Bihar.

Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead

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A leading Russian opposition politician, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, has been shot dead in Moscow, Russian officials say.

An unidentified attacker in a car shot Mr Nemtsov four times in the back as he crossed a bridge in view of the Kremlin, police say.

He died hours after appealing for support for a march on Sunday in Moscow against the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the murder, the Kremlin says.

In a recent interview, Mr Nemtsov had said he feared Mr Putin would have him killed because of his opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Nemtsov, 55, served as first deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s.

He had earned a reputation as an economic reformer while governor of one of Russia's biggest cities, Nizhny Novgorod.

Falling out of favour with Yeltsin's successor, Mr Putin, he became an outspoken opposition politician.
'Brutal murder'

Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe, condemned the killing, saying in a tweet: 'I am shocked and appalled key opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot. Killers must be brought to justice.'

US President Barack Obama condemned the 'brutal murder' and called on the Russian government to conduct a 'prompt, impartial and transparent investigation'.

Mr Nemtsov was shot at around 23:40 (20:40 GMT) on Friday while crossing Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge accompanied by a woman, Russia's interior ministry said.

He was shot with a pistol from a white car which fled the scene, a police source told Russia's Interfax news agency.

According to Russian-language news website Meduza, 'several people' got out of a car and shot him.

One of the politician's colleagues in his RPR-Parnassus party, Ilya Yashin, confirmed Mr Nemtsov's death.

'Unfortunately I can see the corpse of Boris Nemtsov in front of me now,' he was quoted as saying by Russia's lenta.ru news website.

Flowers were left at the site of the shooting through the night.
line
Analysis: Sarah Rainsford, BBC Moscow correspondent

A lawyer for Mr Nemtsov reported that he had received death threats over social media in recent months; but for now there's only speculation as to why he was targeted. He openly opposed Moscow's role in the crisis in Ukraine - and the annexation by Russia of Crimea.

He had been planning a rare public protest on Sunday against both things - and a growing economic crisis in this country.

Since his death, social media has been flooded with tributes to a man remembered as by friends as decent, honest and a democrat . He had been pushed to the political margins in Vladimir Putin's Russia, but he was still prominent enough for someone to want to kill him.

'Putin's aggression'

In his last tweet, Mr Nemtsov sent out an appeal for Russia's divided opposition to unite at an anti-war march he was planning for Sunday.

'If you support stopping Russia's war with Ukraine, if you support stopping Putin's aggression, come to the Spring March in Maryino on 1 March,' he wrote.

Speaking earlier this month to Russia's Sobesednik news website, he had spoken of his fears for his own life.

'I'm afraid Putin will kill me,' he said in the article (in Russian) on 10 February.

'I believe that he was the one who unleashed the war in the Ukraine,' he added. 'I couldn't dislike him more.'

Mr Putin has been widely accused of fomenting the bloody rebellion in east Ukraine - an accusation he denies. Fighting there followed Russia's annexation of Crimea in March last year.

Almost 5,800 people have died and at least 1.25 million have fled their homes, according to the UN.

The Ukrainian government, Western leaders and Nato say there is clear evidence that Russia is helping the rebels with heavy weapons and soldiers.

Independent experts echo that accusation while Moscow denies it, insisting that any Russians serving with the rebels are 'volunteers'.

Jaitley says Indian economy fastest-growing in the world

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New Delhi: Presenting the national budget for the next fiscal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday said the state of the country's economy was better placed today with its credibility re-established by a series of measures taken by his government.

'I am presenting the union budget in an economic environment which is far more positive than in the recent past. While major economies of the world face difficulties, India is poised for higher growth trajectory,' Jaitley said as he started his budget speech in the Lok Sabha.

'The real GDP growth is estimated at 7.5 percent for this fiscal, making India the fastest-growing large economy of the world,' said Jaitley, watched keenly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seated next to him.

'We inherited a sentiment of doom and gloom and have come a long way by proper actions,' said the finance minister, adding: 'Our objective is to improve quality of life and to pass benefits to common man.'

He also said a double-digit growth was now feasible. 'Our objective is to conquer inflation. It will be only 5 percent by end of year.'

The finance minister said his government did not intend to do away with subsidies but target them better to achieve the goals. He also said some Rs.8.5 lakh crore will be provided to farmers in the form of credit, along with an allocation of Rs.5,300 crore for irrigation.

He also said allocations for a host of social sector projects was being enhanced substantially along with some new social security schemes. He particularly said the allocation for the rural job guarantee scheme will be the highest ever.

Two game changing reforms on the anvil: Arun Jaitley

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New Delhi: In line with the expectation of major reform measures by the government, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday announced that two more 'game changing reforms' are coming up.

'Two more game changing reforms are on the anvil in the form of a state-of-the art indirect tax system the GST (Goods and Services Tax) and the JAM to implement the direct benefit transfer scheme,' Jaitley told the Lok Sabha while presenting the NDA government's first full budget.

The JAM number trinity, as described by the Economic Survey 2014-2015 released on Friday, consist of the financial inclusion scheme Jan Dhan Yojana and the Aadhaar and mobile numbers, all of which allow the government to offer support to poor households.

The finance minister in his budget speech also proposed changes in the direct tax system to make it complementary with the far-reaching changes to be brought in by the GST.

