The week was crazy
Escaped death, as a tree fell besides me, an inch away.
One branch did hit me, but the fact that I am able to type these words means that it didn't hit me hard.
Got this magazine called developersIQ, it had 2 free cd's, I managed to accidently break one, even before I copied it.
Have been trying to write for voices regularly.
Made a confession to someone(??) today, the response was quite confusing, hasn't been clarified yet, will be soon.
At home had an argument with my parents, the worst ever in my life.
Interiors of my home are being renovated, so have these laborours working here, they keep staring at my PC(when its ON), as if it is some kind of an enchanting thing.
The rains seemed to have taken a break as it hasn't rained at all for two days.
Damn have a module test NIIT on 15th, and I haven't touched my books, yet, I am shamelessly lazy!!!NOOO!the stuff is easy-peasy.
Promised to meet my old friends but couldn't make it.
The roads in my locality, had recently started resembling craters of an alien planet, Hell! even the roads in my village are better,
and the person who made them good, the politician Narayan rane, has resigned from Shiv Sena, the party which he guided to state power.
After the terrorist attack at ayodhya, came the london blasts, damn!! the people in the world will soon be either dead or scared, just joking OK.
The VC of our varsity had plans of imposing a dress code on all colleges of mumbai, I am divided over this issue, but I don't care a bit about it, because a beautiful girl, will anyway look the beautiful either in salwar-kameez or skirts.
NO WAYS!!!
that is the new hip term on campus, ripped off from remix a show on Star One, triggers a pain in my ....
I am now the unofficial class representative of the class, well I am as usual a bit goofy, but that is because of the sleepyness, because
of staying up late at night, surfing the net.
This week ate lots of chocolates(prepared by mom), and had a aching stomach yesterday.
For me now it has become a routine to play Quake3 everyday for 10-15 minutes(its enough), I do it to keep my reflexes fine tuned.
You all have heard of teachers taking feedback from students.
But I always wish that a kind of a system should be in place, such that teachers give feedback to students, say, stuff like things that shoulde be changed and stuff, but the problem is, YIDS(Young kids) in colleges think it ain't cool to listen to teachers.
Beep Beep Beep, no its not my pager or mobile, its my PC's UPS telling me to shut the system, as the MSEB guys have cut off our power, to feed power to mumbai, DAMn It!!!!! Bye !! Phir Milenge!!AUr Milke Pakenge!!
Friday, July 08, 2005
London Hat-trick!?! -- By Sanket ‘mad hatter’ Kambli
London has hosted the Olympics twice before, in 1908 and 1948. For both, the Olympic movement was grateful to London for filling in when other candidates were thin on the ground. In 1908 London came to the rescue when Rome dropped out following a serious eruption of its nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius, while the 1948 games were the first after the ravages of the Second World War when many other cities were devastated.
Though much smaller than the gargantuan mega-circuses of more recent times, the 1908 Olympics managed to host over 2,000 athletes from 22 competing countries. As one of the first of the modern Olympics, London 1908 was in on plenty of the rule-making that still governs the games today. Among things sorted out as a result of the 1908 games were the exact length of the Marathon (which is still 26.2 miles, the distance between Windsor Castle and White City Stadium), the establishment of the International Amateur Athletic Association and the organization of the whole event around national teams. One event that didn’t make it beyond 1908 was Tug of War, which is a bit of a kick in the teeth for all those who have since taken part in the event at school sports days. By 1948 the Olympics had grown substantially. This time around there were more than 40,000 competitors from 59 countries and the main stadium was switched from one west London venue to another, White City to Wembley. (Wembley, the best stadium in the world in its day, was demolished a few years ago – a new version is to be opened next year.) Despite all those big numbers, one name is usually associated with the 1948 games, Fanny Blankers-Koen, the Dutch woman athlete who won four gold medals in various sprints. Starting blocks and photo-finishes were used at an Olympics for the first time in 1948, as well as broadcasts to home TV sets.
When London won the right to hold the 2012 games, it had been 64 years since the big show was last in town. Why haven’t they come close in that achingly long interim?
London was not considered at all in the 30 or so years after 1948, for the simple and just reason that it had recently hosted an Olympics. By the 1980s, noises were being made that London should have another crack at the thing, so a bid was made to hold the 1992 games.
Ignominy, disaster and shame followed as centuries-long big-city jealousies helped Britain’s Olympic committee pick the country’s ordinary second city, Birmingham, as its representative in the bidding auction. Unsurprisingly, poor old Birmingham was more or less laughed out of the process in favor of beautiful Catalan capital Barcelona.
Eight years later, London was again overlooked by its own kith and kin when Manchester got the nod. Again, a fair dollop of hubris convinced many from England’s interesting, if conventionally ugly, northern city that it stood a chance against Sydney, one of the world’s most naturally spectacular places.
Lessons were learned. Parliament commissioned a report and the great and the good of the land finally reached a conclusion already obvious to most of us – Britain would only stand a chance of hosting the Olympics if London was its candidate city.
Though much smaller than the gargantuan mega-circuses of more recent times, the 1908 Olympics managed to host over 2,000 athletes from 22 competing countries. As one of the first of the modern Olympics, London 1908 was in on plenty of the rule-making that still governs the games today. Among things sorted out as a result of the 1908 games were the exact length of the Marathon (which is still 26.2 miles, the distance between Windsor Castle and White City Stadium), the establishment of the International Amateur Athletic Association and the organization of the whole event around national teams. One event that didn’t make it beyond 1908 was Tug of War, which is a bit of a kick in the teeth for all those who have since taken part in the event at school sports days. By 1948 the Olympics had grown substantially. This time around there were more than 40,000 competitors from 59 countries and the main stadium was switched from one west London venue to another, White City to Wembley. (Wembley, the best stadium in the world in its day, was demolished a few years ago – a new version is to be opened next year.) Despite all those big numbers, one name is usually associated with the 1948 games, Fanny Blankers-Koen, the Dutch woman athlete who won four gold medals in various sprints. Starting blocks and photo-finishes were used at an Olympics for the first time in 1948, as well as broadcasts to home TV sets.
When London won the right to hold the 2012 games, it had been 64 years since the big show was last in town. Why haven’t they come close in that achingly long interim?
London was not considered at all in the 30 or so years after 1948, for the simple and just reason that it had recently hosted an Olympics. By the 1980s, noises were being made that London should have another crack at the thing, so a bid was made to hold the 1992 games.
Ignominy, disaster and shame followed as centuries-long big-city jealousies helped Britain’s Olympic committee pick the country’s ordinary second city, Birmingham, as its representative in the bidding auction. Unsurprisingly, poor old Birmingham was more or less laughed out of the process in favor of beautiful Catalan capital Barcelona.
Eight years later, London was again overlooked by its own kith and kin when Manchester got the nod. Again, a fair dollop of hubris convinced many from England’s interesting, if conventionally ugly, northern city that it stood a chance against Sydney, one of the world’s most naturally spectacular places.
Lessons were learned. Parliament commissioned a report and the great and the good of the land finally reached a conclusion already obvious to most of us – Britain would only stand a chance of hosting the Olympics if London was its candidate city.
Live 8 -- By Sanket ‘not reporting live’ Kambli
Couch potatoes don’t be happy. It isn’t a new channel. It is far more serious and quite controversial. Let’s go. Live 8 was a series of concerts that took place in July 2005, in the G8 nations and South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and Summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland from July 6-9, 2005; it also coincides with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid. Running parallel with the UK's Make Poverty History campaign, the shows planned to pressure world leaders to drop the debt of the world's poorest nations, increase and improve aid, and negotiate fairer trade rules in the interest of poorer countries. Ten simultaneous concerts were scheduled for 2 July and one for 6 July.
More than 1,000 musicians performed at the concerts, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.
Live Aid and Band Aid organizer Bob Geldof announced the event on 31 May 2005. Many former Live Aid acts offered their services to the cause. Prior to the official announcement of the event many news sources referred to the event as Live Aid 2.
However Geldof and co-organizer Midge Ure have since explicitly said they don't think of the event as the same as Live Aid. Geldof said "This is not Live Aid 2. These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison."
Many of the Live 8 backers were also involved in the largely forgotten NetAid concerts.
