Govt will try to restrict fiscal deficit to 5.3% of GDP: Chidambaram

The government will endeavour to maximise revenue collection and contain expenditure to restrict fiscal deficit to 5.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the current financial year, finance minister P Chidambaram has said.

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 31, 2012, 02.57PM IST

NEW DELHI: The government will endeavour to maximise revenue collection and contain expenditure to restrict fiscal deficit to 5.3 per cent of the gross domestic product ( GDP) in the current financial year, finance minister P Chidambaram has said.

"Best efforts would be made to contain fiscal deficit at 5.3 per cent, during the current financial year even though the Kelkar Committee has stated that as per the current economic trends, it could be 6.1 per cent," he said yesterday while addressing the consultative committee attached to his ministry on 'Economic Impact of Internal and External Debt'.

According to the minister, "the target of 5.3 per cent is challenging one, yet it is doable".

Although the government in the budget had proposed to bring down fiscal deficit in 2012-13 to 5.1 per cent from 5.8 per cent in the previous financial year, it is expected to shoot up on account of various global and domestic factors.

The strategy to achieve the target would be to maximise revenue collections and control expenditure, Chidambaram said, while seeking support of the political parties to deal with economic and financial problems facing the country.

"No country can live beyond its means", he said, adding that it was imperative to ensure that country's debt remains sustainable and within limits.

The countries which have accumulated un-sustainable levels of debt are facing economic and financial problems, he added.

The minister further said that serious efforts would also be made to bridge the current account deficit (CAD) estimated at USD 70.3 billion by encouraging flow of foreign direct investment and foreign institutional investment.

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Rains lash Andhra Pradesh under influence of cyclone Nilam

HYDERABAD: Rains and strong gales hit Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and other neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu under the influence of cyclonic storm 'Nilam'.

The cyclone is expected to make a landfall on Wednesday evening between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Nellore, bringing in heavy rains in the region with tide expected to reach levels of 1.5 meters.

The Andhra Pradesh government has put administration of the coastal districts under alert to face the situation and made arrangements accordingly.

Revenue minister N Raghuveera Reddy said the impact in South-costal Andhra was unlikely to be as severe as was being feared.

He spoke to officials of various districts on Tuesday to ensure that the local administration was geared up to face the situation.

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Disney to buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, make new 'Star Wars' films

LOS ANGELES: Walt Disney Co agreed to buy filmmaker George Lucas's Lucasfilm Ltd and its "Star Wars" franchise for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster deal that includes the surprise promise of a new film in the series in 2015.

The deal unites a boutique Northern California film studio that brought special effects into the digital era with a venerable Hollywood powerhouse that has shown a knack for getting the most out of big-name entertainment brands.

Disney plans to release at least three more films in the Star Wars sci-fi saga that ranks among the biggest movie franchises of all time, Chief Executive Bob Iger told analysts on Tuesday. The last "Star Wars" picture was "Revenge of the Sith" in 2005.

Although Lucas has in the past denied plans for any new "Star Wars" movies, he said in a video interview released Tuesday on Starwars.com that he had already created story treatments outlining three more films as well as many other Star Wars story lines.

Lucas, an icon in the industry known for exercising control over the most minute details of the fictional universe he created, will remain a creative consultant on the new films, although in the video interview he cast the sale as part of a long-held personal desire to exit the mainstream film industry.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lucas said: "It's now time for me to pass 'Star Wars' on to a new generation of filmmakers." He will become the second-largest individual holder of Disney shares, with a 2.2 percent stake.

Disney will pay about half the purchase price in cash and issue about 40 million shares at closing.

"This is one of the greatest entertainment properties of all time," Iger said.

Beloved brands

The agreement marks the third time in less than seven years that Disney has signed a massive deal to take over a beloved studio or character portfolio, part of its strategy to acquire brands that can be stretched across TV, movies, theme parks and the Internet.

In early 2006, Disney struck a deal to acquire "Toy Story" creator Pixar, and in the summer of 2009 it bought the comic book powerhouse Marvel.

Pixar was founded by Lucas but sold for scrap to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who turned it into a much-celebrated hit-maker. Lucas had more success with Industrial Light and Magic, the pioneering digital technology company behind the special effects of many major Hollywood movies.

Industrial Light and Magic and Lucasfilms' Skywalker Sound unit do much of their work for other studios and it was not clear how they might be melded with Disney operations.

Iger said no decision had been made on whether Lucasfilm would remain headquartered in San Francisco and neighboring Marin County, where Lucas lives, although the company said it would retain operations in Northern California.

The three Marin ranches that Lucas owns, two of which host Lucasfilm operations, are not part of the deal, a Lucasfilm spokeswoman said.

The news that the Star Wars tale will be revived thrilled some fans, although others said they had little appetite for new installments after the first six movies.

Lucas, in the video interview, said he felt Disney was the right home for his franchise. "I really wanted to put the company somewhere in a larger entity which could protect it," he said.

Star Wars redux

The next "Star Wars" movie installment will be Episode 7 in the series, followed by Episodes 8 and 9, Iger said. Disney's long-term plan is to release a new movie in the series every two to three years thereafter, he added.

Chief financial officer Jay Rasulo said the Lucasfilm purchase would lower Disney's earnings per share by a low single-digit percentage in fiscal 2013 and 2014. H e also said Disney would repurchase all of the issued shares on the open market within the next two years, on top of planned buybacks.

"Disney already has a great portfolio and this adds one more," said Morningstar analyst Michael Corty. "They don't have any holes, but their past deals have been additive."

Iger said he and Lucas first discussed a possible sale about 18 months ago. Lucas was pondering his retirement, and Iger was looking to add another well-known brand to the Disney empire. The two signed the deal at Disney's Burbank, California, headquarters on Tuesday.

"Everywhere I went, 'Star Wars' was already there, and sometimes they got there ahead of us," Iger said in an interview. "I kept seeing that brand and decided maybe we should buy it."

He told analysts he believed there was substantial pent-up demand for new "Star Wars" movies. Each of the last three films in the series would have grossed $1.5 billion in today's dollars at the box office, CFO Rasulo estimated.

The film's iconic characters also will boost Disney's sales of toys and other consumer products, particularly overseas, executives said. Sales of "Star Wars" items such as Darth Vader and Yoda action figures total roughly $215 million a year, Rasulo said.

In 2005, the year the last "Star Wars" film was released, LucasFilm generated $550 million in operating income, he added.

Lucas will not sit on the Disney board despite his 2.2 percent stake in the company, Iger said. Jobs, who held a large stake in Disney after it bought Pixar, had a seat on Disney's board.

Earlier this year, Lucas had told the fan magazine Empire: "I'm moving away from the company, I'm moving away from all my businesses, I'm finishing all my obligations and I'm going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies.

"I've always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theaters."

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Shashi Tharoor should be made 'minister of love affairs': BJP

NEW DELHI: Taking a jibe at the newly-appointed minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor over his comment against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi that "you need to be able to love someone to understand that", Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said the former should be made 'minister of love affairs'.

Naqvi was reacting on Tharoor's reply to Modi for criticizing his wife during a public rally in Himachal Pradesh.

"I think that it is not necessary to answer to all what he says. But I am very much impressed by his answer in which he has said that 'you need to be able to love someone to understand that'. I think a ministry of love affairs should be made for such an 'international love guru' so that the nation can gain from his wisdom and preaching," he said.

Naqvi, however, said that it is not a matter of national debate.

Criticizing Modi for attacking him personally by calling his wife a '50-crore girlfriend', Tharoor earlier on Tuesday said the former need to love someone to understand what he said.

Tharoor tweeted that his wife was worth a lot more than Modi's imaginary 50 crores.

"My wife is worth a lot more than your imaginary 50 crores. She is priceless. But you need2be able2love some1 2understand that," he tweeted.

In an apparent attack on Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar, Modi at an election rally on Monday said: "Wah kya girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend?" (What a girlfriend? Have you ever seen a 50-crore girlfriend)?"

Modi had said: "There was a Congress leader who was a minister. He was accused of amassing wealth from cricket. He had said in Parliament that he is not connected to the Rs 50 crore in the lady's name".

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Four militants killed in factional fight in Manipur

IMPHAL: Four militants were killed in a factional fight between NSCN-IM and Zekiangrong United Front (ZUF) at Gaddai Hills area in Tamenglong district of Manipur, officials said on Wednesday.

There was a gunfight between the NSCN-IM and ZUF that lasted several hours yesterday in which two NSCN-IM and two ZUF militants were killed.

Official sources here said Assam Rifles personnel, posted near the Gaddai Hills area, have rushed to the spot.

The two militants outfits have been engaged in frequent gunfights resulting in the death of militants of both the outfits in the past few months.

While ZUF said they would drive out NSCN-IM from Naga-majority Tamenglong district, NSCN-IM said they would remain citing public support, the sources said.

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Sri Lankan parliament to impeach first woman chief justice: Report

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's ruling coalition is all set to impeach the country's first woman chief justice on the charges of "improper conduct" after weeks of a simmering spat between the executive and the judiciary, a media report said.

