Hugo Chavez in 'best moment' since surgery, VP Nicolas Maduro says

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in his "best moment" since undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba 45 days ago, the vice president said on Saturday, adding Chavez has made important economic decisions to strengthen exports.

"He's got a smile that's filled with light, his thoughts are illuminated," said Nicolas Maduro in televised comments just after midnight after returning from a visit with Chavez.

The normally garrulous president has not been heard from since a complex operation on December 11. Official statements in recent weeks have sounded upbeat about his condition following rumours that he is gravely ill.

The communication minister on Saturday is scheduled to provide more details about Chavez's condition and treatment.

Maduro's comments about economic policy come amid widespread speculation that Venezuela is preparing a devaluation of the bolivar currency that would improve state finances by providing more bolivars per dollar of oil exports.

Devaluing would make exports more competitive by lowering local production costs, and spur domestic industries by making imports less competitive with respect to local goods.

"We're going to develop our economy's capacity to export," Maduro said.

Business leaders have for weeks said a devaluation is necessary to ease periodic product shortages that have resulted from a scarcity of dollars.

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Telangana issue: US cautions its citizens about developments in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: Agitations related to the demand for separate Telangana state have prompted the US state department to caution its citizens in Hyderabad to be careful till February 4.

A statement issued by the consulate general of USA here said there could be also demonstrations/protests on the arrest of Owaisi brothers of MIM, that may lead to disturbances.

Following a statement by Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde last month that the decision on Telangana would be taken within a month, political parties and civil society groups opposing or supporting the statehood have stepped up their activities in Andhra Pradesh.

"Multiple events associated with upcoming religious and national holidays, a possible decision on the Telangana statehood issue, and recent arrests of local political leaders may result in large gatherings or demonstrations throughout the city through to February 4, 2013. These events could potentially lead to civil disturbances, traffic congestion, and bandhs (strikes) that disrupt routine services," the Consulate statement said.

"Please avoid the areas where demonstrations are occurring and exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large gatherings. Please stay current with media coverage of local events, be aware of your surroundings, and practise personal security awareness at all times," it advised.

The latest update on the US state department's website also highlighted Telangana issue. "Until the issue is resolved definitively, there may continue to be tension, especially in the Telangana Region of Andhra Pradesh," it said.

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Hundreds of Iraqis gather to mourn protesters killed by soldiers

FALLUJAH: Hundreds of Iraqi protesters have gathered in a western city for the funeral of protesters killed during a shooting by army troops on Friday.

Mourners hoisted caskets and waved Iraqi flags while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" or God is great. The Saturday funeral procession took place in central Fallujah, not far away the city's cemetery.

Iraqi soldiers opened fire on Friday on stone-throwing demonstrators near the city of Fallujah in the predominately Sunni province of Anbar, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, killing at least five, according to local authorities.

The violence is likely to exacerbate tensions between the Shiite-led government and minority Sunnis angry over perceived second-class treatment and what they see as unfair policies targeting their sect.

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Harvard University students plan India-Pakistan peace vigil

CAMBRIDGE (Massachusetts): In the wake of tensions between India and Pakistan, South Asian students of Harvard University have planned a 'global vigil' Sunday for peace between the two countries.

Sponsored by the South Asia Centre, Boston, and the Alliance for Secular and Democratic South Asia, the vigil at Harvard Square is aimed at voicing the students' concern over ceasefire violations at the LoC and the war hype being built up by "sections of the media and politicians in India that threatens peace in the region."

Condoling the loss of lives on both sides and "condemning any kind of mutilation or beheading of human bodies," the organisers called for independent investigations into these reported incidents so that the truth is known. They also asked the students to join in the effort at maintaining harmony and accord between the two countries and in the region and suggested they bring a poster or placard reflecting that spirit.

Appreciating that India and Pakistan have reiterated their commitment to continue the dialogue process, the sponsors said dialogue between the two countries must be uninterrupted and uninterruptible.

"Any deviation from this process will only encourage and strengthen extremist, hawkish and fanatical elements on both sides who want to derail the peace process," they said.

Urging India and Pakistan to stay the course and continue with the progress made towards normalising relations, the organisers said: "A prosperous and well-connected South Asia is our best response to these divisive factions."

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Rajasthan must act against Nandy for casteist comments: Mayawati

NEW DELHI: BSP leader Mayawati on Saturday demanded that the Rajasthan government take strong action against social scientist Ashis Nandy for his comments linking OBCs, the SCs and the STs to corruption and that he be told to leave the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Talking to reporters here, Mayawati said Nandy's comments were "wrong, baseless and unfortunate" and reflected casteist mindset.

They were made as part of a thought-out conspiracy to defame people from these communities, said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo.

"Hence, the Rajasthan government should take strong action against him without delay," Mayawati said.

She said the organisers should also immediately "throw out" Nandy from the festival for his "casteist remarks".

Asked if the BSP will raise the issue in the budget session of parliament, she said the party will take into account steps taken by the Rajasthan government, the organisers and the "kind of apology" tendered by Nandy.

Nandy stirred up a row at Jaipur Literature Festival on Saturday, saying most of the corrupt in the country were people from the other backwards classes (OBC), the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs).

"It will be an undignified, even vulgar statement. But it is a fact that most of the corrupt come from the OBC, the Scheduled Castes and now increasingly the STs and as long as it is the case, the Indian republic will survive," he said at a session titled "Republic of Ideas".

