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President Patil makes history by flying in a Sukhoi-30 combat plane. Lohegaon air base of Indian Air Force was buzz with activities and excitement on Wednesday morning. However, President Pratibha Devisinh Patil (74), who smoothly set a record of being the first woman President in the world to take the skies in the world's unmatched fighter plane - Sukhoi - 30 MKI - was cool, calm and quiet even after her 30 minute sortie. Top officials of IAF were busy for President's Sukhoi sortie for more than a month but everybody was happy when President was more than satisfied and found her comfortable and confident with the exercise. Accompanied by Air Chief Marshal P V Naik and Air Marshal P S Bhangu, President Pratibha Patil arrived at Lohegaon air base at 9.35 and accepted guard of honors. IAF officials again brief her about the sortie and Pratibha Patil started walking towards Sukhoi 30 MKI - in a specially made military green colored G-suit around 10.30 am. She was introduced

By the Delhi government unravels a shocking tale of hunger, poverty and a public distribution system mired in corruption. Out of 39 lakh individuals surveyed, almost 19 lakh most of them needy did not have ration cards and, in turn, no access to subsidized food grains or recognized proof of identity. Carried out under the Mission Convergence programme, the survey aimed at identifying the vulnerable and building a database for targeted intervention. Individuals in nine lakh households across slums, JJ clusters and resettlement colonies were surveyed in two phases. The data shows that almost 49% of the 55,608 differently-able surveyed were without ration cards. Of 81,618 widows, 33.5% did not have ration cards while out of 97,823 women-headed households 34.6% had no cards. The Central government's PDS programme has set a fixed limit for each state in terms of granting a subsidy for ration. For Delhi, this limit is around 4.09 lakh families, including BPL and Antyodaya card-hol

The new integrated terminal at the IGI Airport which will become operational before next year's Commonwealth Games, will also boast of India's largest multi-level car parking with a capacity of over 4,300 vehicles, taking the total parking capacity of the airport to about 6,500 vehicles. At present, the domestic and international terminals have a combined capacity of 2,200 vehicles. With traffic expected to grow as the Games nears, and the new terminal catering to both domestic and international operations, the airport will have a capacity of 60 million passengers per year. The five-storied building is being built on a 19.263 sq m area and is expected to be complete by March 31. Each subsequent floor will be 19,155 sq m. Its terrace will be used for parking and will be connected to terminal T3 with an air conditioned skywalk with revelators and through a corridor on the ground floor. Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd is yet to finalize an agency to which it will outsou

This is the first time that such an incident has taken place in a State Government-run school.The mid-day meal scheme is on in 1,162 such schools. Nearly 80 students of a government-run school were taken ill after consuming the mid-day meal at Trilokpuri in the trans-Yamuna area on Wednesday. The contractor has been blacklisted. According to the police, the incident took place around noon when the students of Sharda Sen Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya started vomiting and complained of headache and nausea after consuming the mid-day meal. They were taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where ten of them were kept under observation while the rest were discharged. The police have registered a case after getting the medico-legal certificates of the students. The police later raided the kitchen of the NGO Rao Raghuvir Seva Samiti that had prepared the meal in Khichdipur and found that the food contained a dead lizard. "We have registered a case of negligence against the NGO and its o

All plastic bags banned. Government of Delhi (India) has finally notified a blanket ban on use of plastic bags from 17th January, 2009.we expect Governments of other states and countries to do the same before it gets too late.The ban comes after a four-year legal battle from Delhi High Court. Delhi government officials say they intend giving time to Delhiites to "settle into the situation" and make alternative arrangements. Traders are complaining that no viable alternative has been made available to them. "Jute and cloth are expensive options for retailers. Paper is not a suitable medium for everyone. How are we to put goods like liquids or semi-solid food in paper or cloth! The government says there are plenty of options and there is an urgent need to change the mindset of people. "We have been encouraging the use of cloth and jute as much as possible. Paper recycling is another inexpensive and environment friendly method. It might take time but it is ess

