1400 HRS

17th April, 2013

THE HEADLINES

• 16 injured in a bomb blast near Karnataka BJP office in Bangalore.

• Supreme Court grants four more weeks time to Actor Sanjay Dutt to surrender.

• India calls for evolving workable solutions for promoting energy efficiency and ensure cost effectiveness of clean energy initatives.

• U N urges governments to work together to mitigate the impact of climate change and set up clean economies.

• Sensex rules flat in volatile afternoon trade.

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A high intensity bomb blast near Karnataka BJP office in Bangalore has injured at least 16 people, including eight police personnel. The incident happened at around 10.20 am. The City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar told media persons that it is too early to say it was a terrorist attack and investigations have begun.

"It seems to be an explosive plus incendiary bomb. This stage I can't say what kind of explosion, but it is expolsion. Preliminarily, we also were told that it is cylinder blast because tars were burnt, but the motorcycle is there and we feel that it is blast. "

The Director General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachau has however confirmed that explosive was used in the blast. It is suspected that timer was used to trigger the explosion in a bike parked between cars, two wheelers and a police van. More from our Correspondent;

"The bomb blast injured many people and has caused severe damage to the vehicles parked next to it. The injured have been rushed to the K C general hospital and are said to be out of danger. A tree close to the blast site has taken complete brunt of the blast. A house nearby has been damaged. The eyewitnesses said the sound of the blast was heard far and wide in the densely populated area of Malleshwaram. Bomb squads and disaster management teams have rushed to the spot. The DGP Pachau has said that investigation is on to find out the material used for the explosion of the bomb. Sudhindra,AIR NEWS, Bangalore."

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The Centre has appealed for calm and to ensure that peace is maintained in Karnataka following a blast near the BJP office in Bangalore. Talking to reporters in New Delhi today, Minister of State for Home, R P N Singh asked people not to pay heed to any rumours. He said, a team of experts along with the police officials, are present at the blast site looking at all possibilities. He said, as and when more information is received, a detailed report will be shared with the public.

"Well I say let us not jump the gun and we are just trying to look at the scenario that what is possible there. All the Police teams are there. The bomb disposal squad is there. We have NIA team that side they will be also visiting the place. But I think, let's just wait and see what happens. Any sort of help that the Karnataka Police needs from the MHA, we are ready to help."

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Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was today granted further four weeks time on humanitarian grounds to surrender before jail authorities to undergo 42 months remaining sentence in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. Dutt had sought six months time to surrender to complete his seven movies in which producers have invested over 278 crore rupees. The apex court accepted the plea of humanitarian grounds raised by him for extending the time for surrender which was to expire tomorrow but made it clear that no further extension will be granted to him.

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India today called for evolving workable solutions for promoting energy efficiency and ensure cost effectiveness of clean energy initiatives for faster transition to global green economy. Inaugurating the 4th Clean Energy Ministerial in New Delhi, Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh termed the progress of discussions on climate change negotiations at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change as painfully slow. He said, historically industrialized countries are responsible for the bulk of Green House Gas emissions suggesting greater responsibility for developed nations. Dr. Singh urged the international community to work towards acceptable outcomes at the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change.

"While we must work to ensure that the UN Framework Convention process reaches some acceptable outcome, individual countries have to take action to increase energy efficiency and also promote clean energy."

Dr. Singh said, developing countries need vast sources of energy to support their economic growth and the cost of expansion of new energy sources is constrained by exorbitant costs than conventional energy. He stressed on policy initiatives by governments, sharing of technology and reducing costs to promote clean energy initiatives. Saying India offers tremendous potential for alternate energy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited global investments to set up solar energy manufacturing units in India.

"As we expand our reliance on solar energy, we are keen to ensure induction of the best technology and also to encourage domestic production of the equipment needed. India is potentially a large market for production of such equipment. We therefore strongly encourage global manufacturers to set up production facilities in this area."

Dr.Singh said India will set up a National Institute of Solar Energy by 2015 for research and development on solar energy. Dr. Singh said, India is actively pursuing clean energy initiative and the 12th five year plan includes low carbon strategy for the nation. He said, efforts are on to expand solar and wind energy project.

"We have launched a Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission with the objective of developing 22,000 MW of solar capacity by the year 2020. A solar capacity of about 1500 MW has already been installed, and an additional 10,000 MW will be implemented by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan."

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The United nations today called for urgent action by governments to work together to mitigate the impact of climate change and set up clean economies across the world. In his message to the ongoing Delhi Clean Energy Ministerial, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, urged governments and private sector to collaborate towards saving the environment from the impact of green house gas emissions, so that future generations need not pay the price. Mr. Ban Ki Moon wished all success to the Delhi CEM4. He also said, developing countries should be encouraged to power their economic growth through clean energy to eradicate poverty and meet social obligations. The UN Secretary General commended India for hosting the Clean Energy Meet and lauded New Delhi’s clean energy initiatives and efforts to increase solar energy production eight fold by 2017.