A motion to remove Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake from the post will be handed over to the parliamentary speaker on Thursday, the Sinhala language daily 'Lankadeepa' said on Wednesday.

The government parliamentary group had endorsed the move at a meeting of the ruling coalition leaders, it said.

The speaker will be informed on the motion under section 107 of the constitution with one third of parliament's 225 members or 75 MPs putting their signatures on the motion.

The paper said the motion is to be moved on the basis of "chief justice's improper conduct" and had been signed already by 117 members of the government.

The move follows weeks of a simmering spat between the executive and the judiciary, it said.

The government was irked by a ruling on a major financial bill in which theSupreme Court held that the bill must be referred to provincial councils for approval before being submitted in national parliament.

In mid-September the Judicial Service Commission issued a public statement claiming interference in the judiciary by the executive.

Early this month the secretary to the commission, judge Manjula Thilakaratne, was assaulted by an unknown group which the opposition blamed on the government.

Last week, Bandaranayake's husband Pradeep Kariyawasam was indicted by the anti-graft commission for his role as chairman of the state savings bank over a dubious share deal.

Bandaranayake who was appointed last year became the first woman to head the highest court. She was also the first woman judge in the Supreme Court.

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Hindu trader killed by unidentified men in Pak's Sindh

ISLAMABAD: A Hindu trader was killed in Pakistan's southern Sindh province during the Eid holidays, triggering protests by the minority community in the Hyderabad region.

Trader Dhayan Chand Bhagri was killed early in the morning on Saturday while he was returning home after selling cattle in the livestock market at Latifabad, his father Sobho Bhagri told the media.

The unidentified killers escaped with Rs 720,000 that Dhayan Chand had earned after selling his cattle, his father said.

Members of the Hindu community protested outside the press club in Hyderabad city yesterday and demanded the arrest of those who killed the trader.

The protestors were led by the parents of Dhayan Chand and representatives of various political parties.

The protesters shouted slogans and criticised police for not arresting the killers.

They appealed to the Sindh chief minister to take notice of the incident and direct police to arrest the killers.

Police officials in Latifabad said they had lodged an FIR on the basis of a complaint by Sobho Bhagri.

Two unidentified persons were nominated in the FIR, they said.

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Swiss bank UBS to cut nearly 10,000 jobs by 2015, posts heavy loss

Swiss banking giant UBS intends to cut nearly 10,000 jobs worldwide in a restructuring of its hard-hit investment bank, the group said on Tuesday.

The author has posted comments on this articleAFP | Oct 30, 2012, 02.03PM IST

ZURICH: Swiss banking giant UBS intends to cut nearly 10,000 jobs worldwide in a restructuring of its hard-hit investment bank, the group said on Tuesday reporting that reorganisation costs had pushed it deep into loss in the third quarter.

The costs switched the Swiss bank's third-quarter results into a 2.2-billion Swiss franc net loss compared to the 1.0 billion net profit it had reported during the July-September period last year.

"This decision has been a difficult one, particularly in a business such as ours that is all about its people," UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti said in a statement, referring to the job cuts.

"Some reductions will result from natural attrition and we will take whatever measures we can to mitigate the overall effect," he said, vowing that "our people will be supported and treated with care."

The Zurich-based bank said that cuts in its overall staff numbers to about 54,000 by 2015 was a necessary part of a restructuring of its investment bank, including shedding some of its high-risk activities and basically withdrawing from the fixed income business which had burdened it with catastrophic losses during the 2008 "subprime" crisis.

UBS, which counted nearly 64,000 employees at the end of September, said the restructuring would save 5.4 billion Swiss francs (4.5 billion euros, $5.8 billion) over the next three years.

UBS said in its earning statement it had taken a one-time charge of 3.1 billion Swiss francs linked to the restructuring and a debt-related charge of 863 million.

Before taxes, UBS said it was hit by a loss of 2.5 billion Swiss francs, but that adjusted for the impairment losses and a restructuring provision, it had registered a pre-tax profit of 1.4 billion.

Ermotti hailed the company's earnings, stressing that all the bank's activities had "delivered improved profitability in the third quarter," and that it was rolling out its strategy "well ahead of schedule."

"We are confident that the actions we are taking now will ensure the firm's long-term success in the fundamentally changed regulatory and economic environment and will deliver sustainable returns for our shareholders going forward," Ermotti said in a joint comment with UBS chairman Axel Weber.

The bank said it was withdrawing from lines of business "that do not meet their cost of capital sustainably or are in areas with high operational complexity or long tail risks likely to weigh on future returns."

UBS finance chief Tom Naratil told a conference call on Tuesday that the bank had "delivered a solid performance despite a challenging environment."

The bank expected to have to pay a further amount of about 500 million Swiss francs in restructuring charges in the fourth quarter, which is also expected to be in the red.

But Naratil stressed that despite the difficult economic environment, the bank had managed to raise a "record" amount of fresh capital, raising 7.7 billion Swiss francs from the Asia Pacific region, emerging markets and very wealthy clients.

In the fourth quarter, the bank said it expected to pull in more fresh capital despite the continued difficult climate.

As for dividend payments, which UBS started doing again last year after a four-year freeze, Naratil said "we continue to accrue for a dividend" in 2012, but did not specify if the bank would hand out some of its profits this year to shareholders.

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CWG purchase: Delhi Police says it did not require equipment

NEW DELHI: With home ministry blaming Delhi Police for excess procurement of Portable Explosive Detectors (PEDs) for Commonwealth Games, the force has said it is "unfair" to hold it responsible for the purchase as it had "clearly" stated that it did not require the equipment.

The Delhi Police has written to the ministry clarifying that it had informed ECIL, which was procuring items, Steering Committee (CWG) Special Advisor and the home ministry that PEDs should be "deleted" from the list of equipment to be procured for the 2010 Games, sources said.

The home ministry has told Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is looking into CAG report on irregularities in CWG, that the Delhi Police did not raise issues regarding the purchase of PEDs during the Steering Committee meetings during which decisions were taken.

The PAC had asked the ministry "why were the equipment procured when the Delhi Police had refused to use them?"

In response to the note sent to the PAC, the sources said, the police has also requested the ministry to put the facts before the parliamentary panel.

"The Delhi Police at no stage asked ECIL to procure Portable Explosive detectors, leave alone requisitioning them in excess of our requirement. We managed the CWG arrangements from our existing stock of PEDs and by borrowing them from central para-military corces and states," it said.

In one of the meetings of Steering Committee, it said, the Delhi Police representative had categorically pointed out that from the Bill of Quantities (BoQ), equipment like Hand Held Metal Detectors (HHMDs), Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs) and X-ray Scanners should be deleted as these equipment were being procured by the police itself depending upon the specific requirements and their legacy value.

"Subsequently, when the issue of procurement of Portable Explosive Detectors (PEDs) came up, the police representative in the Steering Committee wrote a letter clearly stating that this item should be deleted from the BoQ of the ECIL...," it said.

The police noted that ECIL dropped the procurement of HHMDS, DFMDs and X-ray Scanners after the force wrote a similar letter to the public sector company.

"Therefore, to put the blame on the Delhi Police for the excessive and unnecessary procurement of PEDs, is misplaced and unfair," it said.

The Home Ministry, in its note, has said that communication was initiated by the police through "isolated" letters to ECIL "outside" the Steering Committee mechanism.

"In case, if the Delhi Police did not want PEDs to be procured through ECIL, the same could have been excluded from the purview of the joint committee meetings which were in any case being convened by Delhi Police themselves," it had said.

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Chartered accountant given life term for creating mid-air hijack scare in 2009

NEW DELHI: A chartered accountant was on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment by a court here for triggering a mid-air hijack scare in February 2009 by claiming aboard a Goa-Delhi Indigo airlines flight that he had infected needles and a gun.

"The accused Jitender Kumar Mohla is awarded life imprisonment under section 3(1)(d) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation," District Judge I S Mehta said.

The court, which had also convicted Mohla under sections 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 170 (impersonating a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, awarded him varying jail terms which were set off against the period spent by him behind bars since his arrest on February 2, 2009.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 7,000 on him.

According to the police, Mohla had entered into the cockpit on February 1, 2009 and had sparked panic by claiming that he had hijacked the plane.

Mohla had also warned the crew members that he was one of the accused in the infamous Kandahar hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999 and was carrying needles with which he would "infect" others if they resisted him, it had said.

The crew members and some passengers, however, had overpowered Mohla and he was arrested the next day.

Police had said Mohla's behaviour had forced the Indigo pilot to send a hijack alert, leading to a scare and panic at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here.

The plane had made an emergency landing and was kept in isolation for two and a half hours after it was confirmed that the landing took place due to unruly behaviour of Mohla.

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Kingfisher revival plan: Vijay Mallya meets civil aviation secretary

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 30, 2012, 02.44PM IST

NEW DELHI: Ahead of submitting a revival plan to aviation regulator DGCA, Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya on Tuesday met civil aviation secretary K N Shrivastava and briefed him about the steps being taken to revive the beleaguered carrier.