By subsuming a large number of central and state taxes into a single tax, the GST would mitigate cascading or double taxation in a major way and pave the way for a common national market.

'We're moving in various directions to implement GST from next year,' Jaitley told parliament.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry has said that after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates in January, implementation of the GST would take care of the other major demand of Indian industry.

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 26, വ്യാഴാഴ്‌ച

Attempt was made to kill Sreesanth at Tihar jail: Madhu Balakrishnan

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Kochi: An attempt was made to eliminate cricketer S Sreesnath while he was remanded in Tihar jail in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scam, said playback singer Madhu Balakrishnan, who is also the cricketer's brother-in-law.

'A history-sheeter attempted to stab him using a weapon made out of a door handle. The matter was informed to the jail officials and Sreesanth was shifted to another cell,' Madhu said adding that the suspects conspiracy behind the incident.

During the hearing of the IPL case the other day, the court had asked whether there exists any evidence against Sreesanth.

Sreesanth had said that he is waiting for the court to deliver the verdict and added that he would make a disclosure later.

Solar: Don’t try to blackmail me, says Chandy

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KOCHI: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that he will not surrender to black mailing in the solar case. He said this while responding to the audio records exposed indicating that he had tried to release Manilal, technical advisor of team solar and also an accused in the case, lodged in jail.
Chandy said Manilal is still in jail as I did not help him. The phone dialogues were recorded to blackmail me. Rijesh contacted me as a Youth Congress leader.

Youth commits suicide in custody

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ULLOOR: A youth, who tried to commit suicide while in police custody, died here Thursday. He has been identified as Shai (41) of Kulathoor. He died early 2.30 am this morning. The Thumba police arrested him three days before on a suspicion of a chain theft. A hartal is being observed in Pazhaya Attipra Panchayat in protest against the incident.
IG Manoj Abraham will probe the incident. More cops have been deployed in front of the Thumba station to avoid any untoward incidents.

He tried to commit suicide at the women’s bathroom on February 24. He was soon admitted at the medical college hospital. His condition was serious when taken to the hospital.

Shaji, who spoke to his relatives yesterday, told them that he was beaten cruelly.

He leaves behind his wife Sheeba and children Vishnu and Vichithra. Inquest was conducted in the presence of RDO.

Serial actor Sharath Kumar dies in accident

___
 
 
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A serial actor was killed after his bike collided with a tipper at Mayilakkadu in Kottiyam. The actor has been identified as Sharath Kumar (23) of Parippally.

Sharath, who was riding the bike lost control at a turning in Mayilakkadu and came under the tipper. The driver of the tipper lorry immediately rushed him to the medical college hospital but died on the way.

The accident happened while he was proceeding to Kollam for a serial shoot. He entered into acting through Rajasenan’s Krishnakripasagaram.

He became famous through the serial Autograph aired in Asianet. He had played
main characters in Chandanamazha and Sarayu telecasting now. His role in Five Fingers was very strong.

He was the son of Sasikumar and Thankachi. He has a brother Sreekumar.


 


    
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Australian man dies in Syria fighting against IS

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CANBERRA: An Australian man fighting against Islamic State (IS) militia in Syria has been killed, becoming the first Westerner to die fighting alongside Kurdish forces, Xinhua news agency reported Thursday.
The news was reported by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Thursday, who revealed the man was killed when IS fighters attacked Kurdish forces in northern Syria on Tuesday.
Although SOHR did not disclose details regarding the man, including his name or age, they did confirm he was an Australian citizen.
“An Australian man was killed in an assault Tuesday by the IS against a position of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) near Tal Hamis in Hasakah province,” SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman said Thursday.
The Kurdish group was formed following a major IS assault in the Mosul region of Iraq, displacing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens.
Since, they have received backing from the US-led coalition and are fighting IS troops on multiple fronts across Syria and Iraq.

Indian Railway plans Rs.850,000 crore investment in 5 years

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New Delhi : The Railway Budget 2015-16, that left passenger and freight fares untouched, envisages an investment of Rs.850,000 crore over the next five years -- mostly directed towards modernizing existing tracks and introducing faster trains.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu Thursday told the Lok Sabha that the proportion of rail revenue available for investments would rise to 11.5 percent in the next fiscal -- up from 8.2 percent in the current fiscal.

The latest rail budget comes at a time when its finances and efficiency are, perhaps, at their worst - as measured by a common parameter, the operating ratio. It suggests how much money is spent on day-to-day operations to earn the revenues, giving an indication of the funds left for safety and expansion.

This ratio for Indian Railways declined to an unsustainable level of over 90 percent in 2010-11 from around 80 percent in the 1950s. Globally, a figure of 75-80 percent or lower is what is seen as a healthy benchmark, but India ranks among the worst networks on this count.

Prabhu Thursday proposed an operating ratio at 88.5 percent as against the targeted ratio of 92.5 percent for 2014-15, which has actually improved to 91.8 percent.

'This (proposed) operating ratio will be the best in nine years,' Prabhu told parliament.

He has said the railways need $100 billion or Rs.600,000 crore in funding over the next three to four years.

'Budgetary support is the easiest way,' Prabhu said adding, however, that the finance minister due to present the government's first full budget on Saturday has his own constraints in the matter.

The railways expect to get around Rs.50,000 as budgetary support from the government, while the rest has to come from external sources of funding and public-private participation.

