Quicktakes

Insat 2E orbit

BANGALORE: India8217;s most advanced satellite, Insat-2E, was placed close to its geostationary orbit after the 440 Newton thrust liquid apogee motor LAM on board the spacecraft was successfully fired again today at 1235 hours. ISRO said the LAM was fired by space scientists at Insat master control facility MCF at Hassan for a duration of 33 minutes.

With this orbit raising manoeuvre operation, the perigee nearest distance to earth of Insat-2E had been raised from 14,600 km to 32,100 km, ISRO said.

Crewdrowned

HYDERABAD: Four members of an Indonesian crew were feared drowned when a supply vessel of a foreign company, drilling oil and gas, capsized in the Bay of Bengal yesterday. A report from Rajahmundry said seven members of the 11-member crew of the Singapore vessel Britoil-II, which capsized owing to rough conditions in the sea at Ravva shore near south Yanam were rescued by Oil and Natural Gas Commission helicopters.

Prasar stir on

NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the warning issued by Prasar Bharati, most of its cadres continued their indefinite strike today affecting Doordarshan and AIR services though the Indian Information Service IIS employees went back to work. The IIS employees, including a few grade I and II officers, who were also agitating in support of the demand for pay enhancement, called off their strike in view of certain compulsions8217;, according to IIS sources.

US relief

NEW DELHI: The US Government today announced Rs 57.2 lakh towards relief and rehabilitation inthe quake-hit Garhwal region of Uttar Pradesh. Of the total amount, Rs 10.6 lakh would go to the Prime Minister8217;s national relief fund while the rest would be food and commodity relief through the voluntary organisation Care and the International federation of the Red Cross. The US Embassy here has requested its government for an additional assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh following reports of fresh tremors in the area.