President Pranab cuts short West Bengal visit in view of Cyclone Phailin

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee, who is at his ancestral home in West Bengal for Durga Puja, has cut short his visit and will return to New Delhi on Saturday in view of Cyclone 'Phailin' that is set to hit Odisha coast.

The President has decided to cut short his visit keeping in view the weather conditions due to Phailin, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Venu Rajamony said.

He said the President will arrive here this evening. He will also participate in Dussehra festival in Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Rajamony said.

Mukherjee had arrived at his ancestral home in Mirati, a village 200 km from Kolkata in West Bengal, for Durga Puja on October 10.

Cyclone 'Phailin'--meaning sapphire in Thai language-- is set to make a landfall this evening in Odisha's Gopalpur.

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President Pranab cuts short West Bengal visit in view of Cyclone Phailin

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee, who is at his ancestral home in West Bengal for Durga Puja, has cut short his visit and will return to New Delhi on Saturday in view of Cyclone 'Phailin' that is set to hit Odisha coast.

The President has decided to cut short his visit keeping in view the weather conditions due to Phailin, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Venu Rajamony said.

He said the President will arrive here this evening. He will also participate in Dussehra festival in Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Rajamony said.

Mukherjee had arrived at his ancestral home in Mirati, a village 200 km from Kolkata in West Bengal, for Durga Puja on October 10.

Cyclone 'Phailin'--meaning sapphire in Thai language-- is set to make a landfall this evening in Odisha's Gopalpur.

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Cyclone Phailin: Cabinet secretary takes stock of situation, lakhs evacuated

NEW DELHI: Nearly 4.40 lakh people have been evacuated from danger zones in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states.

"This can be the second biggest evacuation exercise undertaken since 1990 when six lakh people were evacuated in Andhra Pradesh," NDMA vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy told a news conference ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Phailin.

With Cyclone 'Phailin' hours away from hitting the coast of Odisha, cabinet secretary Ajit Seth on Saturday took stock of the preparedness of various central agencies assigned to provide relief to those affected and restore normalcy in the aftermath.

Top officials from the ministries of home, defence, petroleum, telecom, health, food, railways, drinking water and sanitation participated in the meeting, which will now be a daily affair to ensure "proper coordination", official sources said.

Representatives of the respective state governments were also present in the confabulations.

The sources said the preparations to deal with the situation were in "full gear" and the various central ministries have already set up 24x7 control rooms to keep a tab on the evolving scenario.

The telecom and petroleum ministries have put in place men and material on ground to deal with shortage of fuel and breakdown of infrastructure after the landfall of the cyclone, which is now 150 km from the coast.

Railways have deployed 12 diesel locomotives to ensure movement of trains in emergency as overhead cables to run electric locomotives could get damaged by high winds.

At least three days supply of diesel, petrol and LPG cylinders have been stocked at retail outlets.

Stock of other essential items, including ration, has also been assured to take care of people in the aftermath, the sources said.

While health teams have been deployed to help the state governments, adequate supply of basic medicines has been ensured.

While, Army, Navy and Air Force personnel are already present with rescue equipment, aircraft could only be operated after the winds subside.

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5.1 magnitude quake hits southwest Pakistan

KARACHI: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake today hit southwest Pakistan and tremors were felt in some areas that were devastated by a deadly temblor last month.

The epicentre of the quake was 72 km southwest of Khuzdar in Balochistan province, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake struck at a depth of 24.9km, Express News reported. No loss of life or property was immediately reported.

Meteorologists said the tremors were felt in Khuzdar, and towns in Awaran and Kharan districts, located near the epicentre of last month's 7.7-magnitude quake that killed nearly 500 people and left 100,000 others homeless.

It was Pakistan's deadliest quake since the 2005 devastating Kashmir tremor, which killed 73,000.

Southwestern Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province with large oil and gas reserves, but it remains impoverished and affected by political instability and a nationalist insurgency.

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Boat sinks on Mali river; 20 dead, dozens missing

BAMAKO, Mali: The mayor of a town in central Mali says a boat carrying hundreds of passengers has capsized on the Niger River and dozens are missing.

Konna Mayor Sory Diakite told The Associated Press on Saturday that 20 bodies had been recovered by midday.

Diakkite said it is believed that at least 400 passengers had been on board and about 200 survivors had been accounted for.

It was not immediately possible to contact survivors, though one man in Bamako said he had been notified that two of his relatives had drowned.

The boat was traveling along the river from Mopti to the northern town of Timbuktu when it capsized late Friday about seven kilometers from Konna.

Large boats carry hundreds of passengers on the Niger River at this time of year.

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Power stations resume operation as employees call off stir in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: Two thermal power stations at Vijayawada and Kadapa went into steam today as power employees in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh resumed work after calling off their indefinite strike "temporarily" in view of cyclonic storm Phailan.

The power employees were on indefinite strike for the last five days against the Union Cabinet's decision to create a separate Telangana state out of AP. They have been demanding that the Centre withdraw the move to bifurcate the state.

The Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station at Vijayawada and Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station at Kadapa, which have a combined generation capacity of 2,810 MW, resumed operations today.

The Srisailam right bank hydro power house also resumed generation, adding 770 MW to the capacity and relieving the state of the electricity crisis that affected even emergency services in the last five days.

"Power generation is back to normal since today morning as the employees resumed work," Power Generation Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited Chairman and managing director K Vijayanand told PTI.

Official sources, however, said only 9,691 MW of power was being generated currently across the state as against the previous 11,000 MW.

"Generation is slowly picking up. It takes time for thermal (power) to come back fully," a top official of a power utility said.

The gap in generation was expected to be filled in the next few hours when thermal stations get into full steam, he said.

Power cuts have almost been lifted, including in Hyderabad city, as distribution has also been restored in Seemandhra districts, the official added.

The strike had pushed 13 coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts into darkness, affecting movement of trains and emergency services in hospitals, besides hampering power supply to Hyderabad city.