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Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari has said, India is committed to cooperate with Tajikistan in all spheres, particularly in human resources development. Addressing the faculty and students of the Tajik Technical University this morning after visiting Modern Engineering workshop set up by Hindustan Machine Tools, Mr Ansari announced New Delhi’s decision to collaborate with the University to create a centre of IT excellence with a super computer. He said, the Centre apart from helping Tajikistan in development of IT expertise among the youth, will also become one of the focal points of the pan-Central Asia e-network project that India hopes to implement soon. The e-network will enable tele-education and tele-medicine.

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The 20th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council to discuss the key issues of the four eastern states, has begun in Kolkata this afternoon. The Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is presiding over the deliberation. The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, Governor of Jharkhand, Syed Ahmed, Water Resources Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Finance Minister of Odisha, Prasnna Acharya and top officials of the four states are present at the meeting.

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For news updates, follow us on Twitter @ airnewsalerts. For regional and national news of AIR download All India Radio News app on any android based mobile phone".

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The Centre has asked the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation, NBCFDC, to provide financial assistance to targeted beneficiaries in a time bound manner. Addressing a national conference of managing directors of state channelising agencies, SCAs, of NBCFDC in New Delhi today, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kumari Selja said, efforts should be made by the SCAs in rendering their duties in a proper manner for the betterment of marginalized sections. Ms. Selja said, the Corporation must ensure recovery of loans from beneficiaries so that funds can be recycled.

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Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said that India and China will drive global growth in the years to come. While addressing students and faculty of the Harvard University yesterday on the "Rise of the East Implications for the Global Economy", Mr. Chidambaram said, with China growing at 8 to 8.5 per cent and India at 6.1 to 6.7 per cent between 2013 and 2014, both countries will continue to be drivers of the world growth. He said, while China's investment story has been much commented upon, India's is just starting out.

Mr. Chidambaram who is in the US to meet investors and project India's growth story, acknowledged that there is potential for tension within the countries of the East, as they compete for resources and markets.

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A Conference of District News Correspondents of All India Radio was organised in Bangalore today. Addressing the Conference, Additional Director General of News, Mrs.Veena Jain said that the Correspondents should give authentic, balanced and credible news, to keep up the tradition of broadcasting credible news.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Electoral Officer in Karnataka, Anil Kumar Jha said that Akashwani and Doordarshan news are known for authenticity and he holds them in high esteem.

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Giving up most of its initial gains, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange stood just 4 points in positive territory, at 18,749, in volatile afternoon trade, a short while ago. Earlier in the morning, however, the Sensex had opened with a gain of 80 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 18,825, after some encouraging quarterly corporate results, and mostly rising Asian markets. The 30-share Sensex had climbed over 500 points in the previous two trading sessions.

Stock markets in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia had gained between 0.2 percent and 1.2 percent, today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.1 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.

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Today is World Hemophilia Day. The day is observed every year across the world to advocate a global effort to ensure appropriate care and treatment for a disease that is the oldest known genetic bleeding disorder caused by genetic deficiency. The theme for this year is " 50 years of Advancing Treatment for All".Areport.

"Hemophilia, a little known blood disorder, is turning out to be a plague with over 50,000 people being affected. Hemophilia is a group of hereditary genetic disorders that impair the body's ability to control blood clotting or coagulation which is used to stop bleeding when a blood vessel is broken . Hemophilia generally transmits at birth from an affected father to daughter, who then becomes a carrier of the hemophilia cells who is at higher risk of passing the defective gene on to her children. The disease is not curable, but with proper knowledge and treatment it can be handled. World Hemophilia Day aims to increase awareness of this disease and other bleeding disorders. Savvy Hasan Khan,AIR NEWS."

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In Some More News;

Normal life in five western Terai districts in Nepal has been affected for the second day today due to a bandh called by the Joint Struggle Committee, comprising as many as nineteen organizations, affiliated to the Tharu community. Reports say, transportation has come to a standstill and marketplaces, academic institutions and businesses have all remained closed due to the strike . The two day bandh was called seeking investigation into the death of a twelve year old girl working as a domestic help in a house in Kathmandu and arrest of culprits. The girl belonging to Dang district had been found burnt to death on the 27th of March.

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Police in Boston, investigating the scene of yesterday's twin bomb attacks, have found pieces of nylon which they say, could be from the bag used to conceal one or both of the devices. The blast, close to the finishing line of the Boston marathon, killed three people and injured more than 170. Investigators say, they are yet to uncover the motive or identify a suspect and there have been no claims of responsibility so far for the blasts. FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers told a news conference that pieces of nylon have been recovered from the scene, along with fragments of ball bearings and nails that were possibly contained in a pressure-cooker device.

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