Organizers of Live 8 presented the "Live 8 List" to the world leaders at the G8 summit. This is a list of names compiled from around the world of people who have voiced support of the Live 8 mission to "Make Poverty History www.live8list.com. Names from the list also appeared on the giant televisions at each concert during the broadcast.
Some ticket holders placed their tickets on the auction site eBay, creating an uproar which included Geldof demanding that the company remove the auctions, even encouraging hackers to attack eBay. eBay later removed the tickets, after some controversy.
Other critics say that millionaire rock stars would make greater contribution by donating parts of their personal fortunes. Indeed as some performers have been out of the public eye, it may be seen as a way of getting back. It is also important to note that Live 8, unlike Live Aid, didn't intend to raise money, but awareness and political pressure.
There were ten concerts held on 2 July 2005, most of them simultaneously. The first to begin was held at the Makuhari Messe in Japan, with Rize being the first of all the Live 8 performers. During the opening of the Philadelphia concert, Will Smith led the combined audiences of London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Barrie (outside Toronto) in a synchronized finger click. This was to represent the death of a child every three seconds, due to poverty.
Bob Geldof was at the event in Hyde Park, London and made numerous appearances on stage, including an impromptu performance of "I Don't Like Mondays". Some of these were also shown to other venues. Special guests appeared throughout the concerts, with Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, making a speech at the London show and Nelson Mandela appearing in the South African venue. Guest presenters, ranging from sporting stars to comedians, also introduced acts.
The final event was held in Edinburgh on 6 July 2005 and went by the name Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push. It featured further performances from some of the artists from the other concerts, and was the closest of the eleven to the actual location of the G8 summit.
More than 1,000 musicians performed at the concerts, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.
Live Aid and Band Aid organizer Bob Geldof announced the event on 31 May 2005. Many former Live Aid acts offered their services to the cause. Prior to the official announcement of the event many news sources referred to the event as Live Aid 2.
However Geldof and co-organizer Midge Ure have since explicitly said they don't think of the event as the same as Live Aid. Geldof said "This is not Live Aid 2. These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison."
Many of the Live 8 backers were also involved in the largely forgotten NetAid concerts.
Organizers of Live 8 presented the "Live 8 List" to the world leaders at the G8 summit. This is a list of names compiled from around the world of people who have voiced support of the Live 8 mission to "Make Poverty History www.live8list.com. Names from the list also appeared on the giant televisions at each concert during the broadcast.
Some ticket holders placed their tickets on the auction site eBay, creating an uproar which included Geldof demanding that the company remove the auctions, even encouraging hackers to attack eBay. eBay later removed the tickets, after some controversy.
Other critics say that millionaire rock stars would make greater contribution by donating parts of their personal fortunes. Indeed as some performers have been out of the public eye, it may be seen as a way of getting back. It is also important to note that Live 8, unlike Live Aid, didn't intend to raise money, but awareness and political pressure.
There were ten concerts held on 2 July 2005, most of them simultaneously. The first to begin was held at the Makuhari Messe in Japan, with Rize being the first of all the Live 8 performers. During the opening of the Philadelphia concert, Will Smith led the combined audiences of London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Barrie (outside Toronto) in a synchronized finger click. This was to represent the death of a child every three seconds, due to poverty.
Bob Geldof was at the event in Hyde Park, London and made numerous appearances on stage, including an impromptu performance of "I Don't Like Mondays". Some of these were also shown to other venues. Special guests appeared throughout the concerts, with Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, making a speech at the London show and Nelson Mandela appearing in the South African venue. Guest presenters, ranging from sporting stars to comedians, also introduced acts.
The final event was held in Edinburgh on 6 July 2005 and went by the name Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push. It featured further performances from some of the artists from the other concerts, and was the closest of the eleven to the actual location of the G8 summit.
Jee[yet] -- By Sanket ‘ji ji kar raha hai’ Kambli
Yeh Jee[Yet] ka hota hai!
Jee [Yet]!!!!!
Well we call it G8.
What is it????
Let us see…
The Group of Eight (G8) is a grouping of eight of the world's leading industrialized, democratic nations: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, (the G6, 1975), Canada (the G7, 1976), and Russia (not participating in all events). The hallmark of the G8 is an annual economic and political summit (G8 Summit) of the heads of government with international officials, though there are numerous subsidiary meetings and policy research. [Blah blah blah!!!!!]
The G-8 has its roots in the 1973 oil crisis and subsequent global recession. These troubles led the United States of America to form the Library Group, a gathering of senior financial officials from the United States, Europe, and Japan, to discuss the economic issues.
In 1975 French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing invited the heads of state of six major industrialized democracies to a summit in Rambouillet and proposed regular meetings. The participants agreed to an annual meeting organized under a rotating presidency, forming what was dubbed the Group of Six (G6) consisting of France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. At the following year's summit on Puerto Rico, it became the Group of Seven (G7), when Canada joined at the behest of U.S. President Gerald Ford.
The G8 is not supported by a transnational administration, unlike institutions such as the United Nations or World Bank. The presidency of the Group rotates among the member states annually, with the new president assuming responsibility on 1 January. The country holding the presidency hosts a series of ministerial-level meetings leading up to a mid-year three-day summit with the heads of state, as well as ensures the safety of the participants.
The ministerial meetings bring together ministers in topics such as health, law enforcement, and labor, to discuss issues of mutual or global concern. The best known of these is the G-7, which now refers specifically to the annual meeting of the financial ministers of the G-8 minus Russia, as well as officials from the European Community. However, there also is a briefer "G8+5" meeting for the finance ministers of the full G-8, as well as China, Mexico, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
Under the auspices of G7 a special programme for the implementation of the Information Society was established in 1994.
In June 2005 the G8 agreed to launch an international database on pedophiles, expected to be set up by the end of the year. Other countries may join later. The G8 also agreed to pool data on terrorism, subject to the restrictions of the various countries' privacy and security laws.
In June 2005 the national science academies of the G8 nations - and Brazil, China and India, three of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the developing world, signed a statement on the global response to climate change. The statement stresses that the scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action, and explicitly endorsed the IPCC consensus.
Since the agenda of G8 is usually about controversial global issues, critics often refer to the G8 as an unofficial "world government." The annual summits are often the focus of anti-globalization movement protests, notably at the 27th G8 summit in Genoa in 2001.
Critics assert that members of G8 are responsible for global issues such as global warming due to carbon dioxide emission, poverty in Africa and developing countries due to debt crisis and unfair trading policy, the AIDS problem due to strict medicine patent policy and other problems that are related to globalization.
Pressure has also been put on G8 leaders to take responsibility to combat problems they are accused of creating. Bob Geldof organized Live 8, global awareness concerts on July 2 and July 6 in 2005, to encourage G8 leaders to "Make Poverty History." Organizers have also proposed that G8 member nations adjust their national budgets to allow for .7% to go towards foreign aid as outlined in Agenda 21 of the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. The concerts were timed to coincide with the 31st G8 summit.
Jee [Yet]!!!!!
Well we call it G8.
What is it????
Let us see…
The Group of Eight (G8) is a grouping of eight of the world's leading industrialized, democratic nations: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, (the G6, 1975), Canada (the G7, 1976), and Russia (not participating in all events). The hallmark of the G8 is an annual economic and political summit (G8 Summit) of the heads of government with international officials, though there are numerous subsidiary meetings and policy research. [Blah blah blah!!!!!]
The G-8 has its roots in the 1973 oil crisis and subsequent global recession. These troubles led the United States of America to form the Library Group, a gathering of senior financial officials from the United States, Europe, and Japan, to discuss the economic issues.
In 1975 French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing invited the heads of state of six major industrialized democracies to a summit in Rambouillet and proposed regular meetings. The participants agreed to an annual meeting organized under a rotating presidency, forming what was dubbed the Group of Six (G6) consisting of France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. At the following year's summit on Puerto Rico, it became the Group of Seven (G7), when Canada joined at the behest of U.S. President Gerald Ford.
The G8 is not supported by a transnational administration, unlike institutions such as the United Nations or World Bank. The presidency of the Group rotates among the member states annually, with the new president assuming responsibility on 1 January. The country holding the presidency hosts a series of ministerial-level meetings leading up to a mid-year three-day summit with the heads of state, as well as ensures the safety of the participants.