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Jagan Reddy seeks court nod to move out of Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who is facing corruption charges and was released from jail last month, on Friday moved a local court seeking relaxation in bail conditions to enable him to move out of the Andhra Pradesh capital.

Jagan, who got bail in the corruption case in late September, filed an application in a special CBI court requesting relaxation in conditions to allow him to visit different parts of Andhra Pradesh and also New Delhi.

The plea will come up for hearing on October 15.

While granting him bail on September 23, the court had asked the Kadapa MP not to leave the state capital without its permission.

According to the application, being an MP and leader of a political party, the YSR Congress chief has to meet members of public and travel frequently.

Jagan, who launched an indefinite fast on October 5 in support of a united Andhra Pradesh, was shifted to a hospital here on October 9 after his health condition deteriorated.

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Snowden's father in 'emotional' meeting with son: Report

MOSCOW: The father of US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has held an "emotional" meeting with his son for the first time since the fugitive took refuge in Russia to escape US justice, a report said on Friday.

Lon Snowden met his son after arriving in Moscow from the United States yesterday, a source familiar with the situation told the Interfax news agency, without specifying the time or place of the meeting.

"The meeting has already taken place. It was very emotional," the source told the agency, saying further details would not be given for security reasons.

Russia has granted Edward Snowden one year temporary asylum but the United States wants him to be extradited to face charges over his leaking of sensational details of US surveillance programmes.

The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor spent over a month in transit at a Moscow airport before being granted asylum. Since then his whereabouts have been a mystery.

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Anti-terrorist squad finds huge gaps in Shirdi shrine security

SHIRDI: A three-member Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) which checked security arrangements at Shirdi shrine yesterday noticed that temple security is lax, officials said.

ATS officials went inside the temple with a bomb-like object wrapped in a carton since there was no proper checking by plainclothes officials at the gates, sub-inspector Sampat Jadhav said today.

The Shirdi shrine is on the hit list of terrorists and hence a special police squad of at least 1000 security men and CCTV cameras have been deployed in and around it.

Though the shrine trust spends Rs 4.5 crore on the machinery, ATS officials found that it failed during yesterday's exercise, Jadhav said.

Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust's acting executive officer Ajay More said that stern action would be taken against security men.

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Rihai Manch release audio clips of Muzaffarnagar rioters planning attack

LUCKNOW: The Rihai Manch, an outfit formed by some social activists to fight for withdrawal of fake terror cases against Muslims, on Friday demanded a CBI probe into Muzaffarnagar riots after releasing audio clips claiming them to be conversation between rioters planning to attack members of other community in their village.

"We also have material to prove that the administration is protecting rioters" said members of the Manch's fact finding team after return from the riot-hit areas. Total six clips of conversation between people of Kutba-Kutbi village were released. All the clips are of September 8, 2013, a day after riots broke out, killing 62 persons and displacing over 60,000 people. In one of the clip, a man can be heard claiming that he had asked `uncle' to delay arrival of provincial arms constabulary in the village, which gave time to carry out the attack.

"It is clear after hearing conversations that the riots were provoked by some right wing groups in connivance with certain people in the state government", said Rihai Manch president and advocate Mohammad Shoaib. "We will lodge an FIR and hand over the clips to competent authority so that they cannot be misused by anyone for provoking communal passions by way of circulation through social media, CDs or MMS. We will also provide material to the high court hearing public interest litigation seeking CBI probe into the riots," he said.

Hare Ram Mishra, another member, said that people no longer have faith in the police because they are working under pressure of politicians who want to perpetuate communal tension for electoral gains. "The state government seems to be interested in sweeping evidences under the carpet and bring an `artificial peace' in the area to create an impression that things are now in order," he said. The Manch did not reveal how it got the clips but claimed they are authentic and that some `sane elements' helped its fact finding team.

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20 Lankan fishermen arrested by Indian Coast Guard

TUTICORIN: Twenty Sri Lankan fishermen were arrested by the Indian Coast Guard on Thursday for allegedly fishing in Indian territorial waters off this coastal town.

The fishermen along with their four boats have been brought here and would later be handed over to the Tamil Nadu Marine police for filing a case, officials said.

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Tension in Muzaffarnagar after youth shot dead

MUZAFFARNAGAR: A youth was allegedly shot dead by two motorcycle-borne men at Pachenda road here, triggering protests by locals who indulged in brick batting.

Abid (28) was shot dead by two unidentified miscreants on Pachenda road here on Wednesday evening when the victim was returning from his hair dressing shop.

Irate over the incident, locals gathered and started brick batting in protest against the incident.

Senior police officers have rushed to the spot and situation is under control.

Security has been tightened in the city and para-military forces have been deployed there.

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British journalist Mark Tully's wife describes as 'bogus' email on Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: The wife of noted British journalist Sir Mark Tully on Thursday described as "bogus" an email circulating in cyberspace in his name on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"It is a bogus email that has gone viral on the net. It purports to be by Mark but he did not write it nor does it represent his views," Tully's wife Gillian Wright said in a communication to the media.

She was referring to an email circulating on the internet by the title "Sonia-A Blot on the Nation: By Mark Tully" containing derogatory references to the Congress president.

Wright said the email was now being circulated to such an extent that Tully wants to put the truth out as widely as possible.

Tully, a Britisher born in India, was the Chief of Bureau of BBC in India for over 20 years and resigned from the organisation in 1994. Since then he has been a freelancer and made Delhi his home.

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Withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan increases heroin smuggling

AMRITSAR: With the loosening grip of security forces over Taliban following withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan, the traditional poppy cultivation and heroin production in war torn nation is once again in full swing resulting in rise of incidents of smuggling of Afghan made heroin into India via Pakistan through Punjab's porous borders.

BSF alone has recovered 257kg heroin during current year including around 100kg in past one and half month alone.

"There are reports of bumper poppy crop in Afghanistan and so the production of heroin has increased and smugglers in Pakistan are trying every possible method to pump in narcotics in India," said BSF inspector general, Frontier, A K Tomar while talking to TOI on Thursday.

