Vadodara/Bhopal/New Delhi, Jan 12 : On the 150th birthday of Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda on Saturday, children in Vadodara, Gujarat, set a new world record by forming the largest human torch.

Over 1500 students came together and created a new Guinness World Record.

The Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, had planned a series of programmes to commemorate the occasion, including a number of cultural programmes, essay writing competitions for college students will make presentations on Swami Vivekananda''s message to the youth.

Alembic Pharmaceuticals has announced 12% increase in net profit for first quarter results. The company reported net profit of Rs 30.83 crore for the quarter ending June 2012 compared to June 2011 net profit of Rs 27.56 crore.

The Vadodara based pharmaceutical company has announced entry in dermatology segment with launch of team of 100 people to register better sales volume. Dermatology market has better margins.

Vadodara, Oct. 27 : Australian fast bowler Brett Lee''s mystery elbow injury is threatening to derail his Test comeback hopes, reports The Herald Sun.

Australian team physiotherapist Kevin Sims confirmed that apart from Lee, Mitchell Johnson and James Hopes have had scans in Vadodara, and added that Cricket Australia is viewing the injuries to be serious enough to warrant reinforcements.

Vadodara, Oct. 26 : Australian fast bowler Brett Lee and all-rounder James Hopes are suffering from elbow soreness and a hamstring injury respectively, and are doubtful starters for second one-day international against India to be played in Nagpur on Wednesday.

The Australian quoted cricket team sources as saying that Hopes may not be fit for the Nagpur ODI.

Lee, on the other hand, will need to prove his fitness in order to play in Nagpur, they added.

Vadodara, Oct 25 : Harbhajan Singh (49) and Praveen Kumar (40 not out) produced a sensational 84-run partnership, but failed to see India through against Australia in the opening One- day international cricket match here Sunday.

Chasing 293, India finished at 288 for eight.

India looked down and out at 201 for seven, before Harbhajan smashed 49 off 31 balls and Praveen Kumar hit 40 off 32 balls to put India on the brink of victory.

Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer with 68 runs.

Vadodara, Oct 24: In contrast to Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s view on the length of the seven-game ODI series between India and Australia, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday said that the “long series” would provide an opportunity for teams to bounce back.

Ponting had earlier questioned the logic behind playing a long series citing that the team that had already wrapped up the rubber will find it difficult to maintain focus.

Vadodara, Oct 24 : Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh is a doubtful starter for the opening game of the seven-match ODI series against Australia on Sunday after failing to recover from a finger injury.

Yuvraj had injured a finger during the Champions Trophy held in South Africa last month.

Selectors anticipated that he would recover soon following which he was been named in the 15-player squad to play in the series.

“All I can say is that Yuvraj will surely be available for the second match,” skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni told a news conference on Saturday.

An alumnus from Vadodara’s Maharaja Sayajirao University may have given India its latest Nobel laureate, but the department of physics, where V. Ramakrishnan learnt the basics, is struggling to attract students.

“While we are happy that our students has achieved a global honour, the declining interest for basic sciences among students is a cause for worry,” Professor AC Sharma, head, department of physics told Hindustan Times.

Vadodara (Gujarat), Oct 4  A shootout on a packed running train in Gujarat following a tiff between a passenger and a rail staffer over bill payment left a youth dead and another injured, police said Sunday.

The incident occurred at around 11.30 p. m. Saturday in the general compartment of the Gorakhpur-Mumbai Awadh Express near Vadodara, said Vadodara Government Railway Police Inspector D. J. Choudhary.

Vadodara, Oct. 2 : Around 7,500 students in Vadodara city of Gujarat, made a 4.2 kilometres long painting to enter the Guinness Book of World Records on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 140th birth anniversary on Friday.

The painting highlights and draws public attention on traffic rules and road mannerism as its theme.

Municipal school students along with other school students, fine arts students and around 500 specially-abled students participated in the event organised to mark the

Swine turned more deadly on Wednesday as another pregnant woman died of deadly virus in Vadodara, taking the death toll in Gujarat to 9.

