Saturday, March 12, 2011

Japan begins quake relief mission : BBC


 12 March 2011 Last updated at 01:09 GMT



A mammoth relief mission is swinging into action in north-east Japan, a day after it was struck by a devastating tsunami, claiming hundreds of lives.

The disaster was triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the country's most powerful since records began.

Japan's military has mobilised thousands of troops, hundreds of planes and dozens of ships.

The government has warned there could be a radioactive leak at a nuclear power reactor shut down by the quake.
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At the scene
image of Roland Buerk Roland Buerk BBC News, Tokyo


In the centre of Tokyo many people are spending the night in their offices. But thousands, perhaps millions, chose to walk home. Train services were suspended.

Even after the most violent earthquake anyone could remember the crowds were orderly and calm. The devastation is further to the north, along the Pacific coast.

There a tsunami triggered by the quake reached 10km (six miles) inland in places carrying houses, buildings, boats and cars with it. In the city of Sendai the police found up to 300 bodies in a single ward. Outside the city in a built-up area a fire blazed across several kilometres.

Japan begins quake relief mission



Japan's ground self-defence forces have been deployed, and the government has asked the US military based in the country for help. The scale of destruction from the biggest quake ever recorded in Japan will become clear only at first light.

The tremor struck in the afternoon local time on Friday at a depth of about 24km, 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo.

It was nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, scientists said.

About 300 people are known to have died and more than 500 are missing. Japanese media says the death toll will exceed 1,000.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan plans to hold an emergency cabinet meeting early on Saturday, before visiting the disaster zone by helicopter.

The country's military has mobilised thousands of troops, 300 planes and 40 ships for the relief effort.

US President Barack Obama said a US aircraft carrier was already in Japan, and another was on the way.

The quake triggered a tsunami up to 10m (30ft), with waves of 7m battering the Japanese coast.

A muddy torrent of water swept cars and homes far inland, turning residential areas and paddy fields into a lagoon of debris-filled sea water.

One of the worst-hit areas was the port city of Sendai, in Miyagi prefecture, where up to 300 bodies have been found in one ward alone.
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Map

    * Japan quake: video reports
    * Quake: Wave forecast map

Japan Railways said it could not trace four trains along the north-eastern coast. A ship carrying 100 people was also reported missing.

Swathes of Kesennuma, in Miyagi prefecture, have burned into the night, while one-third of the city was said to be under water.

Some 1,800 homes were reported to have been destroyed in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture.

And a dam burst in north-eastern Fukushima prefecture, sweeping away homes, Kyodo news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Japanese authorities declared a state of emergency at five reactors at the Fukushima I and II plants, as cooling systems failed because of the earthquake.

They also warned there could be small radiation leaks as steam was released from the reactors, where pressure was reported to be considerably higher than normal.
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“Start Quote

    It was the biggest earthquake I have ever felt, I thought I would die”

End Quote Sayaka Umezawa Student

  
Thousands of people were being evacuated around the two plants.

More than 50 aftershocks - many of them more than magnitude 6.0 - have rattled the country.

"It was the biggest earthquake I have ever felt. I thought I would die," said Sayaka Umezawa, a 22-year-old student who was visiting the port of Hakodate.

In central Tokyo, a number of office workers have spent the night in their offices because the lifts stopped working.

Millions of commuters were stranded overnight, while others walked home, after train services were suspended.

At least 20 people were injured in Tokyo when the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony.
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Deadliest earthquakes

27 July 1976, Tangshan, China: est 655,000 killed, 7.5

12 Jan 2010, Haiti: 222,570 killed, 7.0

8 Oct 2005, Pakistan: 80,361 killed, 7.6

31 May 1970 Chimbote, Peru: 70,000 killed, 7.9

Source: USGS

    * History of deadly earthquakes
    * How to measure earthquakes
    * Animated guide: Earthquakes
    * Animated guide: Tsunamis

About four million homes in and around the city suffered power cuts.

The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at the speed of a jetliner but had weakened before it hit Hawaii and the US West Coast.

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas in the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

A port in Oregon is reported to have been seriously damaged by the waves.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, a tsunami warning extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated.

But the alert was later lifted in most parts, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and China.
Map

Are you in Japan? Have you been affected by the earthquake? Send us your comments using the form below:

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

courtesy:BBC

CAREER GUIDANCE :Learn ECGC


When the merchandise is  exported,it has to be protected from any types risks such as loss of goods by ship calamities,political riots so on so forth,and it so happens the exporter should cover the value of merchandise by way of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, apart from the general insurance. Without the ECGC covering,banks will not come forward to accept the export documents as normal procedure.

The readers are advised to keep informed that from the beginning emphasis is made to understand how safe is the money and how to recover it.
.As already stated erstwhile,save this articles, and these will help understanding formalities when we study about export documentation arise,which Amity India is willing to demonstrate practically as when it is necessary.

The production of any commodity is less difficult rather the recovery of funds through proper channels, from the export ends.

Readers are advised to understand that the funds invested in productions,should be recovered in full with with the added value as profit too. Hence telling about money recovery becomes more important than you see the products itself,and its manufacturing condition.We go carefully in a manner how a novice,or a beginner
ought learn salient features first risks involved in funds recovery and how best we have to safeguard it. The government has come forward to protect the interest of the exporters.

As far as the product manufacture is concerned, can be compared to swimming sports.

Unless you do not jump into the water,you cannot learn swimming.

We will show the swimming pool and also teach how to swim in the export liaison agency. Read more............. 

What does ECGC do?

Provides a range of credit risk insurance covers to exporters against loss in export of goods and services

Offers guarantees to banks and financial institutions to enable exporters to obtain better facilities from them

Provides Overseas Investment Insurance to Indian companies investing in joint ventures abroad in the form of equity or loan

How does ECGC help exporters?

