7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Hokkaido, Japan on 11th September 2008

PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT

Date of Occurrence: 11/09/2008 Time: 05:51:42.2 HRS(IST) Intensity: GREAT Magnitude: 7.2 Epicentre: Lat. 42.1°N Long. 144.9°E Region: HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION

Seismicity of India (1505 to October,2005)

SEISMICITY MAP

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Seismicity of India (1505 to October,2005) (M>5.0)

Magnitude

-  5-5.9

-  6-6.9

-  7-7.9

-  8-8.9

-  9.0 & above

CURRENT STATUS OF MONSOON- 2008 SEP 5

Subject: CURRENT STATUS OF MONSOON- 2008

 Rainfall Scenario

            The axis of the monsoon trough at mean sea level ran close to the     foothills of the Himalayas during the week. Under its influence, Widespread/fairly widespread rainfall  with active/ vigorous monsoon conditions occurred over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during the week and over Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura during the first half of the week.

             Widespread/fairly widespread rainfall occurred over Kerala and Lakshadweep during the week and over Interior Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Coastal Karnataka during second half of the week in association with lower level cyclonic circulation. Tamil Nadu and Rayalaseema also got good rainfall activity during the week.

            Subdued rainfall activity occurred over remaining parts of the country, especially central & northwestern parts of the country experienced deficient/ scanty rainfall during the week.

Table-1: Rainfall distribution over four broad homogeneous regions of India

 

Regions	Actual Rainfall (mm)	% Departure from LPA
Country as a whole	721.4	-3
Northwest India	564.4	9
Central India	748.5	-11
South Peninsula	569.8	-2
Northeast India	1153.3	-3

Meteorological Sub-division wise rainfall condition

 Out of 36 meteorological sub-divisions, number of sub-divisions with deficient rainfall is only 7 (Table-2). The details of deficient subdivisions and their cumulative rainfall as on 4^th September, 2008 is given in Table 3.  Compared to last week, the rainfall over North Interior Karnataka  has improved and is now within the normal range with departure from normal as -17%.  The rainfall over West Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra & Kutch, Coastal Karnataka and Vidarbha has slightly deteriorated and now lies in the deficient category.  Marathawada, Kerala and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura continue to be deficient.

Table 2: Sub-division wise cumulative rainfall status

Category	1 June – 27 August	1 June – 4 September
Excess	6	4
Normal	26	25
Deficient	4	7
Scanty	0	0

Table -3 Meteorological Sub-divisions with deficient rainfall

S. No.	Met Sub-division	% Departure of rainfall from LPA, as on 4th September
1.	Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura	-24
2.	West Madhya Pradesh	-24
3.	Saurashtra & Kutch	-22
4.	Marathawada	-37
5.	Vidarbha	-22
6.	Coastal Karnataka	-20
7.	Kerala	-27

 Current Meteorological Analysis and Weather Forecast for next One Week

·        An upper air cyclonic circulation/ feeble low pressure area is likely to form over northwest and adjoining westcentral bay of Bengal  around 7^th and it is likely to move westwards. Under its influence, increase in rainfall activity is likely over north peninsula and adjoining central part of the country commencing from 7^th onwards.

·      Fairly widespread rainfall activity along the west coast with increase in intensity towards the second half of the week.

·      Decrease in rainfall activity over Tamil Nadu and over northwest India from 8^th September onwards.

·      Fairly widespread rainfall activity over northeastern states till 6^th September and decrease thereafter.

·      Under the influence of a system in mid-latitude westerlies, scattered to fairly widespread rainfall activity is likely over northwest India and adjoining Rajasthan during 5^th- 7^th September.

Next Press Release will be issued around 12^th September, 2008.

Onam : Many shops in Bangalore closed

Due to Onam, Many shops especially in residential areas like Jayanagar were closed. This caused extreme hardship to Baangaloreans.

