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China says its nuclear reactor gets first foreign contract, hinting it could be exported to Pakistan

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 April 2013 | 08.20

BEIJING: China said it has acquired the first foreign contract for its self-developed 1000 mw nuclear reactor hinting that it could be exported to Pakistan, overriding the concerns of US and India.

ACP1000, a third-generation nuclear reactor developed independently by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), has secured its first foreign contract, the company said yesterday.

The reactor passed a review by an expert panel in Beijing yesterday and construction will begin at the foreign site after a domestic ACP1000 reactor work begins at the end of this year, CNNC vice-president Lyu Huaxiang told state-run China Daily.

However, he did not disclose the name of the country where it will be built.

It is the first export contract and more global cooperation is under way, he said.

China has so far aided and assisted Pakistan to construct four power plants at Chashma and is committed to build a heavy reactor there.

Chashma one and two were stated to be 300 mw each and as per the previous plans the three and four were stated to have 340 mw each.

While one and two were already commissioned, three and four were expected to be commissioned in 2016.

It is not clear whether the 1000 mw reactor would be a fifth one to be constructed or it would be built in Karachi.

Last month the Foreign Ministry Hong Lei tacitly confirmed reports of signing an agreement with Pakistan to build a 1000 mw nuclear power plant and defended the deal saying that it confirmed to safeguards of the IAEA.

He was reacting to the US media reports that China and Pakistan have entered a secret agreement to build a 1000 mw reactor.

The Washington Free Beacon portal quoted unnamed state department official as saying that the Chinese move would be in violation of its promise to the 47-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

China, which joined NSG in 2005, had agreed not to sell additional reactors to Pakistan beyond the two reactors sold earlier.

"I want to point out that relevant cooperation between China and Pakistan does not violate relevant norms of the NSG," Hong said, adding that in recent years the two countries have carried out some cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear cooperation.

China argues that the new 1000 mw plant was "grandfathered" by a previous agreement that led to the construction and operation of earlier nuclear power plants at Chashma.


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Trinamool Congress to take protest over 'economic deprivation' to Delhi

KOLKATA: Protesting the "economic deprivation" of West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress today decided to take its dissent to Delhi next week with party MPs set to raise the issue in and outside Parliament.

"Our MPs will stage a dharna before Gandhi's statue in the Parliament complex on April 22 when the budget session resumes," party general secretary Mukul Roy told a press conference here.

He said it would be to protest the alleged economic deprivation of Bengal by the Centre and also against attempts to stall development by the Mamata Banerjee government.

Simultaneously, he said, TMC MPs would launch protests and dharnas in and outside Parliament to protest the heckling of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and finance minister Amit Mitra in Delhi on April 9.

In West Bengal, agitation on the two issues would be launched in blocks and towns tomorrow beside a rally in the metropolis, he said.

A procession would be taken out from College Square to Rani Rashmoni Avenue on April 26.

Roy said the 12th Finance Commission had identified the state, which had a huge debt of Rs 2 lakh crore, as one of the most debt-stressed.

"The debt burden has been bequeathed by the Left Front government. Why should the present government take responsibility?" Roy asked.

He also questioned why the Centre permitted the previous state government to continue borrowing without introducing the FRBM Act.

The Centre was taking away Rs 25,000 crore annually to meet the interest and repayment of the debt, he said.

On the April 9 incident, Roy said, "It is unfortunate that till today we do not see any action against the perpetrators.


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Egypt court cancels Hosni Mubarak detention in one case

CAIRO: An Egyptian court cancelled on Saturday a detention order against ousted president Hosni Mubarak pending a corruption trial but he will remain in custody on other charges, his lawyer said.

Mubarak, held in a south Cairo prison, has been charged in three cases, one for overseeing the killings of protesters during the early 2011 uprising against his regime, and two corruption cases.

The court on Saturday cancelled his detention on graft charges, a judicial source said, without giving more details. The charges related to his personal wealth which prosecutors say exceeds what he could have legitimately amassed.

Earlier this month, a court ordered his release on charges of responsibility for the deaths of protesters after the expiration of the maximum temporary detention of two years.

But his lawyer Farid al-Deeb said on Saturday Mubarak remained detained in yet another corruption case.

"There is still another case, and we will deal with it," he said.

Mubarak, 84, who has been under arrest since April 2011 was transferred back from military hospital to prison earlier this week to await trial on May 11 over the protesters' deaths during the uprising.

He was being treated for a heart condition, fractured ribs, fluid in the lungs, depression and high blood pressure, according to his lawyers and official accounts.


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Police prevents BJP supporters to take out protest march towards India Gate

NEW DELHI: Scores of BJP supporters were stopped by police near the Parliament House today when they tried to take out a candlelight march towards India Gate to protest the rape of a five-year-old girl here.

Some of the BJP supporters tried to break barricades near Imtiaz Khan Marg, just 200 metres from the Parliament House, but were prevented by police.

Police arrested a number of protesters, including Delhi BJP Chief Vijay Goel, but later released them. The protesters started the march from Talkatora stadium.

Demonstrations were also held at AIIMS where the girl is undergoing treatment and outside the Gandhi Nagar police station where policemen allegedly showed laxity in dealing with the case.


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Police stop BJP supporters' protest march towards India Gate

NEW DELHI: Scores of BJP supporters were stopped by police near the Parliament House today when they tried to take out a candlelight march towards India Gate to protest the rape of a five-year-old girl here.