He informed that not only Pak based smugglers were pushing in narcotics in Punjab but to various other destinations in Europe and USA where there was a sizable number of Punjabi's both Indian and Pakistani's having links with smugglers back home.

Intelligence sources informed TOI that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan had increased due to increase in area under poppy cultivation after international aid agencies had scaled down their operations and withdrawal of Nato forces. "It, certainly is not a good sign for India with respect to smuggling of heroin" said sources.

Tomar informed that BSF had not only increased vigil on border but had studied the smuggling pattern and modus operandi of old time operators which had resulted in recoveries of heroin in quick intervals.

BSF deputy inspector general, MF Farooqui said they had identified a notorious Pak smuggler Kalu Chairman who had been pushing heroin in India. "We are trying to cap his area of influence on border" said he.

Quoting last smuggling attempt from near Pul Moran on September 6th he said the heroin was recovered from very close to Pak's BOP Thatta Koda. He said they could presume that smuggling attempt couldn't go unnoticed by the Pakistani Rangers. "We are going to lodge a strong protest with them" said he.

About the involvement of two BSF constables in recent smuggling bid he said they might have taken mobile phones with them clandestinely but BSF had begun surprise checks to prevent such incidents in future.

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2 remanded to judicial custody for impersonating PM Manmohan Singh, Lalu

NEW DELHI: Two persons, accused of making hoax calls and demanding favours and money by impersonating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and RJD leader Lalu Prasad, were today sent back in 14 days' judicial custody by a Delhi court.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma further remanded Krishan Kumar (35) and Vikas Dutt (33) to judicial custody till October 24 after they were produced before him on expiry of their earlier remand.

Krishan and his aide Vikas were employees of T-Series Super Cassettes Industries. Krishan's another aide Amit Kumar is still absconding.

In an FIR registered on September 27, the firm's Director Ved Prakash Chanana had said he had been flooded with hoax calls for the last few months.

Chanana, a resident of Greater Kailash-II, alleged that others he had impersonated include BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha and former Union Minister Raghupati Sevugan.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police told the court that Krishan and his aides were making hoax calls from three different numbers to officials of the firm to demand money to the tune of Rs 20 lakh and other favours.

The accused have booked under section 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), 387 (extortion), 511 (attempt to commit an offence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of IPC.

The court had already rejected the bail application filed by Krishan. Vikas' bail plea will be heard on October 15.

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Uttar Pradesh government transfers three IPS officers

LUCKNOW: In a minor reshuffle in police department, Uttar Pradesh government has transferred three IPS officers.

While commandant PAC, Allahabad, Anil Kumar Jain has been sent to Kannauj as Superintendent of Police, Balikaran Singh Yadav, who was attached to DGP office, has been made SP Mirzapur, official sources said here today.

SP, Mirzapur, Suresh Chandra Pandey has been attached to the DGP office, they said.

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Andhra protests: Curfew relaxed in Vizianagaram for two hours

VISAKHAPATNAM: Curfew in violence-hit Vizianagaram town in the district was relaxed for two hours on Wednesday morning to facilitate people to purchase essential commodities as the situation is fast returning to normal.

Deputy inspector general of police (Vizag) P Umapathi told PTI here on Wednesday that curfew was eased for two hours between 7am and 9am.

The authorities took the decision to lift the curfew for two hours as people were of the view that the duration of one hour was not enough to buy essential commodities, he said.

"The situation is now completely under control. No fresh incidents of violence have been reported since the last two days in Vizianagaram," Umapathi said.

Police and paramilitary forces, including the members of the Rapid Action Force continuing to patrol the trouble torn city.

So far 207 persons have been taken into custody for allegedly indulging in violence. Some are likely to be arrested. A special team has been formed to nab the people indulged in violence, police sources said.

District superintendent of police, Vizianagaram Kartikeya said that a special team with DSP rank officers has been formed to identify few other culprits, who torched various properties, including those owned by APCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and his family members.

"Though the situation is under control now, we will continue to keep a vigil for a couple of more days before completely lifting the curfew. Action will be initiated against those indulged in the violent activities," Kartikeya said.

Vizianagaram has been roiling since the Union Cabinet's October 3 decision to carve out a separate state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.

Curfew was clamped in Vizianagaram town on Saturday night in the wake of large-scale violence by anti-bifurcation agitators.

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Bangladesh war crimes tribunal gives life sentence to senior opposition member

DHAKA: A special Bangladesh tribunal has found a senior member of the opposition guilty of crimes against humanity stemming from the nation's 1971 independence war and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The prosecution says 83-year-old Abdul Alim of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party was found guilty on Wednesday of involvement in the killing of at least 600 people during the war.

It is the eighth verdict delivered by the tribunal since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government ordered it formed in 2010 to prosecute war crimes.

Last week the tribunal sentenced another senior party member, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, to death for crimes against humanity.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a nine-month war in which 3 million people were killed and at least 200,000 women were raped.

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Rahul Gandhi targets SP, BJP over Muzaffarnagar riots

ALIGARH: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday targeted both the Uttar Pradesh government and the BJP over the Muzaffarnagar riots and said politicians engineer riots to win polls.

"Both Hindus and Muslims of Muzaffarnagar told me there is no enmity between people but politicians divide them," Gandhi told a rally here in western Uttar Pradesh.

"These politicians know that if there are no riots, they can't win the election," he said.

The violence in Muzaffarnagar, also in western Uttar Pradesh, left some 50 people dead and displaced over 40,000.

Gandhi said if Uttar Pradesh was not progressing, it was because people were being divided.

He exhorted people to unite. "Till you unite, UP will not progress."

Besides the Samajwadi Party, Gandhi targeted the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also.

"Both the SP and BSP can't develop Uttar Pradesh. The Congress will do it."

Gandhi, who represents Amethi in Lok Sabha, also highlighted legislations like the food security act and the land acquisition act passed by the UPA government to show that it was sympathetic to the poor.

He said the people of Uttar Pradesh will not get cheap ration under the food security act as the state government was worried it might benefit the Congress in elections.