Mallya is understood to have been asked by Shrivastava about the plans to pay off the debts and dues to various vendors, including Airports Authority of India (AAI) which has asked it to vacate two hangars at Kolkata and Chennai airports as it owes the state-run airports body Rs 293 crore.

"I have briefed him on revival and restart plan. It would be a comprehensive plan. All hurdles will be crossed," Mallya told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting between UB Group chief and the secretary, the first since the airline got into regulatory trouble, lasted 30 minutes, official sources said.

Kingfisher is expected to apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for revocation of suspension of its Scheduled Operator's Permit (SOP) or flying license in a few weeks.

For this, it has to submit to DGCA a comprehensive financial and operational plan to revive the airline and its operations, after an over three week impasse with its employees since September 30, who struck work demanding payment of overdue salaries. The strike was followed by a lockout that was lifted on October 25.

The services of Kingfisher can be restored only after the DGCA is convinced that the carrier can provide safe and sustainable operations.

The sources said the government is concerned about how the cash-strapped carrier would pay its dues to its service providers, including airport operators, aircraft lessors and oil companies.

The airline is likely to face more trouble soon with the Revenue Department deciding to move the Supreme Court to expedite recovery of tax dues worth about Rs 330 crore.

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Security tightened at Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple following terror threat

GAYA: Tight security measures have been put in place at the world-famous Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar's Gaya district and the Special Task Force (STF) deployed there in view of threat of militant attack.

As part of measures, a platoon of the STF was deployed at the Mahabodhi temple on permanent basis, DIG (Magadh range) N Hasnain Khan told PTI.

The Bodh Gaya temple management committee (BTMC) and the district police have also arranged security measures in and around the Mahabodhi temple.

The measures were taken following threat by Indian Mujahideen militants to attack the Buddhist shrine, he said.

The measures include installation of CCTV cameras in and around the temple, round-the-clock patrolling by the police on Gaya-Dobhi and Gaya-Falgu roads and deployment of women police at the temple for frisking women pilgrims, official sources said.

The Mahabodhi Temple is one of the 84,000 shrines erected by King Asoka the Great in the 3rd century B.C.

The decision for additional security measures at the temple was taken at a recent meeting of the BTMC and the district authorities.

Various Buddhist monasteries too will be brought under monitoring by CCTV cameras, they said.

A control room will be set up at the Bodh Gaya police station located adjacent to the Mahabodhi temple to monitor activities and movement of people under the coverage area, the sources said.

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Road map soon to raise oil consumption to 6 barrels/day: Veerappa Moily

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 29, 2012, 11.54AM IST

NEW DELHI: New oil minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday promised expeditious decision making as he set a target for more than tripling of oil consumption in the country to boost economic growth.

Moily said he would soon bring out a road map for bringing consumption up to 6 barrels per person per year.

"Average worldwide oil consumption is 14 barrels per person per year while that in developing countries it is three barrels per person per year. In India the picture is not so happy with a consumption of 1.2 barrels per person per year. This is a matter of grave concern," he said after taking over as minister of petroleum and natural gas on Monday.

Listing out priorities, Moily said investment policy has to be made conducive for foreign investment and delays in decision making avoid it. "Decisions will be quickened and efforts will be made not to keep things pending," he added.

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Govt aims to cut fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP by 2017: Chidambaram

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Oct 29, 2012, 11.58AM IST

NEW DELHI: India will move to cut its fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP by March 2017, the finance minister said on Monday, as the government tackles its ballooning expenditure to prevent the country's credit rating being downgraded to junk.

After years of policy inertia that hit investments and slowed economic growth to a near three-year low, the Congress party-led ruling coalition is pushing ahead with key reforms to stimulate sluggish growth.

"As fiscal consolidation and investors' confidence increases it is expected that the economy will return to the path of high investment, higher growth, lower inflation and long-term sustainability," Finance minister P Chidambaram told a news conference in New Delhi on Monday.

Chidambaram's comments came a day ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) quarterly policy review. The central bank, which is not expected to cut rates on Tuesday, has previously called for fiscal consolidation measures from the government.

The central bank's governor, Duvvuri Subbarao, met with Chidambaram on Friday.

India's fiscal deficit widened to 5.8% of GDP last year from 3.5% in 2007/08, and could hit 6.1% this fiscal year that ends in March, according to a government panel report last month.

The International Monetary Fund sharply cut its economic growth forecast for India for 2012 this month to 4.9% from 6.1% previously. Rating agency Standard & Poors said this month the country faces a one-in-three chance of a credit rating downgrade to junk over the next two years.

Chidambaram said the government is targeting a fiscal deficit of 5.3% of GDP for the current fiscal year ending in March. The deficit would be brought down through rationalised and strict control of expenditure, he said, without harming flagship poverty relief programmes.

The move comes after a government panel last month warned that the country was teetering on a "fiscal precipice" and must slash large subsidies in order to get its ballooning fiscal deficit under control.

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1984 Sikh riots: Australian MP to file petition in Parliament

MELBOURNE: An Australian politician will table a signed petition in the Parliament this week which would ask the government to recognise the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as "genocide".

An official statement issued by federal MP Warren Entsch's office said, "The nation's Sikh community has enlisted the help of Entsch to have Australia recognise the November 1984 killings of Sikhs in India as genocide."

The issue was first raised by a Sikh Community member in Cairns, Daljit Singh.

"Every person on this planet who believes in equality and peace for mankind should support this," Singh said, adding "Justice delayed is justice denied."

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Emphasis will be on quick decisions, investments: Oil minister Veerappa Moily

NEW DELHI: Stepping into a ministry that had in recent times become notoriously indecisive, the new oil minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday promised quick decisions and creating an environment conducive for investment to flow in. Moily, 72, who replaced S Jaipal Reddy, said his priority would be to intensify domestic oil and gas exploration to reduce import dependence that had played havoc with inflation.

"Emphasis will be on quick decision making and innovation. Decisions should not be delayed. Delaying decisions will cost the nation. We do not want any delay in decisions," he said after taking charge.

Lauding his predecessor, under whom the ministry was accused of being indecisive and almost halting oil and gas exploration, Moily said Reddy had done "wonderful job, setting highest standard of probity in administration".

"Many a times it happens (that) you avoid taking decisions. That is not a solution. Avoiding or delaying decision is not a solution. And this is where we need to very seriously work on," said Moily, who was previously Minister for Power and Corporate Affairs.

Decisions, he said, would be taken keeping the national interest in mind and not to be "benefit one or two individuals or companies."

Laying out priorities, Moily said a conducive environment would be created for domestic and foreign companies to explore for oil and gas so as India's import dependence, which is at an alarming level of 80 per cent, is reduced.

Also, the vexed issue of losses state retailers suffer on selling fuel below cost will be addressed by bringing in efficiencies and not by cutting subsidies.

"Investment will have to be attracted through conducive policy environment... We need to create that kind of confidence with the investors that this is the country that (should be their) investment destination," Moily said.

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SC refuses to hear pleas against Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: A plea for transfer of two petitions pending in different high courts to the apex court against nomination of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to the Rajya Sabha was dismissed on Monday by the Supreme Court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said, "This is not a fit case to be entertained."

The bench also comprising justices S S Nijjar and J Chelameswar expressed its displeasure that the matter has been brought to the apex court.

"We are dismissing it," the bench said. The apex court's order came on the plea of former Delhi MLA Ram Gopal Singh Sisodia for transfer of the two petitions pending in the Delhi and the Allahabad high courts against nomination of Tendulkar to the Rajya Sabha.

Sisodia had moved the apex court saying there is likelihood of conflicting judgements from the two high courts.

Sisodia had earlier challenged Sachin's nomination before the Delhi high court on the ground that the cricketer does not have any of the qualifications prescribed under the Constitution for being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

He had contended that Constitution allowed the government to nominate people to the Rajya Sabha only from four categories - arts, science, social science and literature. The selection of a sports person was unconstitutional, he had said.

While refusing to restrain Sachin Tendulkar from taking oath as Rajya Sabha member, a division bench of the Delhi high court on May 16 had asked additional solicitor General A S Chandhiok to get instructions from the government as to whether the sports category was covered under the Constitution for nominating a sports person to the Rajya Sabha

Earlier on May 14, the Supreme Court had refused to quash 39-year-old batting maestro's nomination to the Upper House and had asked Sisodia to rather approach the high court with his plea.

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Former Punjab MLA Malkit Singh Keetu shot at, dies on way to hospital

CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab MLA Malkit Singh Keetu on Monday died after he was shot at allegedly by his nephew in Moga district over a property dispute, a senior police official said.

67-year-old Keetu died while being taken to hospital, Moga's senior superintendent of police, Surjit Singh told over phone.

The incident occurred at Bilaspur village under Nihalsingh Wala in Moga on Monday morning, he said.

The SSP said that Keetu, a former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA from Barnala, used to live in his house in Bilaspur and in Barnala.

He said that Keetu's two nephews Harpreet and Jaspreet arrived at his Moga house on Monday morning.

"Keetu had just come out after taking a bath. He had a towel wrapped around him when his two nephews reached there and entered into altercation with him. The two were accompanied by three more accomplices.