The ministerial meetings bring together ministers in topics such as health, law enforcement, and labor, to discuss issues of mutual or global concern. The best known of these is the G-7, which now refers specifically to the annual meeting of the financial ministers of the G-8 minus Russia, as well as officials from the European Community. However, there also is a briefer "G8+5" meeting for the finance ministers of the full G-8, as well as China, Mexico, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
Under the auspices of G7 a special programme for the implementation of the Information Society was established in 1994.
In June 2005 the G8 agreed to launch an international database on pedophiles, expected to be set up by the end of the year. Other countries may join later. The G8 also agreed to pool data on terrorism, subject to the restrictions of the various countries' privacy and security laws.
In June 2005 the national science academies of the G8 nations - and Brazil, China and India, three of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the developing world, signed a statement on the global response to climate change. The statement stresses that the scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action, and explicitly endorsed the IPCC consensus.
Since the agenda of G8 is usually about controversial global issues, critics often refer to the G8 as an unofficial "world government." The annual summits are often the focus of anti-globalization movement protests, notably at the 27th G8 summit in Genoa in 2001.
Critics assert that members of G8 are responsible for global issues such as global warming due to carbon dioxide emission, poverty in Africa and developing countries due to debt crisis and unfair trading policy, the AIDS problem due to strict medicine patent policy and other problems that are related to globalization.
Pressure has also been put on G8 leaders to take responsibility to combat problems they are accused of creating. Bob Geldof organized Live 8, global awareness concerts on July 2 and July 6 in 2005, to encourage G8 leaders to "Make Poverty History." Organizers have also proposed that G8 member nations adjust their national budgets to allow for .7% to go towards foreign aid as outlined in Agenda 21 of the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. The concerts were timed to coincide with the 31st G8 summit.
Do I have to tell.....You know what it is!
I write these words,
with total dedication,
they are my own.
Truth is all I can say,
even when dying.
I don’t want to die,
never want to miss you.
Every college day,
is a happy day.
Because you will be there(in college).
There are some sad days,
because sometimes you don't come to college.
My life without you is like,
diwali without firescrackers.
Life without is incomplete,
like a rose plant without any roses.
like dark cloudy monsoons days without rains.
Being with you makes me feel,
I am the most happiest and luckiest man in this universe.
I miss you,
every moment we are far.
I console my heart,
better days are not far.
I love you,
I miss you,
You mean everything to me.
To keep you happy,
I can do anything.
Never let a tear,
form in your eyes.
Even if these mountains,
crumble to the sea.
My love for you,
will never crumble.
You add meaning to my life.
You are the reason,
I am happy to be alive.
Before I met you,
I was breathing,
Now I am living.
Before I met you,
I was floating,
Now I am living.
Looking forward for a loving relationship,
with you.
A ship where you would live happily.
A ship which will never sink.
A ship which won't see any tears.
Before I met you,
I slept everyday,
I woke up everyday.
After I met you,
I sleep joyfully,
I wake up joyfully.
You always feature in my future plans and decisions.
When I am idle,
its you whom I see.
When I try to sing,
its a song about...
who else?....
YOU!
I want to thank god,
in any way I can.
For sending such a gem of a person in my life.
I will always be grateful to god,
for making me the most fortunate man in this universe,
who is deeply in love,
with this absolutely awesome woman.
Uhhhh... who ..is...the....woman...??..its....YOU!
Smoke rises from fire,
gets dispersed in air.
Not my love for you.
Sugar gets dissolved in water,
not my love for you.
My vocabulary is full of words,
My pen is full of ink,
This paper is still empty,
My thoughts are full of love,
But I will end up repeating the same thing,
Hey! but I don't mind it.
I can say all these lines again to you,
now and whenever.
Because my love for you is forever.
Leaves will turn brown,
my hair will turn white,
world will change,
my love for you will always be there.
I love you for who you are.
Do I sleep peacefully?
Yes I do, as I see you in my dreams.
Do I think of you while studying?
No I don't
Why?
I study to get good marks.
Why good marks?
To get a good paying job.
Why job?
To earn money.
Why earn money?
To keep you happy.
Because except in movies, love is just not enough to keep us alive, right!
Do I miss you?
Every moment.
How do I manage?
Console my heart, telling we will meet soon.
Have I done anything wrong!
If falling in love is a crime,
I am your criminal!
with total dedication,
they are my own.
Truth is all I can say,
even when dying.
I don’t want to die,
never want to miss you.
Every college day,
is a happy day.
Because you will be there(in college).
There are some sad days,
because sometimes you don't come to college.
My life without you is like,
diwali without firescrackers.
Life without is incomplete,
like a rose plant without any roses.
like dark cloudy monsoons days without rains.
Being with you makes me feel,
I am the most happiest and luckiest man in this universe.
I miss you,
every moment we are far.
I console my heart,
better days are not far.
I love you,
I miss you,
You mean everything to me.
To keep you happy,
I can do anything.
Never let a tear,
form in your eyes.
Even if these mountains,
crumble to the sea.
My love for you,
will never crumble.
You add meaning to my life.
You are the reason,
I am happy to be alive.
Before I met you,
I was breathing,
Now I am living.
Before I met you,
I was floating,
Now I am living.
Looking forward for a loving relationship,
with you.
A ship where you would live happily.
A ship which will never sink.
A ship which won't see any tears.
Before I met you,
I slept everyday,
I woke up everyday.
After I met you,
I sleep joyfully,
I wake up joyfully.
You always feature in my future plans and decisions.
When I am idle,
its you whom I see.
When I try to sing,
its a song about...
who else?....
YOU!
I want to thank god,
in any way I can.
For sending such a gem of a person in my life.
I will always be grateful to god,
for making me the most fortunate man in this universe,
who is deeply in love,
with this absolutely awesome woman.
Uhhhh... who ..is...the....woman...??..its....YOU!
Smoke rises from fire,
gets dispersed in air.
Not my love for you.
Sugar gets dissolved in water,
not my love for you.
My vocabulary is full of words,
My pen is full of ink,
This paper is still empty,
My thoughts are full of love,
But I will end up repeating the same thing,
Hey! but I don't mind it.
I can say all these lines again to you,
now and whenever.
Because my love for you is forever.
Leaves will turn brown,
my hair will turn white,
world will change,
my love for you will always be there.
I love you for who you are.
Do I sleep peacefully?
Yes I do, as I see you in my dreams.
Do I think of you while studying?
No I don't
Why?
I study to get good marks.
Why good marks?
To get a good paying job.
Why job?
To earn money.
Why earn money?
To keep you happy.
Because except in movies, love is just not enough to keep us alive, right!
Do I miss you?
Every moment.
How do I manage?
Console my heart, telling we will meet soon.
Have I done anything wrong!
If falling in love is a crime,
I am your criminal!
London rocked by terror blasts -- Collated by Voices team
At least 33 people were killed in a series of terrorist attacks that ripped through London's transport system this morning, and the final death toll is expected to be higher. The Metropolitan police confirmed the deaths in a coordinated series of attacks on tube trains and a bus that left many more people wounded and plunged the capital into chaos during rush-hour. Brian Paddick of the Metropolitan police said the first blast occurred at 8.51am on a tube train about 100 meters into a tunnel from Liverpool Street station. Seven people died. The second blast, with the highest confirmed death toll so far, came five minutes later on a tube train on the Piccadilly line near King's Cross. Police confirmed 21 fatalities.
At 9.15, a third explosion hit a train in Edgware Road station, blowing a hole through the wall of a second train and possibly affecting a third. That explosion killed five people.