'We'll tap other sources. Multilateral development banks and pension funds have shown keen interest in investing in the Indian Railways,' Prabhu said on organisational plans to leverage finance.


Budget spares fare hike, promises modern, global network
New Delhi: Keeping passenger fares unchanged, Minister Suresh Prabhu presented his maiden budget for Indian Railways Thursday, promising to balance passenger needs and long-term interests of the organisation to benchmark it globally on quality, safety and reach.

Nine more high-speed trains, faster speed of existing trains, Wi-Fi in 400 stations, user-friendly ladders to mount upper berths, easier norms for unreserved tickets, 17,000 bio-toilets in trains, better connectivity in north-east, and cameras for safety of women travellers are among the other highlights of the budget.

'There will be no hike in passenger fares. We will focus on improving passenger amenities, including cleanliness,' Railway Minister Prabhu said in a 66-minute speech in the Lok Sabha, watched keenly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had handpicked him for the job.

He made no mention of any revision in freight tariff, as has been the norm in the past.

The minister also promised all this with a vastly improved operating ratio, which spells out how much money is spent on day-to-day operations to earn revenues -- an indication of the funds left for safety and expansion.

He targeted to bring this down to 88.5 percent, or the lowest in nine years, from an unsustainable level of 93.6 percent in 2013-14 and 91.8 percent for this fiscal. This is better than what the prime minister had asked the railways a few days ago. Globally, a 75-80 percent or lower is seen as a healthy benchmark.

Prabhu also seemed to have ruled out the sale of surplus land and other assets of Indian Railways. 'We will monetize our resources than sell them for finances,' he said, adding: 'Business as usual of asking for budgetary support from finance ministry is neither sustainable nor necessary.'

The minister began with what ails Indian Railways. 'Facilities have not improved substantially for the past few decades which is the result of under-investment that affects capacity, leading to poor morale. This fed into vicious cycle of chronic under-investment for a long time.'

Emphasising that safety, quality of service, standards and efficiency all suffered due to poor financial resources available with the Indian Railways in recent decades, the minister said adding all this further fed into the cycle of poor investment.

'This must be put to an end,' said the chartered accountant-turned-politician, while presenting the budget for one of the largest railway network in the world. 'We have to make our Indian Railways a benchmark organisation in safety, security and infrastructure,' he said in a speech peppered with several Hindi couplets.

Playing with words, he invoked God (Prabhu) and said: 'One of the first things I asked, 'hey prabhu' how will all this be possible.' Then, he went on to say that he took it upon the mortal 'Prabhu' to accomplish the task ahead.

Earlier the minister presented a white paper on Indian Railways, which he said will form a trilogy of what plans he had in mind for one of the largest such networks in the world along with his budget for 2015-16 and a Vision 2030 document to be presented later in the year.

He also set four goals to transform Indian Railways: Improved customer experience, safer travel, modern infrastructure and financial self-sustainability. 'We will also create a separate department for taking care of cleanliness.'

For the record, India boasts one of the oldest and the largest railroad networks in the world, ferrying some 23 million people, or a population the size of Australia, as also 2.65 million tonnes of goods on its coaches, each day.

It serves from 7,172 stations via 12,617 passenger and 7,421 freight trains on a track network spanning Baramulla in the Himalayan foothills of Kashmir to the southern tip of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and from Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh to the port town of Okha in Gujarat.

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 25, ബുധനാഴ്‌ച

How eyelash length keeps your eyes healthy

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New York: Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered that 22 species of mammals, including humans, have eyelash length one-third the width of their eye that keeps the eyes healthy.

Anything shorter or longer, including the fake eyelashes that are popular in Hollywood and make-up aisles, increases airflow around the eye and leads to more dust hitting the surface.

'Eyelashes form a barrier to control airflow and the rate of evaporation on the surface of the cornea,' said Guillermo Amador from George W. Woodruff school of mechanical engineering who authored the study.

'When eyelashes are shorter than the one-third ratio, they have only a slight effect on the flow. Their effect is more pronounced as they lengthen up until one-third. After that, they start funneling air and dust particles into the eye,' he cautioned.

To reach this conclusion, Amador and the research team sent a student to the American Museum of Natural History in New York to measure eyes and eyelashes of various animals.

Aside from an elephant, which has extremely long eyelashes, every species studied had evolved to the same ratio of lash length to eye width.

The team then built the wind tunnel to re-create air flows on a mimic of an adult, human eye.

A four-millimetre deep, 20-millimetre diameter aluminium dish served as the cornea.

Mesh surrounded the dish to replicate the eyelashes.

They discovered the ideal ratio while varying the mesh length during evaporation and particle deposition studies.

'As short lashes grew longer, they reduced air flow, creating a layer of slow-moving air above the cornea,' study co-author assistant professor David Hu noted.

This kept the eye moist for a longer time and kept particles away. The majority of air essentially hit the eyelashes and rolled away from the eye.

'This is why long, elegant, fake eyelashes are not ideal. They may look good, but they are not the best thing for the health of your eyes,' the authors wrote.

The team also says the findings could be used to create eyelash-inspired filaments to protect solar panels, photographic sensors or autonomous robots in dusty environments.

