News updates for today

Andhra Pradesh:

1) SVU all set to host mega education event: The 1,000-acre sprawling campus of Sri Venkateswara University Tirupati is spruced up to host the mega event — launch of the ‘National Mission on Education Through Information and Communication Technology’ for the first time in India. The Rs. 4,612 crore massive ‘mission’ funded by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) would have as its stakeholders all the State governments, institutions of higher learning and their faculty members besides the students and knowledge experts in the country with a view to empowering our teachers and learners through ‘anytime and anywhere’ availability of knowledge modules and facilities for mutual interaction, said N.K. Sinha, Joint Secretary.

2) Special act to check red sanders smuggling mooted: In view of the spurt in illegal transportation of red sanders from the State for the past few months, the Forest Department is planning to bring out an Act to check timber smuggling and book the culprits.

3) Media men, officials manhandled: Several media persons and staff of the Information and Public Relations Department, including Regional Deputy Director L. Swarnalata, covering Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s visit, were ‘manhandled’ by police at Tadepalligudem. The visibly-embarrassed media personnel staged a demonstration, stalling Dr. Reddy’s convoy, demanding action against police. The incident happened when some policemen denied access to media coverage of his address at the Tadepalligudem High School grounds. When Ms. Swarnalatha, District Public Relations Officer S. Srinivasa Jeevan and Divisional Public Relations Officer R.V.S. Ramachandra Rao tried to help media personnel they tasted police ‘excesses’. She was dragged away by a police officer. A policeman held a reporter from Tadepalligudem by collar and pushed him aside. Police did not honour passes issued to the media personnel by RDO. An annoyed Chief Minister summoned Superintendent of Police B. Balakrishna and sought an explanation.

4) Launch quality products: YSR: ‘Bio- Asia 2009’ was launched by Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy here on Sunday, with a call to biotech companies to promote quality products and dietary supplements to improve people’s health.
5) Vacant posts in TTD will be filled: YSR: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy has assured the TTD Employees Association that he would give necessary instructions to the authorities concerned to immediately fill all the 1,818 posts remaining vacant in different departments in the TTD.
6) Take action if there are lapses in Heritage: Naidu:

Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday dared the Government to inquire into alleged irregularities in the Heritage Foods, owned by his family. “Unable to answer queries being raised over the favours given to Maytas Infra, the Government is trying to divert the attention of the people by its claims on so-called irregularities in Heritage,” he further said” They are in power and they can take steps in accordance with law”,
7) GRAND Alliance is to obstruct formation of Telangana: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ch. Vidyasagar Rao has alleged that the ‘grand alliance’ comprising the TDP, TRS and the Left parties is only aimed at obstructing the formation of separate Telangana.

8) Maoists spreading base in coastal region: Arrest of two key Communist Party of India (Maoist) commanders from Tenali in the coastal region of Guntur district has given credence to the rumours that the naxalite movement was witnessed in Nallamalla region in Guntur district.

9) Congress ready to discuss Satyam: YSR:

Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy said his party was ready to discuss any issue, including Satyam Heritage foods, in the budget session of the state legislative Assembly that begins tomorrow.

Satyam Fiasco:



10.Satyam, Heritage issues may dominate last session: The final session of the 12th Legislative Assembly is all set to commence from Monday. The short session to adopt the vote-on-account budget will start with Governor N.D. Tiwari’s address to the two houses – the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.

National:

11.Plane makes emergency landing amid high drama: A couple of unruly passengers on board a flight from Goa set off a hijack alert at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Sunday, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing. Confusion prevailed for almost two hours at the airport with no official explanation forthcoming as to why Indigo flight E-664 was taken to an isolated bay and no passenger was allowed to disembark. Soon after, the flight touched down around 5.30 p.m., National Security Guards and Central Industrial Security Force personnel surrounded it.

12.Incubator fire: Minister quits: A day after five newly borns were burnt alive in an incubator fire, Punjab Medical Education and Research Minister Tikshan Sood on Sunday resigned owning moral responsibility for the tragedy. He sent-in his resignation to Balbir Punj, in-charge of Bharatiya Janata Party’s affairs in Punjab, party sources said.


13.Man Mohan Singh back home:

Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh was discharged on Sunday morning from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was admitted to the hospital on January 23 for a heart surgery that took place the next day.

14.JD(S) to go it alone in LS polls: The former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has said that the Janata Dal (Secular) will go it alone in the coming Lok Sabha elections with the party deciding to field candidates in all the 28 seats in the State.

15.Call for general strike illegal: TN:

The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday declared that the general strike called by the Sri Lankan Tamil Protection Movement for February 4 is illegal as per Supreme Court orders.


16.CEC suggestion ‘out of bounds,’ says CPI (M): The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday termed the suo motu recommendation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N. Gopalaswami to remove Election Commissioner Navin Chawla “out of bounds” and pointed out that it can damage the institution of the Election Commission.

17.Navin Chawla set to take over as CEC: With the congress seeming to be in no mood to concede the demand of chief election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami, election commissioner Navin Chawla is set to take over as CEC after Gopalaswamy retires on April 20.

