Nearly 37% polling recorded in Uttar Pradesh till 1pm

LUCKNOW: Nearly 37% voters exercised their franchise till 1 PM in Uttar Pradesh, where polling is underway in 14 seats to decide the fate of 233 candidates.

UP governor B L Joshi, BSP supremo Mayawati, Congress candidate from Lucknow Rita Bahuguna Joshi, BJP national president Rajnath Singh and party leader Kalraj Mishra were among those who exercised their franchise.

Dhaurahra witnessed 44.2% polling in the first four hours while Sitapur and Mishrikh recorded 39.8 and 34.4% polling respectively.

Unnao recorded 32.71% polling, Mohanlalganj 36%, Lucknow 34.1%, Rae Bareli 30.4%, Kanpur 35.68%, Jalaun 34.6%, Jhansi 44.2%, Hamirpur 36.71%, Banda 33.14%, Fatehpur and Barabanki had 40.1 and 39.15% respectively.

In Sitapur an FIR has been lodged against SP MLA Rampal Yadav after he entered into an altercation with CRPF jawan Dharampal Singh at Nauabehad polling booth in Biswan area.

The fate of 233 candidates will be decided by 2.46 crore voters that include 1.34 crore men and 1.12 crore women.

A total of 25,485 polling centres have been set up in which 3554 have been identified as critical. The focus would be on Rae Bareli and Lucknow seats from where Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP President Rajnath Singh are in the fray.

Gandhi, who is contesting from her traditional Rae Bareli, has no major contestant against her with SP deciding not to field its candidate against her.

The prestigious Lucknow seat, which is in the limelight with the entry of the BJP's national president, is set to witness a tricky contest.

Rajnath, who is facing a four-cornered fight, has two tasks at hand - first to maintain legacy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and second to ensure a victory margin matching with his political stature.

Meanwhile, to see the polling exercise British High Commissioner James David Bevan on Wednesday reached Lucknow and visited a number of polling centres.

According to official sources he also visited the election commission office and met Governor Joshi, Rajnath, Mayawati and Rita Joshi.

He is also scheduled to visit Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

District Magistrate Rae Bareli Aditi Singh had informed that Bevan would visit polling booth at Dayanand PG College in Bachrawan town to see the polling process for the Lok Sabha elections.

After this he would visit polling centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya at Gora Bazar in Rae Bareli city, she said.

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Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara comes from Dubai to Rajkot to cast his vote

RAJKOT: Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been playing in IPL in Dubai, set an example as he returned to Rajkot just to cast his vote on Wednesday.

Pujara would return to Dubai later today.

Cheteshwar Pujara belongs to Rajkot city and the state Election Commission had roped him as both its "icon" and "brand ambassador" for the parliamentary polls in Rajkot district.

Rajkot district collector Rajendra Kumar said he is proud that Pujara flew back home just to cast his vote and inspire others to vote.

'It is everyone's duty to vote for our new government and I also urge young and old alike to spare their valuable time and go for voting'' Pujara told reporters after voting.

Pujara was accompanied by his wife Pooja.

The voting is underway in the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Saurashtra region peacefully.

The Rajkot district administration is hopeful that Pujara's appeal will motivate voters to come out in large numbers.

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JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav alleges use of money to influence media

MADHEPURA, BIHAR: With his fate being decided by voters in Madhepura on Wednesday, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav alleged that rival parties were using money power to influence the media.

"Media me thaili ka khub khel hua hain (money power has been used to use media)," Yadav told reporters after casting his vote at the Adarash Madhya Vidyalaya here.

Locked in a triangular fight with Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav of RJD and Vijay Singh Kushwaha of BJP, Yadav, who is making a bid to enter the Lok Sabha for the fifth term from the Yadav-dominated Madhepura constituency, refused to comment on rivals.

"I have fought ideologically against Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and others. Why do you lower my prestige by making these leaders (Pappu Yadav and Vijay Singh Kushwaha) my rivals," he said.

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Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara comes from Dubai to Rajkot to cast his vote

RAJKOT: Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been playing in IPL in Dubai, set an example as he returned to Rajkot just to cast his vote on Wednesday.

Pujara would return to Dubai later today.

Cheteshwar Pujara belongs to Rajkot city and the state Election Commission had roped him as both its "icon" and "brand ambassador" for the parliamentary polls in Rajkot district.

Rajkot district collector Rajendra Kumar said he is proud that Pujara flew back home just to cast his vote and inspire others to vote.

'It is everyone's duty to vote for our new government and I also urge young and old alike to spare their valuable time and go for voting'' Pujara told reporters after voting.

Pujara was accompanied by his wife Pooja.