The study was published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Gangster Abu Salem gets life imprisonment

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Mumbai: Gangster Abu Salem was slapped with life imprisonment for killing Mumbai builder Pradeep Jain in March 1995 by a court here Wednesday.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that besides Salem, his associate and co-accused Mehndi Hasan, was also given life imprisonment in the sensational case.

Extradited from Portugal 10 years ago, Salem has also been fined Rs.200,000 by the Special TADA Court.

Filmmaker A Vincent no more

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Chennai: Renowned cinematographer and director A Vincent passed away here on Wednesday. He was 87.

He worked a cinematographer in a number of Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies. Vincent stepped into the world of direction through Bhargavinilayam, a classic Malayalam movie.

Murapennu, Asuravithu and Thulabhram are a few among his acclaimed works.

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 22, ഞായറാഴ്‌ച

Oscars

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Julianne Moore wins Oscar for best actress
Julianne Moore arrives at the Oscars on Sunday

LOS ANGELES: Julianne Moore won her first Oscar as best actress for 'Still Alice,' and she shined a light on Alzheimer's disease in her acceptance speech Sunday night.

The 54-year-old actress added an Academy Award to the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild trophies she won earlier for her role as a college linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.

'I'm so happy, I'm thrilled that we were able to shine a light on Alzheimer's disease,' Moore said. 'So many people who have this disease feel marginalized. People who have Alzheimer's disease deserve to be seen so we can find a cure.'

Moore did four months of research for her role, talking to women with the disease and doctors, and she visited a long-term care facility.

She has been nominated four previous times; this year, she was the front-runner throughout awards season.

Moore was sent on her way to the stage by husband-director Bart Freundlich, who is 45.

'I read an article that said that winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer,' she said. 'If that's true, I'd really like to thank the academy because my husband is younger than me.'

Moore won over Marion Cotillard of 'Two Days, One Night'; Felicity Jones from 'The Theory of Everything'; Rosamund Pike of 'Gone Girl'; and Reese Witherspoon of 'Wild.'

'Birdman' wins Oscar for best picture
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of the film 'Birdman,

LOS ANGELES: 'Birdman' has won the Academy Award for best picture.

The film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who also won best director, stars Michael Keaton as an aging superhero movie star suffering an identity crisis — and seeking redemption by mounting a serious Broadway play. It's been hailed for its ensemble cast and its virtuosic camera work, which gives the sensation that the whole movie is shot in one continuous take.

The other nominees were: 'American Sniper'; 'Boyhood'; 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'; 'The Imitation Game'; 'Selma'; 'The Theory of Everything'; and 'Whiplash'.

Oscars: Poland's 'Ida' named Best Foreign Language Film
Los Angeles: Polish drama 'Ida', after scooping the Best Film Not In The English Language trophy at the BAFTA Awards, Sunday night was named the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards ceremony.

Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, 'Ida' tells the story of a young woman preparing to become a nun, who is sent from her convent home into the secular world to spend several days with her only relative. The trip brings her into contact with experiences outside her sheltered world, and will lead her to knowledge that may shake her sense of her own identity.

The movie was competing in the Best Foreign Language Film category for an Academy Award with nominees including 'Leviathan' (Russia), 'Tangerines' (Estonia), 'Timbuktua (Mauritania) and 'Wild Tales' (Argentina).

India's entry for the category this year was 'Liar's Dice', which failed to make the cut in the short-list. The movie is a road drama about a tribal woman's journey to find her missing husband, is the debut film of Geetu Mohandas. It stars Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead roles.

India has never won an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The last Indian film that made it to the final five nominees was Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Lagaan' for the 74th Academy Awards in 2003. 'Mother India' and 'Salaam Bombay' are the other two Indian films to have made it to the top five.

Birdman' wins Oscar for best cinematography
Los Angeles: Emmanuel Lubezki was Sunday night honoured for his cinematography in 'Birdman' at the 87th Academy Awards here Sunday night, and Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock received the Oscar for Production Design in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'.

Maria Djurkovic and Tatiana Macdonald for the film 'The Imitation Game', Nathan Crowley and Gary Fettis for 'Interstellar', Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock for 'Into the Woods 'and Suzie Davies and Charlotte Watts for 'Mr. Turner' were the other nominations in the Production Design category.

In the Best Cinematography category, the contenders included Robert Yeoman for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski for ' Ida', Dick Pope for ' Mr. Turner' and Roger Deakins for 'Unbroken'.

Oscars: J. K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette win best supporting actors
Patricia Arquette accepts the award for best actress in a supporting role for 'Boyhood' at the Oscars

LOS ANGELES: J. K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette won their first Academy Awards here Sunday night when they were bestowed with the Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in Supporting Role for their work in 'Whiplash' and 'Boyhood' respectively.

In 'Whiplash', Simmons plays a music teacher, who motivates his students through fear and humiliation. His performance was nominated alongside Robert Duvall ('The Judge'), Ethan Hawke ('Boyhood'), Edward Norton ('Birdman') and Mark Ruffalo ('Foxcatcher').

Arquette's portrayal of a divorced mother struggling to make a life for herself and her two children, pipped other nominees like Laura Dern for 'Wild', Keira Knightley for 'The Imitation Game', Emma Stone for 'Birdman' and Meryl Streep for 'Into the Woods'.

Partial list of winners at Sunday's 87th annual Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Supporting actor: J.K. Simmons, 'Whiplash.'