"In the altercation over some property dispute, Harpreet pumped bullets from a .315 bore pistol. Keetu died while he was being taken to hospital," he said.

A case has been registered and further investigations were under progress, the SSP added.

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Hurricane Sandy heads for US after killing 59 in Caribbean

MIAMI: Across the eastern US, Americans made frantic preparations Saturday for a possible superstorm as Hurricane Sandy lumbered north after leaving 59 people dead in the Caribbean.

The so-called "Frankenstorm" was expected to make landfall somewhere between Virginia and Massachusetts early Tuesday, hitting during the frenzied final week of campaigning before the US elections on November 6.

The storm was at category one hurricane strength at 1800 GMT, with sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour as it moved along the east coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

"Sandy (is) producing tropical storm-force winds over the Atlantic from the northern Bahamas to near the coast of North Carolina," the center said, adding that the storm was traveling in a northeasterly direction at 11 miles (18 kilometers) per hour.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned the storm would "result in significant impacts along coastal North Carolina" beginning late Saturday.

Sandy could cause "moderate coastal flooding and rough surf" through Monday, drenching the state with three to five inches (seven to 13 centimeters) of rain inland and as much as five to eight inches along the coast, they warned.

But forecasters and emergency officials were far more worried about what could happen further north.

"This is a large storm that is forecasted to impact the Mid-Atlantic and other parts of the East Coast with strong winds, coastal flooding, inland flooding, rain and snow," said Craig Fugate, head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"People should be ready for the possibility of power outages paired with cold temperatures," he said in a statement Saturday.

Sandy's likely collision early next week with a seasonal "nor'easter" weather system was predicted to super-charge the storm, dragging it to the west where it is expected to slam into the coastal US states of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and even inland Ohio.

Alex Sosnowski, an expert senior meteorologist for Accuweather.com, called Sandy "an extremely rare and dangerous storm," menacing 60 million people, that "could lead to billions of dollars in damage."

Residents were bracing for huge tidal surges, power outages, inland flooding and even heavy snowfall on high ground far from the coast.

"Sandy will be more like a large nor'easter on steroids," Sosnowski wrote.

It could have the strength of a category one or two hurricane, he explained, but with powerful winds extending out hundreds of miles from the center.

President Barack Obama was briefed by top emergency officials Saturday, the White House said, and governors declared states of emergency in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the US capital Washington and a coastal county in North Carolina.

The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, said the Big Apple was ready for anything Sandy could throw at it, and cautioned against panic.

"Whenever we're faced with a tough situation, New Yorkers always show courage, compassion, and presence of mind #Sandy," he tweeted.

The storm was a hot topic on Twitter, with people sharing fears and bluster, or just trading stories of stocking up.

"$30 flashlights. What is the world coming to? #Sandy," wrote Lisa Brock, in New York City.

Meanwhile, concern was also mounting that storm damage and power outages could have a major impact on voter turnout, polling station readiness and last-minute campaigning by Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney.

US Vice President Joe Biden canceled a Saturday appearance in Virginia Beach to allow officials to focus on storm preparations and Romney did the same.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Saturday the president was giving priority to preparations for the impending storm over campaigning, but had not so far changed his schedule because of Sandy.

Meteorologists have nicknamed the unusual confluence of weather patterns a "Frankenstorm," because it is due to hit just before Halloween on October 31 and is composed of parts from different sources, as was Frankenstein's monster.

The powerful hurricane earlier claimed 11 lives in eastern Cuba, including several people who died in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

On Wednesday, Sandy unleashed its wrath on Jamaica, where one person died, and on Haiti, where 44 people were killed according to an updated official toll.

Two people were reported dead in the Dominican Republic and one in the Bahamas.

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Satellite images suggest airstrike on Sudan site

CAIRO: Satellite images of the aftermath of an explosion at a Sudanese weapons factory this past week suggest the site was hit in an airstrike, a U.S. monitoring group said Saturday.

The Sudanese government has accused Israel of bombing its Yarmouk military complex in Khartoum, killing two people and leaving the factory in ruins.

The images released by the Satellite Sentinel Project to The Associated Press on Saturday showed six 52-foot (16-meter) wide craters near the epicenter of Wednesday's explosion at the compound.

Military experts consulted by the project found the craters to be "consistent with large impact craters created by air-delivered munitions, Satellite Sentinel Project spokesman Jonathan Hutson told the AP.

The target may have been around 40 shipping containers seen at the site in earlier images. The group said the craters center on the area where the containers had been stacked. It did not comment on the allegations of Israeli involvement or who might be behind the strikes.

Jonah Leff, who monitors Sudan for the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey and was not connected to the project, reviewed the images on Saturday and agreed with the group's assessment.

Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied striking the site. Instead, they accused Sudan of playing a role in an Iranian-backed network of arms shipments to Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel believes Sudan is a key transit point in the circuitous route that weapons take to the Islamic militant groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Sudan was a major hub for al-Qaida militants and remains a transit for weapon smugglers and African migrant traffickers. Israeli officials believe arms that originate in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas go through Sudan before crossing Egypt's lawless Sinai desert and into Gaza through underground tunnels.

The Satellite Sentinel Project is a partnership between the Enough Project, a Washington-based anti-genocide advocacy group and DigitalGlobe, which operates three commercial satellites and provides geospatial analysis. The project was founded last year with support from actor George Clooney, and in the past has used satellite images to monitor the destruction of villages by Sudanese troops in the country's multiple war zones.

Opened in 1996, Yarmouk is one of two known state-owned weapons manufacturing plants in the Sudanese capital. Sudan prided itself in having a way to produce its own ammunition and weapons despite United Nations and U.S. sanctions.

The satellite images indicate that the Yarmouk facility includes an oil storage facility, a military depot and an ammunition plant.

The monitoring group said the images indicate that the blast "destroyed two buildings and heavily damaged at least 21 others," adding that there was no indication of fire damage at the fuel depot inside the military complex.

The group said it could not be certain the containers, seen in images taken Oct. 12, were still there when explosion took place. But the effects of the blast suggested a "highly volatile cargo" was at the epicenter of the explosion.

"If the explosions resulted from a rocket or missile attack against material stored in the shipping containers, then it was an effective surgical strike that totally destroyed any container" that was at the location, the project said.

Yarmouk is located in a densely populated residential area of the city approximately 11 kilometers (seven miles) southwest of the Khartoum International Airport.

Wednesday's explosion sent exploding ammunition flying into homes in the neighborhood adjacent to the factory, causing panic among residents. Sudanese officials said some people suffered from smoke inhalation.

A man who lives near the factory said that from inside their house, he and his brother heard a load roar of what they believed was a plane just before the boom of the explosion sounded from the factory.

In the aftermath of Wednesday's explosion, Sudanese officials said the government has the right to respond to what the information minister said was a "flagrant attack" by Israel on Sudan's sovereignty and right to strengthen its military capabilities.

In a Friday speech marking Eid al Adha, Islam's biggest holiday, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir called Israel "short-sighted," according to comments published by the Egyptian state-owned paper Al Ahram. The president likened the incident to the 1998 bombing by American cruise missiles of a Khartoum pharmaceutical factory suspected of links to al-Qaida.

Some Israeli commentators suggested that if Israel did indeed carry out an airstrike causing Wednesday's blast, it might have been a trial run of sorts for an operation in Iran. Both countries are roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away from Israel, and an air operation would require careful planning and in-flight refueling.

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Saudi authorities disperse anti-Assad protest in Mecca

MECCA: Saudi authorities quickly dispersed a protest by hundreds of Syrian pilgrims calling for the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and denouncing what they said was international failure to stop bloodshed in Syria, a Reuters witness said.

Protesters held up rebel flags and marched toward the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, east of the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where more than 3 million Muslim pilgrims congregated for the annual haj.

No one was hurt when two police vehicles drove slowly in the direction of the protesters with the sirens on as the officers asked the crowd through loudspeakers to leave the area. The protesters swiftly dispersed and merged with thousands of other pilgrims in the area, the witness said.

Saudi officials made it clear in recent days that they want a politics-free pilgrimage and urged pilgrims to focus on performing the rituals.

The haj pilgrimage is one of the Muslim faith's so-called five pillars and a religious duty for all Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime if they are capable. It started on Wednesday and ends on Tuesday.

This year's haj took place against a backdrop of divisions among Muslims, with Shi'ite Iran and U.S.-allied Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar backing opposing sides in Syria's civil war.

Saudi Arabia has led Arab efforts to isolate President Bashar al-Assad's government and has supported the rebels with money and logistics.

At the protest, dozens of security guards already deployed in the area stood by without interfering.

"Syria lives forever despite of you Assad," the protesters shouted as the streamed by a giant wall at Jamarat Bridge used for the ritual stoning of the devil, one of the main rites of the haj.

Another slogan went: "We don't want Bashar, all Syrians raise your arms up!"

The Syrian crisis also was evident at Mount Arafat, scene for the haj's main rites, on Thursday when some Syrians held up rebel flags despite a call by Saudi Arabia's grand mufti to avoid raising national and factional slogans.

