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Fuji, Japan, Oct 12 DPA Fernando Alonso of Renault took his second race win in succession Sunday when the Spaniard claimed victory in an action-packed Japanese Formula One Grand Prix Sunday at the Fuji international Speedway.
SPO14SportsDisaster for Hamilton as Alonso wins Japanese GPFuji, Japan, Oct 12 DPA Fernando Alonso of Renault took his second race win in succession Sunday when the Spaniard claimed victory in an action-packed Japanese Formula One Grand Prix Sunday at the Fuji international Speedway. Robert Kubica of BMW-Sauber came in second with defending champion Kimi Raikkonen coming third in a Ferrari. Nelson Piquet Jr completed Renault's great day by taking fourth, followed by Toyota's Jarno Trulli and the Toro Rossos of Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel in sixth and seventh, respectively. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes finished out of the points down in 12th after incurring a drive-through penalty and also spinning following a clash with Ferrari's Felipe Massa, his nearest rival for the drivers' title. Massa received a drive-through penalty of his own for the incident with Hamilton but still managed to finish in eighth place to cut the deficit to the McLaren driver by one point to six with just two races remaining. Hamilton has 84 points ahead of next Sunday's Chinese GP in Shanghai, followed by Massa on 78 with Poland's Kubica six points further back in third. "I think it's a good boost for the last two races because we are still in the fight," said Kubica. Hamilton had a poor start from pole position, allowing second- placed Raikkonen to pass him before pushing the Ferraris of the Finn and Massa wide on turn one. "I had nowhere to go and lost many places," said Raikkonen afterwards. The chaotic start also saw David Coulthard and Kazuki Nakajima collide, ending the Scot's interest in the race, and when the dust settled Kubica found himself leading Alonso while Hamilton trailed in sixth. "I was not really able to pull away, Fernando was keeping the gap," said Kubica. Meanwhile, Hamilton's got worse on lap two as Massa clipped him as the McLaren driver looked to have passed the Ferrari at the hairpin, causing the Briton's car to spin. McLaren immediately opted for a one-stop strategy as Hamilton returned to the pits for new tyres and fuel, returning in last place. While Raikkonen managed to make his way up to fourth place, passing Trulli on lap nine, McLaren's situation deteriorated further. With 51 laps remaining, Heikki Kovalainen retired due to engine problems and Hamilton received notice of a drive-through penalty from race stewards for forcing the Ferraris wide going into the opening corner. Massa too was given his drive-through penalty for his collision with Hamilton, while Singapore GP winner Alonso returned from his pitstop ahead of Kubica to take over the race lead with Raikkonen now running third. "In the second stint we managed to get some free air and the car handled really well," said Alonso. "Part of the victory was in the second stint." Alonso pitted for the second and final time with 24 laps remaining but came out behind Bourdais, while Kubica pitted three laps later, briefly promoting Raikkonen to the position of race leader. Raikkonen made his final stop with 19 laps to go, returning just behind Kubica while Massa continued his slow movement up the field to find himself in the points in eighth place. Massa then clipped Bourdais as the Frenchman exited the pits to stall his progress while Kubica initially struggled to hold off Raikkonen who himself saw Piquet Jr in the second Renault looming in his mirrors. "Once the tyres grained out I was able to pull away," said Kubica. Massa kept his nerve in the final stages, managing to snatch eighth spot from Red Bull's Mark Webber, who was on a one-stop strategy, with three laps to go and set up a thrilling climax to the season. --DPAav/dg678 Words12101720
2008-10-12 09:02:10
Two bombs recovered near assembly in Guwahati
Two powerful bombs were recovered from a busy area near state assembly and secretariat in Guwahati city which, police said, helped to avert a disaster. ...
2008-10-12 05:25:06
Jobs losses could be 'disastrous'
The potential loss or 265 jobs at an electronics factory could spell "disaster" for a local community....