The final blast came half an hour later on a number 30 bus at Tavistock Square, near Russell Square. Mr. Paddick said people had been killed in that attack, but did not confirm how many. Hundreds of wounded people are being treated in London hospitals. Officials shut down the whole of the London Underground system and the Docklands Light Railway, and cancelled all central London bus services as they tried to comprehend the scale of the disaster. The prime minister, Tony Blair, said it was "reasonably clear" that the blasts were the work of terrorists, and added that it was "particularly barbaric" that attacks had been timed to coincide with the start of the G8 summit. He said he would leave Gleneagles, in Scotland, to return to London. With the leaders of the G8 nations lined up behind him, Mr. Blair said: "We condemn utterly these barbaric attacks. "All of our countries have suffered from terrorism ... we are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation but on all nations and on civilized society everywhere," he said. He insisted the G8 leaders would continue their discussions and would not allow the terrorists to halt a summit aimed at helping the world's poorest people. The home secretary, Charles Clarke, confirmed that there had been four blasts: one on a tube train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street, one on a train between Russell Square and King's Cross, one on a train at Edgware Road station, and the last on a bus at Tavistock Square. Earlier reports had spoken of seven attacks amid confusion as incidents were reported by those in stations at both ends of the affected track. The only attack that occurred in full view of the general public was that on the double-decker bus. A bomb ripped the number 30 bus apart at Tavistock Square, near Russell Square, peeling away its sides, blowing off the roof and leaving the few remaining seats exposed. Sir Ian said the bomb had exploded in the back part of the top deck of the bus.
Coordinated attacks across London
The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, said: "We are concerned that this is a coordinated attack."
The police and government did not say who had carried out the attacks. However, BBC Monitoring said it had found a website carrying a brief statement in which an al-Qaida-related organization claimed responsibility for today's blasts.
Heavy casualties
The number of attacks, coupled with their scale and rush-hour timing, meant there were heavy casualties, with the death toll expected to rise and some estimates putting the number of wounded at up to 1,000. This afternoon ambulance sources said at least 40 people had been killed. Earlier, police said two people had been killed in the explosion at Aldgate, and an unknown number had died at Edgware Road. CNN cited an emergency services worker who had carried out several bodies from the King's Cross site and seen at least 13 more.
A policeman at the scene of the bus explosion at Tavistock Square said people had been killed there, and the ambulance service spoke of "a number" of fatalities.
Sir Ian said there had been many casualties, and that the most seriously injured were currently being operated on.
Both Sir Ian and Mr. Clarke urged people to stay at home until further notice, telling them not go into central London. People currently working in the centre of the capital are being advised to stay where they are.
"We are gradually bringing order to the city. Just stay where you are for the time being until the situation clears," he said.
Hospitals deal with horrific injuries
The Royal London hospital said it had treated 208 people, including ten with critical injuries. The Royal Free hospital treated 55 people, and University College hospital treated another 50 people.
St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington near Edgware Road, said later it had received 36 casualties, of whom six are critically injured, 17 seriously injured and 13 have minor injuries. Julian Nettle, of St Mary's hospital, said staff dealing with critical injuries, including the loss of limbs, and serious injuries including head wounds. Others were being treated for more minor injuries including temporary hearing loss, which he said appeared to have been caused by involvement in an explosion.
A woman who works in Tavistock Square said she had seen bodies lying around the bus explosion, some of them without arms or legs. "Get people down here quickly," she sobbed. She thought a bomb had gone off and was trying to evacuate her office.
"We believe there have been a number of fatalities and a number of people who are seriously injured," a policeman at the scene said.
Union officials said sources had told them there had been at least one explosive device on the Underground. British Transport police initially said power surges had caused explosions across the network.
The blasts began just before 9am, as commuters made their way to work.
Emergency services attended to wounded passengers outside Aldgate station, and there were reports of passengers covered in soot emerging from King's Cross. Commuters came out of tunnels covered in blood.
A passenger on the train that exploded at Edgware Road said he had seen several bodies in the wreckage, the Press Association reported.
A Scotland Yard source said the force would be setting up a casualty bureau with a telephone number for people to call if they were worried about loved ones.
Downing Street emergencies committee meets
Mr. Clarke said the public would be kept updated on the situation. He confirmed there had been "terrible injuries" in the explosions across the capital.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street soon after the blasts, he said the Cobra civil emergencies committee of senior ministers had met.
The police had taken "operational command" of the situation, he added.
"Health services are in support to deal with the terrible injuries that there have been, and I want to express sympathy on behalf of the whole government," he said.
'There were loads of people screaming'
Eyewitness Belinda Seabrook said she saw the explosion rip though the double-decker bus as it approached Tavistock Square, between Euston and Russell Square stations.
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang. I turned round and half the double-decker bus was in the air," she said.
Simon Corvett, 26, from Oxford, was on the eastbound train leaving Edgware Road tube station when an explosion happened.
"All of sudden there was this huge bang. It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered. The glass did not actually fall out of the windows, it just cracked. The train came to a grinding halt and everyone fell off their seats," he said.
Mr. Corvett, who works in public relations, said the commuter train was absolutely packed. "There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke.
"You couldn't really breathe and you couldn't see what was happening. The driver came on the Tannoy and said 'We have got a problem, don't panic'," he said.
Mr. Corvett, whose face was covered in soot, joined other passengers to force open the train doors with a fire extinguisher. He said the carriage on the other track was destroyed. "You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted. There were some people in real trouble."
Eyewitnesses reported "multiple casualties" at Liverpool Street. A spokesman for the Airport Express Alliance, which operates the Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express and Stansted Express train services said: "They are operating on injured people on the concourse at Liverpool Street station."
One witness who had been in a train at the time of the explosions reported seeing "bodies everywhere" in the carriages and limbs lying on the floor. Emergency services reported several injuries.
The shutdown of the London Underground system is thought to be unprecedented.
Public told to avoid London
The public were warned to stay clear of London for non-essential journeys. A Network Rail spokesman said southbound services into the capital were terminating at Watford, with no onward bus transfers.
"Some trains are being cancelled and others are getting as far as Watford," he said. "The message we are trying to get across to passengers is don't travel if you don't have to."
Mr. Clarke said the Tube network would remain closed for some time, and certainly for the rest of the day.
News of the explosions caused the FTSE 100 index of leading shares to plunge by more than 200 points.
At 9.15, a third explosion hit a train in Edgware Road station, blowing a hole through the wall of a second train and possibly affecting a third. That explosion killed five people.
The final blast came half an hour later on a number 30 bus at Tavistock Square, near Russell Square. Mr. Paddick said people had been killed in that attack, but did not confirm how many. Hundreds of wounded people are being treated in London hospitals. Officials shut down the whole of the London Underground system and the Docklands Light Railway, and cancelled all central London bus services as they tried to comprehend the scale of the disaster. The prime minister, Tony Blair, said it was "reasonably clear" that the blasts were the work of terrorists, and added that it was "particularly barbaric" that attacks had been timed to coincide with the start of the G8 summit. He said he would leave Gleneagles, in Scotland, to return to London. With the leaders of the G8 nations lined up behind him, Mr. Blair said: "We condemn utterly these barbaric attacks. "All of our countries have suffered from terrorism ... we are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation but on all nations and on civilized society everywhere," he said. He insisted the G8 leaders would continue their discussions and would not allow the terrorists to halt a summit aimed at helping the world's poorest people. The home secretary, Charles Clarke, confirmed that there had been four blasts: one on a tube train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street, one on a train between Russell Square and King's Cross, one on a train at Edgware Road station, and the last on a bus at Tavistock Square. Earlier reports had spoken of seven attacks amid confusion as incidents were reported by those in stations at both ends of the affected track. The only attack that occurred in full view of the general public was that on the double-decker bus. A bomb ripped the number 30 bus apart at Tavistock Square, near Russell Square, peeling away its sides, blowing off the roof and leaving the few remaining seats exposed. Sir Ian said the bomb had exploded in the back part of the top deck of the bus.
Coordinated attacks across London
The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, said: "We are concerned that this is a coordinated attack."
The police and government did not say who had carried out the attacks. However, BBC Monitoring said it had found a website carrying a brief statement in which an al-Qaida-related organization claimed responsibility for today's blasts.
Heavy casualties
The number of attacks, coupled with their scale and rush-hour timing, meant there were heavy casualties, with the death toll expected to rise and some estimates putting the number of wounded at up to 1,000. This afternoon ambulance sources said at least 40 people had been killed. Earlier, police said two people had been killed in the explosion at Aldgate, and an unknown number had died at Edgware Road. CNN cited an emergency services worker who had carried out several bodies from the King's Cross site and seen at least 13 more.