ECGC

Offers insurance protection to exporters against payment risks

Provides guidance in export-related activities

Makes available information on different countries with its own credit ratings

Makes it easy to obtain export finance from banks/financial institutions

Assists exporters in recovering bad debts

Provides information on credit-worthiness of overseas buyers

Need for export credit insurance

Payments for exports are open to risks even at the best of times. The risks have assumed large proportions today due to the far-reaching political and economic changes that are sweeping the world. An outbreak of war or civil war may block or delay payment for goods exported. A coup or an insurrection may also bring about the same result. Economic difficulties or balance of payment problems may lead a country to impose restrictions on either import of certain goods or on transfer of payments for goods imported. In addition, the exporters have to face commercial risks of insolvency or protracted default of buyers. The commercial risks of a foreign buyer going bankrupt or losing his capacity to pay are aggravated due to the political and economic uncertainties. Export credit insurance is designed to protect exporters from the consequences of the payment risks, both political and commercial, and to enable them to expand their overseas business without fear of loss.

Jagan announces YSR Congress Party



2011-03-11 21:20:00
Last Updated: 2011-03-11 22:05:19



Hyderabad: More than three months after he quit the Congress party, former MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday announced the name of his new party as Y S R Congress Party.
Ending all speculations, the son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy made the announcement at a public meeting at Jaggampet in East Godavari district.
However, he will formally launch the party on Saturday at the grave of his father at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district.

Rajasekhara Reddy, who was popularly known as YSR, died in a helicopter crash September 2, 2009.

'I and my mother (Vijayalakshmi) will be launching the party at the feet of my departed father tomorrow (Saturday) at 2.29 p.m.,' said Jagan, as the young leader is known among his followers.

Banking heavily on the legacy of his father, Jagan decided to use both his name and photo for the party.

The party flag will have three colours with a turbaned YSR in the centre.

The businessman-politician is avoiding a grand launch of the party in view of the election code of conduct in force.

Amid thunderous applause by the huge crowd, the former Kadapa MP said his party would follow the ideals of YSR.

'The YSR Congress Party will wipe out every tear of the poor,' Jagan said.

The 38-year-old leader said the party would announce its policies following a two-day brain storming session at Idupulapaya after by-elections to Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula assembly seats.

Jagan had earlier said that the new party would work to protect the self-respect of the people and that his goal is to bring the party to power in the 2014 elections.

Jagan and his mother Nov 29 resigned from the Congress party, parliament and the state assembly, respectively, alleging that the leadership was trying to create a rift in the family by offering ministerial berth to his uncle Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.

Vivekananda Reddy joined the state cabinet on Dec 1.
The Congress leadership sidelined Jagan after the death of his father by naming K. Rosaiah as the chief minister.

He resigned from the party after the leadership ignored him again by picking up his rival Kiran Kumar Reddy as Rosaiah's successor. 


 Courtesy:Sify News

TN CM's wife Dayalu and Kanimozhi grilled


UPDATED  11/3/2011 3:22:18 PM


Chennai: DMK MP and Tamil Nadhu Chief Minister Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and his wife Dayalu Ammal were today questioned by CBI at the party headquarters here in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam and their stakes in Kalaignar TV channel.



The CBI team, which reached here early this morning, also questioned Managing Director of theTV channel Sharad Kumar at the channel's office which is housed in the DMK Headquarters, official sources said.

The investigators questioned the trio regarding their stake in the TV channel which has allegedly received Rs 214 crore from Shahid Balwa promoted company which was a beneficiary of the spectrum allocation made by former Union Minister A Raja, official sources said.

Both Dayalu Ammal and Kanimozhi collectively have nearly 80 per cent stake in the channel, they said.

PTI

 

DMK-Congress seat identification talks remain inconclusive


2011-03-11 21:30:00
Last Updated: 2011-03-11 21:43:59
Chennai: For the second consecutive day, talks between the DMK and Congress to identify the 63 constituencies the latter will contest in the April 13 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections remained inconclusive on Friday

The two parties failed to finalise the constituencies and are scheduled to meet again on Saturday

Speaking to reporters at the end of the fourth round of talks, TNCC president K V Thangkabalu asserted that there was no delay in finalising the constituencies.
"It is a process which has to continue. There is no delay. We will come back tomorrow morning... We are happy," he said at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam here.
He also said there was nothing happening on the other side, apparently referring to the deadlock persisting in AIADMK-led combine over allocation of seats to MDMK and Left parties
.
So far, the AIADMK had concluded seat-sharing pact with actor Vijaykanth-led DMDK allotting 41 seats besides giving a few seats to some smaller parties.
Under the seat-sharing agreement reached between the two partners of the UPA on Tuesday, the Congress will contest 63 seats and DMK 121 in the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu

Congress sources had earlier indicated that the present 
exercise would be concluded by this evening

Courtesy:Sifynews.

Tsunami and earthquake ravage Japan


UPDATED  11/3/2011 12:50:04 PM




Tokyo: An earthquake measuring 8.8 struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo, causing "many injuries", major tsunami damage and at least one fire.

 The Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed cars, trucks, houses and buildings being swept away by tsunami in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture. Black smoke was seen billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.
Television showed cars bobbing in water along side fishing boats. A 50 cm tsunami hit Japan’s northern coast.


"The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks," a correspondent said.
"It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago."

US officials said the 8.8-magnitude quake struck about 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles. The stock market extended its losses after the quake was announced.

Japan’s northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.


Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

A tsunami warning was in effect for Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas. A tsunami watch has been issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and US state of Hawaii.

courtesy:Agencies