"We want to make our voices heard because no one seems to listen to us," a man identified as Sabri, 27, a Syrian who lives in Saudi Arabia, said as he held up the rebels' black, white and green flag.

"This is not a political protest. It's more of a humanitarian demonstration because the Syrian question has become a humanitarian one."

The imam of Mecca's Grand Mosque called on Arabs and Muslims on Friday to take "practical and urgent" steps to stop bloodshed in Syria, which has killed some 30,000 people, and urged world states to assume their moral responsibility toward the conflict.

Saudi Arabia has instructed its embassies to issue haj permits for Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, but most of the Syrians who made it to Mecca were those who live in the Gulf Arab region.

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7.7 earthquake on islands off west coast of Canada: US Geological Survey

VANCOUVER: A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada late Saturday, US government researchers said.

The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 8:04 pm (0304 GMT Sunday) was located 139 kilometers (86 miles) south of the town of Masset, the US Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no "destructive widespread tsunami threat" at this time.

However, the regional West Coast-Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued a regional warning for coasts located near the epicenter of the earthquake.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The earthquake reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.

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Chiranjeevi: The Star who made a dramatic comeback

Chiranjeevi emerged the winner by finding himself in the Union Council of Ministers, which was expanded today. (TOI Photo)

NEW DELHI: He cruised up touching the sky in the tinsel town like a powerful rocket, but when Chiranjeevi replaced the engine of cinema with rustic politics, it was not smooth sailing for him.

In the end, like any other Indian blockbuster, hero Chiranjeevi emerged the winner by finding himself in the Union Council of Ministers, which was expanded today, after spending almost two full years in political hibernation. He as inducted as Minister of State with Independent charge.

The superstar, who entertained millions of young men, women, children and old alike through his inimitable style whose mantra only he knows, left his lucrative career to test his fortunes in politics at the age of 53 in 2008.

His journey in politics was not a bed of roses but was filled with thorns which the actor, who had not tasted failure at the box office for years together, could not swallow it like he did success.

In less than year after launching his party, his outfit contested state elections only to win less than 20 seats with Chiranjeevi himself losing one assembly seat of the two he contested.

Widely perceived as the only person who could recreate the magic of NTR, the legendary whose star power catapulted him to the Chief Minister's post in just nine months after his plunge in politics, Chiranjeevi was not bestowed with a magic wand.

With his prediction going haywire, Chiranjeevi stood isolated in politics with no friends to guide him and was forced to walk on the fire that eventually took a cinematic turn -- his infant party was dissolved in a split second and merged with Congress, which was the prime enemy when he took a plunge in politics.

From February 2011 to October 2012, Chiranjeevi was almost in oblivion except when he ventured out for a couple of rare meetings with Sonia Gandhi.

Now, after 19 months, the hero is back with a vengeance. He is a Union Minister and with the Congress strongly believing that he is a force to reckon with in Andhra Pradesh, Chiranjeevi faces an arduous task of proving his mettle in politics.

Hailing from an obscure village in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Chiranjeevi's transition from a villain to a popular hero, whose dancing skills sent raptures in theatres for over two decades, was indeed breathtaking. (Reopens Del 31)

Chiranjeevi attaining stardom and to a career in politics was akin to his action-filled blockbusters.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, he has acted in 148 films in his three-decade long career and is among the highest paid actors in the country.

His success in Tollywood, traditionally dominated by a handful of powerful families, was meteoric as he had no family connection.

Born on Aug 22, 1955 in Mogalturu, a remote village in the coastal district of West Godavari, Chiranjeevi's original name was Konidela Siva Shankara Varaprasad.

Eldest of three sons of an excise constable, he attended schools in five different places in the district because of his father's frequent transfers.

After graduating in commerce from Narasapur College, he moved to Chennai to seek a career in the film industry and joined a film institute in 1977.

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Will ensure proper electricity supply: Power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

NEW DELHI: Newly appointed power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia today said that his priorities will be to ensure proper electricity supply in the country.

Scindia, a young Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh, has been appointed as minister of state (independent charge) for power.

"Priorities will be to ensure that there is proper electric supply. Both the government and private electric companies work in tandem for the united goal of country's progress," Scindia told PTI.

He takes over the reins of the Power Ministry at a time when the sector is grappling with acute fuel shortages besides environmental hurdles, which are also hurting electricity generation in the country.

"I will also try to ensure coordination with coal and environment ministries," Scindia said.

"As the UPA government vision, I will try to make sure that the remote areas of the country gets power supply. I will try to ensure growth in the sector," he noted.

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Cuban dissident Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo dies at 77

HAVANA: Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, who went from rebel commander fighting alongside Fidel Castro to a foe launching commando raids against the island before settling inside Cuba as a moderate, pro-dialogue dissident, died early Friday. He was 77.

Gutierrez-Menoyo died of a heart attack at 5:30 a.m. at a Havana hospital, his wife Flor Ester Torres Sanabria told The Associated Press. Gutierrez-Menoyo was to be cremated and his funeral held in Havana on Saturday, family members said.

Gutierrez-Menoyo had lived permanently in Cuba since August 2003, after visiting the island during a family vacation and deciding to stay for good. Cuban authorities allowed him to remain despite his frequent criticisms of the government, but his immigration status was apparently never resolved.

The tall, slender man with long, wispy white hair and wire-framed spectacles had hoped to open an office on the island of his Cambio Cubano movement - but the dream was never realized. Nearly blind and hard of hearing, Gutierrez-Menoyo was seen occasionally in Havana at meetings involving moderate Cuban exiles.

Until his health began to fail him in 2010, Gutierrez-Menoyo frequently spoke out against the communist government, but in measured tones that kept him out of jail.

After Fidel Castro retired due to ill health in February 2008 and his brother Raul formally replaced him as president, Gutierrez-Menoyo expressed disappointment that Cuba's communist system remained unchanged.

"Cuba cannot continue to corner itself, trying to convince the world that there is democracy here when a one-party system will never be a democracy," he lamented.

The following year, he expressed doubts that Raul Castro could be an agent of change, despite the new president's stated efforts to reform the island's Marxist economy.

"They fear any type of opening that could cost them a good chunk of power," Gutierrez-Menoyo told The Associated Press in one interview, referring to government leaders. "Right now Cuba needs a new revolution, and those who are governing don't dare to carry out that new revolution."

Formed in Miami in 1992, Cambio Cubano was seen as a centrist group, promoting dialogue and reconciliation among Cubans of all political stripes, including officials in Castro's government. But some members of the exile community considered it soft and politically accommodating.

Several dissidents contacted by AP said they had no comment on Gutierrez-Menoyo's death, and there was also no official reaction from the government. But one dissident did speak out, calling Gutierrez-Menoyo a champion of freedom.

"It is very sad. He was a person with a long history of fighting against tyranny in Cuba," said Oscar Chepe Espinosa, a one-time state economist turned government opponent. "He was honest and he lived quietly these last years, but he always defended his point of view about reconciliation between all Cubans. I had the honor of calling him my friend."

Daughter Patricia Gutierrez-Menoyo, reached in Puerto Rico where she now lives, said it was her father's fate to live a hard and courageous life.

"He spent his entire life fighting," she said. "The call of liberty grew in him and marked his life."

Born Dec. 8, 1934, in Madrid, Spain, Gutierrez-Menoyo was the son and brother of men who fought against the Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco.

One of his brothers died in combat in Spain as a member of the Spanish Republican forces. The family moved to Cuba in 1945 and another brother, Carlos, was killed in March 1957 during an attack on the presidential palace of Cuban strongman Fulgencio Batista.

Gutierrez-Menoyo, who had opposed Batista's government from the early 1950s, participated in the same attack. Later he formed and commanded the Second Front of Escambray, a rebel group that operated alongside but independently of guerrilla forces Castro led.

After the Cuban revolution's January 1959 victory, Gutierrez-Menoyo's Second Front was incorporated into the new government's Revolutionary Army, but its senior officers were not granted positions of authority.

Although he had arrived in Havana as one of the triumphant "Commanders of the Revolution," Gutierrez-Menoyo quickly broke with Castro and by 1961 was in exile in Miami helping form Alpha 66, an armed commando group dedicated to the violent overthrow of Castro's government.

In December 1964, Gutierrez-Menoyo returned to Cuba with an armed band in hopes of launching an uprising, but they were captured after a month.

Gutierrez-Menoyo spent 22 years in Cuban prisons, losing vision in one eye and hearing in one ear. He was freed in 1986 through a petition of the Spanish government after an international campaign for his release.

He went into exile, first briefly to Madrid, and then a year later to Miami, where he ultimately adopted a position of peaceful dialogue with Castro's government and founded Cambio Cubano.

He even met with Castro in 1995 - an encounter that was apparently never repeated.

A former wife, Gladys, and their three sons together, live in Miami. His daughter by an earlier marriage, Patricia Gutierrez-Menoyo, lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she runs a publishing house.

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Obama says deficit reduction panel right on revenues, wrong on defense cuts

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said on Friday a bipartisan panel's deficit reduction recommendation went too far on spending cuts, especially for defense, but set the right tone by also proposing revenue increases.