A policeman at the scene of the bus explosion at Tavistock Square said people had been killed there, and the ambulance service spoke of "a number" of fatalities.
Sir Ian said there had been many casualties, and that the most seriously injured were currently being operated on.
Both Sir Ian and Mr. Clarke urged people to stay at home until further notice, telling them not go into central London. People currently working in the centre of the capital are being advised to stay where they are.
"We are gradually bringing order to the city. Just stay where you are for the time being until the situation clears," he said.
Hospitals deal with horrific injuries
The Royal London hospital said it had treated 208 people, including ten with critical injuries. The Royal Free hospital treated 55 people, and University College hospital treated another 50 people.
St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington near Edgware Road, said later it had received 36 casualties, of whom six are critically injured, 17 seriously injured and 13 have minor injuries. Julian Nettle, of St Mary's hospital, said staff dealing with critical injuries, including the loss of limbs, and serious injuries including head wounds. Others were being treated for more minor injuries including temporary hearing loss, which he said appeared to have been caused by involvement in an explosion.
A woman who works in Tavistock Square said she had seen bodies lying around the bus explosion, some of them without arms or legs. "Get people down here quickly," she sobbed. She thought a bomb had gone off and was trying to evacuate her office.
"We believe there have been a number of fatalities and a number of people who are seriously injured," a policeman at the scene said.
Union officials said sources had told them there had been at least one explosive device on the Underground. British Transport police initially said power surges had caused explosions across the network.
The blasts began just before 9am, as commuters made their way to work.
Emergency services attended to wounded passengers outside Aldgate station, and there were reports of passengers covered in soot emerging from King's Cross. Commuters came out of tunnels covered in blood.
A passenger on the train that exploded at Edgware Road said he had seen several bodies in the wreckage, the Press Association reported.
A Scotland Yard source said the force would be setting up a casualty bureau with a telephone number for people to call if they were worried about loved ones.
Downing Street emergencies committee meets
Mr. Clarke said the public would be kept updated on the situation. He confirmed there had been "terrible injuries" in the explosions across the capital.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street soon after the blasts, he said the Cobra civil emergencies committee of senior ministers had met.
The police had taken "operational command" of the situation, he added.
"Health services are in support to deal with the terrible injuries that there have been, and I want to express sympathy on behalf of the whole government," he said.
'There were loads of people screaming'
Eyewitness Belinda Seabrook said she saw the explosion rip though the double-decker bus as it approached Tavistock Square, between Euston and Russell Square stations.
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang. I turned round and half the double-decker bus was in the air," she said.
Simon Corvett, 26, from Oxford, was on the eastbound train leaving Edgware Road tube station when an explosion happened.
"All of sudden there was this huge bang. It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered. The glass did not actually fall out of the windows, it just cracked. The train came to a grinding halt and everyone fell off their seats," he said.
Mr. Corvett, who works in public relations, said the commuter train was absolutely packed. "There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke.
"You couldn't really breathe and you couldn't see what was happening. The driver came on the Tannoy and said 'We have got a problem, don't panic'," he said.
Mr. Corvett, whose face was covered in soot, joined other passengers to force open the train doors with a fire extinguisher. He said the carriage on the other track was destroyed. "You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted. There were some people in real trouble."
Eyewitnesses reported "multiple casualties" at Liverpool Street. A spokesman for the Airport Express Alliance, which operates the Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express and Stansted Express train services said: "They are operating on injured people on the concourse at Liverpool Street station."
One witness who had been in a train at the time of the explosions reported seeing "bodies everywhere" in the carriages and limbs lying on the floor. Emergency services reported several injuries.
The shutdown of the London Underground system is thought to be unprecedented.
Public told to avoid London
The public were warned to stay clear of London for non-essential journeys. A Network Rail spokesman said southbound services into the capital were terminating at Watford, with no onward bus transfers.
"Some trains are being cancelled and others are getting as far as Watford," he said. "The message we are trying to get across to passengers is don't travel if you don't have to."
Mr. Clarke said the Tube network would remain closed for some time, and certainly for the rest of the day.
News of the explosions caused the FTSE 100 index of leading shares to plunge by more than 200 points.
It’s Da VC’s code -- By Sanket ‘decoder’ Kambli
It’s not a typological error. Get ready to be disappointed as I am not dealing with the Da Vinci book.
The VC of our university had declared that a dress code for students should be instituted from the new academic session. But soon he backtracked, blaming the media of manipulating his words.
Read the wholesale remarks that I have collected.
Khole had said that ‘modest’ attire would reduce sexual harassment and prevent rapes. His statement was a reaction to the recent rape of a student on Marine Drive and came in the wake of protests against Virendra Kumar, vice-principal of Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College, who suggested that Northeast students should wear salwar-kameez to prevent rape. Kumar also later claimed the media had misquoted him.
PP Kulkarni, vice-principal of Ruparel College feels instilling equality as the reason for this remark by the VC. He argues, “At Ruparel, the students are middle class and don’t wear designer dresses.”
Others, like lawyer and activist Flavia Agnes, read Khole differently. “It’s a resurrection of the ‘good woman’, ‘bad woman’ theme. A ‘good woman’ deserves respect, while a ‘bad woman’ doesn’t,” says Agnes.
“Instead of teaching men not to harass women these diktats tell them that some women can be raped.”
Curbing self-expression by hardening control isn’t an uncommon theme in Indian universities. Many colleges like to keep their students on a tight leash as they were in school, particularly during their first year. Several city colleges do have guidelines for attire, but none call for ‘modest’ or more specifically Indian clothing. St Xavier’s College requests students to abstain from short skirts and sleeveless dresses; RD National College doesn’t, because its Principal S. Anand believes “a dress code undermines a person’s self-respect. We don’t allow clothes that are revealing as they can attract unwarranted attention on the campus.”
Most harmful is the extent to which such pronouncements absolve the rapist from his crime. Last year, after a rape on its campus, Pune’s Symbiosis group of institutes advocated a dress code for the same reason, allegedly to protect its women students. According to Nandita Shah of NGO Akshara, “Such statements discount the responsibility of the rapist, making the victim complicit in the crime. It even happens in courts, to make believe that particular clothing serves as enticement, which is completely untrue.”
While Mumbai University may not have a dress code after all, psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty says students must be ‘inspired’ to dress appropriately for the appropriate occasion. “Where education stops the law starts,” says Shetty. “Students shouldn’t be ordered, but they should be part of a dialogue, in which they learn that clothing must reflect the culture of the place they are in,” he adds.
These dress code plans have angered some principals and university members who said that dressing down of students can be left to parents and colleges should focus on academics and careers of students.
Senate member Tushar Jagtap said, "The Maharashtra Universities Act does not empower the university to tell colleges what students should wear in campuses." Though Khole plans to meet college principals next month, the issue of dress code is not on the agenda.
Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr AD Sawant said, "The VC had expressed his desire that students should wear decent clothes in college. It is not a prescribed dress code. The kind of restriction is left for colleges to decide."
A group of students belonging to Chatra Bharati Student's Organisation took out a morcha to Khole'e residence in Kalina campus on Thursday night to protest against the VC's dressing down of students. Khole's residence had to be turned into a fortress with cops guarding the bungalow.
A number of city colleges already have dress codes imposed on students. A few years back St Xavier’s had disallowed students from wearing short skirts, shorts, capris, spaghetti tops and red color clothes. Students had protested against then Principal Joe Dias who imposed the dressing rules.
St Andrews College also disallows boys and girls from wearing capris, shorts and tight fitting tops in campuses. Even caps, goggles and mobile phones are banned.
Authorities at St Andrew’s College say that certain rules regarding clothes have been followed in the college for a decade now and they have set stricter standards today. Principal AD Masceranhas says, “We don’t allow three-fourths, caps and suggestive prints on T-shirts.”
The college authorities say parents of the students who are found wearing ‘objectionable’ clothes are summoned to the college. Says Anand, “We talk to parents and make them understand that certain things may create problems in the college.
