BharatMax.com: 2009

Iraq calls three-day national mourning for Baghdad blasts

Baghdad, Oct 26 (DPA) Iraq announced Sunday a three-day national mourning period for the victims of the twin terror blasts in central Baghdad.Head of the rescue team, Abdel Rasoul al-Zaidi, said that his men were able to put out the fire in the buildings and that they are now looking for survivors or bodies under the rubble.

Dozens of people were killed and injured in the blasts. “The two explosions were so huge and have left enormous damage,” al-Zaidi said.

Salman fans go berserk in Indore

Bhopal, Oct 25 (IANS) Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city had to cane charge some Salman Khan fans who had resorted to violence at Nehru Stadium where the Bollywood star came late and stayed only a few minutes before leaving for an event.
A large number of people had gathered in and around the stadium as Salman was scheduled to play a cricket match organised to promote one of his films to be released shortly, police said.

But the Bollywood star reached the venue five hours late and left after few minutes without playing the match.

“This enraged the people who went out of control and threw chairs all over the stadium… Police used a cane-charge to chase away the crowd which went berserk since Salman who was supposed to be here at 10 a.m. reached after 3 p.m. and that too for a very short while. The situation is now under control,” said Indore Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Jindal.

Jennifer Aniston set for TV comeback

London, Oct 23 (IANS) Former “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston is headed to the small screen for a late-night show with Oprah Winfrey.
The actress is set to produce and star alongside the media mogul in a weekly programme broadcast on the Oprah Winfrey Network, a new channel set to launch in the US next year, reports contactmusic.com.

It was Aniston’s friendship with comedienne Chelsea Handler, who fronts her own TV talk show that inspired her to take on the project.

“Jen became fascinated with the format after spending time with Chelsea. When she saw Oprah she mentioned that it would be fun to do a chat show and Oprah seized the moment and suggested they front one together for her new network,” said a source.

Aniston, who is said to have a $210 million fortune, is still negotiating her salary, but reports suggest the new venture won’t yield her major earnings just yet.

An insider said: “Her salary is yet to be determined. She is doing this for one reason only: She absolutely wants to do it.”

India, China reaffirm the need to maintain peace and tranquility on border

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct.25 (ANI): India and China have reaffirmed the need to maintain peace and tranquility on the border during their talks held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Thailand.

“The (Chinese) Premier and I reaffirmed the need to maintain peace and tranquility on the border paving way for the resolution of the boundary question. Both of us agreed that we should continue and strengthen efforts to build political trust and understanding,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while interacting with media in Cha-Am Hua Hin city.

“The Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader. We do not allow the Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities and as proof of that last year we took resolute action at the time of Olympics when there were reports that some Tibetan refugees might disrupt the process. That is the position I explained to Premier Wen,” said Dr. Singh.

Dr. Singh informed that all the countries affected by terrorism agreed to co-operate with each other in their fight against terrorism.

“There are countries which are affected by terrorism in Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. So there is a general agreement that there should be co-operation in counter terror facilities, that there should be exchange of information and intelligence. On this, all countries are agreed,” said Dr. Singh.

Asked whether the issue of Chinese involvement in development of infrastructure in Pakistan administered Kashmir was raised, the Prime Minister Dr. Singh said that it would be addressed shortly.

“I did not specifically raised these issues but we both agreed that whatever issues are outstanding, they should be discussed two days later,” the PM said.

Leaders from the ASEAN, India, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia are attending the East Asia Summit being held on the sidelines of the 15th ASEAN Summit.

ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and the Philippines. (ANI)

PM returns home from East Asia Summit

New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday evening returned home after attending a two-day East Asia Summit in Thailand.
During his hectic visit to the East Asian country, Manmohan Singh held talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and both neighbours agreed to resolve their border dispute amicably.

Manmohan Singh was a key participant in the fourth East Asia Summit that brings together the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six partner countries that include India, China and Japan.

pictures of baghdad twin bomb blasts

Scientists unlock secret of how lotus stays dry

Washington, Oct 24 (IANS) How does the lotus stay dry even while growing in slime? This was a question that had intrigued scientists for ages. It took them an ultra high speed camera, a powerful microscope and an audio speaker to unlock the secret.
“We faced a tricky problem — water droplets that fall on the leaf easily roll off, while condensate that grows from within the leaf’s nooks and crannies is sticky and remains trapped,” said Jonathan Boreyko, a third-year graduate student at Duke University Pratt School of Engineering (DUPSE), involved in the study.

“Scientists and engineers have long wondered how these sticky drops are eventually repelled from the leaf after their impalement into the tiny projections,” Boreyko said.

“After bringing lotus leaves into the lab and watching the condensation as it formed, we were able to see how the sticky drops became unsticky.”

The key was videotaping the process while the lotus leaf rested on top of the woofer portion of a stereo speaker at low frequency.

Condensation was created by cooling the leaf. It turned out that after being gently vibrated for a fraction of a second, the sticky droplets gradually unstuck themselves and jumped off the leaf.

“This solves a long-standing puzzle in the field,” said DUPSE assistant professor Chuan-Hua Chen.

“People have observed that condensation forms every night on the lotus leaf. When they come back in the morning the water is gone and the leaf is dry.”

“The speaker reproduced in the lab what happens every day in nature, which is full of subtle vibrations, especially for the lotus, which has large leaves atop long and slender stems,” said Chen, according to a DUPSE release.

The results of these experiments will allow engineers to employ man-made surfaces much like the lotus leaf in settings where the removal of condensation and the transfer of heat are necessary.

These results were published online in Physics Review Letters.

Mathura Train Collision

AGRA/NEW DELHI: At least 13 people were killed when two Delhi-bound passenger trains collided early Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura city.
Train collision near Mathura
Rescue workers and bystanders gather at the site of a train collision on outskirts of Mathura. At least 10 people were killed and 20 injured in the accident. AFP
Hours after the Goa Express rammed into the stationary Mewar Express, several people continued to be trapped in the mangled carriages.

More than 20 people were injured in the accident that occurred around 5 a.m. at an outer signal, about 55 km from here.

"Thirteen have been killed and 20 injured in the accident. The injured have been taken to four hospitals in Mathura," said Anil Saxena, director, public relations office, in the ministry of railways in New Delhi.

"The damaged portion of both the trains are still at the site. The rear portion of the Goa Express and the front portion of the Mewar Express have left the site around 8 a.m. with the remaining passengers," Saxena told IANS.

The Mewar Express, in which some people from the Goa Express had been accommodated, had been stopped at nearby Vrindavan. Some buses have also been arranged to take the passengers to Delhi, about 150 km away.

"Work is progressing at a fast pace and the situation should normalise within a few hours," public relations officer Bhupendra Dhillon at the divisional railway manager's (DRM) office here told IANS.

Traffic along the busy route that affects Delhi-West and Delhi-South trains has been disrupted. Several trains have been diverted and the Intercity Express from Agra to Hazrat Nizamuddin has been cancelled. The Taj Express and the Shatabdi from Delhi are likely to be delayed, the official added.

Trains are being diverted from Agra Cantt railway station towards Tundla junction for Delhi. Railway officials said most trains were likely to be delayed. "Arrival at Delhi would be delayed by a few hours, as there would be heavy traffic on this line via Agra Fort junction and Yamuna Bridge station towards Tundla which is connected by a second track," an official said.

Divisional Manager Rajesh Kumar said: "It would take up to one hour to extricate the bodies and release the trapped passengers and anything between four to six hours to restore traffic on the track."

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in Kolkata, ordered an inquiry into the train collision and announced a compensation of Rs.500,000 for the families of the deceased.