Supporting actress: Patricia Arquette, 'Boyhood.'

Costume design: 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.'

Makeup and hairstyling: 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.'

Foreign language film: 'Ida.'

Documentary (short subject): 'Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1.'

Sound mixing: 'Whiplash.'

Sound editing: 'American Sniper.'

Live action short film: 'The Phone Call.'

AGENCIES
IANS
IANS
AP
IANS

Redmayne wins Oscar for best actor

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Eddie Redmayne accepts the award for best actor in a leading role for 'The Theory of Everything'

LOS ANGELES: 'The Theory of Everything' star Eddie Redmayne was considered the Oscar front-runner for best actor. But his oversized reaction when he won gave no hint of entitlement.

Redmayne, 33, who portrayed scientist Stephen Hawking in the film that tracked both his physical decline as well as his first love, rushed on to the stage like a kid. He mugged a big grin for presenter Cate Blanchett and, at one point in his speech, hugged the Oscar statuette with delight.

'I don't think I'm capable of articulating quite how I feel. ... But please know that I'm fully aware I'm a lucky, lucky man,' the British actor said at Sunday's ceremony.

Redmayne combined his euphoria with a sober acknowledgment of the disease that Hawking, 73, has coped with since the diagnosis in 1963 of motor neurone disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

'This Oscar belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS,' he said. He also dedicated it to 'one exceptional family' that includes Hawking, his former wife, Jane Wilde, and their three children.

The movie was based on her book that recounted their life together.

'I will be its custodian and I promise you I will look after him,' Redmayne said of the Oscar, then directed an impish aside to his wife, Hannah, in the audience.

'We have a new fellow to share our apartment,' he said.

It was the first Oscar for Redmayne, and followed a slew of honors for the role that included a Golden Globe and a British Academy Film Awards win.

VS not in CPM state committee

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Alappuzha: Veteran leader V S Achuthanandan has been removed from CPM state panel. The senior leader's name was not featured in the list of panel members released on Monday morning.

There were repots that the party central leadership wanted inclusion of VS' name in the panel. However, the CPM state leadership was adamant on its stand that VS, who walked out of the meet, could not be included in the panel. Senior leader MA Baby has been also been excluded from the panel.

The new panel features a total of 88 members while one post will remain vacant.

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 17, ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച

Painkiller abuse ups risk of depression

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New York: Patients who frequently consume opioid medicines or painkillers to manage chronic pain are more likely to experience depression, says a new research.

Previous research had found depression to be linked with patients' opioid use, but this study has identified the association between an increase in opioid use and an increase in depression.

Jeffrey Scherrer, associate professor for family and community medicine at the Saint Louis University in the US, and his colleagues studied questionnaires from 355 patients who reported chronic low back pain initially and at one-year and two-year follow ups.

The patients also reported the number of years they had been suffering from chronic pain.

'Better understanding of temporal relationship between opioids and depression, and the dose of opioids that places patients at risk for depression may inform prescribing, pain management and improve outcomes for patients with chronic, non-cancer pain,' Scherrer wrote.

Contributing factors for cases of new-onset depression, according to this study and previous research conducted, may include both the amount of daily morphine exposure and the duration of exposure.

'This would expand intervention targets to limit the risk of depression in patients who need long-term opioid therapy,' he added.

The study appeared in the journal Pain.

Three of a Malayalee family killed in Chikmagalur road mishap

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

 
Sulthan Bathery: Three of a family were killed in a road mishap at Chikmagalur in Karnataka on Tuesday morning.

Sheriff (51), his wife Sainaba (45) and son Shakil (26), hailing from Wayanad Malavayal Puzhithara, were the deceased. The accident occured when the car in which they were travelling hit a rock. Sheriff and his family were on their way to Chikmagalur to visit Sheriff's brother.

Hindu temple vandalised with hate message in US

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Washington : A Hindu temple has been vandalised with hate speech in the US state of Washington, sending shock waves through the community in the area and prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

The incident happened when unidentified miscreants sprayed swastika and painted 'Get Out' on one of the walls of
the temple in the Seattle Metropolitan area. It is one of the largest Hindu temples in the entire North West.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Department is investigating this case as malicious harassment. Yesterday top
county officials visited the temple.

'This kind of thing should not happen in the US. Who are you telling to get out? This is a nation of immigrants,' Nitya
Niranjan, chairman of board of trustee of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre, Bothell, Washington told PTI.

Today the temple is celebrating Mahashivratri.

Niranjan said some kind of painting was sprayed on the outside wall of the temple a few years ago, but they did not
bring it to the notice of the law enforcement authorities as nothing was written.

'We have no idea, who did it,' Niranjan said. While the temple has been there for nearly two decades,
the construction on the second phase of the current building began recently.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) condemned the incident.

'The timing of this crime, occurring before a major Hindu festival, warrants special attention from law enforcement,'
said Jay Kansara, director of Government Relations, Hindu American Foundation.

'We are encouraged by the ongoing thorough investigation of the Bothell City Police Department. HAF will continue to
engage through the local community with city, state, and federal officials until the perpetrator is brought to
justice,' Kansara said.

Of late there has been increasing incidents of vandalism of Hindu temples in the US including one in Loudoun County,
Virginia and Monroe, Georgia last year.