In colleges like St Andrew’s students can be expelled for committing the mistake of wearing ‘objectionable’ clothes thrice. Principal says that no such incidence has taken place. Dr Zaidi of Rizvi College says, “We call parents and ask them to give us in writing that such incidents will not be repeated. None of the parents have taken objection to it.”
MMK College too has a dress code and revealing clothes are a strict no-no. Dr Bhutani Chandra, principal of MMK College, says, “We implemented this dress code two years ago. We had come across 20-30 cases of objectionable dressing last year. But we don’t punish the students. Instead we counsel them.”
"Referring to the Marine Drive incident and asking students to dress up well was in bad taste. University cannot impose a dress code on students, it can only recommend to colleges, that have a final say," said a management council member.
St Andrews principal AD Mascarenhas said, "When we implemented the dress code 10 years ago we were criticized and ridiculed. We have been quite successful. The idea is to have a decent and dignified atmosphere in the college.''
The VC of our university had declared that a dress code for students should be instituted from the new academic session. But soon he backtracked, blaming the media of manipulating his words.
Read the wholesale remarks that I have collected.
Khole had said that ‘modest’ attire would reduce sexual harassment and prevent rapes. His statement was a reaction to the recent rape of a student on Marine Drive and came in the wake of protests against Virendra Kumar, vice-principal of Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College, who suggested that Northeast students should wear salwar-kameez to prevent rape. Kumar also later claimed the media had misquoted him.
PP Kulkarni, vice-principal of Ruparel College feels instilling equality as the reason for this remark by the VC. He argues, “At Ruparel, the students are middle class and don’t wear designer dresses.”
Others, like lawyer and activist Flavia Agnes, read Khole differently. “It’s a resurrection of the ‘good woman’, ‘bad woman’ theme. A ‘good woman’ deserves respect, while a ‘bad woman’ doesn’t,” says Agnes.
“Instead of teaching men not to harass women these diktats tell them that some women can be raped.”
Curbing self-expression by hardening control isn’t an uncommon theme in Indian universities. Many colleges like to keep their students on a tight leash as they were in school, particularly during their first year. Several city colleges do have guidelines for attire, but none call for ‘modest’ or more specifically Indian clothing. St Xavier’s College requests students to abstain from short skirts and sleeveless dresses; RD National College doesn’t, because its Principal S. Anand believes “a dress code undermines a person’s self-respect. We don’t allow clothes that are revealing as they can attract unwarranted attention on the campus.”
Most harmful is the extent to which such pronouncements absolve the rapist from his crime. Last year, after a rape on its campus, Pune’s Symbiosis group of institutes advocated a dress code for the same reason, allegedly to protect its women students. According to Nandita Shah of NGO Akshara, “Such statements discount the responsibility of the rapist, making the victim complicit in the crime. It even happens in courts, to make believe that particular clothing serves as enticement, which is completely untrue.”
While Mumbai University may not have a dress code after all, psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty says students must be ‘inspired’ to dress appropriately for the appropriate occasion. “Where education stops the law starts,” says Shetty. “Students shouldn’t be ordered, but they should be part of a dialogue, in which they learn that clothing must reflect the culture of the place they are in,” he adds.
These dress code plans have angered some principals and university members who said that dressing down of students can be left to parents and colleges should focus on academics and careers of students.
Senate member Tushar Jagtap said, "The Maharashtra Universities Act does not empower the university to tell colleges what students should wear in campuses." Though Khole plans to meet college principals next month, the issue of dress code is not on the agenda.
Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr AD Sawant said, "The VC had expressed his desire that students should wear decent clothes in college. It is not a prescribed dress code. The kind of restriction is left for colleges to decide."
A group of students belonging to Chatra Bharati Student's Organisation took out a morcha to Khole'e residence in Kalina campus on Thursday night to protest against the VC's dressing down of students. Khole's residence had to be turned into a fortress with cops guarding the bungalow.
A number of city colleges already have dress codes imposed on students. A few years back St Xavier’s had disallowed students from wearing short skirts, shorts, capris, spaghetti tops and red color clothes. Students had protested against then Principal Joe Dias who imposed the dressing rules.
St Andrews College also disallows boys and girls from wearing capris, shorts and tight fitting tops in campuses. Even caps, goggles and mobile phones are banned.
Authorities at St Andrew’s College say that certain rules regarding clothes have been followed in the college for a decade now and they have set stricter standards today. Principal AD Masceranhas says, “We don’t allow three-fourths, caps and suggestive prints on T-shirts.”
The college authorities say parents of the students who are found wearing ‘objectionable’ clothes are summoned to the college. Says Anand, “We talk to parents and make them understand that certain things may create problems in the college.
In colleges like St Andrew’s students can be expelled for committing the mistake of wearing ‘objectionable’ clothes thrice. Principal says that no such incidence has taken place. Dr Zaidi of Rizvi College says, “We call parents and ask them to give us in writing that such incidents will not be repeated. None of the parents have taken objection to it.”
MMK College too has a dress code and revealing clothes are a strict no-no. Dr Bhutani Chandra, principal of MMK College, says, “We implemented this dress code two years ago. We had come across 20-30 cases of objectionable dressing last year. But we don’t punish the students. Instead we counsel them.”
"Referring to the Marine Drive incident and asking students to dress up well was in bad taste. University cannot impose a dress code on students, it can only recommend to colleges, that have a final say," said a management council member.
St Andrews principal AD Mascarenhas said, "When we implemented the dress code 10 years ago we were criticized and ridiculed. We have been quite successful. The idea is to have a decent and dignified atmosphere in the college.''
Gujarat Flood Update -- Collated by Sanket Kambli
The water level was receding in most areas even as 18 districts in Gujarat continued to witness heavy rainfall, where the death toll in floods has risen to 135. The Central Disaster Management Secretary, who reviewed the flood situation and relief and rescue operations in Gujarat at a meeting of high-level inter-ministerial committee, held that Kheda Anand, Nadiad and pockets of Ahmedabad rural and Vadodara districts remained the worst hit.
According to the officials, rail transport had been revived on the Delhi- Mumbai route. Railway personnel were working round the clock to restore tracks and regular traffic.
Traffic on Express Highway had started in a limited way last evening.
National Highway No. 6 and 8 had become operational for select vehicles while the National Highway 59 would be made operational for vehicular movement by this evening, officials said.
Nine Army columns had been deployed for rescue and relief works involving 700 personnel and 80 boats. Seven hundred forty CRPF personnel were deployed in Nadiad, Kheda Anand and Ahmedabad rural.
Eight Air Force helicopters were operating from Ahmedabad and Vadodara carrying relief supplies to the people, official’s said. Indian military helicopters dropped food packets on Monday to thousands of people stranded in vast lakes of water following floods and monsoon rains. Army and civil medical teams in motorboats and rubber dinghies struggled to deliver aid to far-flung villages in Gujarat where torrential rains have left 400,000 people homeless. "I've lost my husband; my house has been swept away. I am living on the road and waiting for the government to help," said Phagun Chavda, a 45-year-old woman camping by a state highway.
As the rains ebbed on Monday, hundreds were still living in relief shelters or camping on highways, causing traffic to snarl and delaying aid from reaching India's second-most industrialized state, where rains have ground life to a virtually halt. Authorities plucked out animal carcasses floating in water as fear of disease grew. Rail services and telecommunications have been disrupted for days. The air force evacuated more than 40 people late on Sunday from a village in Kheda district where 2,500 houses were washed away by floods. Kheda is about 65 km south of the state's main city of Ahmedabad. Troops have also rescued dozens of people stranded on rooftops and trees surrounded by brownish flood waters in the past two days. "The challenge is to reach marooned villages in south Gujarat. We have not been able to enter these villages as they are completely submerged in water," said a senior army official. Residents complained about a slow response from authorities. "We have received food packets but the state government has been unable to provide any shelter," said Eshwar Chauhan, a leader of Suda village, who has converted motorized rickshaws into tents for villagers. "It is tough for our children to survive in this weather." Fifteen people died as two vehicles fell into overflowing drains late on Sunday in Madhya Pradesh, which has been battered by heavy rains over the past three days, flood control officials said. District officials are on high alert in parts of the state where many rivers are flowing close to the danger mark, but there have been no reports of damage. Congress party president Sonia Gandhi visited flood-stricken parts of Gujarat on Monday and promised to provide relief. "People are complaining about not receiving cash doles. I have asked the state government to look into the matter and provide aid to needy people," Gandhi told reporters. As the state -- one of the richest in India -- struggled to cope with the flooding, businessmen said industrial production in many areas had slowed to a standstill. Mahendra Sanghi, president of the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry, estimated losses from the floods at about 100 billion rupees ($2.3 billion). India's monsoon season, which runs from June to September, causes flooding every year, killing hundreds of people.