Some of the BJP supporters tried to break barricades near Imtiaz Khan Marg, just 200 metres from the Parliament House, but were prevented by police.

Police arrested a number of protesters, including Delhi BJP Chief Vijay Goel, but later released them. The protesters started the march from Talkatora stadium.

Demonstrations were also held at AIIMS where the girl is undergoing treatment and outside the Gandhi Nagar police station where policemen allegedly showed laxity in dealing with the case.


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10 people injured in clash between two communities in Tamil Nadu

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 19 April 2013 | 08.20

RAMESWARAM: Ten persons were injured in a clash between two communities at nearby Terkuvadi over riding a motorbike at high speed, police said.

The clash ensued when two youths of one community were questioned by those of the other community on riding their motorcyle at high speed, resulting in the clash.

Eight persons from both communities have been arrested, police said, adding additional reinforcements have been sent to the area to bring the situation under control.


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Bangladeshi, Pakistani workers shot at in Greece

ATHENS: Three men have been arrested for shooting into a crowd of Bangladeshi and Pakistani migrant workers at a strawberry farm in Greece, in which around 30 workers were injured.

The three men are suspected of shooting at 200 farm workers in Nea Manolada, after the migrants went on strike, claiming they were not being paid for six months.

The incident sparked outrage from human rights groups and led to a boycott call on Twitter.

The men were arrested Thursday, authorities said.

Labour minister Yianns Vroutsis said the government would pass legislation to crack down on "uninsured" workers.

Condemning the shooting, Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said he will visit the Nea Manolada farm in person.

Dendias said none of the migrants would be deported.

Activists claim thousands of farm workers are being routinely exploited, going unpaid and forced to work in dire conditions as virtual slaves.

The Nea Manolada incident follows a rise in racist attacks on migrant workers in Greece.

Nea Manolada has been a flashpoint for racist violence in the past. In April 2008, 400 striking migrant workers were attacked by farmers and other people described as "hired thugs".


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Environment panel clears terms for ore plant: Deccan Gold

PTI | Apr 19, 2013, 07.07PM IST
NEW DELHI: Deccan Gold Mines Ltd (DGML) today said an environment ministry panel has approved the terms of reference for its proposed 2000 tonne per day Ganjaur Gold Ore processing plant in Karnataka.

"DGML is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary i.e, Deccan Exploration Services Pvt Ltd (DESPL) has been granted the TOR (Terms of Reference) for the proposed 2000 tpd Ganajur Gold Ore Processing Plant by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) constituted by the MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests)," the company said in a filing to the BSE.

The EAC has prescribed additional terms of reference for preparing a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)/ Environmental Management Plan Report report, it said.


State level EAC at Karnataka has already granted TOR for the proposed project, it said adding it has already commenced detailed EIA studies.

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Iraq ramps up security as attacks kill 37 ahead of elections

BAGHDAD: Iraq ramped up security today on the eve of its first election since US troops left, as attacks, including a bombing at a Baghdad cafe, killed 37 people in a spike in unrest before polling day.

The deadly violence just before tomorrow's provincial election raises further questions about the credibility of the polls, with 14 candidates killed and a third of Iraq's provinces -- all of them mainly Sunni Arab or Kurdish -- not even voting.

The election is seen as a key test of Iraq's stability and security, and will provide a gauge of the popularity of the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ahead of a general election next year.

But attacks on Thursday and Friday that left 37 dead increased concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to assure security for the polls.

Yesterday evening, a bomb in the west Baghdad suburb of Amriyah killed 27 people and wounded more than 50, officials said.

Further attacks in the capital and northern Iraq today killed another 10 people and wounded dozens more.

The Baghdad blast yesterday hit a billiards cafe frequented by young men inside a small shopping mall on the main road in the predominantly Sunni Arab neighbourhood.

Witnesses said it wreaked massive damage.

Security forces restricted access to the area, but the tightened searches did little to placate anger in Amriyah, where many residents accused authorities of negligence.

"If it was not them (soldiers) who did it, it was their fault," said one resident who declined to be named.

"We are surrounded by walls and checkpoints, so if it's not them who did it, they helped because they were lazy or they did not perform the checks well."

Today, four mortar rounds struck near a Sunni mosque as worshippers left noon prayers in the restive town of Khalis, killing seven and wounding 12, while a bomb detonated at a Shiite mosque in Kirkuk at around the same time, leaving one dead and 15 wounded.

A civil servant was shot dead in Baghdad, and a soldier was killed and 14 people wounded by several roadside bombs in and around the main northern city of Mosul. The attacks all took place despite heightened security nationwide ahead of tomorrow's election. Movement is expected to be tightly controlled tomorrow, with only approved vehicles allowed on the streets and concertina wire closing off areas around polling stations. Some restrictions were already in place ahead of the vote.

"We will use all of our forces in the interior and defence ministries to control the situation," said interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan.

The latest deaths bring to 120 the number of people killed since Sunday, an average of 20 per day, according to AFP figures. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni militants linked to al-Qaida often carry out bombings in both Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods across Iraq, in a bid to undermine confidence in the Shia-led government and security forces.

An estimated 13.8 million Iraqis are eligible to vote for more than 8,000 candidates, with 378 seats being contested. It is the first vote since March 2010 parliamentary polls, and the first since US forces withdrew from Iraq in December 2011.


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Aam Aadmi Party demands Ajit Pawar’s dismissal

MUMBAI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday demanded the dismissal of Ajit Pawar from the Maharashtra state cabinet.