It is learnt that a 23-year-old pregnant woman named Bhavya Dave, admitted to SSG hospital in Vadodara on August 29 died on Wednesday night.

Confirming the development, Ravi Saxena, Principal Secretary (health) said: "Twenty-three years old Bhavya Dave, who was seven months pregnant, died at SSG hospital in Vadodara last night. She had tested positive for swine flu."

Doctors in Vadodara operated upon a 13-year-old girl on Thursday to remove a big lump of hair in her stomach measuring 50 cm.

After complaining of abdomen pain, Chandan Bariya of Sankariya village of Limkheda Taluka was admitted to the clinic of paediatric Samir Brahmbhatt.

After conducting tests, the doctors came to know that the girl was suffering from a rare psychological disorder known as Rapunzel syndrome, in which, a child pulls one’s hair out and then eat it. The condition normally occurs in teenage girls.

Siemens, a well reputed name in electronics and electrical engineering segment, intends to spend Rs 275 crore on expansion of its steam turbine facility at Vadodara.  

The company said the expansion programme would triple its existing capacity.  

The Vadodara unit currently makes single stage multi stage steam turbines up to 45 megawatts for industrial applications. The expansion programme will increase the factory capacity to manufacture steam turbines up to 100 MW.  

Vadodara, Apr 25: After Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Shourie, party general secretary Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that he would like to see Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to occupy the top post after Lal Krishna Advani.

"I will be very happy if Shourie''s wishes would come true," he said when asked to comment on Arun Shourie''s comment hinting Modi as next prime ministerial candidate.

Jaitley further said that Gujarat would have the opportunity to elect PM in next general elections also.

Vadodara (Gujarat), Apr 11 : With an eye on the upcoming general elections, a sweet shop in Vadodara has started producing sweets in the shape and colours of various political party symbols.

This unique concept has been successful in attracting hordes of customers in the city.

"It''s the time of Lok Sabha elections. So being a sweetshop owner, even I thought of preparing sweets especially for the season to attract the customers and party workers," said Ramesh Aggarwal, owner of the sweet shop.

French nuclear giant Areva announced plans on March 30 to expand its India operations. The company will start operations this week at eight new factories in India.

On Monday, the company started off its four factories at Kotambi near Vadodara in Gujarat.

Vadodara, Mar 3 : Encouraged with the increased vote percentage during last year's assembly polls, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to contest all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat.

BSP's state general secretary, Nalin Bhatt said that the party wanted to expand the base of the party in the state.

BSP, he said will not have an alliance with any other political party.

"The question of alliance with any other political party or supporting the candidate of the Third Front in the state does not arise as the party has decided to contest all seats in the state," Bhatt said.

Vadodra, Feb 13 : All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Rahul Gandhi met youths applying for membership of the Youth Congress on Friday.

He also visited the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU).

The youths expressed their keenness to apply for membership of the Youth Congress.

"We have come here to fill up the membership forms of Youth Congress. Rahul said that if more youths came forward to join the Youth Congress then only will the party become strong and that our country needed young leaders," said Sudha Patel, an applicant.

Vadodara (Gujarat), Jan 23 : A synthetic plastic factory in Vadodara, Gujarat was destroyed on Thursday.

The fire, which started at around 1 p. m. at climate synthetic Private Limited soon spread, and some workers were injured.

Around 15- 20 fire engines and 100 fire fighters were used to douse the flames out completely.

Goods and raw material worth million of rupees was estimated to have been destroyed in the fire.

Investigations are on to determine the cause of the fire. (ANI)

Vadodara, Sept 15 : At least one person was killed and eight others injured in Vadodara when one group started pelting stones on the other on Monday.

Prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than five people were clamped by police in the city after the communal tussle between two groups.

The festive aura of the immersion of lord Ganesh at the end of the ten-day festival turned sour when people of reportedly belonging to Muslim community allegedly tried to create hindrance in the immersion procession by pelting stones.