"I will give an example. The state of least corruption is West Bengal. In 100 years, nobody from the backward classes and SC and ST have come anywhere near power in West Bengal. It is an absolutely clean state," he said.

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Maruti Suzuki Q3 net profit surges over two-fold to Rs 501.29 crore

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Jan 25, 2013, 02.18PM IST

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki Ltd, India's biggest carmaker by sales volume, said its third quarter profit more than doubled, its first increase in 18 months after a torrid period marked by a strike, plant shutdowns and a demand slowdown.

The small car champion, which two years ago produced every other new car sold in India, outperformed a miserable market during the quarter to end-December, bouncing back after a deadly factory riot in July led to a $250 million production loss.

Maruti, controlled by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, said profit for the Oct-Dec quarter was 5.01 billion rupees, up from 2.05 billion rupees in the same quarter of 2011. Sales rose 46 per cent to 109.57 billion rupees.

Analysts had expected profit of 5.24 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

At 2:36 p.m., shares in the automaker were up 3.5 per cent at 1593 rupees, outperforming a Mumbai market that was up 0.80 per cent.

Maruti sold 27 per cent more cars in the quarter, helped in part by strong sales of a cheaper and more fuel-efficient version of its Alto, the world's best-selling small car, during India's October-November festival season when people typically make big purchases.

The growth in profit was primarily due to higher sales and a positive consumer response to new car models like utility vehicle Ertiga and Swift DZire low-cost sedan, Maruti said in a statement, adding that cost cuts also boosted profit.

Car sales in India so far this fiscal year are down on the previous twelve months and are on track to post their lowest growth in nine years, according to the Society of Indian Automakers (SIAM), an industry lobby group.

High interest rates, rising fuel prices and slowing economic growth is hurting India's car market, once the toast of the global industry, tempting a slew of carmakers to invest billions of dollars setting up plants.

Analysts expect Maruti to cut its capital expenditure by about 12 per cent in the next 12 months, which would be the second biggest cut among 40 top Asian automobile firms, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine's SmartEstimates.

SmartEstimates accords greater weight to recent forecasts from historically more accurate analysts.

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China urges Japan to cooperate in resolving islands dispute

BEIJING: Chinese Communist Party Chief Xi Jinping said on Friday that China's position on a series of islands disputed with Japan is clear and consistent and urged Japan to cooperate in resolving the issue.

Japan should respect the feelings of the Chinese people and "correctly handle" historical problems, Xi told Natsuo Yamaguchi, a visiting lawmaker and head of the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition.

"The Japanese side ought to face up to history and facts, take practical step and work hard with China to find an effective way to appropriately resolve and manage the issue via dialogue and consultations," Xi said, according to a statement on the foreign ministry's website.

The islands are called the Diaoyu in Chinese and the Senkaku by Japan. Relations between the countries are at a low after the Japanese government bought three of the islands last year, sparking widespread, violent anti-Japan protests across China.

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UP's laptop scheme to give jobs to 2000 hardware engineers

LUCKNOW: Close to 2000 engineers will get a job under UP government's endeavour to distribute laptops to students in the state.

The government, which cleared the rules for procurement of laptops earlier this week, is expected to distribute some 25000 laptops in the first phase stating sometime next month.

Sources in the government said that a pre condition for awarding of contract to company to supply bulk order of laptop is to set up service centers in important tehsils. As a part of the same, 331 service centers are to come up.

Each service centre is expected to appoint five engineers. And to run these centers the company will need around 2000 engineers. It has been decided that the contract would be awarded to Hewlett Packard and the memorandum of understanding would be signed very soon.

Meanwhile, secretary, secondary education department, Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma has asked the district magistrates to furnish information needed to roll out the scheme. the points include availability of warehouses to store the laptops at tehsil level among others.

The laptop scheme is a flagship programme of the Akhilesh government and the Samajwadi Party had promised to distribute laptops to youth in their poll manifesto.

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Jaipur literature festival to lose money, sponsors exit

JAIPUR: The sixth edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival is running on a negative budget of over Rs.1.5 crore (approx $278,000) with several sponsors pulling out in the last three weeks citing financial constraints, said organisers.

"Our budget for this year is between Rs.5 crore-Rs.6.8 crore but we managed to garner only Rs.4 crore in sponsorships," festival producer Sanjoy K. Roy told IANS.

He said they had covered the budget for this year through sponsorships. "But in the last three weeks, many pulled out. And by that time, it was too late find new sponsors."

"Looks like we will lose money," he said, adding that they had last year managed to recover the cost of the event, billed as the largest literary festival in the Asia-Pacific region. He said his entertainment company Teamwork Production would have to foot the unrecovered bill.

Festival co-director and writer Namita Gokhale had also said in her opening speech that they were "Rs.1.5 crore behind budget".

"It is a bad financial year," she said.

Asked if the negative balance will affect the festival plans next year, Roy said: "We have to find new ways to get money."

He said it was hard to downsize the festival. "People come with big expectations. The festival has become one of five largest in the world. We have no choice."

According to estimates till Thursday, he said, the footfall at the event was likely to cross 97,000. The five-day festival ends Monday. The 2012 edition had seen 120,000 footfalls.