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Fukushima reactor disaster: Six workers get drenched in radioactive water

NEW DELHI: In the third accident in two weeks, six workers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan were drenched in highly radioactive water. The mishap happened when four workers mistakenly detached a pipe that connected to a tank full of contaminated water. Two other workers who rushed to help were also affected. Seven metric tons of water escaped, the nuclear plant operator Tepco said.

The leaked water was found to have beta radiation levels of 34 million becquerels per liter, Tepco said in a statement. Beta radiation includes strontium-90, which has been linked to causing cancers such as leukemia.

The workers were wearing protective clothing and are not thought to have inhaled any contaminants, a spokesperson of Tepco said. Radiation exposure tests are being done on the workers.

""It is serious in that it was another problem caused by carelessness, but I do not believe it is a seriously troubling dosage,"" Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

""But the fact that there has been a string of incidents occurring on a daily basis that could have been avoided - I think that is the large problem.""

Earlier this week, a pump used to cool the plant's No. 1 reactor briefly stopped after a worker mistakenly pushed a stop button on the device, according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority. A miscalculation by cleanup crews is thought to have allowed a tank holding contaminated water to overflow on Oct. 3, Tepco said.

"The work environment and on-site morale need to be improved overall," NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said today at a press conference. "Carelessness is a problem that can't just be regulated away."

Tepco also today released details of its investigation into the August leak of 300 metric tons of contaminated water from a storage tank, concluding that the accident was probably caused by corrosion around faulty seals, Bloomberg reports.

The water appears to have escaped through metal corroded by water that seeped in between two of the plates that make up the walls of the tank, Tepco said. The leak, first detected on Aug. 19, was described by Japan's nuclear regulator as the worst accident at Fukushima since the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 caused reactors to melt.

Two cracks were found near the bottom of the tank, the company said in a statement. One was about 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) wide and 22 millimeters long, while the other was 2 millimeters to 3 millimeters wide and 11 millimeters long.

The plant has more than 1,000 tanks holding in excess of 380,000 tons of water irradiated from contact with reactor fuel. About 300 of the tanks are of the same bolted variety as the leaking tank. That leak may have been going on for several weeks before it was detected, Tepco has said.

The impact of the nuclear crisis was also being felt away from the power plant, with Fukushima's government announcing that cesium levels for rice grown in the prefecture exceeded legal limits.

Levels of 120 becquerels per kilogram were detected in some rice produced in Minamisoma city, near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, higher than the legal limit of 100 becquerels, according to a statement from the prefecture yesterday, Bloomberg reports.

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Delhi gang rape: Lawyers of two convicts withdraw from case

NEW DELHI: Two lawyers, representing death row convicts Mukesh and Pawan Kumar Gupta, on Tuesday informed the Delhi high court that they are withdrawing from the December 16 gang-rape case on the ground of alleged interference by family members of the convicts.

Appearing for Mukesh, advocate V K Anand informed the bench of justices Reva Khetrapal and Pratibha Rani that at the instance of certain people, including advocates, the convict's family members are interfering in his work to file the appeal in the case.

"I wanted to withdraw myself from the case as certain people are trying to interfere into my work and the court should discharge me from the work," he said, adding that he has communicated the decision to the brother of Mukesh.

Accepting his submission, the bench said, "We can't interfere with your decision".

Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Dayan Krishnan told the bench that advocate Vivek Sharma, who represents convict Pawan, has telephonically informed about his intention to withdraw from the case.

After the submissions of the counsel, the bench said, "In these circumstances we will have to appoint amicus curiae for Mukesh and Pawan".

"Production warrants to be issued for production of Pawan Kumar Gupta and Mukesh before the court tomorrow," the bench said.

Anand volunteered to assist the court in the case as amicus. However, the bench said, "This will be unfair if we will appoint you as amicus in the case."

Two other convicts in the case, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur, on October 7 filed their joint appeal against the trial court's conviction and sentencing orders of September 10 and 13, respectively. Mukesh and Pawan are yet to file their appeals.

All four of them were convicted and awarded death penalty for raping a 23-year-old victim in a moving bus in south Delhi on the night of December 16, 2012.

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Kayani gets additional charge as chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday assumed the additional charge as the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee until a replacement is selected for the top post.

Minister for information and broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said appointments to the posts of chief of Army Staff and chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will be made in accordance with the constitutional framework.

Responding to queries, Rashid said currently chief of the army staff is holding the acting charge of the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and this position will be filled within 30 days as per the constitutional requirement.

Being the seniormost in Pakistan military, Kayani, 61, took charge after Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne retired on Monday.

Hours before Gen Wynne retired yesterday, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the new CJCSC and army chief would be chosen together after "comprehensive considerations".

Kayani has already announced that he would step down at the end of his term on November 29.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister had said on Monday, "While expectation regarding announcement of the successor to the outgoing CJCSC before October 8 is reasonable, the issue needs a comprehensive consideration due to the fact that office of the COAS is also falling vacant soon".

He did not elaborate.

The Prime Minister "has, therefore, decided to announce the names for both the appointments at the same time", he said.

Sharif said his government is fully cognisant of its constitutional obligations and every decision will be made keeping the country's interests supreme.

The appointment of army chiefs has never been easy for civilian governments in Pakistan.

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Dalit community needs escape velocity of Jupiter for success: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Reaching out to the Dalits with the assembly and Lok Sabha elections approaching, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday urged for more representation for the community in the Congress party and attacked BSP leader Mayawati, saying she was not allowing other Dalit leaders to rise.

Addressing two back-to-back functions in the capital on the empowerment of Dalits, Rahul Gandhi also hit out at the opposition, saying they would lose the 2014 elections as they had ignored the Dalits, never bothered to go to their homes or "hold their hands and understand their problems".

Gandhi said the Dalit community "needs the escape velocity of Jupiter" to achieve success.

The Gandhi scion dwelt on astronomy to explain to the Vigyan Bhavan audience the phenomenon of escape velocity -- or the speed that an object needs to be travelling to break free of a planet or moon's gravity.