The demand follows a series of expose of the Rs 70,000 irrigation scam as well as the Comptroller and Auditor-General's (CAG) report tabled in the state assembly on Thursday. The party has asked citizens to rise against corrupt politicians by completely boycotting Pawar.

"The CAG reports and the expose of the kickbacks by Mahalakshmi Infraprojects leave no more room for Pawar to continue as deputy chief minister of the state. AAP demands immediate dismissal of Ajit Pawar and an impartial judicial inquiry into the irrigation scam," said a press release.

Activists said that the state was currently reeling under drought, a direct consequence of ill-devised projects that has not only bled the exchequer dry but also the soil; completely draining it of its ground water supply.

"There are no words left to describe the inhuman greed of Maharashtra politicians. And it is clear that there is complete collusion among all the parties, from scams to the 'goondaism' displayed in the Vidhan Sabha; they are all in it together,'' said a press release.


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J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah's chopper makes emergency landing

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 18 April 2013 | 08.20

JAMMU: A chopper carrying Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday made an emergency landing in Kishtwar district shortly after take off due to a technical problem, but no one was injured.

"The chopper carrying Omar Abdullah landed shortly after taking off from Kishtwar for Srinagar today. It had developed some technical problem," a senior police officer said.

However, no one suffered any injury, he said, adding the chief minister later left by road for Srinagar, which is nearly 200 km from Kishtwar.

Omar had flown to Kishtwar town this afternoon to address a public rally and lay the foundation stone of a tourist building.

He was accompanied by Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kitchloo and NC's provincial chief and MLA Devender Rana. and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's helicopter had to make an emergency landing a few minutes after taking off from the state's Kishtwar town as it developed a technical snag, officials said.

"The state government helicopter carrying the chief minister, minister of state for home and other senior National Conference leaders, made an emergency landing back five-seven minutes after it took off," said an official source in Kishtwar, about 200 km northeast of Jammu.

Abdullah had gone to Kishtwar to address a public meeting.

According to the source, everyone was safe and that the chief minister later left for Jammu by road.


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Moderate earthquake rattles town in northwest Iran

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran's state TV says a moderate, magnitude 5.2 earthquake rattled a small town in the country's northwest.

The TV says the quake shook the town of Tasooj at 3:09 pm (10:39 GMT) on Thursday. The town is about 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran. There were no immediate reports about any damage or casualties.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 4.8.

It's the third quake in Iran in the past 10 days. A magnitude 7.5 quake shook a sparsely populated area near the Pakistani border on Tuesday. A week before that, a magnitude 6.1 quake struck another part of the south, killing 37 people and injuring hundreds.

Iran lies on seismic fault lines and experiences one slight quake a day on average.


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'Playing big brother to Sri Lanka is not in New Delhi's interest'

BANGALORE: Jyoti Sinha, a former research and analysis wing official, played an important role in increasing India's influence in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the NDA regime (1999-2004). He is also considered the architect of Indian influence in Sri Lanka from 2001-2004. The former IPS official spoke to TOI on the Tamil issue during his recent visit to Bangalore for a lecture on 'Latest developments in Sri Lanka: India's Interest and Concerns'. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

How has India's vote against Sri Lanka at UN change relationship between New Delhi and Colombo?

I am sure the Sri Lankan government is very upset about it. But, I think anyone who has dealt with the island nation closely will not disagree that most Sinhalese, except for a small percentage, want a deep abiding and enduring friendship with India. They feel much more comfortable with India's support and our endeavour to help them prosper. The Sri Lankan government does realize that the voting was due to the present fluid political situation in India and Tamil Nadu in particular, prior to the upcoming 2014 elections, which has compelled New Delhi to take this stand at the UN.

Where do the political parties in Tamil Nadu stand on this issue?

The political parties in Tamil Nadu are trying to outdo each other in espousing the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils. But, had they been genuinely concerned, they would have raised the issue in 2008 when there were battles taking place about 24km from the coasts of Tamil Nadu. They didn't ask the central government to send an observer force, either as independents or under the UN observer unit. Nobody talked about genocide then. This problem has been raised with keeping 2014 elections in mind.

Is there any part of the government/political establishment which is genuinely sympathetic to the Tamils in Sri Lanka?

The government knows that Sri Lankan Tamils look up to India as their mother country. There is sympathy in New Delhi and across India. But, just by making noise you are not serving the cause. All parties are aware of the fact that Sri Lankan Tamils need our support to create a polity that is fair to both the Singhalese population and themselves, one which gives them the opportunity to enhance their legitimate self-interest in Sri Lanka.

How should political establishment go about finding a solution?

By studying the ground realities in Sri Lanka and figure how best you can contribute to a settlement between the two ethnic groups, in such a manner that your subtle intervention is accepted by both sides, without impinging on the self respect of both Sinhalese and Tamils.

What should New Delhi's approach towards Colombo be?

Playing a big brotherly role will not serve New Delhi's future interests. A mature and enlightened assessment of Indian foreign policy towards smaller neighbours must be based on the premise that our self-interest lies in promoting their self-interest, which is by helping them to be a stable and prosperous state, which is in peace with itself. This way we can prevent our neighbours from being used by our foes, as victims of strategic and tactical manoeuvres.