Over 280 authors from across the world are attending the festival this year. Entry to all the venues is free.

Asked if sponsors seek presence of celebrities at the festival for more crowds, Roy said: "It's not about celebrities anymore."

People came anyway because of the event's popularity, he said.

On adding naming of the sponsors to session venues, he said: "They want returns! Since they cannot get tangible returns, like real sales, but only brand returns, so we try to invent new branding opportunities."

He said one sponsor wanted to have a session on arts or an English newspaper wanted a session on international relations or another on language writers. "We have to understand the needs of the sponsors. They are not doing charity. They have to get something out of it and we have to meet their requirements."

The two consistent sponsors of the event continue to be infrastructure company DSC Ltd and Diggi Palace, the heritage resort in this Rajasthan capital that has been hosting the literary carnival. The other big sponsors are Tata Steel, Google, Airtel and Coco-Cola.

DSC group's Surina Narula said in her speech Thursday that "financially they (organisers) were not getting much" but "the company will continue to support the fest as long it was open to public and people kept coming".

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875 police personnel awarded on Republic Day; CRPF tops list

NEW DELHI: A total of 875 police and para-military personnel have been decorated by the President for gallantry and outstanding services on Republic Day eve with CRPF topping the list.

Constable Daler Singh (posthumous) from Jammu and Kashmir is the lone recipient of the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) this time, a Home Ministry statement said today.

Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) has been awarded to 115 personnel, President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service to 88 officials and Police Medal for Meritorious Service to 671 personnel.

"37 personnel have been awarded Correctional Service Medals- President's Correctional Service Medals for Distinguished Service to five, Correctional Service Medals for Meritorious Service to 29 and President's Correctional Service Medal for Gallantry to three persons," the statement said.

The CRPF-- country's lead force for conducting anti-Naxal operations, has emerged as the lead organisation with 95 medals under all categories.

The force also got a maximum of 32 gallantry medals, majority of them in anti-Maoist operations domain.

Personnel of Jammu and Kashmir police have been awarded 21 President's medals for gallantry.

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Lankan navalmen greet Tamil Nadu fishermen with tea

RAMESWARAM (TN): In a goodwill gesture, Sri Lankan naval personnel, often accused of using strongarm tactics, offered refreshments to a group of Indian fishermen on Thursday when they were fishing near Katchatheevu.

The fishermen numbering around 50 were in a for a pleasant surprise as the Sri Lankan navalmen surrounded them only to offer biscuits and tea near Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India to the island Republic in the 1970s under an agreement.

The Lankan personnel, however, offered a friendly warning asking the fishermen to fish in Indian waters and not to come too deep into their territorial waters, the fishermen said.

"When they surrounded us we thought we are going to be beaten up. But they gave us tea and biscuits," Nagarajan, one of the fishermen, said on their return to the shores.

Recurring attacks on fishermen allegedly by Sri Lankan navalmen in the Palk Strait, especially near Katchatheevu, known for its rich fish wealth, has been a major issue in Tamil Nadu and chief minister Jayalalithaa has even demanded India retrieve the islet.

In a bid to prevent such attacks, a pilot project has recently been launched under which GPS devices were being fixed to boats to help the fishermen in navigation and avoid entering Sri Lankan waters.

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15 kg heroin recovered from near India-Pakistan border

AMRITSAR: Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday recovered 15 kilogram heroin valued at around Rs 75 crore in the international market along with 1 desi Pak made pistol following the arrest of an Indian smuggler Bhupinder Singh from Dera Baba Nanak Sector.

BSF Inspector General (Frontier) Aditya Mishra informed that a BSF party spotted some movement near Borde Out Post Rosse in Dera Baba Nanak sector at around 9 AM on Thursday. Upon seeing the smugglers the BSF patrolling party challenged them following which they tried to escape but one of the smuggler was nabbed on the spot while two of his accomplice managed to escape.

The arrested smuggler was identified as Bhupinder Singh resident of Phakkiwan village falling under Kalanaur in Gurdaspur district while his accomplice Sukhdeep Singh and another unidentified person managed to escape taking benefit of layer of fog in the area. Besides contraband and weapon, BSF also recovered 2 magazine, 15 rounds and 1 mobile phone. On Tuesday BSF had recovered 10 kg heroin in Amritsar sector.

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Demand for Chinese CCTV cameras has soared in last one month across metros: Survey

KOLKATA: In the aftermath of gang-rape and murder of a medical student in Delhi last month, both the demand and import of Chinese closed circuit televisions (CCTVs) and surveillance cameras in the metro cities has gone through the roof, according to a just-concluded Assocham survey.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) interacted with about 200 stakeholders in the domain of security products including the traders, manufacturers and others operating in CCTV cameras' market considering that gory incident of December 16, 2012 has made surveillance imperative.

The Assocham carried out the survey between December 20, 2012-January 20, 2013 in metro cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, National Capital Region (NCR-Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Noida) and Pune as these state capitals and cities are flocked by men and women from various tier II, III cities, districts and rural areas in search of job opportunities which also makes these centres prone to crime.

Over half of the traders said there is negligible manufacturing of CCTV cameras in the country and thus they import the same from countries like China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel and also from US and Europe as their product is not only cheap but these countries being leading hardware manufacturers, their products are affordable and based on latest technologies and thus are more preferred by the customers over domestically manufactured CCTVs.