According to the officials, rail transport had been revived on the Delhi- Mumbai route. Railway personnel were working round the clock to restore tracks and regular traffic.
Traffic on Express Highway had started in a limited way last evening.
National Highway No. 6 and 8 had become operational for select vehicles while the National Highway 59 would be made operational for vehicular movement by this evening, officials said.
Nine Army columns had been deployed for rescue and relief works involving 700 personnel and 80 boats. Seven hundred forty CRPF personnel were deployed in Nadiad, Kheda Anand and Ahmedabad rural.
Eight Air Force helicopters were operating from Ahmedabad and Vadodara carrying relief supplies to the people, official’s said. Indian military helicopters dropped food packets on Monday to thousands of people stranded in vast lakes of water following floods and monsoon rains. Army and civil medical teams in motorboats and rubber dinghies struggled to deliver aid to far-flung villages in Gujarat where torrential rains have left 400,000 people homeless. "I've lost my husband; my house has been swept away. I am living on the road and waiting for the government to help," said Phagun Chavda, a 45-year-old woman camping by a state highway.
As the rains ebbed on Monday, hundreds were still living in relief shelters or camping on highways, causing traffic to snarl and delaying aid from reaching India's second-most industrialized state, where rains have ground life to a virtually halt. Authorities plucked out animal carcasses floating in water as fear of disease grew. Rail services and telecommunications have been disrupted for days. The air force evacuated more than 40 people late on Sunday from a village in Kheda district where 2,500 houses were washed away by floods. Kheda is about 65 km south of the state's main city of Ahmedabad. Troops have also rescued dozens of people stranded on rooftops and trees surrounded by brownish flood waters in the past two days. "The challenge is to reach marooned villages in south Gujarat. We have not been able to enter these villages as they are completely submerged in water," said a senior army official. Residents complained about a slow response from authorities. "We have received food packets but the state government has been unable to provide any shelter," said Eshwar Chauhan, a leader of Suda village, who has converted motorized rickshaws into tents for villagers. "It is tough for our children to survive in this weather." Fifteen people died as two vehicles fell into overflowing drains late on Sunday in Madhya Pradesh, which has been battered by heavy rains over the past three days, flood control officials said. District officials are on high alert in parts of the state where many rivers are flowing close to the danger mark, but there have been no reports of damage. Congress party president Sonia Gandhi visited flood-stricken parts of Gujarat on Monday and promised to provide relief. "People are complaining about not receiving cash doles. I have asked the state government to look into the matter and provide aid to needy people," Gandhi told reporters. As the state -- one of the richest in India -- struggled to cope with the flooding, businessmen said industrial production in many areas had slowed to a standstill. Mahendra Sanghi, president of the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry, estimated losses from the floods at about 100 billion rupees ($2.3 billion). India's monsoon season, which runs from June to September, causes flooding every year, killing hundreds of people.
Potter mania -- By Sanket ‘the puttar no potter’ Kambli
In many homes across India (not to forget other countries) domestic peace will be severely challenged when siblings fight over the book. In many homes, adults would also join in the fight. For, as the previous Harry Potter books have proved, their magic is not confined to just young readers.
Titled "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the book will be shorter than the last 38-chapter whopper and will hit shelves on both sides of the Atlantic on July 16.
According to Amazon.co.uk, it has received more than 200,000 orders for the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
The retailer reports that both the adult and children's versions of the new book sit at number one and number two in its book sales chart, respectively. It has received pre-orders from fans living as far as Slovakia and Norway, as well as from British Forces around the world.
Amazon says it has seen a 17 per cent increase in pre-orders for the adult version of the sixth Harry Potter book compared to sales of the adult version of the fifth Harry Potter tale - Order of the Phoenix - over the same period of time.
Rakhi Parekh, Amazon.co.uk group product manager, said: “Amazon.co.uk customers are clearly incredibly excited about the sixth Harry Potter book and we are delighted that they've pre-ordered more than 200,000 copies through our website”.
For fans who have been waiting eagerly since the last release (it's been 549 days since the last installment), the announcement is certainly a Christmas treat, but it's not such a shabby gift for online retailers, either.
Barnes & Noble's Web site also has the book listed as its top-seller, nearly seven months before release. Amazon said it sold more than 1.3 million pre-release titles of the last book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," setting a record for early orders and accounting for more than $23 million in sales--even at a 40 percent off discount.
For those who truly can't wait until July to feed their Potter mania, there are dozens of fan sites, such as MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron. There's also the "Unofficial Half-Blood Prince Update," a regularly updated e-book available from Amazon for $11.94, which serves as a one-stop guide to all the real information, fan speculation and mysteries surrounding the identity of the mysterious half-royal in the book's title. For those less manic, a quick trip through Rowling's own site has a few nuggets, such as information on characters expunged from previous books and efforts to dispel rumors that serve as tantalizing new hints on their own.
"This is where I can tell you the truth about rumors or news stories, where I can share the extra information I haven't put in the books, where I can give you hints and clues about what's going to happen to Harry next, and where I can announce I've finished book seven," Rowling writes in her welcome. "And no, that's not going to happen very soon."
"I have a great feeling of release in being able to talk freely about the fact that the book is finished; it has been a weighty secret to carry around, as you can imagine," Rowling wrote on her site. "But finally sharing it with you was wonderful--much more fun than wrapping presents and tidying the house before the family arrives, which is what I am supposed to be doing at the moment."
Titled "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the book will be shorter than the last 38-chapter whopper and will hit shelves on both sides of the Atlantic on July 16.
According to Amazon.co.uk, it has received more than 200,000 orders for the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
The retailer reports that both the adult and children's versions of the new book sit at number one and number two in its book sales chart, respectively. It has received pre-orders from fans living as far as Slovakia and Norway, as well as from British Forces around the world.
Amazon says it has seen a 17 per cent increase in pre-orders for the adult version of the sixth Harry Potter book compared to sales of the adult version of the fifth Harry Potter tale - Order of the Phoenix - over the same period of time.
Rakhi Parekh, Amazon.co.uk group product manager, said: “Amazon.co.uk customers are clearly incredibly excited about the sixth Harry Potter book and we are delighted that they've pre-ordered more than 200,000 copies through our website”.
For fans who have been waiting eagerly since the last release (it's been 549 days since the last installment), the announcement is certainly a Christmas treat, but it's not such a shabby gift for online retailers, either.
Barnes & Noble's Web site also has the book listed as its top-seller, nearly seven months before release. Amazon said it sold more than 1.3 million pre-release titles of the last book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," setting a record for early orders and accounting for more than $23 million in sales--even at a 40 percent off discount.
For those who truly can't wait until July to feed their Potter mania, there are dozens of fan sites, such as MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron. There's also the "Unofficial Half-Blood Prince Update," a regularly updated e-book available from Amazon for $11.94, which serves as a one-stop guide to all the real information, fan speculation and mysteries surrounding the identity of the mysterious half-royal in the book's title. For those less manic, a quick trip through Rowling's own site has a few nuggets, such as information on characters expunged from previous books and efforts to dispel rumors that serve as tantalizing new hints on their own.
"This is where I can tell you the truth about rumors or news stories, where I can share the extra information I haven't put in the books, where I can give you hints and clues about what's going to happen to Harry next, and where I can announce I've finished book seven," Rowling writes in her welcome. "And no, that's not going to happen very soon."
"I have a great feeling of release in being able to talk freely about the fact that the book is finished; it has been a weighty secret to carry around, as you can imagine," Rowling wrote on her site. "But finally sharing it with you was wonderful--much more fun than wrapping presents and tidying the house before the family arrives, which is what I am supposed to be doing at the moment."