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Playing big brother to Sri Lanka is not in New Delhi's interest says ex-RAW official

BANGALORE: Jyoti Sinha, a former research and analysis wing official, played an important role in increasing India's influence in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the NDA regime (1999-2004). He is also considered the architect of Indian influence in Sri Lanka from 2001-2004. The former IPS official spoke to TOI on the Tamil issue during his recent visit to Bangalore for a lecture on 'Latest developments in Sri Lanka: India's Interest and Concerns'. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

How has India's vote against Sri Lanka at UN change relationship between New Delhi and Colombo?

I am sure the Sri Lankan government is very upset about it. But, I think anyone who has dealt with the island nation closely will not disagree that most Sinhalese, except for a small percentage, want a deep abiding and enduring friendship with India. They feel much more comfortable with India's support and our endeavour to help them prosper. The Sri Lankan government does realize that the voting was due to the present fluid political situation in India and Tamil Nadu in particular, prior to the upcoming 2014 elections, which has compelled New Delhi to take this stand at the UN.

Where do the political parties in Tamil Nadu stand on this issue?

The political parties in Tamil Nadu are trying to outdo each other in espousing the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils. But, had they been genuinely concerned, they would have raised the issue in 2008 when there were battles taking place about 24km from the coasts of Tamil Nadu. They didn't ask the central government to send an observer force, either as independents or under the UN observer unit. Nobody talked about genocide then. This problem has been raised with keeping 2014 elections in mind.

Is there any part of the government/political establishment which is genuinely sympathetic to the Tamils in Sri Lanka?

The government knows that Sri Lankan Tamils look up to India as their mother country. There is sympathy in New Delhi and across India. But, just by making noise you are not serving the cause. All parties are aware of the fact that Sri Lankan Tamils need our support to create a polity that is fair to both the Singhalese population and themselves, one which gives them the opportunity to enhance their legitimate self-interest in Sri Lanka.

How should political establishment go about finding a solution?

By studying the ground realities in Sri Lanka and figure how best you can contribute to a settlement between the two ethnic groups, in such a manner that your subtle intervention is accepted by both sides, without impinging on the self respect of both Sinhalese and Tamils.

What should New Delhi's approach towards Colombo be?

Playing a big brotherly role will not serve New Delhi's future interests. A mature and enlightened assessment of Indian foreign policy towards smaller neighbours must be based on the premise that our self-interest lies in promoting their self-interest, which is by helping them to be a stable and prosperous state, which is in peace with itself. This way we can prevent our neighbours from being used by our foes, as victims of strategic and tactical manoeuvres.


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Adarsh commission submits final report on Adarsh Housing Society scam

MUMBAI: Two years after it was set up, the two-member commission which inquired into Adarsh Housing Society scam submitted its final report to Maharashtra government today.

The 700-page report was submitted in a sealed cover to the chief secretary, home department by N N Kumbhar, secretary of the commission. The report will, however, not be tabled before the Legislative Assembly, as its session ended today.

Kumbhar, refusing to divulge contents of the report, said government may table it in the monsoon session of Assembly.

The commission, headed by retired High Court judge Justice J A Patil, was formed in January 2011.

Its mandate was to look into several aspects including ownership of the land in south Mumbai where the 31-storey building stands, whether it was reserved for families of Kargil war heroes, and whether rules were flouted while granting permissions for the construction.

The commission's interim report has said that land belonged to the state government and not the Defence Ministry, nor was it reserved for war widows.

The final report is expected to give findings on the alleged complicity of former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and bureaucrats, accused of granting undue favours to the society.

The report would also comment on the roles of the late Vilasrao Deshmukh and union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, as they had also handled files pertaining to the building during their tenures as Chief Minister.

Chavan, Deshmukh and Shinde deposed before the commission; only Chavan has been named as an accused (with 12 others) by CBI in its FIR.

182 witnesses were examined by the commission.


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Security stepped up in Delhi after Bangalore blast

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 17 April 2013 | 08.20

NEW DELHI: Security was stepped up in the national capital on Wednesday with special checking of in-bound and out-bound vehicles following a blast near the BJP office in Bangalore.

A senior police official said personnel have been "alerted" and there is extra vigil across the city.

"There is an emphasis on checking the vehicles which are leaving and entering the city. We have deployed personnel across the city. There is nothing to panic," the official said.

Police have also stepped up vigil at railway stations, ISBTs, airport, Metro stations, markets and other crowded places in the capital.

16 people, including eight policemen, were injured in the blast near the BJP city office in Bangalore.


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Girl commits suicide in Rajouri after being caught cheating in exam

JAMMU: A girl allegedly committed suicide in Rajouri district after she was caught cheating during her BA first year examination at Degree College Thanamandi, police said.

Rubina (19) committed suicide by consuming poison on Tuesday after a case of unfair means was registered against her, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajouri, Mubassir Latifi, said on Wednesday.

The girl was reportedly caught copying during the English paper of her BA examination and a case of unfair means was registered against her.

The girl's parents had told the police that when Rubina returned home, she was upset and revealed the entire incident that took place at the examination centre.

Later in the day Rubina consumed some poison in her room, the parents said.

She was rushed to a local hospital, but keeping her condition in view the hospital authorities referred her to District Hospital, Rajouri, where she breathed her last.

An enquiry has been initiated in the matter, the SSP said, adding a postmortem was conducted and the body handed over to the family.


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Inquiry instituted into attack on Mamata Banerjee and Amit Mitra: Sushilkumar Shinde

KOLKATA: The Centre has instituted an inquiry into the attack on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and state finance minister Amit Mitra by SFI members in Delhi, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Wednesday.