Majority of respondents said that even most of the indigenous enterprises are importing all the components from abroad, assembling them and selling them under their brand names.

In terms of sales, the Chinese CCTV cameras are selling like hot cakes and the respondents said their sales have increased by over 60-70% during the course of last one month itself.

The imported tag on basic fixed focus cameras and sophisticated infrared cameras is proving to be lucrative for those operating in the business and said it is feasible for them to import as the investment involved is huge while the volumes are not high which in turn does not justify the cost of production.

Lack of government support, absence of regulatory framework, large investments and outdated technology are key reasons holding back domestic electronic companies from venturing into the CCTV domain leading to increased dependence upon imported stuff, highlights the Assocham survey.

"The need for safety and security in almost every walk of life has fuelled an overwhelming demand for CCTV cameras and more so after the Munirka gang-rape incident as hostels, paying guest accommodations, hotels and places alike in cosmopolitan cities are installing surveillance gadgets to keep a check on the movements of both the inhabitants and stalkers," said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of Assocham while releasing the chamber survey.

According to an Assocham analysis, the video surveillance and CCTV market in India is growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 30 per cent is likely to cross Rs 2,200 crore by 2015.

Indian CCTV camera market is currently poised at about Rs 1,300 crore and accounts for about 40% of the Rs 3,250 crore worth total electronic security market in India, according to an analysis on CCTV/video surveillance market.

The global CCTV and video surveillance market is growing at a CAGR of about 25% and is currently poised at about Rs one lakh crore and is likely to cross Rs 1.5 lakh crore mark by 2015, according to the Assocham study. Asia accounts for nearly 35% of the global CCTV market with a share of over Rs 27,000 crore.

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Subramanian Swamy's plea for trying juvenile with adult gang-rape accused dismissed

NEW DELHI: A plea for prosecution of the juvenile accused in the December 16 gang-rape case along with the five adult accused was dismissed by the juvenile justice board (JJB) on Thursday.

The petition, moved by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy seeking the prosecution of the sole juvenile along with the five adult accused, was rejected by the board presided over by principal magistrate Geetanjali Goel here.

Janata Party general secretary Jagdish Shetty told the media outside JJB, "Subramanian Swamy is in Chennai right now and he has been informed about the decision of the board. We would be filing an appeal against the order in several forums including the Delhi high court."

Swamy had moved the high court on Wednesday seeking a direction to prosecute the juvenile along with other co-accused in the case, saying the waiver from prosecution to such minors was "unreasonable".

The high court had disposed of his plea, saying, "There was no cause of action to entertain this PIL at this stage."

The bench had, however, given Swamy the liberty to "take proper recourse" by moving a sessions court if JJB did not allow his plea on the issue.

The 23-year-old paramedic was gang-raped and brutally assaulted by six persons in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16 and dumped on the road. She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

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T-JAC to launch agitation against anti-Telangana forces on January 28

HYDERABAD: Telangana activists, who have pledged to turn the movement aggressive, on Thursday decided to launch a decisive agitation what they term 'peaceful militancy' in case the Centre fails to announce a separate statehood for the region on January 28. And Telangana political Joint Action Committee ( T-JAC) leaders said their cadres would target financial and commercial establishments run by anti-Telangana forces.

In an emergency meeting convened on Thursday in the backdrop of AICC general secretary GulabNabi Azad's negative statement on Telangana, the T-JAC leaders resolved to fix 5 pm on January 28 as the deadline for the Centre to grant the separate statehood failing which they would declare the 'militant struggle' from the forum of the two-day 'Samara Diksha' starting on January 27 at Indira Park.

"Patience of the people of Telangana is running out and I think the flashpoint is reached. But, we still believe the Centre would stick to its January 28 self-announced deadline and announce the process of formation of Telangana state on or before the day. We will wait till the evening of January 28, and give the war cry, if nothing comes out from Delhi," said M Kodandaram, chairman of T-JAC.

While he didn't want to divulge the specific details of the mode of the agitation, Kodandaram said the T-JAC would decide on the final shape of the agitation in the extended steering committee meeting slated for Friday. However, he admitted to the proposals of the activists to turn the agitation into 'peaceful militant'. The member political parties TRS, BJP, and new Democracy are taking part in the meeting, and the T-JAC has to take the divergent opinions on the issue before taking the final call, as the BJP has expressed its reservations on militant way of agitation.

PittalaRavinder, state coordinator of T-JAC, said, in a press conference followed by the emergency meeting on Thursday," So far we have staged strong demonstrations like 'Million March', and 'SakalaJanukaSamme' where in these anti-Telangana forces hadn't tasted the real fury. Baring some aggressive agitations launched by student bodies, there was no effort from our side for waging the decisive battle. Now, the time has come. As we rightly named the two-day sit-in as 'Samara Diksha', we will announce the agitation on January 28 that the Samikyandhra elements would find it miserable."

Srinivas Goud, a co-convener of T-JAC, said the pro-Telangana wanted keep the cards close to the chest as far as the mode of agitation till the evening of January 28. He said the T-JAC would convince the stakeholders including the BJP on intensifying the agitation in case the Centre finally goes back on its promise on Telangana.