The Race -- Compiled by Sanket 'tour guide' Kambli
It originated in 1903.
It is the world's biggest race.
Come on! You know it.
The Tour de France (de stands for of)
It is interesting to know that this race originated because of a feud between two French sports newspapers.
Le Velo was the original publication.
Its competitor, L'Auto-velo, was founded by a former advertiser, who had become unhappy with some of Le Velo's editorial policies.
In January of 1903, Le Velo won a trademark suit against its competitor, and L'Auto-velo was forced to become simply L'Auto.
Fearing that name change would kill the newspaper, L'Auto Editor Henri Desgrange decided that a major race would create publicity and circulation.
His cycling reporter, Georges Lefevre suggested a six-day race over roads and through towns rather than on a track.
On Jan. 19, 1903, L'Auto announced "the greatest cycling trial in the entire world. A race more than a month long: Paris to Lyon to Marseille to Toulouse to Bordeaux to Nantes to Paris."
With a 20-franc entrance fee, response was poor. Only 15 riders had signed up by a week before the scheduled May 31 start. Desgrange postponed the race to July 1, announced that the first 50 riders were given 5 francs a day for expenses, and increased the prize money to 20,000 francs.
That did it. Within a short time, 60 cyclists had signed. Even though the race had to be postponed once more, to July 19, for logistical reasons, it was an enormous success. When winner Maurice Garin entered Paris, a crowd of 20,000 paying spectators greeted him. And a special edition of L'Auto sold 130,000 copies, 100,000 more than the newspaper's circulation had been six months earlier. The basic idea of a race through the country, broken into stages and based on cumulative time, has remained intact throughout the history of the Tour de France. But Desgrange felt that interest could be sustained only if the course changed from year to year.
In 1910, he added a stage through the Pyrenees Mountains and the course went through the Alps the following year. Partway through the 1919 race, it occurred to Desgrange that the race leader ought to wear something distinctive, since spectators along the route often had no idea who was winning. He decided on a yellow jersey, mainly because L'Auto was printed on yellow paper, so the famous maillot jaune was born. The original race, in 1903, had six stages covering 2,388 kilometers (about 1,400 miles). The Tour de France grew to as many as 24 stages and 5,564 kilometers, but in recent years the distance has ranged from about 3,500 to about 4,000 kilometers. The 2001 race included 20 stages and two rest days. There were ten flat stages, three medium mountain stages, four high mountain stages, two individual time trials, and one team time trial. Entry to the race is by invitation only. Race organizers invite about 20 teams, each with nine cyclists, to compete. Total prize money is 16 million francs, equivalent to approximately $2.1 million.
It is the world's biggest race.
Come on! You know it.
The Tour de France (de stands for of)
It is interesting to know that this race originated because of a feud between two French sports newspapers.
Le Velo was the original publication.
Its competitor, L'Auto-velo, was founded by a former advertiser, who had become unhappy with some of Le Velo's editorial policies.
In January of 1903, Le Velo won a trademark suit against its competitor, and L'Auto-velo was forced to become simply L'Auto.
Fearing that name change would kill the newspaper, L'Auto Editor Henri Desgrange decided that a major race would create publicity and circulation.
His cycling reporter, Georges Lefevre suggested a six-day race over roads and through towns rather than on a track.
On Jan. 19, 1903, L'Auto announced "the greatest cycling trial in the entire world. A race more than a month long: Paris to Lyon to Marseille to Toulouse to Bordeaux to Nantes to Paris."
With a 20-franc entrance fee, response was poor. Only 15 riders had signed up by a week before the scheduled May 31 start. Desgrange postponed the race to July 1, announced that the first 50 riders were given 5 francs a day for expenses, and increased the prize money to 20,000 francs.
That did it. Within a short time, 60 cyclists had signed. Even though the race had to be postponed once more, to July 19, for logistical reasons, it was an enormous success. When winner Maurice Garin entered Paris, a crowd of 20,000 paying spectators greeted him. And a special edition of L'Auto sold 130,000 copies, 100,000 more than the newspaper's circulation had been six months earlier. The basic idea of a race through the country, broken into stages and based on cumulative time, has remained intact throughout the history of the Tour de France. But Desgrange felt that interest could be sustained only if the course changed from year to year.
In 1910, he added a stage through the Pyrenees Mountains and the course went through the Alps the following year. Partway through the 1919 race, it occurred to Desgrange that the race leader ought to wear something distinctive, since spectators along the route often had no idea who was winning. He decided on a yellow jersey, mainly because L'Auto was printed on yellow paper, so the famous maillot jaune was born. The original race, in 1903, had six stages covering 2,388 kilometers (about 1,400 miles). The Tour de France grew to as many as 24 stages and 5,564 kilometers, but in recent years the distance has ranged from about 3,500 to about 4,000 kilometers. The 2001 race included 20 stages and two rest days. There were ten flat stages, three medium mountain stages, four high mountain stages, two individual time trials, and one team time trial. Entry to the race is by invitation only. Race organizers invite about 20 teams, each with nine cyclists, to compete. Total prize money is 16 million francs, equivalent to approximately $2.1 million.
Youth updates -- By Sanket ‘old enough to be a youth’ Kambli
Just Read It (JRI)
After working in the tsunami-affected areas, Bollywood heartthrob Vivek Oberoi is all set to become the youth Ambassador for India at the World Youth Peace Summit in Jordan in September.
Oberoi would be leading a large delegation of Indian youth to the World Youth Peace Summit which aims to provide a global platform to youth from all over the world to evolve solutions for establishing a peaceful universe, Chairman of the World Council of Religious Leaders B K Modi said.
Modi, a former VHP leader, who was recently elected President of the Maha Bodhi Society of India, said he had left the Sangh Parivar outfit as he believed that "if India has to take the religious leadership, the focus has to be on Buddha, who is the most acceptable figure".
Modi, who till recently headed the overseas wing of the VHP, said he wanted to "pro-Hindu and pro-all religions and not anti-Muslim or anti-Christian".
The industrialist, however, said he would continue to work with VHP for the implementation of his pet subjects such as removal of caste system, non-interference of Government in religious institutions and tax exemption on all religious institutions and bodies.
Modi said he would also continue to be an ex-officio member of VHP's Board of Trustees in his capacity as president of the Mahabodhi Society.
----------------------------------------------
Shah Rukh Khan's charisma triumphs yet again. The superstar has been unanimously voted as the MTV Youth Icon for 2005.
The MTV Youth Icon represents the young and vibrant Indian globally. Others in the nomination list were Azim Premji, Sonia Gandhi, Manish Malhotra, Irfan Pathan and Sonu Nigam.
Millions of Indian voters choose their favourite youth Icon amongst the leading newsmakers of the country.
After working in the tsunami-affected areas, Bollywood heartthrob Vivek Oberoi is all set to become the youth Ambassador for India at the World Youth Peace Summit in Jordan in September.
Oberoi would be leading a large delegation of Indian youth to the World Youth Peace Summit which aims to provide a global platform to youth from all over the world to evolve solutions for establishing a peaceful universe, Chairman of the World Council of Religious Leaders B K Modi said.
Modi, a former VHP leader, who was recently elected President of the Maha Bodhi Society of India, said he had left the Sangh Parivar outfit as he believed that "if India has to take the religious leadership, the focus has to be on Buddha, who is the most acceptable figure".
Modi, who till recently headed the overseas wing of the VHP, said he wanted to "pro-Hindu and pro-all religions and not anti-Muslim or anti-Christian".
The industrialist, however, said he would continue to work with VHP for the implementation of his pet subjects such as removal of caste system, non-interference of Government in religious institutions and tax exemption on all religious institutions and bodies.
Modi said he would also continue to be an ex-officio member of VHP's Board of Trustees in his capacity as president of the Mahabodhi Society.
----------------------------------------------
Shah Rukh Khan's charisma triumphs yet again. The superstar has been unanimously voted as the MTV Youth Icon for 2005.
The MTV Youth Icon represents the young and vibrant Indian globally. Others in the nomination list were Azim Premji, Sonia Gandhi, Manish Malhotra, Irfan Pathan and Sonu Nigam.
Millions of Indian voters choose their favourite youth Icon amongst the leading newsmakers of the country.
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