"I have instituted an inquiry into the incident and the special secretary of the Home Department is looking into it," he told reporters here.

Shinde, who attended the Eastern Zonal Council meeting, said the proceedings went very well.

The problems of four states -- West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha -- were discussed in detail during the time.

Shinde said he was grateful to Banerjee for attending the meeting despite not being well.

"She has rightly put forth the problems which the state is facing," he added.


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Rocket attack kills at least 12 people in central Syria

BEIRUT: A government rocket attack killed at least 12 people in a village in central Syria on Wednesday, while rebels battled regime forces over two key military bases in the northwest where government troops broke an opposition siege last week, activists said.

The fighting in both places ties into efforts by President Bashar Assad's military to reverse rebel advances that have left vast stretches of northern Syria in the hands of opposition fighters. The government is also eager to shore up supply lines to its forces stretched thin by the 2-year-old fight against a relentless rebellion in a conflict that has killed more than 70,000.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rockets struck the village of Eastern Buwaydah outside of Homs, and said two children and three women were among those killed. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said rebels and government forces also engaged in heavy fighting nearby.

Eastern Buwaydah is located between Homs, Syria's third-largest city, and the Lebanese border. The region is of strategic value to Assad's regime because it links Damascus with the coastal enclave that is the heartland of Syria's Alawites and also home to the country's two main seaports, Latakia and Tartus.

Syria's regime is dominated by the president's minority Alawite sect - an offshoot of Shiite Islam - while the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad are mostly from the country's Sunni majority. Assad's major allies, the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and Iran, are both Shiite.

An amateur video posted online showed at least seven bodies, including a young girl with a bloody gash to her head, laid out on the floor of a room. A man can be seen wrapping the body of a boy in a white sheet as another man standing over them cries out, "Oh God, turn us victorious against Bashar. They killed innocent children."

"Is this child carrying a gun? This child is 12 years old," says the man, who appears to be the father of the dead boy. "Oh God. You gave him to me and now you are taking him."

The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting of the events depicted.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, rebels were attacking government troops Wednesday as anti-Assad fighters tried to check recent regime advances around the military bases of Hamadiya and Wadi Deif near the city of Maaret al-Numan.

Government forces killed more than 20 fighters in an ambush in the area on Saturday, allowing them to break the rebel hold on the countryside around the bases and ferry supplies to forces in the camps. For weeks, the military had to drop supplies in by helicopter to the besieged troops.

"The rebels are trying to re-impose a siege on the camps," Abdul-Rahman said. "They want to close the highway ... to stop them from supporting Wadi Deif and Hamadiya."

The fight for the two bases fits into the broader struggle for control of northern Syria, much of which has fallen to the rebels in the past year. Across the north, most of the countryside is in the hands of anti-Assad fighters, while the regime is holding out in isolated military bases and most urban centers.

Maaret al-Numan lies along the main north-south highway linking Damascus to the northern city of Aleppo, where rebels and government forces have been fighting for control since an opposition offensive on the city last summer.

If the regime were to regain control of the highway, it would open up a badly needed supply route to its forces in Aleppo - potentially paving the way for further government advances in much of the rebel-held north.

The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 with largely peaceful protests but has since morphed into a civil war. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have sought refuge abroad, and millions more have fled their homes to try to find safety away from the fighting inside Syria.

As fighting has intensified, international efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict have faltered.

The regime has counted on its two closest allies, Iran and Russia, for support on the international stage and for weapons and cash. The opposition, meanwhile, has received backing from Sunni Arab states as well as Turkey, the US and its Western allies.

Officially, the West is only providing nonlethal assistance. But officials say that in recent months the US and other countries have stepped up covert support for rebels on the ground by helping to coordinate shipments of new weapons and training rebels in Jordan.

In Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized an upcoming meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Istanbul - which brings together Western and Arab supporters of the Syrian opposition - and said efforts to isolate Assad and to arm the opposition were strengthening Islamic militants.

Islamic extremists, such as the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra group, are among the most effective fighters on the rebel side in the civil war, and have spearheaded most of the opposition victories in recent months.

"The consequences of the Syrian crisis are horrible - casualties, suffering, humanitarian crises," Lavrov said. "If the priority is peace, changes and democratic reforms, it's necessary to force the warring parties to sit down for talks. If Assad's departure is the priority, the cost of such geopolitical approach will be more casualties."

"If we allow those making the emphasis on (a) military solution to control the situation, those horrors ... will multiply and the terrorists' influence in the region will grow," he added. "The longer the emphasis on the regime isolation and military solution is made, the more these threats will grow."


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13 inmates with gun escape from Philippine jail

BACOLOD, Philippines: Philippine police say 13 inmates, some accused of murder, have escaped from a provincial jail in a central province using a smuggled gun to disarm guards.

Police Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz says the inmates pointed a pistol and improvised knives at three guards, disarming one of them Wednesday in Sagay city in Negros Occidental province. One inmate fired at and destroyed a padlock at the main gate, allowing him and a dozen other inmates to make a dash to freedom.

Police scoured a vast sugarcane field but failed to find the inmates, three of whom were facing murder charges.

Dozens of jailbreaks occur in the Philippines each year due to lax security and dilapidated prisons, which have been derisively called among the most porous in the world.


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India committed to reducing fiscal deficit, Chidambaram says

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 April 2013 | 08.20

PTI | Apr 16, 2013, 01.21PM IST
TORONTO: Overturning fears of foreign investors about fiscal deficit, finance minister P Chidambaram has said that India was committed to reducing its fiscal deficit and would achieve the target of 3% in 2016-17.