IMD has no signs of Mild quake tremors in Bangalore : September 12

TREMORS IN B'LORE ??? However IMD has not issued any reports towards this Bangalore, Sept. 12 (MRS& KMS)- People ran out of their houses here this morning in panic as they experienced mild tremors. It soon became talk of the town as the people started sharing their experiences with their friends and relatives in other localities. Residents of H.S.R. Layout, Kengeri, J.P. Nagar and Nagarabhavi, HMT Colony, Vijayanagar, KHB Colony, Sunkadakatte, White Field and Utharahalli said that they felt the tremors for about 30 seconds from 8.46 am. Many housewives said that utensils tumbled in kitchen and window panes rattled causing panic. Many Bangaloreans told mediapersons that they heard explosion-like sound before the tremors. "I felt like a speeding heavy vehicle passing through the road opposite our house," a housewife said. Manjula, a housewife of H.M.T. Layout, said that she came out running when she heard a loud thud and she felt as if some one was pushing the door. There are, however, more versions about the incident. Some say that the sound could be the result of explosion being carried out for some construction activity. This is not a new experience for Bangaloreans. They had experienced tremors when there was a devastating earthquake in Khillavi in Maharashtra about a decade ago. An official of Mines and Geology Department said that he too was receiving numerous calls. "We are in touch with the Seismology Centre in Gowribidanur where experts will analyse and estimate the magnitude of the tremor," he added. P.S. Prakash of National Natural Disaster Control Cell said that he had passed on the information to Delhi and was awaiting a reply.

Saas, bahu and the UN & Indian chamchas

Mothers-in-law complain that the country’s heavily skewed legislations help filing of false cases  against them

NEW DELHI: On the eve of Women’s Equality Day, women are pitted against women in India, demanding equal rights. Tired of facing false dowry and domestic violence charges, harassed mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law are now up in arms against government organisations for being heavily biased in favour of daughters-in-law.

Women NGOs representing the harassed mothers-in-law and sisters-in law have accused the National Commission for Women (NCW) and ministry of women and child development for not listening to their grievances and quoting wrong statistics to push through biased laws.

Two NGOs — Mothers And Sisters Initiative (MASI) and All India Forgotten Women — used the Right To Information (RTI) Act to establish their point. The move came against the backdrop of a statement made by NCW chairperson Girija Vyas who had said that in 70% of divorce cases, adultery is used to discredit the women and deny them maintenance rights. Vyas had made the statement while pursuing an amendment in Section 125 of CrPc which deals which maintenance for women. However, when the NGOs sought copy of records on the basis of which Vyas made such a statement through an RTI application, the NCW replied it had “no record which shows in 70% of maintenance cases under CrPc 125, adultery has been alleged and proved misused” by husbands.

Crying foul, these groups have sought the prime minister’s intervention, demanding gender-neutral laws and amendments through which misuse of dowry prohibition and domestic violence laws could be prevented.

“Politicians like women and child development minister Renuka Chowdhury and Girija Vyas are using such sensitive issues to fuel their political agenda. They make irresponsible statements which cannot be substantiated by any proof,” said Dr Anupama Singh of MASI.

However, Vyas defended herself saying: “It is true that NCW does not have such statistics but I said it on the basis of what we hear from police and courts. However, I am getting a research conducted on this issue.”

“Every five minutes, one innocent person is arrested in a false case, sans any inquiry. So many women are pushed behind bars as their disgruntled daughters in-law misused the law to settle scores,” said Preeti Chauhan of All India Forgotten Women

Teenager girl dies of uncalled fear on Big Bang

Indian girl kills self over "Big Bang" fear: family

BHOPAL, India (Reuters) - A teenage girl in central India killed herself on Wednesday after being traumatized by media reports that a "Big Bang" experiment in Europe could bring about the end of the world, her father said.

The 16-year old girl from the state of Madhya Pradesh drank pesticide and was rushed to the hospital but later died, police said.

Her father, identified on local television as Biharilal, said that his daughter, Chayya, killed herself after watching doomsday predictions made on Indian news programs.

"In the past two days, Chayya had asked me and other relatives about the world coming to an end on September 10," Biharilal was quoted as saying.

"We tried to divert her attention and told her she should not worry about such things, but to no avail," he said.

For the past two days, many Indian news channels held discussions airing doomsday predictions over a huge particle-smashing machine buried under the Swiss-French border.

The machine, called the Large Hadron Collider, was switched on on Wednesday, at the start of what experts say is the largest scientific experiment in human history.

The machine smashes particles together to achieve, on a small-scale, re-enactments of the "Big Bang" that created the universe.

