Navy starts pulling back ships

Just under a month after the tsunami struck the Indian coast, the Navy on Friday began pulling back from what has proved to be an enormous o...

Just under a month after the tsunami struck the Indian coast, the Navy on Friday began pulling back from what has proved to be an enormous operation. The Navy’s effort, at its peak, saw 32 ships, 21 helicopters and eight aircraft, accompanied by about 5,500 personnel in the disaster zone. In total, the Navy shipped 730 tonnes of relief material, including 450 tonnes of food and 20 tonnes of medicine to the Andamans, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia. ‘‘The ships are now being deinducted since relief operations have been carried out and essential services have been streamlined. INS Taragiri at Galle port and INS Jamuna at Trincomalee will be leaving from Sri Lanka on Republic Day, while INS Udaygiri will remain in Maldives till the end of the month,’’ said a spokesperson for the Indian Navy.

Rumours spark fresh panic in Andamans

Port blair: Fresh panic gripped the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday as rumours of its subsidence drove hundreds to board ships to mainland India with all their life’s savings, even as the administration tried hard to explain there was no scientific basis to the fear. The rumours said the islands would slowly sink on January 21 or 26 and this made the tsunami-battered people rush to pack their bags. Hundreds queued up to take any of the next available vessel to Chennai, Kolkata or Vishakhapatnam. Meanwhile, in the Capital, officials said an area in Port Blair may have sunk by a metre while the Andaman Island appeared to have twisted in the impact of the tsunami.

Benny Hinn announces US $ 250,000 relief

Bangalore: Controversial American evangelist Benny Hinn on Friday night announced a relief of US $250,000 for the rehabilitation of tsunami victims in India. At his “Festival of Blessings” programme at Jakkur airfield on the outskirts of Bangalore, Hinn said the relief would cover people of all faiths and added that “more money will pour in”. —PTI

‘Given stale food, locked up’: Truck cleaner on ‘abduction’ horror at Khedkar residence

Cities59 min ago

A truck cleaner in Navi Mumbai was rescued by the police after being abducted by the father of a sacked IAS officer. The victim was held captive, given stale food, and threatened with murder. The accused demanded compensation for their damaged car and threatened to kill the victim if not paid. The accused have been charged with extortion and destruction of evidence.

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