Addressing a function on National Awareness Camp for Scheduled Castes Empowerment at Vigyan Bhavan, Rahul Gandhi said B R Ambedkar was the first Dalit to attain escape velocity and after him Kanshi Ram channelised "the energy that was created due to reservation" and helped many Dalits attain escape velocity.

But he said Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, had captured the Dalit leadership and was not allowing others to rise.

The Congress leader said if the movement for escape velocity has to be taken forward it needs the participation of lakhs of Dalit leaders.

He said he has asked prominent Dalit leaders in the Congress to systematically develop leadership at "panchayat, MLA, MP and policy level".

At Talkatora Stadium, Gandhi described the Dalits as the "reed ki haddi" or spine of the Congress party.

"The more representation you give them in the Congress party, it is not enough. These people are the spine of the Congress party and we must do more for them," Gandhi said at the Dalit Adhikar Diwas (Dalit rights' day).

To loud cheers of "Rahul Gandhi zindabad", "Rahul Gandhi is the messiah of the downtrodden" and the "India's rising star", Gandhi said the Congress party would do everything to empower the Dalits and for training and educating them.

Pointing to the youth of the Valmiki community sitting in the stadium, Gandhi said those people sitting in the last seats should be brought forward.

"Their faces should be seen in the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabhas" - making the entire audience erupt in cheers.

He also attacked the opposition parties.

"Congress is the party for the poor, our opposition does not understand the problems of the poor. They don't go to their homes and hold their hands or discuss their problems," he said.

"And then they speak of India shining. And lose the polls. They lost it in 2004, in 2009 and will lose again in 2014," he said.

"If you want to win elections, go to the homes of the poor and hold their hands and then go and win the elections," said Gandhi.

Addressing the Bhagwan Valmiki Foundation, which had organised the event, the Congress leader also enumerated the legislation brought by the United Progressive Alliance government (UPA), including on the right to education, food security, the rural employment guarantee scheme and the RTI.

He said earlier the slogan of the Congress was that "we shall sleep on half empty stomachs but vote for the Congress" and now it will be "Bhar pet kayenge aur Congress ko vote deyenge (Will sleep on full stomachs and vote for Congress)" due to the food security act brought recently.

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Wall Street opens flat as gov't shutdown continues

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Oct 8, 2013, 07.07PM IST

NEW YORK: US stocks opened flat on Tuesday on faint signs of progress to resolve the fiscal standoff in Washington, which has closed much of the federal government.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 19.01 points, or 0.13%, at 14,917.23.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.64 points, or 0.04%, at 1,675.48.

The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 1.75 points, or 0.05%, at 3,772.13.

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Puttur anti-terror operation: Jayalalithaa praises TN police, announces cash reward

CHENNAI: Hailing the Tamil Nadu police for their brave act of nabbing proclaimed offenders Sikkander 'Police' Fakrudeen, Panna Ismail and Bilal Malik, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh to police inspector S Lakshmanan and Rs 5 lakh each to the members of the entire special investigation team.

The Tamil Nadu government set up the team after a series of murders of Hindu outfits rocked the state. The murdered include BJP state secretary V Ramesh and Hindu Munnai state secretary S Vellaiyappan. "Each member in the team has a role in this victory. I extend my heartfelt wishes to all of them," she said.

The chief minister said the state would bear the medical expenses of Lakshmanan, who is undergoing treatment at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Hospital in Porur. Lakshmanan was subjected to brutal attacks by the inmates of the Puthur hideout. He suffered 15 cut injuries on his head, shoulders and nose and had his rib fractured after Malik's wife hit him with a pressure cooker.

Jayalalithaa said about 20 policemen in the rank of constable to additional superintendent of police will be given a one-time promotion.

"The extreme act of courage and dedication of the police officials led to arrest of absconding offenders and thwarted the planned violent acts and conspiracies. The Tamil Nadu police have proven again that they are matchless," she said.

Following a series of murders of leaders of Hindu outfits, the state government set up a special investigation team led by CB-CID DGP Narinderpal Singh.

The members of the team include S Lakshman (special division inspector), Anbu (CB-CID superintendent of police), R Arularasu (special division superintendent of police), Sankar (special division superintendent of police), Senthil Kumar (Tiruvallur district additional superintendent of police), Karthikeyan (Madurai CID deputy superintendent of police), Marirajan (Madurai city CID deputy superintendent of police), Ravindran (special division inspector, Chennai), Vijayaraghavan (Salem CID inspector), Veemaraj (Tiruvallur district Tiruttani police inspector) ,Vetrivel (Chennai special division assistant inspector), Manikandan (Chennai special division assistant inspector), Edward Bright (Chennai special division head constable), Prabhu (Chennai special division CID head constable), Anandan (Chennai CID head constable), Ilango (Tiruttani police head constable), Sivanesan (Madurai special investigation team first grade constable), Rajasekaran (special division constable), Sujin (Tiruttani police constable), Kalaivanan (Tiruvallur district armed forces constable) and Rajakumar (Tiruvallur district armed forces constable).

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Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi to have first mega food park of UP

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's constituency - Amethi - will have the first mega food park of Uttar Pradesh. The park, whose foundation stone was laid at Jagdishpur on Monday, will have 35 industrial units having capacity to give direct and indirect employment to about 30,000 persons.

Besides creating a market for raw material, the park is expected to act as a model for the entire region, leading to fast growth of food processing in the state. It will have modern infrastructure and world-class facilities for food processing industries.

After laying the foundation stone of the Mega Food Park, the Union minister of state for agriculture and food processing Charan Das Mahant said that the move will help small and medium sized entrepreneurs, self-help groups and farmer-groups to set up food processing industries.

"This will create a market for raw material and in turn provide better prices to farmers for their produce", he said while re-affirming Centre's support to the food processing sector in UP.

Mahant said, "Though the state produces a variety of food-grains, fruits and vegetables, the lack of infrastructural facilities deterred entrepreneurs from establishing food processing industries. The Park will fill up this void and act as a model for the entire region".