Leading scientists and researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, said the experiment was safe. They dismissed as "pure fiction" doomsday predictions that the experiment could create anti-matter, or black holes.

But in deeply religious and superstitious India, fears about the experiment and the minor risks associated with it spread rapidly through the media.

In east India, thousands of people rushed to temples to pray and fast while others savored their favorite foods in anticipation of the world's end.

"There were a thousand more devotees yesterday as well as today compared to (any) other normal day," Benudhara Sahu, a temple official in Orissa state, told Reuters.

Many women and children rushed to temples and observed fasts as they prayed for deliverance, officials and witnesses said.

Assurances by scientists and the media that nothing would happen counted for nothing for housewife Rukmini Moharana.

"I visited temple, prayed to god," Moharana said. "I am observing the fast for safety because god can only save us."

Kitply advertisement shows domestic Violence on Men

Kitply advertisement derogatory to men 

Openly, brazenly and cold–bloodedly the Kitply ad shows a woman slapping a man. It not only depicts domestic violence on men, but also promotes it, inspiring women to indulge in it and telling men that this is a way of life..

CJ: Virag ,  3 hours ago   Views:58   Comments:0

SAVE INDIAN Family Foundation, strongly and severely condemns the derogatory ad being telecast at the behest of Kitply Industries. The ad shows a young timid man getting married to a woman and on the first night, the bed crumbles. The wife asks the husband, "Kitply nahi laye kya?" (Have you not bought Kitply?) and slaps the husband.

Openly, brazenly and cold – bloodedly this ad not only depicts domestic violence on men, but also promulgates it, inspiring women to do it and telling men that this is a way of life. World over, international studies have proved it beyond doubt that domestic violence is not a gender specific issue and is a matter of equal concern for both men and women.

The situation is far worse in India, wherein gender biased, lopsided, avaricious, pernicious, draconian, anachronistic and unconstitutional anti–male marital laws fail to recognise the presence of domestic violence and acknowledge the same for men. Yes, domestic violence laws in India do not consider the fact that men too could be victims, the way women are presumed and prejudiced to be and the domestic violence law in India does not allow men to make complaints of domestic violence in India.

This despite the fact that as per government records ie suicide date published by National Crime Records Bureau, every year 56,000 married men are committing suicide, which is considered as a social service in a great country like India, where 82 per cent of taxes are paid by men. Neither do men have a Men’s Welfare Ministry for them nor a National Commission for Men to look into their grievances, whereas animals do. The condition of Indian men is worse than animals in India.

To add to the woes, men are subject to the constant fear of being dragged into false cases of dowry harassment and domestic violence draining them financially, socially, morally and spiritually in addition to being victims of domestic violence as well at the hands of their vindictive and vicious wives and in–laws who do not forget to file false cases of dowry harassment on innocent men and their families and drag them to the police station and court and unleash legal terrorism on them and extort money legally from them.

As if all this was no less, when corporates like Kitply Industries rain on men and promote domestic violence on men as a norm and when confronted for the same, shamelessly claim that it has been shown in a humorous mood and shrug away from accountability. The contention that the ad was shown in a light spirit is subject to critical analysis and not becoming of a brand name Kitply Industries.

Save Indian Family Foundation, the single largest umbrella non-government organisation (NGO) for about 15 different NGOs fighting not only for men’s rights but also for gender equality and family harmony, severely condemns such derogatory ads and demands apology from Kitply Industries, failing which Save Indian Family Foundation will be forced to issue legal notices to them to respond properly.

One can only imagine the kind of furore that would have been generated if they had shown a man slapping a woman in similar manner.So when activists championing the cause of equality for women are crying foul, why are they now silent when gender equality is critically endangered and its existence seriously jeopardised by such derogatory ad content. This only depicts the hollow goals, with which such activists work and want to rake in the mullah in the name of women’s empowerment and feminism, but do not believe in actual equality based on truth and justice.

Save Indian Family Foundation reiterates its demand of an apology from Kitply Industries and once again puts this question to the civil society and the government that how long would they continue to consider men as second class citizens in their own country?

Physically-challenged woman files dowry complaint

Brother you need help from Men's NGO as your ugly wife needs to be divorced, she is alleging false dowry case on you.

