Quakes
shake Andaman, Nicobar again
New
Delhi: Earthquakes of moderate intensity continued to
shake the devastated islands of Andaman and Nicobar. Three
more quakes of moderate intensity shook the island today,
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said here. The first
of the three quakes, measuring 5 on the Richter Scale shook
the east Car Nicobar region at 03:53 hours. Its epicenter
was at 9 degrees north latitude and 94 degrees east longitude,
IMD said. The second one, measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale
rocked the West Coast of Camorta in Nicobar island at 03:58
hours with its epicenter at 8 degrees north longitude and
92 degrees east longitude. And the last, that is the third
quake measuring 5 on the Richter Scale occurred at 04:42
hours in Great Nicobar region, IMD said adding the quake
had its epicenter at 06.6 degrees north and 92.1 degrees
east longitude. However, no casualties have been reported
yet.
Centre
to coordinate relief supplies (Go
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New
Delhi: Union Government of India has set up an integrated
logistic arrangement under Defence Secretary for the coordination
of relief supply to the tsumani-hit states of Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and
Pondicherry. The Union Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi
made the announcement in this regard after a meeting of
the Group of Ministers. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired
the meeting. Elaborating the details, Chaturvedi said that
the decision was taken after a two-and-half-hour meeting
that Defence Secretary Ajay Vikram Singh would monitor the
relief operation including supply of food, medicines, tents
and clothing.
IAF
says relief work to be a long one (Go
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Chennai:
Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi has said that the relief
work in the Tsunami hit region is going to be a very long
one. He was addressing a press conference convened by the
Indian Air Force; a week after the Tsunami tragedy shook
India as well as the world. The Air Chief said that the
condition was particularly bad in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. He is slated to visit the Andamans on January 4.
The island has witnessed wide scale devastation following
the tsunamis that lashed the area on December 26.
Lord
Paul donates Rs 1 crore for Tsunami victims (Go
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New
Delhi: Noted NRI industrialist Lord Swaraj Paul has
come forward to help the tsunami victims by donating Rs
1 crore for relief and rehabilitation of the victims and
education of the children orphaned by the tragedy in India.
Lord Swaraj Paul is the founder-chairman of the Caparo Group
along with its charitable foundation the Ambika Paul Foundation.
He has sent a cheque of Rs 50 lakh to the Prime Minister's
National Relief Fund as the initial donation. "The remaining
Rs 50 lakh is to be spent on the education of the children
orphaned by the terrible disaster and for rehabilitation
of villages adopted by Caparo," he said. In a letter, which
has been sent to the Prime Minister, the NRI has said he
would prefer the money to be used for adoption of a specific
village or villages for rebuilding. "All the generations
of the Paul family love India, are committed to its progress,
and this commitment will continue," he has said in the letter.
The Caparo Group has also offered to pay for the education,
up to High School level, of at least 100 children orphaned
by the tragedy.
Powell
leads US delegation to tsunami hit nations (Go
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Washington:
A high-power US delegation led by Secretary of State
Colin Powell is expected to leave for the tsunami-hit nations
today to take stock of the situation. They will assess the
need for additional aid to be provided by America. Powell
is in touch with counterparts of affected countries as well
as UN officials. The US has already pledged 350 million
dollars in relief assistance. Powell claimed that the increase
in aid was in response to latest assessments and not criticism
that Washington was being stingy. "I am not so sure that
350 million dollars is the end number. It is the number
we have settled on for now and as the assessments are made,
it may change," said Powell. There has also been criticism
over the pace and scale of the American response to the
disaster. However, the US has made it clear that its efforts
will be subordinate to, rather than in competition with
UN operations.