18.CEC says He is right: I am right, Chief Election Commissioner N Goplalaswami said on Sunday, unfazed by the sharp criticism to his recommendation for the removal of election commissioner Navin Chawla for ‘partisan’ functioning. Gopalaswami pointed out that while the move had been criticized by some jurists, for other leading lawyers like Harish Salve he was within his constitutional right to make such a recommendation. It is bound to happen. Each person looks at the information he has. For some people, timing wrong and for others it is not the CEC said.

19. Law Minister takes on CEC, says he cannot ask for Chawla's removal


In an indication of the Centre's thinking that it may not accept the CEC's proposal for removal of his colleague Navin Chawla, Law Minister HR Bhardwaj today said N Gopalaswami should do his job in the EC and not behave like a "political boss". The Law Minister said that the CEC has no constitutional right to write to the president seeking the removal of EC. "It is true that the President appoints the Election Commissioner and any action or any advice can be given only when the President requires," he said.




20. Congress terms BJP’s suggestion an assault on Election Commission: The Congress on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “irresponsible and short-sighted assault” on the Election Commission, a constitutional body, would set a dangerous precedent.

21.Centre sends official to probe Mangalore pub attack: Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury has sent Kiran Chadha, Joint Secretary (Women Bureau) of the Ministry, here to inquire into January 24 attack on women at a local pub by Sri Ram Sene activists. Ms. Chadha, who arrived here on Sunday, visited the pub and met several people, including officials and women.

22.Naxalities kill SI, 14 cops in Maharashtra:

A group of armed Naxalities on Sunday killed 15 policemen, including a young police sub- inspector, in an encounter at Markegaon in Gadchiroli district here, police said. They then fled the scene with eight AK47s, two Insa self- loading rifles, four self loading rifles, one pistol and two inch mortar he said.

23.More names under scanner: IPS officer’s Drug Racket: The probe into him alleged drug racket of UPS officer Saji Mohan, arrested by the Mumbai ATS with 12kg of heroin, has broadened with more names including that of a media person coming under the scanner.
International:

24.Colombo: we will destroy LTTE shortly: Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Sunday asserted that the forces would shortly “destroy” the Tigers.

25.Pakistan may lose $1.5 billion U.S. aid: Pakistan may loose $1.5 billion financial aid from the U.S. as a Congressional bill, which was set to debate the 10-year package, has lapsed, a news report said.

26. Israel vows to hit Hamas after Gaza rocket fire: Israeli on Sunday vowed to strike back at hamas after renewed rocket fire from the Islamists Gaza stronghold, two weeks after the end of a bloody was in the battered Palestinian terrority.

27. Jaffnaites tire of Tigers tactics: About 20,000 people participated in a rally in Jaffna on Sunday, appealing to the Indian Prime Minister, the Srilankan President and the UN secretary general, to pressure the LTTE to release the lakhs of Tamil civilians they were holding captive in the war zone in the Wanni to be used as human shields against the advancing Srilankan army.

28. Japan PM faces political heat at home:



Japan’s embattled Prime Minister Taro Aso on Sunday prepared for tough questioning in parliament over the ailing economy and upcoming polls as he returned home from the World Economic Forum in Davos. Aso has rejected calls for snap polls from the opposition. The opposition has denounced a stimulus package which he pushed through parliament to revive the economy, calling it a waste of taxpayer’s money.
29.Sania-Mahesh wins mixed doubles title:


Business:

30. Jan saw 2, 77,000 job losses @ 9000 a day: More and more people are becoming unemployed this year, with nearly 9,000 jobs vanishing world- wide on an average each day in January. As the financial turmoil continues to rattle world’s economies, layoffs so far this year has crossed the 2, 77,000- mark with a stunning 80,000 job cuts announced January 26.

31. Kingfisher posts Rs 626 cr loss in Q3:

Private air carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, on Sunday said it has reported a net loss of Rs 626 crore during Q3 FY09 as against Rs 423 crore in the same quarter last year. The increase in loss in the quarter was on account of initiation costs of international operations (Rs 174 crore) and exchange rate impact of dollar denominated expenses (Rs 60 crore), the company said in a statement issued in Mumbai. Vijay Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines also incurred losses due to interest expenses during Q3 FY09 which increased by Rs 103 crore as compared to the same quarter last year and on account of operating costs in the quarter which included provisions for contigencies for return of aircraft worth Rs 30 crore.

32. Indian IT spending to slow in 2009: The country's IT spending is expected to slacken this year, growing at an annual 14.1 per cent, down from 18.1 per cent recorded in 2008 due to the ongoing economic slowdown, according to a research report. Springboard Research in its brief titled 'India IT Market Predictions 2009' said, IT spending in verticals like retail and real estate will be hardest hit, while the advent of 3G and a protected financial system will help sustain growth in the telecom and banking/finance verticals respectively. In addition, government initiatives will spur economic growth and increase spending on public security and national defence, coupled with rural sector initiatives should include outlays for new technology in the years to come.

33. Infosys likely to slash variable pay:

Anticipating weakening demand from the US market, coupled with pricing and margin pressures in the fourth quarter of the current financial year, Infosys Technologies will look at slashing variable pay-out to its employees.