He said: "India will reduce the fiscal deficit until we reach the target of 3% in 2016-17 or perhaps a little earlier."

Chidambaram said the final reading of last year's fiscal deficit would come to below 5.3%.

"When the actual numbers are out in the next couple of months, I'm confident it will probably be 5.1% ," he said.

He pointed to the stimulus measures taken by the government, after the 2008 global economic crisis had driven fiscal deficit and inflation "out of control".

"It appears that while the first stimulus package was necessary, the second stimulus package was doubtful and the third stimulus package was perhaps avoidable," Chidambaram said at a breakfast meeting organised by the Canada-India Business Council here yesterday.

The Minister said that India was on the path of fiscal consolidation.

"I said in the year 2012-13 I will bring fiscal deficit down to below 5.3%, and going forward, I will reduce the fiscal deficit every year by 0.6% until we have achieved the target of 3% in 2016-17. I said these are red lines. I will not breach these red lines," the minister added.


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Govt to examine clemency demand for Khalistani terrorist Bhullar: Home minister

NEW DELHI: The government has decided to examine the demand for clemency for Khalistani terrorist Devenderpal Singh Bhullar, who is in the death row, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Tuesday.

"We will examine the demand of the Punjab chief minister," he told reporters here.

The decision came a day after Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the home minister to find a way out to stop Bhullar's execution on the ground of peace and harmony in the state.

Official sources hinted that the government may constitute a medical board to examine the health condition of Bhullar who is reportedly mentally sick.

In their representations to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, the Badals highlighted the poor health of Bhullar, saying under mentally unstable condition, no one should be hanged.

They also cited the split Supreme Court judgement which confirmed the death penalty imposed on Bhullar and said even Germany, from where Bhullar was extradited, had opposed death sentence.

The Supreme Court had last week dismissed the plea for commutation of Bhullar's death sentence to life imprisonment. The family of Bhullar had made the plea on the grounds that there has been "inordinate" delay in deciding his mercy plea by the President and that he is not mentally sound.


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No reports of any Indians injured in Boston blasts

NEW DELHI: There are no reports as yet of any Indian nationals being injured in the Boston bombings in which three people were killed and 141 injured, an official statement said pm Tuesday adding that the Indian missions in the US have been placed on alert.

"Although no reports have as yet been received of injuries caused to Indian nationals as a result of this despicable act, our Embassy in Washington DC and our Consulate General in New York have been placed on alert. Indian nationals with concerns to report may do so at the Embassy's emergency number (001) 202 939 7000," the statement said.

The casualties were caused as two powerful explosions rocked the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday afternoon.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "have already strongly condemned the multiple bombings in central Boston on April 15.

"The solidarity and sympathy of the people of India have been expressed by India's leadership, including in a letter of condolence sent by the Prime Minister to the President of the United States of America earlier this morning.

"As has been underlined by India's leaders, India remains committed to the effort to defeat terrorism and to uphold the values that define democratic nations such as ours," the statement said.


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All political parties call for Thane shut down on April 18

THANE: Bitter rivals from all political parties have shed their differences and came together to protect unauthorized residential structures from being demolished, by calling a 'Thane bandh' on Thursday, April 18.

The shutdown has been called to express their "concern" over the demolition of unauthorized structures, without providing alternate accommodation to residents who will be displaced.

At a press conference this evening at the Tip Top Plaza here, political leaders of all parties announced that a march would be taken out by from Thane to the Mantralaya demanding "first rehabilitation and later demolition".

Leaders of political parties including Balkrishna Purnekar, President of the Congress, Jitendra Bunty Awhad, MLA and President of the NCP and Eknath Shinde, MLA and District Chief of the Shiv Sena said that they would participate in the shut down.

All parties also condemned the state government's and the civic body's move to raze unauthorized structures without providing shelter to lakhs of residents who would be left without shelters.

Addressing reporters at the press conference, the Shiv Sena leader said that of about 18 lakh people in Thane, more than 50 per cent lived under extreme fear of the corporation razing their houses.

Hence, the government should first take a decision to shelter them, before razing their houses, he said.

It may be recalled that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar who was in the city a couple of days ago was also of the opinion that people ought to be rehabilitated first before demolition is carried out.


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No combat role for women personnel as of now: Army study

NEW DELHI: Around 200 new vacancies for granting permanent commission to women officers will be created in army but they will have to wait for some more time before getting combat roles, an Army study has said.

The study, under South Western Army Commander Lt Gen Gyan Bhushan, was ordered by Army Headquarters to take a holistic review of the role of women officers and their aspirations.

The study, completed in March, was discussed at the Army Commanders' Conference last week.

It has recommended opening up of 200 more avenues for permanent commission to women but recommended some more time for army to take a final decision on their role in combat, Army sources said.

The study had also compared the working conditions and roles of women officers in countries such as China, Russia, the UK and the US, which recently inducted females in combat duties.

The 200 vacancies for women officers are to be created in branches, including legal and ordnance corps branches, where they already get permanent commission.

Before finalising the study report, the team of Lt Gen Bhushan met around 350 women officers from all the commands of the force and assessed their ability to withstand toughness required for soldiering.

It also met 120 lady cadets at the Officer's Training Academy at Chennai and held deliberations with the Director Generals of the various arms and services in the force along with the heads of CRPF and BSF.