As of January 1, 2015, the Department of Justice ordered all crime reporting forms to include the category anti-Hindu
under the possible motives of hate crimes.

'Houses of worship are places where people should be able to be safe, at peace, and inspired to serve others,' said
Padma Kuppa, HAF board member.

'Instead, the vandalism of the Hindu temple in Seattle and the arson of a mosque in Houston this past weekend incite
fear and result in distrust among communities,' he said. PTI
LKJ

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 15, ഞായറാഴ്‌ച

Woman killed in accident

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lekha, 40, a temporary staff of the Kerala University office at Palayam, died after a mini-lorry rammed her two-wheeler from behind near Kesavadasapuram at 11 am on Sunday. Lekha was thrown off her vehicle and she succumbed to her injuries while being taken to the medical college hospital here.
The collision was a minor one but she lost control of the vehicle. She was wearing a helmet but it came off as she fell and she hit her head on the road, the police said. The driver of the lorry rushed her to the hospital but she was declared brought dead. The driver reported back to the police after this. A case has been registered against him. Lekha, a resident of Kallampally

Reports of my non-cooperation in Sunanda probe false: Tharoor

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was last week questioned by police in the case of his wife Sunanda Pushkar's murder, Sunday termed as "false" reports in a section of media here that he was not cooperating with the probe. Tharoor's reaction came as media persons caught up with him here to seek his comment on the reports in a section of the media here had reported that Tharoor could be arrested as he was not cooperating with the SIT.
"I was so surprised about the reports that have surfaced in the media. I even asked the SIT (special investigation team) why they are not issuing a denial," he said. "The SIT said to me that since not a single official of theirs has spoken to the media, they are unable to issue a denial," added Tharoor who was in the capital city - part of his Lok Sabha constituency - to take part in the closing ceremony of the 35th National Games that was held here Saturday.
It was in January 17, 2014 that Pushkar was found dead in a plush hotel in the national capital and in January this year, the Delhi Police concluded that she was murdered.

Saudi police probing deaths of two Indians

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 Riyadh: Police in Saudi Arabia are investigating the deaths of two unidentified Indian workers whose decomposed bodies were found north of capital Riyadh, a media report said Saturday.

On a tip-off from the security guard of a holiday resort in the Al-Rumeih district, police found the two bodies in a room where liquor had been brewed, Arab News reported.

According to the police, the guard smelt the stench coming from a room, which was occupied by the Indian workers.

Police broke open the room and found the bodies of the Indian workers, whose ages were estimated at between 30 and 40 years.

Police said that initial investigations showed that there was no evidence of violence and and ruled out any criminal motives in the case.

However, the bodies have been sent for forensic test to determine the exact cause of the death.

Confirming the two deaths, an Indian embassy official told the newspaper that the mission did not have more details of the case.

He, however, added that the embassy would extend its support to the authorities to find out the cause of the deaths and help the families of the deceased

Palakkad man killed in the name of moral policing

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 Cherpulassery: A middle-aged man hailing from Cherpulassery in Palakkad was killed by a group of men in the name of moral policing on Sunday night. Prabhakaran, 55, was the deceased.

A group of men had interrogated Prabhakaran who was found in a suspicious manner in a nearby house in his locality, police said. It is learnt that as many as 15 men attacked him and he died on the spot. Natives saw him lying dead on Monday morning. In the initial probe conducted by the police, a goonda gang was involved in the attack in the name of moral policing.

As per reports, the attack took place at about 9 pm. The probe is held under the Cherpulassery CI and though police had visited the suspected persons' houses they were unable to trace them. Police say the gang were earlier too involved in these kind of attacks under moral policing.

Italy's richest man, Nutella billionaire Ferrero dies

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 Billionaire Michele Ferrero, whose global chocolate empire made him Italy's richest man, has died aged 89.

His privately-owned firm is famous for its chocolate-hazelnut Nutella spread, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Kinder eggs and Tic Tac sweets.

Mr Ferrero died on Saturday at his Monaco home after months of illness, according to his company.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella called him a 'born entrepreneur'.

Mr Ferrero's father, a pastry maker named Pietro, developed the forerunner to Nutella in 1946, called Giandujot, combining a small amount of cocoa and lots of hazelnuts to make an affordable luxury at a time chocolate was expensive.
'Richest candyman'
Nutella stamp The Italian post office marked the anniversary with a stamp

Michele Ferrero's son, Giovanni, told the BBC last year: 'My grandfather lived to find this formula. He was completely obsessed by it... he woke up my grandmother at midnight - she was sleeping - and he made her taste it with spoons, asking, 'How was it?' and 'What do you think?''

Michele Ferrero turned the paste into the Nutella now known the world over, produced in 11 factories and sold in 160 countries. The first pot was made in 1964.

Giovanni Ferrero became chief executive of the firm after his older brother Pietro died of a suspected heart attack while cycling in South Africa in 2011.

The Ferrero group employs more than 22,000 workers and has sales per year of more than €8bn (£5.9bn).

Forbes magazine described Mr Ferrero as 'the richest candyman on the planet', putting him and his family in 30th place on their list of the world's wealthiest people, with wealth of $23.4bn (£14.9bn).