Known as 'Shaktiman Mega Food Park', it will be set up under the 'Scheme of Mega Food Parks' which aims at facilitating the establishment of a strong food processing infrastructure backed by an efficient supply chain.

This includes establishment of collection centers, primary processing centers, a central processing unit and cold chain infrastructure. The processing centers will have infrastructure required for processing, packaging, environmental protection systems, quality control labs and trade facilitation. These facilities will be shared by all industrial units in the food park.

The park, spread over 72 acres, will offer essential services like dry warehousing, cold storage, a farmer friendly bank and fully equipped education and business centers.

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BSF jawans in Sunderbans, Kutch to get hardship allowance

DEHRADUN:BSF jawans deployed in Sunderbans in West Bengal and Rann of Kutch in Gujarat will be given a hardship allowance every month considering the difficult circumstances in which they work, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.

Making the announcement after laying the foundation stones of BSF and SSB battalion headquarters at Sitarganj in Uttarakhand, Shinde praised paramilitary forces for the role played by them in every field.

"The work of Central police forces is commendable at all levels. Forces like BSF and SSB don't just guard our frontiers but also offer priceless service to people during a natural calamity," Shinde said.

The soldiers of paramilitary forces would be given canteen facilities like the armed forces, he said.

The setting up of SSB and BSF battalion headquarters in Uttarakhand is important considering the strategic location of the state which shares boundaries with countries like China and Nepal.

It will also generate new employment opportunities for locals as priority would be given to the youths of the state in BSF and SSB recruitments, Shinde said.

Speaking on the occasion, the home minister extended his condolences to the family of those who lost their lives in the mid June calamity in Uttarakhand.

Appreciating the efforts of the Uttarakhand government post the crisis, he said it was the largest ever rescue operation conducted in the country and said it deserved a pat on the back for carrying it out very swiftly.

Shinde assured that the Centre would support the state government in any disaster relief work.

Being built at an estimated cost of Rs 265 crore, the BSF and SSB battalion headquarters are likely to come up at Sitarganj in a year.

Shinde also laid the foundation stones of Sirsa-Shakti Farm Road to be built at the cost of Rs 54.78 crore and Vijti Road worth Rs 31 crore.

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Akhilesh Yadav has failed to meet expectations of people: NCP

LUCKNOW: Describing Akhilesh Yadav's performance as an utter failure , Union minister and NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar has said that Uttar Pradesh chief minister had not lived up to the expectations of the people.

Anwar said people had a lot of exceptions from the young Chief Minister as had a capacity to deliver but till now his performance has not been up to the mark . He has failed to live up to the expectations of the people so far..., he said.
The Union Minister demanded setting up of fast track courts for hearing Muzaffarnagar violence related cases so that those guilty could be punished and victims' family could get justice. Anwar said that the situation in Muzaffarnagar has still not normalised and the state government should try to ensure that people return to their respective villages.

He said that the state government should ensure that politicisation of whatever happened in Muzaffarnagar should not be done. In an apparent attack on BJP's UP in-charge Amit Shah, Anwar said Narendra Modi had sent his agent here and was trying his Gujarat formula of polarisation of votes and the Akhilesh-government should remain alert to keep a check on such designs.

Anwar said leaders of NCP have already met UP Governor BL Joshi and requested him to intervene in the situation in Muzaffarnagar.

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French research ship Le Suroit rescues 29 Syrian refugees

POZZALLO: A French oceanographic vessel that helped find the wreck of the Titanic rescued 29 Syrian refugees on Monday, part of a group of 363 asylum-seekers that have landed in Italy in the past 24 hours.

Le Suroit brought the Syrian migrants to the port of Pozzallo in southeast Sicily, where 171 others from the same refugee boat were also brought by a Dutch cargo vessel, the Abis Albufeira.

Le Suroit, which took part in the operation that discovered the Titanic off Newfoundland in 1985, is carrying out a geological survey on seismic activity and the risk of tsunamis off the coast of eastern Sicily.

"The oceanographic vessel and the cargo ship were in the area and came to the rescue," a coast guard official in Pozzallo told AFP on Monday.

Le Suroit is operated by Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea.

Coast guards also accompanied 200 more migrants late on Sunday from another boat to the port of Syracuse, also in Sicily, where thousands of Syrian asylum-seekers have landed so far this year.

The latest arrivals come after a refugee boat sank off Italian shores on Thursday, with more than 300 African migrants feared dead and 155 rescued.

Some 30,000 migrants have landed in Italy so far in 2013 — more than four times the number in 2012.

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Army chief General Bikram Singh's visit to US deferred due to shutdown

NEW DELHI: The US government lockdown, a result of the ongoing tussle between Democrats and Republicans over Barack Obama's healthcare programme, has claimed an unlikely victim.

The impasse has torpedoed Army chief General Bikram Singh's proposed visit to the US that was scheduled from October 8 to 14. 'Gen Singh will now go to the US towards end-November due to the government shutdown there,'' said a senior officer on Monday, dismissing that the ongoing major anti-infiltration operation in the Keran sector of J&K was the actual reason behind the visit being deferred.

The Army chief's visit, if it had gone ahead as scheduled, would have come close after India and US inked a joint declaration on defence cooperation after a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama in Washington on September 27.

The two sides look forward to the identification of specific opportunities for cooperative and collaborative projects in advanced defence technologies and systems within the next year,'' said the agreement. As earlier reported by TOI, the US is offering India joint manufacturing facilities for the next-generation of Javelin anti-tank guided missiles to C-130J Super Hercules'' aircraft. It has already bagged Indian defence deals worth about $9 billion over the last few years.

Four more deals, worth almost $5 billion, already lined up are ones for six more C-130J aircraft, 22 Apache attack helicopters, 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and 145 M-777 ultra-light howitzers.

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Queen Elizabeth II invites Malala to Buckingham Palace

LONDON: Impressed by the bravery of Pakistani girls' education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, Queen Elizabeth II has invited her to the Buckingham Palace.