"We will take everyone into confidence and everyone's opinion into consideration before sounding the war bugle from the forum of the 'Samara Diksha'. And there will be ambiguity of and divide of opinion on the mode of the agitation," said SrinivasGoud.

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Thai activist and former magazine editor jailed for 11 years over royal insult

BANGKOK: A prominent Thai political activist accused of insulting the monarchy was jailed for 11 years on Wednesday in the latest tough sentence under the kingdom's controversial lese majeste law.

The criminal court in Bangkok convicted former magazine editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk in connection with two articles deemed offensive to the royal family.

"We accept the ruling but we will appeal," his lawyer Karom Polpornklang said after the verdict.

"I can confirm that he did not intend to violate article 112," he said, referring to the lese majeste legislation. "He was doing his job as a journalist. We will seek bail for him."

Rights campaigners denounced the conviction of Somyot, who was brought to court in shackles having been held for more than a year without bail.

"The courts seem to have adopted the role of chief protector of the monarchy at the expense of free expression rights," said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"The court's ruling appears to be more about Somyot's strong support for amending the lese majeste law than about any harm incurred by the monarchy."

Somyot, who was arrested in April 2011, is a supporter of the "Red Shirt" protest group, which is broadly loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The royal family is a highly sensitive subject in politically turbulent Thailand. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 85, is revered by many Thais but has been in hospital since September 2009.

Rights campaigners say that the lese majeste law has been politicised, noting that many of those charged are linked to the Red Shirt movement.

Under the legislation, anyone convicted of insulting the Thai king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

Thailand has been riven by political divisions since Thaksin was topped by royalist generals in a coup in 2006.

Two months of mass street protests by the Red Shirts against the previous government in early 2010 triggered the kingdom's worst civil violence in decades with 90 people killed, mostly in a bloody military crackdown.

Many Red Shirts seek the return of Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon who lives overseas to avoid a prison sentence for corruption that he contends is politically motivated.

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BJP thanks Nitin Gadkari for expanding party's support base

NEW DELHI: The BJP parliamentary board thanked the party's outgoing president Nitin Gandkari on Wednesday, saying he immensely helped in expanding the party's support base.

The parliamentary board met at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in the capital on Wednesday.

"The parliamentary board places on record its deep sense of appreciation of leadership provided by Nitin Gadkari as the president of BJP," senior party leader Ananth Kumar read out a statement after the meeting.

"Gadkari's dynamism, good work, and open mindedness helped immensely in expanding the support base of the party. He displayed qualities of an ideal 'karyakarta' (party worker) and was always available to party workers," he said.

The BJP parliamentary board meeting was attended by senior party leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu among others.

The board also endorsed the name of Rajnath Singh as new party president.

Gadkari made an announcement on Tuesday evening saying he would not seek a second term as he wanted his name cleared of the corruption charges.

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BJP to hold countrywide protests against Shinde's 'Hindu terror' remarks

NEW DELHI: The BJP will hold countrywide protests from Thursday against home minister Sushilkumar Shinde's "Hindu terror" remarks, Rajnath Singh said after being elected as the party president on Wednesday.

"The recent statement of Shinde shows the government is not serious on its fight against terrorism," Rajnath Singh said, addressing party workers here.

"Just for vote bank politics, they are poisoning the atmosphere of the nation with communalism. We condemn the statement," he said.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would hold countrywide protests against Shinde's comments.

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India Air Force airlifts 150 people stranded in snow-bound Kishtwar

JAMMU: Braving minus six-degree temperature and chilly winds, India Air Force (IAF) today came to the rescue and airlifted 150 stranded people, including women and children in snow-bound Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"IAF had airlifted 150 stranded people including women and children from various areas of Kishtwar district today", public relation officer (PRO), ministry of defence (MoD), S N Acharya said.

MI-17 chopper was pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers in highly snow-bound areas of Kishtwar, Nawapanchi, Sondar and Intion in several sorties, Acharya said.

The air operation was supervised by Air Commandore P Patangay and divisional commissioner Jammu Pradeep Gupta.

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Souvik's mother seeks government intervention in investigating into her son's mysterious death

BANGALORE: After he went missing since December 31 night from a club in Manchester, Souvmik Pal, 19, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. The Manchester police recovered his body from a canal and his mother Mahuya Pal received a call from Manchester police on Tuesday around 10.30 pm, saying they have found her elder son's body.

"I didn't know what to answer. With other's help, I called my husband Santanu and informed on the development," she says.

Further, she requested concerned officials to send back the body at the earliest. "It is difficult to sit and wait for the body. Please do something and bring back the body at the earliest," she said.

Alok Ranjan Pal, Souvik's grandfather, told TOI that Alok was humble and decent boy.

"It is really shocking and we are no stage to accept the truth. He was so humble and decent boy. My request to Manchester police is - please investigate into the death and find out what has happened," he told.

The two bedroom apartment was immersed in deep silence and sorrow. After learning Pal's death, family members and friends poured, expressed condolence.

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Molestation case: Assam CM to seek review of 'lenient' punishment to armyman

GUWAHATI: After an armyman was demoted and given three months in jail for molesting a village woman, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday the Army court had taken a "lenient" view of the crime.

Gogoi would urge the defence ministry to review the case to ensure proper justice to the 19-year-old victim, a statement from the chief minister's office said.

"The army court has been insensitive to the seriousness of the crime and has taken a lenient view," the statement said.