2008-10-10 00:48:08
Bipasha Basu lonely on Durga Puja
ENT11Entertainment/CinemaBipasha Basu lonely on Durga PujaBy Subhash K. JhaMumbai, Oct 9 IANS Bengali beauty Bipasha Basu is depressed because she couldn't head back home to Kolkata to celebrate Durga Puja with her family and, to top it, beau John Abraham is also not in town."I wanted to go to Kolkata for Durga Puja. It's a family puja started by my grandfather and we've kept up the tradition every year. The whole family makes it a point to be in Kolkata for the family puja. But I can't!"The last time Bipasha attended the puja it was five years ago. "And it was a disaster. John Abraham had accompanied me and the entire focus shifted from the solemnity of the occasion. We were mobbed. It was so embarrassing."She has not been able to join her family for the celebration, thanks to her hectic work schedule. "Every year it has become the same. For the last five years, I've been trying my level-best to make it home to Kolkata. But it never works out. This year I'm busier than ever. "I'm totally drained out with rehearsals meeting and preparations for my Kashmiri's role in 'Lamhaa', which starts very shortly. I'm doing my looks, clothes, not to mention my diction and action classes. It's hectic and exhausting for me.""Durga Puja is the best time of the year for every Bengali. I get into a major sulk because I don't get to be with the family. Every year my parents and sisters go. I can't. I get very lonely as I depend on my mom for all ritualistic puja. This year my younger sister Vijayeta is giving her exams in Mumbai. So she too had to stay back. So it's the two of us girls at home missing out on all the festivities in Kolkata."To top it all John is away shooting in New York. "Normally on Mahaasthmi eighth day of Navaratri John and I go to a pandal marquee close by to pray. But this year even he wasn't there."Bipasha describes her relationship with god as conversational. "My everyday interaction with god is one-to-one. I don't know any religious mantras though I love to hear my mom when she chants the shlokas and mantras during any puja in my house."--Indo-Asian News Serviceskj/ar/rn434 Words09101356
2008-10-09 04:00:00
Desperate and angry, Bihar flood victims loot relief material
NAT28National/Disaster/RightsDesperate and angry, Bihar flood victims loot relief materialPatna, Oct 7 IANS Desperate for food and drinking water over a month after the Kosi river swamped hundreds of villages in Bihar, angry flood victims have now taken to blocking highways, attacking officials and even looting relief materials.Fed up over repeated promises and tired of requesting for relief, villagers have resorted to violence to draw the government's attention to their plight.The latest act of desperation was seen in Araria district, one of the worst-hit by the calamity, when a mob of flood victims looted relief material Monday evening, police said.Officials said the victims broke open the lock of the room in which the aid was kept in Harinath Goshala under Forbesganj sub division in the presence of police personnel.Superintendent of Police Araria M.A. Siddiqui said action would be taken against those involved.The relief material that was looted was sent by the Gurgaon based Arya Kendra Sabha and was estimated to be worth around Rs.2 million.In a separate incident, angry flood victims vandalised the Bardharakothi block office in Purnia district Monday after staging a protest against the Block Development Officer BDO for not providing relief due to them."The flood victims attacked the BDO and pelted stones at him for depriving them of benefits announced by the government," an official said.As the situation turned tense, police resorted to baton charging the mob in which over a dozen people were injured.In the last four days, hundreds of people blocked national highways in Saharsa, Supaul, Purnia, Araria and Madhepura districts to demand food. They said they had not been provided relief and other materials.Last week, dozens of angry flood victims, including women and children, looted relief material in Saharsa, Madhepura and Supaul."There have been several protests by flood victims. In their desperation, they may turn very violent," said an official of the disaster management department.It has been over one-and-a-half months since the Kosi breached its embankment in upstream Nepal, flooding hundreds of villages in Bihar.More than three million people were rendered homeless and over one million cattle were affected by floods. The calamity has claimed over 191 lives, according to official estimates. However, voluntary agencies fear the number could be in thousands once all the bodies are recovered.Officials said 993,992 people have been evacuated to safer places till date. About 370,000 people have taken shelter in over 300 relief camps in the flood-affected areas.--Indo-Asian News Service ik/mv/dg448 Words*07101433
2008-10-07 05:00:00
China launches emergency response after Tibet quake
INT33International/DisasterChina launches emergency response after Tibet quakeBeijing, Oct 7 Xinhua China Tuesday launched an emergency response operation in Tibet after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Himalayan region Monday killing at least 30 people.A team of officers from meteorological and disaster relief departments under the China Earthquake Administration CEA has been sent to assess the level of damage caused by the quake in Damxung county near regional capital Lhasa. The administration has asked its monitoring and forecasting division, disaster relief division, the China Earthquake Networks Center CENC, the China Earthquake Search and Rescue Centre, and Tibet's seismological bureau to prepare an emergency response on the basis of the survey.Rescuers said many people could still be trapped under the debris of collapsed houses.Gedar township was completely cut off from the outside world after its traffic and telecommunication networks snapped following the quake.Soldiers and medical staff were rushed to the site to conduct rescue work.Areas adjacent to Gedar township were also affected. However, reports of deaths and injuries there are yet to be verified.According to the State Seismological Bureau, the epicentre of the quake was located some 82 km from Lhasa.Several historical sites such as the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, as well as many buildings were damaged in the provincial capital Lhasa after the quake.However, the Qinghai-Tibet railway and Lhasa airport remained fully operational.--Xinhuadkg/dg250 Words07101331
2008-10-07 04:00:00
Lightning claims eight lives in Jharkhand
NAT12National/DisasterLightning claims eight lives in JharkhandRanchi, Oct 7 IANS Eight people died and two others were wounded by lightning in three districts of Jharkhand, police said Tuesday.According to police, four people died in Ranchi and two each in Gumla and Godda districts. On Monday evening Jharkhand witnessed rainfall in many parts of the state. The first incident took place in a village of Mandar block in Ranchi district. Another incident was in Anjana village of Gumla district, around 160 km from Ranchi. Lightning struck a tree under which three people had sheltered from the rain. Two people including a woman died. Lightning also killed six animals of the village. The third incident took place in Chirona village of Godda district, around 500 km from Ranchi on Monday night.Two major lightning strikes have taken place in the last one and a half months. On Oct 3, five people died in Mandar block of Ranchi and nine in Pakur district on Aug 28.This year lightning has claimed 62 lives in the state. In 2007, the total number of deaths due to lightning were 68.The Jharkhand government has written to central government to include lightning in the list of natural calamities. According to an official of the disaster management department of Jharkhand, Rs.100,000 will be paid to the families of those who have died due to lightning. --Indo-Asian News Servicens/pb/jg255 Words07101225
2008-10-07 03:00:00
Quilt tribute to disaster victims
A quilt marking the 20th anniversary of the Lockerbie disaster is unveiled in the town....