AHMEDABAD: A physically-challenged woman Swati Gupta, who stays in Navrangpura has registered a complaint of dowry harassment against her husband and father-in law. 

According to Swati's complaint, she had met her husband Vipin through the internet. Vipin too suffers from physical disability. The couple fell in love, met and decided to marry with consent of both their respective families. 

That was three years back. But, the lovemarriage soon turned sour. Swati, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, claims that Vipin used to often harass her for dowry. She has claimed in her complaint that he used to abuse and beat her too. 

According to her complaint, three months back Swati was driven out of home by her husband, over an unfulfilled dowry demand. The girl went to UP and was later brought back to Ahmedabad by her father Viren Saxena. 

Saxena had tried to reason with Vipin but to no avail. Swati alleged that Vipin had beatedn her up in the presence of the maid who did household chores. 

However, the couple resumed staying together and the pressure on Swati mounted. A month earlier, Swati had tried to commit suicide by consuming poison. The maid spotted this and rushed her to a hospital on time. 

On Wednesday morning, according to Swati's police statement, Vipin again beat her up. After this Swati approached the Navrangpura police and registered a complaint of dowry against her husband and father-in-law.

Boss Mallya reminds technical department led by Mike Gascoyne and the management of principal Colin Kolles.

Mallya reminds Force India who is boss

• Reuters
• , Thursday September 11 2008

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Force India owner Vijay Mallya has reminded feuding factions inside his Formula One team that, even if he sees no need to bang heads together, he pays the bills and calls the shots.

A year on from his purchase of Spyker, the team he then renamed, the aviation and drinks billionaire told Reuters that talk of a rift between his senior staff had been blown out of proportion and that he was in the sport for the long haul.

"Unfortunately in the Formula One paddock there is a lot of rumour-mongering that goes on," he said at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

"Yes, there may be differences of opinion but these differences started even before I took over the team," continued Mallya.

"You know, disagreements are healthy also. They are not necessarily all negative. If there are disagreements between two members of a team, it cannot be blown out of proportion.

"Everybody knows I am the boss and I make the decisions."

Force India, the first Indian-owned Formula One team, have yet to score a point this season and are unlikely to do so at Monza on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix.

They have not made the breakthrough into the second phase of qualifying that would give them a better chance of challenging for points and latterly there has been much talk of a breakdown between the technical department led by Mike Gascoyne and the management of principal Colin Kolles.

INDIAN RACE

The hope is that next year will be different, with significant rule changes potentially levelling the playing field.

India is due to stage a grand prix in 2010 and by then Mallya hopes his Ferrari-powered team will be in a position to be fighting for the podium rather than running around as tail-enders.

They have made considerable progress this season, with the team far more competitive than in the past and now snapping at the heels of struggling manufacturer team Honda on the racetrack at least.

In Monaco, Germany's Adrian Sutil could have taken an extraordinary fourth place had he not been dumped out in the closing laps by Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Ranked among the wealthiest men in the world, Mallya has attended most grands prix this season and keeps a close eye on his investment.

"Team principal is a very general term," he said of Kolles, the Romanian-born dentist who came into the sport when Midland bought the now-defunct Jordan team that then became Spyker.

"Titles don't necessarily mean job content. Your understanding may be that a team principal is in charge of everything and has a completely free hand to do as he feels.

"The answer is absolutely not. I am the chairman and managing director of the company and the team, so arguably I could be the team principal. Colin performs a role that I give him to perform and he's accountable to me.

"He does what I tell him to do. I take the final decision."

AIRLINE SPONSOR

Mallya dismissed as "complete hogwash" suggestions that Force India were wasting precious resources on parties, image-building and marketing rather than improving performance on the racetrack.

He said the Silverstone-based team, with experienced Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella and Sutil, were now fully funded and the technical department had "not been denied one single cent".

Parties were paid for by Kingfisher, his airline which is also a team sponsor, and he never had any doubts about what he had let himself in for.

"I have been around (in Formula One) for 12 years," he said. "I had no illusions. I was a sponsor at Toyota and I know how much their budget is.

"Prior to that, I was a sponsor at Benetton, and I know what their budget was. So I've come into this with my eyes wide open.

"The question of me suddenly becoming disillusioned because I face something I haven't anticipated is rubbish. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't anticipated what I was getting into." (Editing by Clare Fallon)