"Imprisonment for only three months is far less than the heinous crime committed by the armyman. The army court must have meted out deterrent punishment against the accused," it said.

An Army court had on Monday sentenced Anil Kumar Upadhaya, a lance naik with 287 Field Regiment, to three months of rigorous imprisonment in military custody and demoted him to the rank of sepoy.

Upadhaya arrested after he was caught attempting to molest a woman in Dolopa village in Sivsagar district in July last year.

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Shinde's statement has weakened fight against terrorism, Shivraj Singh Chouhan says

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's statement accusing BJP and RSS of fanning "Hindu terrorism" had weakened India's fight against terrorism.

"Neither BJP nor Congress is above the country and therefore Shinde's statement has weakened India's fight against terrorism and will give the nation's enemy an advantage on the issue," Chouhan told reporters here.

"For narrow political gains, the country's rights are being sacrificed and Shinde has put the entire nation in the dock. It was a highly irresponsible statement from the home minister," the BJP leader said.

"I am unable to understand why the home minister spoke in such a language. The country will have to suffer because of it," he said.

The consequences of Shinde's statement would be dangerous and the country would have to pay heavily for it, Chouhan warned.

The CM expressed surprise over the way Congress was rallying behind Shinde on the issue and also criticised Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh for using words like 'Ji' and 'Sahib' for terrorists.

Some newspapers were earlier quoted as saying that Digvijaya Singh had referred most wanted person JuD chief as "Hafiz Saeed Sahib" and slain al-Qaida chief as "OsamaJi."

BJP general secretary and state party unit president Narendra Singh Tomar also expressed similar views and demanded Shinde's sacking over the issue.

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Government today tells Kingfisher to clear all dues to get flying permit

Salaries and allowances of Kingfisher employees, including pilots and engineers, have been pending for over eight months now.

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jan 22, 2013, 07.32PM IST

NEW DELHI: The government today made it clear that grounded Kingfisher Airlines would not be allowed to fly till it cleared all its dues, including pending salaries of its staffers.

"Kingfisher cannot be allowed to fly without settling its dues. Just paying the employees is not sufficient...DGCA has said that all stakeholders need to be satisfied, "civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said.

Kingfisher needs to obtain statements from creditors, including banks, airport operators and employees that they do not object to resumption of flights, he told reporters shortly after the airline's CEO Sanjay Aggarwal met civil aviation secretary K N Srivastava here to seek permission for resuming operations.

The Vijay Mallya-owned company "has no concrete funding plan. The bankers have to give go-ahead to restart the operations. The company needs at least Rs 1,000 crore to resume operations," Singh said, adding that settlement of Airports Authority of India's dues was "non-negotiable".

He also said that the beleaguered carrier would have to prove its ability to raise funds. "They need to prove they've the ability to scale-up funds to sustain operations."

However, Srivastava during his meeting with Aggarwal indicated that a decision on Kingfisher's plea to resume operations could be taken only after the grounded carrier paid its staff their salary dues.

Official sources said Srivastava told Aggarwal that the issue of the airline's dues to other vendors, including the AAI, could be taken up later but the staffers have to be paid before it could get clearance to relaunch its operations.

Salaries and allowances of Kingfisher employees, including pilots and engineers, have been pending for over eight months now.

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Avalanche hits hamlet in Himachal, 35 yaks killed in Sangla Valley

SHIMLA: An avalanche hit Himachal Pradesh's remote hamlet in the picturseque Sangla Valley on Tuesday, killing more than 35 domesticated yaks.

However, no loss of any human life was reported, deputy commissioner J.M. Pathania told IANS.

Rescue workers have been sent to the spot.

Sangla Valley in Kinnaur district experienced heavy snowfall last week, measuring more than six feet.

The entire Kinnaur district has been cut off from rest of the state and there has been absolute electricity failure since January 17.

Pathania said roads between the state capital and Rekong Peo, the district headquarters, are likely to be re-opened to traffic in a day or two.

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Shinde remark has weakened India's war against terror: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde remark linking the BJP-RSS to Hindu terrorism has weakened India's war against terror. "When the home minister of the country makes such an insensitive statement for whatever reasons, he definitely hurt the country's image internationally,'' chief minister Chouhan said. "The whole world is fighting a crucial war against terrorism and India plays an extremely vital role in that crusade. His statement has not only hurt India's interests but is shameful.''

Addressing the recently held Congress Conclave in Jaipur, Union home minister Shinde had alleged that the BJP-RSS combine was conducting terror training camps and promoting Hindu terrorism. Though the BJP slammed the home minister's claim and demanded his sacking, the Congress party backed Shinde asserting that the observation was based on evidence.

Speaking to TOI on Tuesday afternoon, chief minister Chouhan alleged: "The primary concern for every citizen of this nation is the country. Even an ordinary citizen would not make such statements that would harm the nation. The home minister made such a derogatory speech that was immediately appreciated by the founder of a banned terrorist group. Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed not only agreed with Sushil Shinde but is threatening to use that statement against India in the international forum.''

A day after Shinde's speech connecting the BJP-RSS to Hindu terrorism, Hafiz Saeed commented that India propaganda against Pakistani organisations as terror groups was exposed by the home minister. The LeT founder alleged that it was India that was executing terror acts in Pakistan. Saeed threatened that he would urge the Pakistan government to take the matter up with the United Nations and declare India as a terror state''.