Obama said the plan put forward by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission - and held out by some as a model compromise that distributes the pain evenly - cut defense spending too deeply.

"They wanted ... defense cuts that were steeper than I felt comfortable with as commander in chief," he said.

The president, who is in a tight re-election battle with Republican challenger Mitt Romney, said he would be eager to re-engage congressional Republicans in negotiations to achieve a broad deficit reduction deal right away. A deal could be accomplished in as little as four months, he said.

"I've said to folks, I'll wash (House Speaker) John Boehner's car, I'll walk (Republican Senate leader) Mitch McConnell's dog, I'll do whatever is required to get this done,"Obama said in an interview with radio host Michael Smerconish that was released on Friday.

"The key that the American people want from us right now is for us to tackle some big challenges that we face in a common-sense, balanced, sensible way," the president said.

Whatever the outcome of the Nov. 6 election, the United States faces a sharp fiscal tightening at the end of the year. Unless Congress and the administration act, $109 billion in spending cuts are due to go into effect and tax rates will rise.

Both Obama and Republicans say they want to avoid the "fiscal cliff." But Democrats want to limit spending cuts in social welfare programs and Republicans object to letting tax rates rise for those earning above $250,000 a year. Obama also said eliminating the popular tax deductions for interest paid on home loans or for charitable gifts, as the proposal suggests, goes "too far."

His own proposal took the basic framework of the Simpson-Bowles plan and "tweaked it," he said.

Obama raised the possibility this week that if re-elected, he would take another run at the "grand bargain" that eluded Washington in 2011. The goal of such a deal would be to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years.

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Hillary Clinton hints at keeping post in a second Obama term

US secretary of state Hillary left the door open on Friday to continuing to serve under President Barack Obama should he win a second term that would begin in January.

WASHINGTON: US secretary of state Hillary left the door open on Friday to continuing to serve under President Barack Obama should he win a second term that would begin in January.

One of Obama's most popular cabinet members, Clinton has repeatedly insisted she would leave her office as America's top diplomat at the end of the Obama administration's first term.

But she hinted at serving beyond then in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"A lot of people have talked to me about staying," Clinton said.

She said it was "unlikely" that the fallout from the deadly September 11 attack on the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi would force her to stay on, though left that possibility open for the first time since she took office in 2009.

The hint not only suggests continuity in Obama's foreign policy, but also broadens the president's appeal among women voters, who have backed him in the past but are increasingly supporting his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Clinton, who lost her 2008 Democratic presidential nomination bid to Obama, has long been seen as a possible White House contender in 2016. But she has been adamant in quashing the rumours.

"I have ruled it out," said Clinton, who turned 65 on Friday.

"It's important for me to step off this incredibly high wire I've been on... to take stock of the rest of my life."

In a separate interview with The Washington Post, Clinton reiterated her intention to step down after a single term, even if Obama is reelected.

"I'm aiming to leave shortly after the inauguration; that's my plan," she said, explaining she would stay until her successor is confirmed.

"But I haven't been able to sit down and talk to the president yet because he's trying to win an election, which hopefully will be finalized shortly. And then we will talk through how to do the transition."

Obama said Wednesday he would love for Hillary Clinton to stay on as secretary of state after his hoped for re-election, but that "despite my begging," she has decided to move on.

"She has done an incredible job. She has logged a lot of miles, she has been working so hard, Obama told viewers on NBC television's "Tonight Show," a popular, late-night comedy program.

"She has done a great job. I would love for her to stay... I could not be prouder of the work she has done."

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Narendra Modi visa application to be handled as per law: William Burns

WASHINGTON: US would handle the visa application of the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as per the country's immigration laws, a top US diplomat said.

At the same time, the official said, US supports the business interests of American companies in Gujarat.

"Well, I mean, the question has often arisen about, Mr Modi's potential application for visas, for example, to come to the US. And you know, the truth is I can't comment on individual visa applications. You know, those get handled, according to US immigration law at the time there's an application," the deputy secretary of state, William Burns said.

Burns was responding to questions if there has been change in the US policy towards the Gujarat chief minister in view of the change in policy of the British government in this regard from a human rights activist at the Center for American Progress, an eminent US-thinktank based in Washington.

"About 10 years ago some major violence in Gujarat. We were there on the ground at the time, documented 2,500 deaths in Gujarat. The British government has just decided that it will now end ...the cold-shoulder policy with Narendra Modi, the (chief) minister of Gujarat State. Is it still US policy, and will it remain US policy for the time being, to maintain its cold-shoulder policy with respect to Mr. Modi?" John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch asked.

"With regard to Gujarat in general, you know, obviously, to, you know, come back to the question about business activity, a lot of American businesses have interests there. We continue to support that. Obviously, there are a lot of Indian-Americans who come from Gujarat too. So there's a strong connection. But I don't have anything new to suggest with regard to personalities," Burns said.

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Petrol, diesel prices up marginally on dealer commission hike

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 27, 2012, 01.55PM IST

NEW DELHI: Petrol price was on Saturday hiked by 29 paise per litre and diesel by 20 paise after government decided to increase commission paid to petrol pump dealers.

Petrol in Delhi from today costs Rs 68.19 per litre as against Rs 67.90 previously. Similarly, diesel rates have been hiked to Rs 47.15 per litre from Rs 46.95, industry sources said. Rates will vary in states due to differential in local sales tax or VAT rates.

Petrol price hike varies from 29 paise to 37 paise (in Bangalore), while diesel rates vary from 20 paise to 24 paise a litre.

The petroleum ministry late last night issued orders increasing the dealers commission on petrol from Rs 1.49 per litre to Rs 1.78 a litre. The same on diesel has been hiked by 17.7 paise -- from 91 paise to Rs 1.08. After taking into account the incidence on VAT, the hike in diesel comes to 20 paise, sources said.

Sources said the decision to hike dealers commission was taken on Thursday but orders were issued only last night. The increase in dealers commission is first since July 2011.

During that period, the commission was hiked by 28 paise on petrol and by 15.5 paise on diesel. Federation of All India Petroleum Traders General Secretary Ajay Bansal said the hike falls short of their demand for 67 paise increase in commission on petrol and 42 paise on diesel considering steep hike in operating cost of a petrol pump.

"Few of our operating costs like running pumps on "Few of our operating costs like running pumps on generators, free services (like air and water) and increase in evaporation, seem to have not been taken into account while calculating the proposed commission," Bansal said. The Ministry, he said, has assured to look into these in two months time.

The government had earlier this month hiked commission paid to LPG distributors by Rs 11.42 per cylinder. Subsidised LPG in Delhi now costs Rs 410.42 per cylinder, up from Rs 399. The commission paid to LPG dealers increased from Rs 25.83 per 14.2-kg cylinder to Rs 37.25 with effect from October 7.

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Delhi Metro rejects Reliance Infrastructure's offer to quit

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 27, 2012, 02.52PM IST

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro on Saturday said it has rejected an offer by Reliance Infrastructure to quit the showcase Airport Metro Express citing financial non-viability and asserted that the corridor would soon be thrown open to public after due repairs are completed.

Delhi Metro Managing Director Mangu Singh admitted that Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL) had sent a notice for terminating the Concession Agreement signed between the two, thereby exiting the corridor.

"They (DAMEPL) sent the notice. But, we have rejected," Singh told reporters here.

"Repairs are almost complete. The Line will undergo a safety inspection and then will be opened," he said.

DAMEPL has been struggling to run the line ever since the operations were launched in February, 2011 and operations were suspended on July 8 after defects were found on civil structure.

Since then, the DMRC and DAMEPL have been at loggerheads over the corridor and a letter war between the two seems to have culminated with a communication from DAMEPL in early October that they want to terminate the Concession Agreement.

However, Delhi Metro rejected the offer and based on a suggestion from DAMEPL the issues will now head for arbitration.

It is learnt that the DAMEPL raised several issues rgerading the financial non-viability of the country's first Public-Private Partnership Metro project with the Delhi Metro and even sought for some restructuring of the model under which the corridor was being run.

DAMEPL refused to comment on the termination notice issue.

A spokesperson merely said: "The repair work executed by DMRC is nearing completion. We will recommence the operations of Airport Metro line soon after getting the necessary safety clearances. DAMEPL, as the Concessionaire will run the line.

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Two cross-border smugglers held with 5kg heroin, fake Indian currency notes

AMRITSAR: State special operation cell, Amritsar, a unit of Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab police recovered 5 kg heroin valued at around Rs 25 crore in the international market and Rs 2.25 lakh fake Indian currency notes, following the arrest of two cross-border smugglers Jassa Singh and Harpal Singh.

Assistant Inspector Geneal Rachpal Singh informed on Thursday that both of them were apprehended from near Ram Teerath road, while they were waiting for a party to deliver the consignment of heroin and fake notes in their Scorpio car.

He informed that the preliminary investigations of the alleged accused had revealed that, the duo was indulging in cross-border smuggling of heroin and fake Indian currency notes and were delivering them to different destinations like Amritsar and Delhi.