The voting is underway in the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Saurashtra region peacefully.

The Rajkot district administration is hopeful that Pujara's appeal will motivate voters to come out in large numbers.

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JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav alleges use of money to influence media

MADHEPURA, BIHAR: With his fate being decided by voters in Madhepura on Wednesday, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav alleged that rival parties were using money power to influence the media.

"Media me thaili ka khub khel hua hain (money power has been used to use media)," Yadav told reporters after casting his vote at the Adarash Madhya Vidyalaya here.

Locked in a triangular fight with Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav of RJD and Vijay Singh Kushwaha of BJP, Yadav, who is making a bid to enter the Lok Sabha for the fifth term from the Yadav-dominated Madhepura constituency, refused to comment on rivals.

"I have fought ideologically against Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and others. Why do you lower my prestige by making these leaders (Pappu Yadav and Vijay Singh Kushwaha) my rivals," he said.

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Nearly 37% polling recorded in Uttar Pradesh till 1pm

LUCKNOW: Nearly 37% voters exercised their franchise till 1 PM in Uttar Pradesh, where polling is underway in 14 seats to decide the fate of 233 candidates.

UP governor B L Joshi, BSP supremo Mayawati, Congress candidate from Lucknow Rita Bahuguna Joshi, BJP national president Rajnath Singh and party leader Kalraj Mishra were among those who exercised their franchise.

Dhaurahra witnessed 44.2% polling in the first four hours while Sitapur and Mishrikh recorded 39.8 and 34.4% polling respectively.

Unnao recorded 32.71% polling, Mohanlalganj 36%, Lucknow 34.1%, Rae Bareli 30.4%, Kanpur 35.68%, Jalaun 34.6%, Jhansi 44.2%, Hamirpur 36.71%, Banda 33.14%, Fatehpur and Barabanki had 40.1 and 39.15% respectively.

In Sitapur an FIR has been lodged against SP MLA Rampal Yadav after he entered into an altercation with CRPF jawan Dharampal Singh at Nauabehad polling booth in Biswan area.

The fate of 233 candidates will be decided by 2.46 crore voters that include 1.34 crore men and 1.12 crore women.

A total of 25,485 polling centres have been set up in which 3554 have been identified as critical. The focus would be on Rae Bareli and Lucknow seats from where Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP President Rajnath Singh are in the fray.

Gandhi, who is contesting from her traditional Rae Bareli, has no major contestant against her with SP deciding not to field its candidate against her.

The prestigious Lucknow seat, which is in the limelight with the entry of the BJP's national president, is set to witness a tricky contest.

Rajnath, who is facing a four-cornered fight, has two tasks at hand - first to maintain legacy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and second to ensure a victory margin matching with his political stature.

Meanwhile, to see the polling exercise British High Commissioner James David Bevan on Wednesday reached Lucknow and visited a number of polling centres.

According to official sources he also visited the election commission office and met Governor Joshi, Rajnath, Mayawati and Rita Joshi.

He is also scheduled to visit Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

District Magistrate Rae Bareli Aditi Singh had informed that Bevan would visit polling booth at Dayanand PG College in Bachrawan town to see the polling process for the Lok Sabha elections.

After this he would visit polling centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya at Gora Bazar in Rae Bareli city, she said.

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Madhya Pradesh man burns father alive, throws charred body in well

BHOPAL: A 35-year old man burnt his father alive using hay and threw his charred body in a well in Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh.

After throwing the body in the well, accused, Nathu Kol filled the well with logs of wood to hide the body. "It took more than an hour to remove logs from the well before the body could be taken out," sub-inspector Manju Kiran Tirkhi told TOI.

The incident took place at Nakdaha village of the district on Monday evening and the body was taken out on Tuesday.

Deceased Pohkal Kol, 55, had two wives and used to live with his second wife at Shanti Nagar, accused Nathu Kol was from his first wife. "On Monday Pohkal came to Nakdaha and Nathu had a dispute with him over property as all the property was in the name of Pohkal," Tirkhi said.

Nathu pressed him to transfer properties on his name, the dispute took an ugly turn leading to the incident, she said.

"We had a tip off about the incident but neither the accused was available nor any villager was willing to say anything but today on inspection of the house signs of dragging a body towards the well were visible," Tirkhi said.

The well was filled with freshly cut wood logs and signs of burning hay were also present, on suspicion we removed the logs and body was found there, she said.

"The accused is yet to be arrested and we have launched a hunt to nab him," Tirkhi told TOI.

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Moscow assures US it will not invade Ukraine: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: Russia has assured the United States that it will not invade Ukraine, the defence department said on Monday.