An irate chief minister Chouhan said: "Even after such a development, there are Congress leaders who are addressing Hafiz Saeed, a killer of innocent Indian civilians and the mastermind of the Mumbai attack as a saheb. Previously, Osama Bin Laden was respectfully called 'Osamaji'. Such is the mentality of the Congress party and the nation continuously suffers for these insensitive follies.''

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UP govt employees go on flash strike, allege assault by BJP workers

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government employees who are opposing reservation in promotions went on a flash strike on Monday after they were allegedly beaten up by BJP workers at the airport here.

"We had gone to submit a memorandum to senior BJP leaders against the passage of the bill in Rajya Sabha as the party's national president Nitin Gadkari, too, was present when the incident happened," convenor of Sarvjan Hitay Sanrakshan Samiti, Shailendra Dubey, said.

The BJP brass is in the city to preside over former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh's re-entry into the party.

Dubey alleged that former state president Surya Pratap Shahi had instigated BJP workers to carry out an unprovoked attack on the employees' group.

Dubey said that the incident took place in the presence of Gadkari, state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai and senior leader Kalraj Mishra.

"I have given a call for boycott of work and will hold a protest meeting in the afternoon," he said.

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Tamil writer M S Udayamurthy passes away in Chennai

CHENNAI: Noted Tamil writer and social activist M S Udayamurthy died here on Monday following cardiac arrest, family sources said.

Udayamurthy, 85, is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Author of several books on self-improvement, Udayamurthy's prominent works include "Ennangal" (thoughts) "Unnal Mudiyum Thambi" (You can brother), "nee than thambi mudhal amaichar" (you are the chief minister).

An environmental activist, Udayamurthy, founder of "Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam" (People's Power Movement), actively pursued projects like linking of rivers.

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Pirates seize oil tanker in Ivory Coast: Officials

ABIDJAN: Armed men have hijacked a tanker carrying 5,000 tons of oil from an Ivory Coast port and taken it off the coast of Ghana, though its precise whereabouts are unknown, government authorities and maritime officials said on Monday.

The Panamanian-flagged vessel ITRI was first seized Wednesday as the tanker was preparing to deposit oil at the port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial capital, said a statement from the Ivory Coast government _ communicating for the first time on the case only Monday.

The statement said officials located the vessel off neighboring Ghana, and that authorities were mobilized.

The tanker, with 16 crew members aboard, was listed as missing, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's pirate reporting center in Malaysia. He could not release information about the nationalities of the crew, but said in many previous cases, the pirates released the crew after they had siphoned out the oil and obtained any valuable cargo.

The ship initially had trouble docking because a sand storm reduced visibility, a government statement said. Later, the ship's captain radioed the port manager to report difficulty maneuvering. Shortly afterward, contact was lost with the vessel. Then ship consignee Koda Maritime informed port officials that armed men had taken control of the tanker.

Most hijackings in the region occur near oil-rich Nigeria. The first recorded vessel hijacking off Ivory Coast was in October when 14 men armed with knives and AK-47s boarded a tanker carrying 30,000 tons of gasoline. The crew was later released unharmed.

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Anti-rape protestors may disrupt Republic Day parade: Delhi police

NEW DELHI: Anti-rape protestors demanding justice for the 23-year-old gang-rape victim may disrupt the Republic Day parade, a top police officer said here Monday.

According to intelligence inputs, some groups have been identified that may try to create trouble during the parade.

"We have got some inputs. We will take strict action against the protestors if they try to enter Janpath or India Gate area on or a day before Jan 26," a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, told IANS.

Anti-rape protests erupted in the national capital and elsewhere in the country after the 23-year-old physiotherapist trainee was gang-raped by six males on Dec 16 last year. The woman alongwith her friend were beaten up and then thrown out of the moving bus on the road - bloodied and without clothes. The woman died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital.

Hundreds and on occasions thousands collected at India Gate to protest the barbaric crime and demanded strict anti-rape laws. Many also clashed with police and damaged some properties that were erected for the Republic Day parade in which India's military and rich cultural heritage is showcased.

The parade originates from Vijay Chowk at the foot of Raisina Hill, which houses the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the offices of the prime minister, and the defence minister external affairs, finance and home ministers.

Dozens of people still continue to protest at Jantar Mantar.

According to another police official, they have identified the groups and are keeping a watch on their activities.

Officials said some of the groups have planned to boycott the Republic Day - India's constitution came into force on January 26, 1950 after it gained indpendence from the British Aug 15, 1947 - to demand better laws to make women feel secure in the country.

Sources said some of the groups, who were protesting at Jantar Mantar, also did not celebrate Christmas and New Year.

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Kalyan Singh merges party with BJP, cannot join himself

LUCKNOW: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, who had walked out of BJP before the 2009 LokSabha polls, today merged his Jankranti Party (Rashtrawadi) with the saffron party.

However Singh, an independent MP from Etah constituency, could not join the party himself due to the electoral clause under anti-defection law that requires him to first resign from the membership of the House.

The merger was announced by Kalyan's son Rajvir in a rally attended by BJP's top-brass leaders including national president Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Uma Bharti, Kalraj Mishra and Vinay Katiyar.