"It has also been revealed that the accused have delivered two consignments of heroin, recently at different destinations," said he, adding that they were trying to decipher the Pak connection of smugglers.

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Hurricane Sandy kills 21 in Caribbean, takes aim at US

MIAMI: Hurricane Sandy pounded the Bahamas on Thursday as it careened toward the eastern United States after claiming 21 lives in the Caribbean, including 11 people killed in eastern Cuba.

The hurricane -- now a category two storm -- has wreaked havoc in Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti, downing power lines, damaging hundreds of homes and ruining crops.

Forecasters warn that the massive hurricane now could merge with North American weather systems and could morph into a powerful hybrid that US media have dubbed a "Frankenstorm."

Forecast models predict that Sandy could collide with a seasonal "nor'easter" weather system before hurtling up the US East Coast with potentially devastating fury.

"The high degree of blocking from eastern North America across the entire Atlantic Basin is expected to allow this unusual merger to take place," said forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center.

The meteorologists said such a combination of adverse weather conditions could affect the area through Halloween on October 31, "inviting perhaps a ghoulish nickname for the cyclone along the lines of 'Frankenstorm'."

The NHC said Sandy was already packing winds of up to 105 miles (169 kilometers) per hour as it moved north, near the top of the category two range on the five-point Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

The Bahamas were still bearing the brunt of the storm, with power and phone lines downed, tourists stranded and trees uprooted. Schools, government offices, airports and bridges were to be closed Thursday and Friday.

At 2100 GMT, the eye of the hurricane was near Cat Island in the Central Bahamas -- about 60 miles southeast of Eleuthera -- and its wind field was "expanding." Sandy was moving north at 20 miles per hour.

"You should be getting ready to get indoors, locked up and locked down until the storm has really passed us," Bahamas meteorologist Geoffrey Greene was quoted as saying in The Nassau Guardian.

Sandy claimed 11 lives in eastern Cuba, including several who died in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the fury of the massive storm.

The hurricane slammed into Cuba, damaging hundreds of homes, flooding crops and downing trees, according to media reports.

"It was terrible. Roofs were flying off lots of houses. Doors, too, and windows," said Laquesis Bravo, 36, who lives outside Santiago de Cuba.

Nine people died in Santiago, including a four-month old infant who was among four people who perished when a house caved in.

Five more people in the province died during the storm for unspecified reasons, while two people in Guantanamo were killed by falling trees.

On Wednesday, Sandy unleashed its wrath on Jamaica, where one person died, and on Haiti, where nine people were killed and three others reported missing.

The hurricane also affected the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, where 167 terror suspects are held. Preliminary hearings for the accused Al-Qaeda mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole were delayed.

In Florida, authorities were already on alert for tropical storm conditions, warning residents to prepare an emergency plan and supplies.

Schools in the state's southern counties of Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward were closed for the rest of the week.

International flights from major airports in the state were kept on schedule, though some headed to or coming from Caribbean destinations were suspended.

Warnings about a possible "Frankenstorm" revived memories of the so-called "Perfect Storm" in 1991 that killed 13 people and caused $200 million in damages to the northeastern United States in late October and early November.

"The potential is there for a significant storm," WCNC-TV chief meteorologist Brad Panovich in Charlotte, North Carolina wrote on Facebook.

"This system is one part hurricane, one part nor'easter and one part blizzard potentially. Impacts of all three types of storms are possible depending on location."

The National Weather Service in Philadelphia noted that the storm will be slow-moving, which "worsens the impact for coastal flooding as it will affect multiple high-tide cycles."

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India's role in bringing stability in Afghanistan will be very helpful: US

WASHINGTON: Emphasising on India's cooperation for developing stability in Afghanistan, US defense secretary Leon Panetta said here that India is an important country in the region and whatever India can do to bring stability in Afghanistan would be very helpful.

"India is an important country in that region. And obviously, whatever India can do to try to help develop stability in that region, both working with Afghanistan as well as Pakistan, would be very helpful to the prospects of peace in the future," Panetta told reporters on Thursday during a Pentagon news conference.

Talking about Afghanistan, Panetta said their goal has always been an Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself and that can be a sovereign and independent country in that important region of the world and one that is sufficiently secure so that al-Qaida never again finds a safe heaven from which to conduct attacks on our country or anyplace else.

"That's the goal. And that's the kind of Afghanistan that I think we're trying to work towards and I think it's the kind of Afghanistan the Afghan people want to have for the future as well," Panetta said in response to a question.

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Boy killed after TV actor loses control over car during shooting of serial

HYDERABAD: A six-year-old boy was killed in a car accident during a television serial shoot here at the city outskirts on Friday.

The mishap occurred when a Telugu television actor lost control over the vehicle while shooting and hit Satvik Reddy, killing the minor on the spot, Chandanagar Police said.

"Some people had gathered to watch the shoot. The actor lost control over the car and hit a road divider before hitting the victim who was watching the shoot," a police official said.

Another girl, who was injured in the accident, has been admitted to a private hospital, police added.

The actor was not identified and further investigations are on.

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Kingfisher management discusses revival plans with DGCA

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Oct 26, 2012, 02.12PM IST

NEW DELHI: A day after resolving the impasse over salary issue with its employees, the Kingfisher Airlines top brass discussed revival plans with aviation regulator DGCA today.

"It was a general meeting. We had a discussion with the DGCA to get a better understanding about presenting the revival plan (of the airline). We will get back to them very soon," airline CEO Sanjay Aggarwal said after a 30-minute meeting with DGCA chief Arun Mishra .

"We have not submitted any revival plan yet. But we will present it soon. No time-frame has been specified," he said when asked by when they planned to submit their revival plan as well as revocation of suspension of their flying license (Scheduled Operator's Permit) by the DGCA.

The license of Kingfisher was issued on August 26, 2003, and is valid till December 31 this year.

Later, DGCA sources said that Aggarwal and Kingfisher promoter Vijay Mallya would soon discuss among themselves the operational and financial plan for revival of the cash-strapped carrier.

This would include the number of aircraft they have, the routes they want to operate on, apart from financial issues including debt repayment, the sources said, adding they would have to submit a comprehensive plan on all these issues to convince DGCA to revoke suspension of their flying permit.

But resumption of Kingfisher's flights may take at least 3-4 weeks as the airline would have to satisfy the DGCA on safety issues as well as the viability of their financial and operational plans.

Kingfisher employees have already resumed work after a 27-day strike and a 25-day lockout which was lifted by the management as it agreed to pay by December-end four months salary dues to the employees in a staggered manner.

The striking employees had earlier stepped up the heat demanding an immediate settlement while threatening to take their protest to the the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix in which airline promoter Mallya is involved.

"We will now finalize and present our resumption plan to the DGCA and hope to get their concurrence soon," a Kingfisher spokesperson said.

The carrier, which early last year had a fleet of 66 aircraft, now has ten -- seven Airbus A-320s and three ATR turbo-props. It is saddled with a loss of Rs 8,000 crore and a debt burden of another over Rs 7,524 crore, a large part of which has not been serviced for several months.

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Ferrari's support for Italian naval guards kicks up diplomatic row

Row hits India GP: Ferrari to race with Italian navy flag

NEW DELHI: Formula One team Ferrari's decision to carry the seal of Italian navy in the Indian Grand Prix as a mark of support for the Italian naval guards held here is leading on to another diplomatic spat between the two nations.

Reflecting New Delhi's unhappiness, official spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs Syed Akbaruddin said, "using sporting events to promote cause which are not of a sporting nature is not in keeping with the spirit of sports."

While Indian officials said that the gesture was not in the right spirit, Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi has complimented Ferrari for the move.

"This shows that the entire country stands behind the marines" said Terzi.

Terzi had recently said that he was astounded by the "dithering" of the Indian judiciary in the case.

Announcing their decision to race with the flag of the Italian navy on their cars at this weekend's Indian Grand Prix, a Ferrari team official on Thursday said, "First of all, we just wanted to pay tribute to all the Italian Navy which is one of the excellences of Italy and it's just a sign of hope that a solution can be found about the case that involves two Italian sailors."

Ferrari had created a flutter by announcing on their official website that it will show its support for Italian sailors by racing with military symbols on its cars' livery at the second edition of the Indian GP, to be held at the Buddh International Circuit from October 26-28.

The two naval guards Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone on board the Italian ship 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala. While a chargesheet has been filed against them by the local cops, Italy has approached the Supreme Court saying that Indian authorities have no jurisdiction in the matter.

They were detained on February 19 and were sent to Central Prison in Thiruvananthpuram. Later on, they were granted bail in June but on the condition that they must remain in Indian territory.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Missing Indian baby in US: No breakthrough; $30,000 award for information announced

WASHINGTON: The Philly police continued with its search to find the kidnapped 10-month-old Indian girl, as it joined hands with the Telugu community to announce an award of $30,000 to information leading to the safe return of the infant.

Saani Venna was abducted by unknown kidnappers in a Philadelphia township on Monday morning, during which her grandmother Satyavathi Venna, 61, was killed by the assailants.