Petrol price hiked by 82 paise/litre, diesel by 61 paise/litre

________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]
 New Delhi: The price of petrol was on Sunday hiked by 82 paise per litre while that of diesel was also increased by 61 paise per litre, reversing the declining trend of the past six months.

The revised prices will take effect from the midnight of February 15 and February 16.

The hike in fuel prices is the first since August 2014 and follows firming of oil prices in the international market.

A litre of petrol in Delhi will cost Rs 57.31 from Monday as against Rs 56.49 until now. Diesel will cost Rs 46.62 per litre as against Rs 46.01 currently, oil companies announced here on Sunday.

The prices of petrol and diesel were last revised downwards on February 4 by Rs 2.42 per litre and Rs 2.25 per litre respectively. This decrease in prices was affected on the back of declining international oil prices.

Prior to Sunday's increase, petrol price had been cut on ten occasions since August, and diesel six times since October.

Even after this increase, petrol price is the lowest since September 2010 while diesel is the cheapest since March 2013.

Cumulatively, the price of petrol had been cut by Rs 17.11 per litre in ten reductions since August, and that of diesel by Rs 12.96 a litre since its deregulation in October.

The reduction would have been bigger but for four consecutive excise duty hikes since November totaling Rs 7.75 a litre on petrol and Rs 7.50 on diesel.

'There has been a steep increase in international prices of both petrol and diesel and the rupee-dollar exchange rate has also depreciated slightly since the last price revision,' Indian Oil Corp, the country's largest fuel retailer, said in a statement.
'The combined impact of both these factors warrants increase in Retail Selling Prices of both Petrol and Diesel.'

'The movement of prices in international oil market and rupee-dollar exchange rate shall continue to be closely monitored and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes,' IOC added.

Sensex surges 186 points; banking stocks gain

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 Mumbai : A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Monday was trading 185.73 points or 0.64 percent up as banking stocks surged.

While good buying was observed in banking, auto, capital goods, oil and gas, and metal sectors, marginal selling pressure was seen in the health care sector.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 29,170.77 points, was trading at 29,280.66 points (at 09.27 a.m.) in the early session, up 185.73 points or 0.64 percent from the previous day's close at 29,094.93 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 29,282.99 points and a low of 29,156.04 points in the trade so far.

The S&P bankex surged by 148.51 points, auto index went up by 140.88 points, capital goods index moved up by 102.26 points, the oil and gas, and metal index increased by 117.25 points and 85.46 points respectively. However, health care index dropped by 31.61 points.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was also trading 58.80 points or 0.67 percent up at 8,864.30 points.

Islamic State releases video purporting to show beheading of 21 Egyptians

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 Cairo: The Islamic State group released a video on Sunday purportedly showing the beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians the jihadists say they captured in Libya.

The footage released online shows handcuffed hostages wearing orange jumpsuits being beheaded by their black-suited captors on a seashore in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

In the latest issue of the IS online magazine Dabiq, the group said 21 Egyptian hostages were being held, and pictures showed a similar background.

The video, titled 'A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross', has a scrolling caption in the first few seconds saying it is directed at 'People of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian Church'.

Sunday's video comes just days after the IS released a video showing the gruesome burning alive of a Jordanian pilot it captured after his F-16 came down in Syria in December.

The highly choreographed video showing the killing of Maaz al-Kassasbeh triggered global outrage.

In January, the IS branch in Libya claimed it had abducted 21 Christians.

A spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry confirmed to AFP in Cairo that 20 Egyptians had been kidnapped in two separate incidents in neighbouring Libya.

Badr Abdelatty did not say when they were seized or specify their religious affiliation, but said seven Egyptians and 13 others abducted separately in Libya 'are still being detained' by their captors.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has declared seven days of mourning.AFP

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 14, ശനിയാഴ്‌ച

266 kg gold missing from Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple: report

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New Delhi: The audit report submitted by former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai says 266 kg gold has been gone missing from the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

Of the 893.44 kg taken for plating process, 266 kg has gone missing. The gold was taken on a total of 82 occasions. While 893.44 kg was taken, only 627 kg was returned. An inquiry should be conducted to find the missing gold, says the report.

Bus goes up in flames in Wayanad

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  Kalpetta: A private bus was gutted in fire at Kattikulam in Wayanad early on Saturday morning.

The bus carrying nearly 30 passengers was on its way to Bengaluru from Kochi. Fortunately, the passengers escape unhurt.

Islamic State to be banned in India

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New Delhi: The dreaded terror group ISIS and all its affiliate organisations will be banned by India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act soon.

A notification declaring ISIS and its affiliates ISIL and IS as proscribed organisations will be issued very soon, official sources said on Friday.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said in Parliament on December 16, 2014 that the Middle-East group had been declared ban in India under a United Nations Schedule.

Singh had said the group has been proscribed under the provisions related to organisations listed in the Schedule to the UN Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (Implementation of Security Council Resolutions) Order, 2007 made under section two of the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1947.

Four Mumbai youth had gone to Iraq-Syria in May 2014 to join ISIS. One of them returned late last year while the whereabouts of the remaining three are yet to be known.

A Bangalore-based executive of a multi-national company was arrested in December last year for allegedly running a pro-ISIS twitter handle.

Last month, another person from Hyderabad was barred from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join ISIS.