The news of the invitation has increased speculation that the 16-year-old may be named as the youngest winner of the Nobel peace prize later this week.

The Queen has been very impressed by her bravery and also asked Pakistan's high commissioner to the UK, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, about her recovery, the 'Sunday Times' reported on Sunday.

Malala had been airlifted to Birmingham for life-saving surgery after being shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunmen for speaking out in favour of girls' education.

Malala has given her first detailed account to the British newspaper of what happened when she was shot on the way home from school in Pakistan a year ago.

The teenage activist revealed her terror at coming out of a coma at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham six days later with no idea where she was.

"I was terrified. Where were my parents? Who had brought me there?" she said, in reference to her four operations in Britain and crediting the surgeons for giving her "a second life".

Malala, who now lives and goes to school in Birmingham, will be in the US this week to launch her memoirs, 'I Am Malala', of her journey from schoolgirl to educational activist taking on the Taliban.

Her message that all children be allowed to go to school have made her a favourite to win the Nobel prize, to be announced on Friday.

Her memoirs are published worldwide on Tuesday, in which she has also chosen to name and thank Fiona Reynolds, an intensive care specialist at Birmingham Children's Hospital who was visiting Pakistan when the young campaigner was critically wounded last year.

Reynolds had her moved to an army cardiology hospital with better intensive care and stayed with her alongside a team of nurses from Birmingham.

The 47-year-old also had the tough task of informing Malala about what had happened to her when she came around in the Birmingham hospital.

"I didn't know what had happened. The nurses weren't telling me anything. Even my name. Was I still Malala? No one told me what was going on or who had brought me to the hospital," recalled Malala.

She then became so worried about the cost of her treatment that she thought of sneaking out of hospital to get a job.

"I thought, 'I need to go out and start working to earn money,'" she said.

The attack on her also wounded two other girls but to Malala's frustration the only person in custody is the school bus driver, who is being held in case he needs to identify a suspect. "Why do they arrest him and not the Taliban leader," she asked.

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Opposition slams Ajit Singh for Air India privatization remark

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 6, 2013, 05.17PM IST

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties including the Left on Sunday slammed civil aviation Minister Ajit Singh for saying that government was ready to privatize Air India and accused him of selling public asset without bringing a civil aviation policy.

Warning the minister against making any "off-the-cuff" remark, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said there must be a proper discussion on the issue.

"It is a serious and sensitive issue. There must be proper discussion within the government first and thereafter the views of the opposition need to be taken," he told reporters here when asked to comment on Singh's remarks.

Asking the government not to take a "disastrous move" which will go against national interest, senior CPI leader D Raja said the government had promised to bring a civil aviation policy but did not do it in so many years.

"It is undertaking privatization in bits and pieces without taking Parliament into confidence.

"While equity was not being infused in AI in accordance with the turn around plan, Airports Authority of India (AAI) was also being systematically undermined. This is a conscious effort to dismantle both these public sector undertakings," the CPI national secretary said.

He said it was also "atrocious" that six airports including Kolkata and Chennai were being privatized soon after AAI has spent rupees thousands of crores of public money to modernize and upgrade them.

Maintaining that general elections were on the anvil, Raja said these decisions should be taken by the new government after the elections.

"What moral right Ajit Singh has to take such decisions on behalf of the next government," he posed.

But, AAI Board has turned down the proposal for creation of 'Interim' additional manpower for CNS discipline, saying that already 840 posts were lying vacant, Kobiraj said.

"There are around 3,250 sanctioned posts in the CNS, of which about 840 have not been filled, despite the fact that new CNS-ATM facilities have been installed at various places in the country.

"The existing manpower had to maintain those facilities. Sometimes some of the facilities are left unattended or combined with other units, accruing air safety hazard," said Kobiraj, adding we have sought civil aviation minister Ajit Singh's intervention.

The Guild , in their letter to Singh, said the safety of air traffic services need not be emphasised further.

"....Let this be made amply clear that compromise to man and maintain the operationally critical CNS equipment has already led to serious air safety hazards. The sustenance of state-of-the-art CNS infrastructure will crumble, leave aside the envisaged dreams of world class air traffic services," the letter said.

The Guild alleged that many of the CNS and Air Traffic Management (ATM) facilities have been commissioned without considering appropriate CNS manpower requirement.

The ill effects of such disregard towards CNS manpower requirement may not be visible instantly but will surely result in an aviation disaster, it said.

In order to sustain Air Navigation Services in desired manner and to mitigate accruing air safety hazards, additional CNS manpower is most urgently required at all levels - be it at senior management level, supervisory level or at induction level, Kobiraj said in his letter.

The US' Federal Aviation Authority, in its recent audit, had also raised concerns over the various posts lying vacant in key aviation safety areas, including that in the office of the country's civil aviation regulator DGCA.

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Thousands pay respects to Vietnam's revered General Vo Nguyen Giap

HANOI: Thousands of mourners gathered outside the Hanoi house of Vietnam's revered General Vo Nguyen Giap on Sunday to pay their last respects to the wildly-popular independence hero following his death.

Well-wishers carrying bunches of yellow flowers and packets of incense queued for hours to enter the French colonial villa in the heart of the communist country's capital.

"I never saw this many people come to pay their respects after the death of (Vietnam's founding father) Ho Chi Minh in 1969," retired army colonel Nguyen Van Hieu, 72, told AFP.

"It is the first time the family of a Vietnamese top leader have opened their doors to the public to allow them to visit and pay their respects," he added.

Giap, second only to "Uncle Ho" as modern Vietnam's most revered figure, was lauded as a genius for guerrilla tactics that defeated both the French and United States armies.

His death on Friday aged 102 sparked an outpouring of condolence across the country's buzzing social networks.

But it was only after the authoritarian government officially acknowledged the death yesterday and announced he would be given a national funeral on October 13, that crowds of mourners were able to gather at his home.

Many people -- both young and old -- emerged rubbing tear-streaked faces after offering their last respects at a family altar inside the house.