A large number of people including those from the Indian American community attended a candle-light vigil in memory of the Satyavathi. The vigil was organised by the Telugu Association of North America (TANA).

Meanwhile, the police and the FBI continued with their intensive search operation to find Saani Venna.

"This is not a typical homicide investigation," district attorney Risa Vetri Ferman told the Philly Inquirer. "We also have the search and rescue operation," she added.

She said investigators were being guarded with information because, "We do not want to do anything that would jeopardize the child's safety."

Pennsylvania State Police has issued an Amber Child Abduction Alert for Saanvi Venna who is believed to have been taken from her family's apartment after the murder of her grandmother, Satayvathi Venna.

According to Ferman, the body of Satyavathi Venna, the paternal grandmother of Saanvi, was discovered inside the apartment. She was babysitting the child. The grandmother was visiting from India, arriving in July 2012 and was scheduled to return home January 2013.

The parents of the child, Venkata Konda Siva Venna (father) and Chenchu Latha Punuru (mother) had emigrated from India in February 2007 and have previously lived in San Antonio Texas, Troy Michigan, and Cleveland Ohio. In June this year, they moved to King of Prussia in Pennsylvania.

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Missing Indian baby in US: No breakthrough yet; $30,000 award for information announced

WASHINGTON: The Philly police continued with its search to find the kidnapped 10-month-old Indian girl, as it joined hands with the Telugu community to announce an award of $30,000 to information leading to the safe return of the infant.

Saani Venna was abducted by unknown kidnappers in a Philadelphia township on Monday morning, during which her grandmother Satyavathi Venna, 61, was killed by the assailants.

A large number of people including those from the Indian American community attended a candle-light vigil in memory of the Satyavathi. The vigil was organised by the Telugu Association of North America (TANA).

Meanwhile, the police and the FBI continued with their intensive search operation to find Saani Venna.

"This is not a typical homicide investigation," district attorney Risa Vetri Ferman told the Philly Inquirer. "We also have the search and rescue operation," she added.

She said investigators were being guarded with information because, "We do not want to do anything that would jeopardize the child's safety."

Pennsylvania State Police has issued an Amber Child Abduction Alert for Saanvi Venna who is believed to have been taken from her family's apartment after the murder of her grandmother, Satayvathi Venna.

According to Ferman, the body of Satyavathi Venna, the paternal grandmother of Saanvi, was discovered inside the apartment. She was babysitting the child. The grandmother was visiting from India, arriving in July 2012 and was scheduled to return home January 2013.

The parents of the child, Venkata Konda Siva Venna (father) and Chenchu Latha Punuru (mother) had emigrated from India in February 2007 and have previously lived in San Antonio Texas, Troy Michigan, and Cleveland Ohio. In June this year, they moved to King of Prussia in Pennsylvania.

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Infosys founder Narayana Murthy receives 2012 Hoover Medal

WASHINGTON: Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has been conferred with the prestigious 2012 Hoover Medal in recognition of his philanthropic activities in India.

Former US Presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower and James Earl Carter are among some of the prominent recipients of this annual award established in 1930 to recognize great, unselfish and non-technical services by the engineers to humanity.

Murthy was awarded with the prestigious award on October 2 at the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle.

The 70th recipient of the award, Murthy was recognized for establishing a foundation that forges outstanding improvements in healthcare, social rehabilitation, rural uplift and education following his formation of Infosys, an innovative company that provides business consulting, technology, and engineering services in over 30 countries.

In 2008 the former Indian President, A P J Abdul Kalam, had received this award.

The Hoover Medal is administered by a board representing five engineering organizations: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

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Minor earthquake strikes Arunachal Pradesh, no immediate reports of damage

NEW DELHI: A slight intensity earthquake epicentred in West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh hit the region early morning on Thursday, the Met department said.

The quake measured 4.0 on the Richter scale, a ministry of earth sciences release said here.

It said the earthquake hit at around 2.38am. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.

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US govt sues Bank of America on allegations of mortgage fraud

WASHINGTON: The US government has sued Bank of America for $1 billion on allegations of a multi-year mortgage fraud.

In a complaint filed in a New York court, the department of justice alleged that from 2007 through 2009, Countrywide, and later Bank of America after it acquired Countrywide, implemented a new loan origination process called the Hustle, which was intentionally designed to process loans at high speed and without quality checkpoints.

This generated thousands of fraudulent and otherwise defective residential mortgage loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that later defaulted, causing over $1 billion in losses and countless foreclosures.

This is the first civil fraud suit brought by the department of justice concerning mortgage loans sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

"For the sixth time in less than 18 months, this office has been compelled to sue a major US bank for reckless mortgage practices in the lead-up to the financial crisis," said US attorney Preet Bharara.

"Countrywide and Bank of America systematically removed every check in favour of its own balance - they cast aside underwriters, eliminated quality controls, incentivised unqualified personnel to cut corners and concealed the resulting defects.

"These toxic products were then sold to the government sponsored enterprises as good loans.

"This lawsuit should send another clear message that reckless lending practices will not be tolerated," Bharara said in a statement.

This is an act of tiny margins relative to the size of the organisations and relative to the fraud committed, William K Black, a former bank regulator who teaches economics and law at the University of Missouri, told The Washington Post.

"Prosecutors can't argue that these cases will serve as a deterrence when there have been no criminal indictments of senior executives," he said.

"At some point, Bank of America can't be expected to compensate every entity that claims losses that actually were caused by the economic downturn," said the Bank of America spokesman, Lawrence Grayson.

Bank of America "acted responsibly to resolve legacy mortgage matters", Grayson said.

"The claim that we failed to repurchase loans from Fannie Mae is simply false," he added.

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Over Rs 4 crore sanctioned for cleaning famous Ooty lake

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday sanctioned a sum of over Rs four crore towards cleaning of the famous 19th Century Ooty lake in Udhagamandalam, besides forming a task force under the district collector to oversee its maintenance.

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa approved Rs 4.27 crore for the 20-hectare popular tourist destination in the hill district of Nilgiris, a state government release here said.

Created by the British in the 19th Century, the lake is facing problems, including growth of excessive water hyacinth and pollution due to untreated water mixing with it, thus affecting tourists. Following directives of the chief minister,works including desilting of the Kodappamanthu canal which brings water to the lake, upgrading facilities at the water treatment plant and scientific cleaning operations would be taken up, it said.

The Udhagamandalam Municipality has been directed by Jayalalithaa to give more than 6,700 homes and commercial establishments sewerage connections within three months. Further, the District collector will head a task force of officials from PWD, Municipal Administration, TNPCB, Tourism and Forest departments besides elected respresentatives to oversee the maintenance of the lake, it said. Government will provide Rs 50 lakh while Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation will share a similar amount for the creation of a fund,it said,adding the latter had been directed to allocate Rs 25 lakh annually for this purpose.

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Devotee from Noida makes Rs 5 cr offering to Lord Venkateswara temple

TIRUPATI: An industrialist from Uttar Pradesh made an offering of Rs 5 crore to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara on Wednesday.

Temple sources said that the man offered prayers to the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara, known as Lord Balaji in North India and later handed over a demand draft for Rs 5 crore to top officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devathanams, which manages the hill shrine.

The devotee from Noida, who did not wish to be named, had donated a simliar amount in 2010, they said.

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Six people killed in road accident in Maharashtra

THANE (MAHARASHTRA): Six people were killed in a road accident near Bhiwandi in the district in the early hours of Wednesday.

The accident took place around 2am, when the driver of the jeep in which they were travelling lost control and hit a vehicle on the other side of the road after running over a road divider, police said.

The incident took place at Nagla village in Bhiwandi town, they added.

According to police, all the victims, who are from a local village, were returning after attending a Navratri festival. One more youth sustained serious injuries in the accident and had been hospitalised.

The victims have been identified as Kashinath Patil (17), Devendra Tangdi, (19), Ashish Tangdi (19), Yadnesh Deolikar (19), Kundan Raikar (25) and Vaibhav B Raikar (27) police said.

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Canadian PM Stephen Harper to visit India next week

TORONTO: Seeking to boost bilateral ties with India, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit the country next week during which he would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Indian leaders.

This will be Harper's second official visit to India. During his November 3-9 visit, Harper will visit Agra, New Delhi, Chandigarh and Bangalore.

Harper will meet Singh, and other ministers and officials from the Indian government during his stay in India.

"Canada enjoys a strong working and personal relationship with India but we must further strengthen the links between our two countries," Harper said in a statement.

"India is a growing economy with enormous potential, and expanding our trade and investment links with India will create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity here in Canada."

He will also address the World Economic Forum on India, an independent international organisation committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders.

He will be accompanied by Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), and Tim Uppal, Minister of State (Democratic Reform), along with representatives of the business and cultural sectors.

Trade between India, one of the fastest growing economies, and Canada is increasing, the statement said.

The strength of the ties between the two countries is also reflected in the estimated 1 million Canadians of Indian origin and that more than 23,000 Indian students are currently studying in Canada, making India the second-largest source of foreign students to Canada.

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