Jammu, Oct. 25 : People in Jammu and Kashmir may soon be able to relish a new variety of bird meat, which is expected to be beneficial for the poultry farmers here.

The Poultry Wing of the Animal Husbandry Department of Jammu and Kashmir Government is breeding Emu, the largest Australian bird. It is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest and arid areas.

Emu, which develops an adult body at 20 months, has a lifespan of up to 30 years. It can lay eggs till 25 years of age, which is much more than a normal Indian hen. It weighs more than 60 kilograms and grows beyond five feet.

New Delhi, Oct 25 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi’s condition continues to be critical on the 13th day today.

Dr. Vineet Suri, consultant in neurology, Apollo hospital, said Dasmunshi’s condition continues to remain critical and that he is on life support system.

Sixty two-year-old Dasmunsi had suffered a severe heart attack on October 13 and admitted to the AIIMS.

Bangalore, Oct 25 : Defence Minister A K Antony today said that the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project is very much on track and there was no question of abandoning the programme, which would be completed by 2011.

“I can tell you with all confidence by end of 2010, the LCA is expected to get its full operational clearance and by 2011, I am sure IAF will be able to get the first delivery of the aircraft,” Antony told reporters, after reviewing the performance of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Rajouri (J-K), Oct. 25 : A newly found cave, which is stated to have passage leading to Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu, is fascinating hundreds of curious local residents and religious minded here for its one glimpse at the Heemkanal in Rajouri District’s Budhal Tehsil.

The cave has three openings. The orientation of the first cave is headed towards Vaishno Devi temple at Katra. The second one is in the direction of Amarnath in Pahalgam located in Kashmir valley and the third leads to Buddha Amarnath in Poonch.

Bangalore, Oct 25 : ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair has said that Chandrayaan-1 has covered 20 percent of its journey towards moon as scientists on Saturday performed the second orbit-raising manoeuvre.

“So far, Indian-made satellites have reached to a height of only 36,000 km. Today’s firing has taken Chandrayaan-1 to something like 75,000 km. That’s well beyond what we have reached so far. It was a good event, and done precisely,” Nair, also secretary in the Department of Space, said.

New Delhi, Oct 25: Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday admitted that there were problems related to the air surveillance coverage by the Air Force due to a shortage of radars.

He also acknowledged the shortage of submarines in the Navy.

Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Antony acknowledged that the problem of radar coverage exists in the IAF because of failure on the part of the government to provide necessary equipment to the forces.