President Barack Obama welcome India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in White House, Washington. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama welcome India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur to the State Dinner at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy The first state dinner of the Obama White House had it all: Oscar-winning entertainers, Hollywood moguls, a knockout guest chef and even a wardrobe malfunction. Traditional evening gowns vied with saris of vibrant colors Tuesday night at the high-glitz dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. There were turbans and bindis as well as diamonds and brocades. "Everyone looks great; we're feeling great," White House social secretary Desiree Rogers told a phalanx of cameramen as she arrived, betraying no hint of nerves at the biggest social event of th

our live was changed forever on 26 November 2008. Our nation cried, our beloved Mumbai burned, and many innocent lives were lost. Though many innocent lives were lost but their sacrifices has brought us many good things.From the rubbles and the debris of Taj and Oberoi Hotel, from the bloody ceilings and floors of Chhatrapati Shivaji station Mumbai and Nariman House, from bloody walls of Leopold café and Cama hospital, the love for our nation, Indian nationalism, humanity and unity among us has risen. Real Heroes were born to save the life we thought we lost; stories of love, humanity, unity and courage that will last forever.As I pay tribute to our loved ones, salute to all our Heroes and all who lost their lives in the deadly attack on our beloved Mumbai, I want to say: You are not alone. A proud Indian will never forget “The Mumbai carnage”. “We will not sit quietly, we won’t take it for granted, we will stand up and rise, we will fight back for our nation, On November 26, 2009,

India observes the first anniversary of the terror attack on Mumbai, the cash-strapped Democratic Front government in Maharashtra has so far spent a staggering Rs 31 crore, or nearly Rs 8.5 lakh per day, to keep the 21-year-old terrorist from the Pakistani town of Faridkot safe and secure enough to stand trial. Incidentally, the state is set to wind up its presentation of evidence in the ongoing trial in the special court at Arthur Road jail on Thursday. On the post-terror attack expenditure, the official said, following the directives of the Centre, besides procuring weapons for emergency use, vehicles and equipment, two special cells were created inside Arthur Road jail and JJ hospital. ``We spent nearly Rs 1 crore for the creation of a bullet-proof cell on the JJ Hospital premises. But he was never taken there, instead, doctors were summoned to the Arthur Road jail, whenever Kasab had a health problem,'' he said. Incidentally, Kasab, who was wounded before being captur

The US president said the West had learned from its dealings with North Korea and was not prepared to put up with years of talks. US President Barack Obama issued a strong warning to Iran yesterday of consequences of its failure to respond to the offer of a nuclear deal and could have a package of steps to take “within weeks.” Full story...

Blood, flesh and shattered window glass littered the ground outside a court building in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, as a A suicide bomber struck outside a Pakistan court, killing 16 people in the sixth attack on Peshawar in 11 days. suicide bomber blew himself up on Thursday, killing at least 19 people and leaving 51 injured. The attack was the sixth on the city in 11 days. The attacks have escalated after Pakistani troops have pressed on with a major offensive against the Taliban in their stronghold of South Waziristan in the country’s lawless tribal areas. Top al-Qaida operatives are also believed to be holed up there. Peshawar, a city of 2.5 million people that lies on the edge of the tribal areas, has taken the brunt of the near-daily suicide attacks. An official said the bomber hit at the building’s main gate, near a five-star hotel, where at least nine people were killed when attackers shot their way through a security checkpost and blew up a truck bomb in June.

The government is set to dilute its holding in Steel Authority of India Ltd by 20%. While the company will make a fresh issue of 10% equity, the government will divest 10% of its stake. At current prices, the combined 20% sale would raise almost Rs 17,000 crore from the market. The fresh issue will be used to part-finance SAIL’s Rs 70,000-crore expansion program. Steel minister Virbhadra Singh, in a written statement to the Lok Sabha, said the disinvestment would be in two tranches of 10% each, and be a mix of fresh issue and sale of government shares. Full News...

Cabinet approves Nehru Solar Mission The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission that aims to add 20,000 MW of power in India by 2022. “The Cabinet has sanctioned Rs.4,337 crore for the initial activities in this regard,” Information & Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told journalists after the cabinet meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. story by Sujay Mehdudia

At least 15 people have been killed, including three police officers, and 31 others wounded after a suicide bomber targeted a crowded area in southwest Afghanistan. The bomber struck in Farah province in an area where lorries were being loaded up with goods travelling to Herat, police said on Friday. Rohul Amin, the Farah governor, said the deadly blast occurred about 50 metres from his compound. More than a dozen were critically injured so "the death toll may rise", he added. A doctor at the hospital in Farah said many of the wounded were children. Story by Al Jazeera

The armed forces have long talked about how politics often overrides national security in hushed tones but no one has dared to bell the cat publicly while still serving. But then, Barbora has always been somewhat of a flamboyant character, whether it was undertaking unheard of combat manoeuvres on his MiG-21s in his younger days or declaring as the Western Air Command chief last year that his force was capable of hitting "5,000 targets'' in Pakistan after the 26/11 terror attacks. Coupled with this dash of flamboyance comes the unsettling ability to speak his mind publicly even if it's politically incorrect or unpalatable. Even as he expressed regret for hurting some sentiments with his candid `personal' views on why women cannot be inducted as fighter pilots just yet, the IAF vice-chief did some plain speaking yet again on Thursday. Full News...