The study has also given its views on the impact of increased recruitment of women officers can have on the non-combat postings of their male counterparts, they said.

At present, women officers are posted in peaceful stations only.


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SC seeks expalanation from govts on ads glorifying political leaders

Written By Unknown on Senin, 15 April 2013 | 08.20

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued notice to Centre and state governments on a plea seeking its direction to restrain them for spending public money on glorifying political leaders through advertisements on their birth and death anniversaries.

A bench of justices CK Prasad and VG Gowda granted four weeks time to governments to file their response.

The court passed the order on a plea of an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, seeking its intervention on the issue as crores of rupees of tax payers' money are spend by the governments and public sector units to glorify personalities of ruling political parties by way of advertisements.

"It is submitted that the governments and state instrumentalities are continuously and in routine manner misusing the public funds to glorify personalities of ruling political parties by way of advertisements," advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, said.

He said "such a blatant and misuse of public fund by governments in routine manner is not only breach of public trust and violation of the rule of law but it is also damaging the democratic set up of the country".

"The political parties in power are blatantly squandering taxpayers' money to highlight their achievements and to glorify their leaders of present or past. Such a practice is either aimed to avail unfair advantage in elections by political parties or to assert loyalties towards the political leadership of the party in power. This wasteful and wholly unnecessary exercise cannot be justified in any manner," the petition said.

The bench, after hearing his plea, issued notice and asked the governments to file response within four weeks.


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Mandela 'doing well' following hospital release, wife says

JOHANNESBURG:Nelson Mandela is recovering well at home after being released from hospital earlier this month, his wife Graca Machel said on Monday.

"He's doing well," she told AFP after giving a speech on neonatal care just outside Johannesburg. "That's why I am here."

The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon was released from hospital on April 6, after a 10-day stay during which he was treated for pneumonia.

His release was decided "following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition," the South African government said at the time.

He is currently receiving "high care" at his Johannesburg home, after the latest in a series of health scares.

Mandela was rushed to hospital before midnight on March 27, suffering from a recurrence of a lung infection.

Doctors drained a build-up of fluid, known as a pleural effusion or "water on the lungs", that had developed.


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China's H7N9 bird flu spreads in Beijing, second case reported

BEIJING: The new strain of deadly bird flu spread in Beijing as one more case was reported from the Chinese capital, raising the total number of people affected from the avian influenza in the country to 61.

On Saturday, a 7-year-old girl had become the first person in Beijing to be infected with the H7N9 bird flu.

Earlier, the flu had been confined to the eastern city of Shanghai and nearby Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. Eleven people have died due to the virus so far.

Beijing municipal health authorities said a four-year-old boy was tested positive for H7N9 flu virus. The boy, surnamed Zhu, was tested positive by the Beijing Centre for Disease Control and Prevention last evening.

Zhu is receiving medical observation in Beijing Ditan Hospital, they said, adding that a neighbour of the boy had bought chicken from the family whose girl became Beijing's first H7N9 victim.

The new case was discovered after local disease control authorities tested 24 people who raise poultry in a village of Cuigezhuang township, Chaoyang District.

Chinese health authorities said the new form of flu is spreading but no evidence showed that it can be transmitted through human-to-human contact.


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Maharashtra assembly: Opposition stages walk out over Ajit Pawar issue

MUMBAI: The Opposition members in the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Monday staged a walkout during the question hour as they were not allowed to raise the issue of Ajit Pawar's controversial remarks and his sitting on a fast to repent his comments.

As soon as the House assembled after a recess, Opposition legislators Girish Bapat, Sudhir Mungantiwar and leader of opposition Eknath Khadse demanded that they be allowed to speak on the matter.

However, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil said he would allow the issue to be raised only after the question hour.

Protesting the chair's ruling, the Opposition members walked out of the House.

The question hour proceedings took place in the absence of the Opposition benches.

Under fire for his controversial comments on loadshedding and drought, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday sat on a token fast at the memorial of the state's first chief minister Yeshwantrao Chavan at Karad in Satara district as "penance."


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British Airways told to pay Rs 90,000 for losing luggage

NEW DELHI: British Airways has been asked to pay Rs 90,000 as compensation to a passenger for losing his luggage in transit from Delhi to Milan.

The South West District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum noted that due to loss of baggage, the man had to purchase at huge cost articles of daily use for the duration of his and his wife's stay in Milan and is entitled to be compensated.

"We find that the bag was lost and complainant remained without the articles of their use which they had to purchase in a foreign country and thus complainant and his wife were compelled to spend a huge amount on the purchase of such articles.

"Moreover, complainant suffered inconvenience, harassment and mental agony due to loss of the bag for which he is entitled to be reasonably compensated, apart from the loss of his bag," the forum presided by Narendra Kumar said, directing the airline to pay Rs 50,000 to Delhi resident Balraj Taneja towards cost of articles he had to purchase in Milan and another Rs 40,000 as compensation and litigation cost.

Taneja, in his complaint, had said he had booked tickets to Milan from Delhi for his wife and himself.

When they had arrived at their destination, they found both their bags missing, he had said, adding that they had to purchase day-to-day usage articles at huge cost.

Nearly a month later, one of their bags was returned but in a damaged condition, while the other was never found, he had alleged and sought compensation for the loss.

The airline had opposed the claim for compensation saying their liability is governed by the Hague Protocol and Warsaw Convention on Air carriages and deficiency in service is not covered under these international laws.