2008-10-06 09:00:00
Toll in Kyrgyzstan quake rises to 72 Second lead
INT49International/DisasterToll in Kyrgyzstan quake rises to 72 Second leadBishkek, Oct 6 RIA Novosti The toll in the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit southern Kyrgyzstan Sunday night has risen to 72, with authorities saying Monday the number of casualties could grow as many were feared trapped under the rubble.More than 100 people were also injured and some 120 buildings were destroyed in the devastating quake that struck near the former Soviet republic's densely populated border area with China in the southern province of Osh. "The rescue operation at the site of the tragedy is continuing and the figure of the deaths is not final," said Kamchibek Tashiyev, spokesperson for the health ministry.The bodies of 25 people have been pulled out from the rubble in the Alaisky district.Tashiyev said the earthquake also destroyed the high-altitude village of Nura on Kyrgyzstan's border with China, which was the epicentre of the earthquake. The village has a population of around 1,000 people. A total of 38 people, including seven children, have been evacuated from the worst-hit areas by helicopters, the official said. The search for survivors and casualties is ongoing, and seismologists have warned that new aftershocks could hit the region this week. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has cancelled all his schedule for Tuesday and is expected to visit the affected areas, his spokesperson said. Bakiyev has ordered the government to provide aid to the quake victims and deal with the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, sent his condolences to his Kyrgyz counterpart and ordered Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry to provide aid to Kyrgyzstan. A Russian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid will arrive Bishkek Tuesday. Earthquakes are frequent in the region. A 6.0-magnitude quake jolted the nearby Uzbek capital of Tashkent this August though it caused little damage.--RIA Novostiskp/vt330 Words06101654
2008-10-06 07:05:08
Gujarat experts to prepare rehabilitation plan for flood-hit Bihar
NAT17National/DisasterGujarat experts to prepare rehabilitation plan for flood-hit BiharPatna, Oct 6 IANS A team of experts from Gujarat will help the Bihar government prepare a strategy for rehabilitation of flood victims, which will be on the lines of the assistance plan following the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, officials said Monday.The team of experts from Gujarat would reach here Tuesday."The team will spend 10 days in the flood affected areas of five districts to study the ground conditions and plan a strategy for rehabilitation," an official of the state disaster management department said.The team will deliver its presentation at a programme of the Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development BIPARD here.According to sources in planning and development department, the visiting team comprises of officials who were involved in rehabilitation work in the wake of the 2001 earthquake.Disaster Management Minister Nitish Mishra said rehabilitating over three million flood victims was "a herculean task"."The state government plans to adopt the rehabilitation pattern used for victims of the tsunami as well as Gujarat's earthquake," he said.Last month, a team of Bihar officials, led by the development commissioner, visited Gujarat to to study the model of rehabilitation and reconstruction post-earthquake.Later, the team also visited tsunami-affected Tamil Nadu for studying the rehabilitation schemes and preparing a plan for the flood victims.The state government will also be helped by the UN Development Programme UNDP for rehabilitation and reconstruction in the flood-affected districts."A UNDP team has completed a field survey to assess the damage by the flood and it will submit report to the government soon," an official said.Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has demanded Rs.89.23 billion $2 billion from the central government for the rehabilitation of the flood-hit people in September.In August, the prime minister had termed the Bihar flood a national calamity and sanctioned Rs.10 billion for relief efforts. He also announced the release of 125,000 tonnes of food grains for flood victims.More than three million people were rendered homeless and over one million cattle were affected by floods as the Kosi river changed its course following a breach in an embankment upstream in Nepal on Aug 18.The shifting river engulfed large swathes of Bihar, India's second most populous state. The floods have claimed over 191 lives, according to official estimates. However, voluntary agencies fear the number could be in thousands once all bodies are recovered.Officials said 993,992 people have been evacuated to safer places till date. About 370,000 people have taken shelter in over 300 relief camps in flood-affected areas.The state agriculture department has estimated that standing crops in 175,000 hectares of land have been destroyed in Madhepura, Supaul, Saharsa, Araria and Purnea districts.Officials engaged in the rescue and relief operations said most flood-affected, homeless people were now living on high-rise places like embankments and highways apart from overcrowded relief camps set up by the government and NGOs.An official said the state government had prepared a preliminary report on damages caused by the flood. "But the real assessment of damages and losses will come to light after floodwaters recede fully by the second week of October," the official said. --Indo-Asian News Service ik/sh/dg581 Words06101351
2008-10-06 04:00:09