Later talking to reporters, Kalyan said he is not joining the party right now as it will require him to resign from Parliament, thus necessitating a by-election which is unnecessary as the general elections are due in 2014.

Kalyan lashed out at Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his remarks on BJP and RSS during the Congress conclave in Jaipur, and sought an apology from both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi over the issue.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi should apologise to the Hindu society for the minister's statement," he said.

Hitting out at parties "engaged in Muslim appeasement" for electoral benefits, Kalyan said BJP is not against the Muslim community and all it wants is a policy of justice to all.

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Algeria hostage crisis: Death toll may go up, minister says

ALGIERS: Algeria's government said on Sunday the death toll from the gas plant attacked in the Sahara desert would rise from the 23 hostages initially thought.

"I am afraid unfortunately to say that the death toll will go up," minister of communication Mohamed Said was quoted as saying by the official APS news agency, adding that a final death toll would be released in the coming hours.

The previous death toll given by Algeria's interior ministry on Saturday was 23 hostages and 32 militants killed during the assault launched by Algerian special forces to end the crisis, with 107 foreign hostages and 685 Algerian hostages freed.

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Bomb explodes at Greek shopping mall, two people injured

ATHENS: An explosive device went off close to a bank in a shopping centre near Athens on Sunday, lightly injuring two security staff and damaging stores, police said.

The explosion followed a spate of gun and makeshift bomb attacks on organisations, journalists and political figures in recent weeks, some claimed by groups angry about Greece's deep financial crisis.

The device, which exploded shortly before 11am (0900 GMT), was left in a rubbish bin close to a branch of National Bank at a large mall in the suburb of Maroussi, said police.

Security staff had already evacuated the mall after police told them about two warnings calls to a newspaper, made about half an hour earlier.

Police said they were combing the mall for other explosive devices and checking security cameras. They had received no claims of responsibility so far.

Greece is in the sixth year of a recession that has fuelled anger against banks, foreign lenders and the political class, blamed by Greeks for bringing the country close to bankruptcy.

Unidentified attackers opened fire on the Athens headquarters of Greece's governing New Democracy party with a Kalashnikov assault rifle on Monday, in what the government said was a worrying escalation in political violence.

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Goa minor rape case: Vasco school principal held for negligence

PANAJI: Headmistress of a school run by the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in Vasco town of Goa was arrested on Sunday for negligence in connection with the rape of a seven-year-old girl on the school premises, police said.

"Headmistress Sharlet Furtado was arrested this afternoon by South District police for negligence, which resulted in the sexual assault on the girl on January 14", DIG O P Mishra said reporters.

Hinting at more arrests, Mishra said that a case of negligence has been made out against Furtado and this is the first arrest in the case.

However, Mishra supervising the investigations termed it as a "blind case".

"This is a blind case. It has no point of origin. We are trying to build up the entire case", the DIG said refusing to divulge more saying it is a sensitive case.

"The case is being investigated on a broad canvas. There are different angles to it", he added.

Police have registered two different cases related to the alleged sexual assault of the minor inside the school toilet.

The incident had evoked strong reactions from parents and locals, who had hit the streets.

The culprit, suspected to be a middle-aged man, is yet to be nabbed.

While the first case of rape is being investigated by special investigation team (SIT) of crime branch, the case of negligence against the principal by South District police.

Mishra further said the case of destruction of evidence has also been registered in connection with rape on the complaint of the parents who alleged the child was given bath, her inner-wear washed and the toilet was cleaned by the school authorities after the rape.

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Airstrike kills at least seven near Syrian capital Damascus

BEIRUT: Syrian government troops battled rebels in several areas outside Damascus on Sunday while regime warplanes bombed opposition-held areas around the capital, including an airstrike on one village that killed at least seven people, activists said.

Rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad have seized swaths of territory in northern Syria but have become bogged down in their push for Damascus, where regime troops are still firmly in control. While the opposition fighters have established footholds in suburbs east and south of the capital, Assad's forces have kept them from advancing into the heart of the city and regularly hit them with artillery and airstrikes.

Much of the fighting on Sunday was focused in areas east and south of the city, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, while government jets were bombing rebel areas.

An airstrike on the village of al-Barika, southeast of the capital, killed at least seven people, including five members of the same family, the Observatory said. Other activists provided the names of the dead, including the mother and father of the Shehadeh family and three of their children.

A video posted online said to be from the site showed dead bodies in the back of a pickup a truck and body parts and blood scattered in the street. "A whole family," an off-camera voice says, adding that they had fled to the village to escape violence elsewhere.

Another video posted online showed what activists said was the aftermath of an airstrike on the central village of Kafr Aya.

The video showed more than 10 wounded people being treated in a rudimentary field hospital. Some the wounded were children and appeared to be unconscious. A small baby was wrapped in a bloody white blanket with a badly wounded forehead.

The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other activist reports.

The Syrian government does not respond to requests for comment on military actions.

The state news agency said Sunday that troops had killed "scores of terrorists" in two the rebellious southern suburbs of Damascus. The government considers the rebels and its other internal opponents ``terrorists'' backed by foreign powers that seek to destroy Syria.

Syria's crisis began in March 2011 with protests calling for political reform that the government quickly repressed. It has since evolved into a civil war with scores of largely independent rebel groups fighting the government across the country.

The UN said this month that more than 60,000 people had been killed since the conflict's start.

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