The forum, however, rejected the airline's contention saying under the Consumer Protection Act there is no provision which limits or restricts their liability for deficiency in service.


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Cabinet to decide on all aspects of spectrum allocation, Kapil Sibal says

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 April 2013 | 08.20

NEW DELHI: Adopting auction route every time for allocating spectrum "does not make sense", and the Cabinet will decide on the issue based on a DoT panel report that is expected soon, telecom minister Kapil Sibal said on Sunday.

"In every case should we be going for fresh auction? To us, it doesn't make sense, but these are issues that will be decided within the ministry and then we will go to the Cabinet for final decision," Sibal told PTI.

A committee under the department of telecom (DoT) is looking into all the aspects of spectrum allocation, he said, adding that it is to submit the report in a month.

Sibal has also approved expansion of the committee to include representatives from the department of space and the ministry of information and broadcasting.

The minister said telecom operators were initially allocated 4.4 Mhz of spectrum along with licences to start services, but now companies winning spectrum through auction are being given 5 Mhz of airwaves.

It does not make sense to go for auction just allocating balance of 0.6 Mhz spectrum, he added.

"... where the time lapse between the auction and need for small amount of spectrum is less than 6 months or 8 months, should we be going for another auction for small amount? These are issues that have to be decided," Sibal said.

The DoT panel has been given the task to examine conditions which need to be satisfied to adopt auction as the preferred or the only mode of allocating spectrum.

It is also studying conditions for which administrative allotment of spectrum should be treated as a norm.

The last spectrum allocation through administrative process for mobile telephony was done in 2009. It was put on hold after Supreme Court judgement of February 2, 2012 which cancelled 122 2G telecom licences and asked government to allocate the spectrum through auction.


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Seven fishermen stranded in sea rescued by Coast Guards

RAJAHMUNDRY: Seven fishermen stranded in the sea due to a technical snag in their boat were rescued by the Coast Guards near here and handed over to fishery department officials, an official release said today.

Seven fishermen from Bhairavapalem in East Godavari district went into the sea for fishing on April 11. Due to some technical snag in their mechanised boat, they were stranded in the middle of the sea, the release said.

The fishery department, after receiving the information, contacted the Kakinada Coast Guards on April 12 for their rescue, it said.

The Coast Guards, on ICGS C-151 vessel, traced the seven fishermen with their boat at 25 nautical miles away from Kakinada. They rescued the seven fishermen and handed over them to the fishery department officials yesterday, it added.


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Lankan navy arrests 9 Tamil Nadu fishermen

RAMESWARAM: Nine fishermen from Pudukottai district were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan navy when they were fishing in mid-sea today, officials said.

It was not known where exactly the fishermen were fishing when they were arrested and taken by the Lankan Navalmen along with their two boats, officials and local fishermen association president Ramakrishnan said.

After the arrest, tension prevailed in Jagadapattinam in the district, from where the fishermen ventured into the sea.

Their arrest comes two days after 19 fishermen from this island, who were arrested on March 13 and lodged in prison in the neighbouring country, arrived here after a Lankan court ordered their release.

The navy had earlier this month arrested 56 fishermen in separate incidents — 30 from this island and 26 from Karaikal — on charges of poaching in the Sri Lankan waters.

A Lankan court has extended the remand of the 26 fishermen from Karaikal upto April 19, while the case relating to the arrest of 30 fishermen from Rameswaram on April 6 has been been posted for hearing on April 18.

On April 12, six fishermen, who ventured into the sea from Karaikal were injured when they were allegedly attacked by Sri Lankan naval men off Kodiakarai coast.


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Truck carrying over 60 people falls off northern Philippine cliff, 4 dead

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines: Philippine police say a truck carrying more than 60 people from a wedding has plunged into a ravine in the country's mountainous north, killing four passengers and injuring the rest.

Police superintendent Davy Vicente Limmong says the truck was carrying villagers back home from the celebration in the mountain town of Mayoyao in Ifugao province when a part of the narrow road gave in Saturday, causing the vehicle to plummet into a 100-meter (328-foot) ravine.

Limmong said Sunday that 31 of the more than 50 injured passengers had serious injuries.

Candidates for the May 13 local elections postponed campaign rallies in Mayoyao to mourn the dead.

Reckless driving, neglected vehicles and roads, and poor enforcement of traffic laws have been blamed for many deadly road accidents in the Philippines.


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Army team to visit China to finalise military exercise schedule

NEW DELHI: Ahead of defence minister A K Antony's visit to China next month, an Army delegation would be there this month-end to finalise the dates of bilateral military exercises expected to be held later this year after a gap of over four years.

An Army delegation under a Brigadier from the Military Operations Branch will visit China in the last week of April to finalise the date for the third edition of the Hand-to-Hand exercise between the two sides, sources told PTI here.

The exercise is expected to be held in September-October time frame this year, they said.

India and China had last held the last edition of the exercise in December 2008 in Belgaum in Karnataka while the first edition was held in 2007 in Kunming province of China.

The two sides had decided to resume their military exercises during the visit of former Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie to India last September.

During the talks, Antony had also accepted the invitation to visit China. The visit is likely to see the two sides further discuss the proposal for a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement mooted by the Chinese side during the visit its Deputy Chief of General Staff last month.

The border defence cooperation agreement proposes to avoid any misunderstanding or flare up along the boundary.

After the visit to China, Antony is also scheduled to visit Australia.

The scheduled visit to Australia was postponed in February this year.


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