"Giap was loved by millions of people in Vietnam. Everyone could learn from him -- he was a pure spirit, strongly patriotic," said army veteran Le An Thanh, 65.

"I came here to pay my last respects to a man I have admired for a very long time," Thanh, who fought in southern Laos from 1971 to 1976 during Vietnam's bloody war with America, said.

Young communist party volunteers and uniformed police helped manage the huge queue -- at times six-deep, but always quiet and orderly -- which snaked along the wide, tree-lined boulevards in Hanoi, just a short walk from the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

Giap, a former history teacher, was the founding father of the Vietnam People's Army.

His body will be interred in his native Quang Binh province at the request of his family. He is survived by Dang Bich Ha, his wife since 1949, and four children.

State broadcaster VTV will broadcast the funeral live and a committee to organise the event has been set up with all Vietnam's top officials -- including the Prime Minister, President and Communist Party Chief.

The nation's flags will fly at half-mast from October 11 to 13, to mark the official period of mourning.

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Jodhpur Air Force station to receive 5 Dhruv helicopters

JODHPUR: Jodhpur Air Force station, a front-line air base, is all set to receive a batch of five Dhruv advanced light helicopters, which will eventually replace the ageing Chetaks, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday.

The advanced helicopters, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, will replace Chetak helicopters and used primarily for training, rescue and light transport, Defence spokesperson Col S D Goswami said.

The pilots have also undergone the conversion training to adept to this change from Chetak to Dhruv, he said, adding the Mark 1 Dhruv will further be replaced by Mark III versions. Chetaks will be sent to different air bases.

"We have received 5 Dhruvs and are all set to receive 5 more by December this year," AOC Air Commodore B Saju said.

In addition to transport and utility roles, the new Dhruv choppers can be used as attack helicopters.

Currently, Jodhpur Air Force Station has two squadrons, one each of Chetak and MI-17 helicopters. The induction of Dhruvs is part of modernisation and strengthening of the combat capability in the western sector.

The IAF is also developing the Phalodi air base as a backup station to Jodhpur and recently got a batch of the upgraded MI 17 V5 medium-lift helicopters.

In the recently held air exercises, Iron Fist and Live Wire, the station had worked as the base of fighter aircraft detachment and played a crucial role in the wargames.

Given the hazards, including bird-hits, faced by pilots, the Air Force has also taken up the issues of dumping of garbage and mobile towers around the station.

Saju said that these two issues have emerged as a major threat to the flight operations from the station.

"Garbage leads to congregation of bird, and the threat of bird-hit is always looming large here," he said, adding, "We have taken up the issue with the administration."

In recent past, a couple of incidents of bird-hit have affected the civilian flight operations as well.

Referring to the mobile towers in the vicinity of the station, Saju said that there are 12 mobile towers around the station and their height is also a matter of concern as there are regular sortie flights from the station.

"So far, we have succeeded in getting the height of 3 towers reduced and are looking forward to similar reduction for other towers also," Saju said.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to embark on visit to Russia, China from October 20

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will embark on a crucial trip to Russia and China from October 20 during which a number of pacts are expected to be inked in key areas of trade, business and energy.

The first leg from October 20 to 22 in Russia will see the Prime Minister holding talks on important issues such as nuclear cooperation, trade and defence.

PM will on October 22 travel from Moscow to Beijing where he is expected to articulate India's concerns over trans-border rivers, trade deficit and boundary incidents.

During the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Singh is expected to assure him on concerns over India's nuclear liability law and also on the safety of Russian investments including in telecom sector.

Significantly, after the recently-concluded India Russia Inter Governmental Commission meeting in Moscow, the indications are that the two countries have made progress to clear the nuclear liability issue, crucial for a contract for supply of Russian reactors for Units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

It is understood that hectic parleys were on to conclude the tehno-commercial negotiations for the Unit 3 and 4 of KNPP) ahead of Singh's visit and officials are hoping to ink it after the talks between the two sides.

The effort is to basically match India's Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CNLD) Act, 2010 and the internationally and nationally accepted principles.

Another crucial issue would be Russia's investment in telecom sector with Russian giant Sistema last week expressing unhappiness over telecom regulator TRAI's recommendations on spectrum auction, saying it created "ambiguity" and "policy uncertainty" that would adversely impact its investment plans. Singh is expected to assure Russian leader on this front.

Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd, which offers mobile services under the MTS brand, has protested against TRAI recommendations that the spectrum used by CDMA operators should not be auctioned and a part of it be explored for use by GSM services.

The other points expected to figure prominently would be Russian investments in Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and joint ventures in phrama and fertiliser sector with India hopeful of inking some MoUs in these areas.

The two sides would also hold talks on security situation in the region, especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan, sources said.

During his China visit, Singh will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang on key bilateral and regional issues, including trans-border rivers, ways to enhance Chinese investments through industrial parks to address trade deficit and boundary incidents.

The two sides are also expected to ink the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement which is aimed to enhance coordination between the armies of the two countries.

The sources also said the talks were on for a possibility of a pact to simplify visa regime. The two sides are holding negotiations on a draft pact and if there were not many "differences", it could be inked during Singh's visit, they said.

India is also hoping to ink with China a framework MoU for supply of power equipment, apart from a cultural pact, they said.

As it has a huge trade deficit with China, India is pushing China to import more products and greater market access there.

In 2012-13, as per the official figures, India recorded a record trade deficit of $40.78 billion with China, compared with $39.4 billion in 2011-12 and $27.95 billion in 2010-11.

There is a proposal for setting up Chinese business parks in five states --Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka-- which will work like Special Economic Zones.

Singh and Xi would also discuss trans-border river issues. The PM had raised this matter with the Chinese president when they had met on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Durban in March.

The PM had expressed concern over China's proposal to construct three dams across the Brahmaputra.

Coming after series of incursions by Chinese troops, Singh's visit will also be an opportunity to raise India's concerns with the top Chinese leadership.

This would be Singh's third meeting with President Xi. Both leaders had last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Russia.

It is the PM's first visit to China after the change of leadership in that country.

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