Recently, retired Intelligence Bureau chief Asif Ibrahim had said there was an imminent danger of Indian youths moving to the conflict zone (Iraq-Syria), emerging as a role model, and such developments may directly or indirectly pose a threat to the country.

'The threat potential is accentuated with some lower rung elements returning from conflict zone,' he had said.

PTI

World Cup opener: New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 98 runs

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Christchurch: Co-hosts New Zealand sent out a stern warning to all their rivals by earning a convincing 98-run victory over 2011 finalists Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup opener at the Hagley Oval here Saturday.

New Zealand showcased their all-round skills, first scoring a mammoth 331/6 and then bowling out Sri Lanka for 233 in 46.1 overs to begin their Group A campaign with a bang.

Sri Lanka got off to a good start with Lahiru Thirimanne (65) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (24) stringing together 67 runs for the opening wicket. Former captain Kumar Sangakkara (39) Thirimanne added another 57 runs to take Sri Lanka to 124/1 in 21.5 overs.

At the time, the 1996 Cup winners were in the game and in with a good chance to chase down the imposing target. However, that all changed as Thirimanne's dismissal led to a string of wickets for the Black Caps and the end of the Sri Lankan challenge.

Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene (0) and Sangakkara fell in the space of five runs to leave Sri Lanka tottering at 129/4 after 23.5 overs. The Sri Lankan lower middle-order failed to join the party as Dimuth Karunaratne (14) and Jeevan Mendis (4) were dismissed cheaply.

Captain Angelo Mathews (46) put up a brief fight but he too was dismissed soon enough.

New Zealand will take a bag full of positives from the game. The form of captain Brendon McCullum (65) and Corey Anderson's whirlwind 75 off 46 would head the list.

Another big plus will be the return to form of Daniel Vettori. The left-arm spinner bowled superbly, giving away just 34 runs off his 10 overs and picking two key wickets.

Earlier, the Black Caps lost the toss and were put in to bat. McCullum and Martin Guptill (49) shared a 111-run stand for the opening wicket to set New Zealand on their way.

Without much swing or seam movement, the Sri Lankan bowlers were helpless against McCullum's power hitting. The New Zealand opener hit 10 boundaries and a six to reach 65 off just 49 balls.

Kane Williamson (57) and Ross Taylor (14) put on a 57-run partnership for the third wicket to take New Zealand to 193/2 in 33 overs. However, the duo fell in successive balls as New Zealand lost some steam in the middle overs.

But Grant Elliot (29) and Anderson added 65 for the fifth-wicket to bring the Black Caps back on track. Anderson then teed off in the final overs to cause massive damage. Along with wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi, Anderson scored 73 runs off the final six overs.

The Sri Lankan bowlers came in for severe stick with premier pacer Lasith Malinga failing to pick up a single wicket and going for 84 runs off his 10 overs.

IANS

Kejriwal sworn in as Delhi's chief minister

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New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS) AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was Saturday sworn in as Delhi's chief minister by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung at the Ramlila Maidan here along with six ministers.

Tens of thousands of Aam Aadmi Party supporters who had gathered at the sprawling ground in the heart of the capital since morning cheered loudly and waved AAP flags as Kejriwal took the oath of office and secrecy.

Kejriwal's close aide Manish Sisodia, who will be the deputy chief minister, was also sworn in along with ministers Satyedra Jain, Gopal Rai, Asim Mohammed Khan, Sandeep Kumar and Jitendra Singh Tomar.

Kejriwal, 46, led the AAP to a thumping win in the Delhi assembly election. The party won a staggering 67 of the 70 seats, leaving the BJP with just three seats. The Congress was wiped out.

This is the second time Kejriwal is becoming Delhi's chief minister. He became chief minister the first time in December 2013 but resigned after just 49 days -- on this day last year.

IANS

Train-bus collision kills 16 in Mexico

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Mexico City: At least 16 people were killed and 30 injured when a train hit a bus near the Mexico-US border.

The accident took place in the town of Anahuac in Nuevo Leon state Friday evening, Xinhua reported.

According to officials, the bus driver was trying to cross the railway line regardless of an incoming train.

There were 60 people aboard the bus, exceeding its capacity, the officials added.

IANS

2015, ഫെബ്രുവരി 13, വെള്ളിയാഴ്‌ച

Private bus strike from Feb 25

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Private buses in the state will stage an indefinite strike from February 25 seeking revision of fair wages. The bus employees are seeking a 50% hike in wages.

The Motor Thozhilali Samyukta Samara Samithi has served a notice announcing the strike to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. The Samara Samithi said the government has not increased the employees’ wages since five years. The government had assured to increase their wages last year, but has not been implemented it so far, blamed the samithi.

Train tragedy: Two Malayalis among the dead

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KOCHI: On the Bangalore-Ernakulam Intercity Express train that derailed on Friday, there were two Malayalis among the dead. The dead have been identified as Itteera Antony (54) who took ticket for journey to Aluva and Aman (9) from Thrissur Poovathur. Aman was travelling with his mother Sherly. Information about Sherly was not available.
 
Meanwhile, it is said that among the dead there are five Malayalis but the Railways has not confirmed this, though it has confirmed the death of Antony and Aman.  
 
In bogies D8 and D9 that got derailed there were 116 reservations. In D8 there were 60 reservations and in D9, 48. Nothing is known about those who had not reserved the tickets.