"Secretary of defence (Chuck) Hagel spoke today by phone with Russian minister of defence Sergei Shoigu (and) Shoigu reiterated his assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine," spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.

Kirby said the two discussed a range of issues related to the situation in Ukraine, with Hagel requesting clarification of Russia's intentions in eastern Ukraine.

Hagel urged an end to Russia's "destabilizing influence inside Ukraine and warned that continued aggression would further isolate Russia and result in more diplomatic and economic pressure," Kirby said.

Hagel also "emphasized how dangerous the situation remains and expressed his desire to find a responsible way forward," and that Ukraine must be included in diplomatic talks, the US spokesman said.

Hagel also asked Moscow's help in "securing the release of the seven inspectors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe currently being held in Eastern Ukraine."

The seven observers were detained Friday in Slavyansk by pro-Russian separatists, who have called them "prisoners of war," and want to exchange their freedom for the release of people detained by Ukrainian authorities.

Meanwhile, Moscow said that, during the phone call with Hagel, Shoigu called on the US to tone down its rhetoric on the Ukraine crisis.

Meanwhile, British foreign secretary William Hague said on Monday he will visit Ukraine as well as Georgia and Moldova next week in a show of support for Kiev and other pro-EU governments.

The announcement came as the United States and the European Union stepped up pressure on Moscow, with the White House imposing sanctions on seven Russian officials and 17 firms close to President Vladimir Putin and Brussels adding 15 names to its own list.

In November, Ukraine pulled out of an agreement aimed at closer ties with Europe in favor of closer ties with Russia, sparking protests that ended the regime of pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych and precipitating Russia's move to annex Crimea.

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North Korea plans live-fire drill, South Korea vows 'strong' response

SEOUL: North Korea announced a live-fire drill near its maritime border with South Korea on Tuesday, prompting Seoul to vow a "strong" response after a similar exercise a month ago triggered an artillery exchange.

"Our military is fully prepared," defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said after Pyongyang notified Seoul of its proposed drill. "If any shell lands on our side of the border, South Korea will respond strongly," Kim told reporters.

South Korean fishing vessels were told to stay away from the area and local officials on the border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong said residents were advised to take precautions.

"Loudspeakers are relaying the message for residents to prepare to enter shelters whenever necessary," a local official on Baengnyeong told AFP.

North Korea carried out a similar drill on March 31 during which a number of shells dropped into South Korean waters.

The South responded in kind, and the two rivals traded hundreds of rounds of live artillery fire, forcing islanders to take shelter.

The exchange was limited to untargeted shelling into the sea, but fuelled tensions that had already risen after North Korea threatened to carry out a nuclear test.

Tuesday's announcement followed analysis of recent satellite images suggesting the North was indeed preparing to conduct its fourth atomic detonation, with stepped-up activity detected at its main nuclear test site.

It also followed the visit to Seoul last week by US President Barack Obama, who angered Pyongyang by demanding that the North abandon its nuclear weapons programme and by threatening tougher sanctions if it went ahead with another test.

"North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons is a path that leads only to more isolation," Obama told American troops based in Seoul.

"It's not a sign of strength. Anybody can make threats. Anyone can move an army. Anyone can show off a missile," he said.

North Korea denounced Obama's visit as provocative and said it had only reaffirmed Pyongyang's policy of preparing to fight "a full-scale nuclear war".

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, the most recent - and most powerful - in February last year.

The de-facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas - the Northern Limit Line - is not recognized by Pyongyang, which argues it was unilaterally drawn by the US-led United Nations forces after the 1950-53 Korean War.

Both sides complain of frequent incursions by the other and there were limited naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

In November 2010, North Korea shelled the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, killing four people and briefly triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.

Border island residents have become used to the North's provocative behaviour and some just brushed off Tuesday's live-fire alert.

"I'm so sick of it," said one inn owner on Baengnyeong island. "The whole thing is just scaring my customers away. I'm more likely to die from business losses than an attack from the North," she told AFP by telephone.

Inter-Korean ties had seemed to be enjoying a thaw earlier this year when the North — following rare, high-level official talks — hosted the first reunion for more than three years of families separated by the Korean War.

But tensions began to escalate after the South launched its annual joint military exercises with the United States in late February.

The North was also angered by a UN report detailing Pyongyang's record of systematic human rights abuses and by the UN security council's criticism after it test-fired two medium-range missiles in March.

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Technical snag delays trains in Thane suburbs

THANE: A technical snag in the overhead power supply system early Tuesday morning paralysed Central Railway train services in Thane suburbs. Lakhs of office goers from suburbs were inconvenienced.
Around 7:30 am several local and mail express trains were regulated at several stations beyond Kalyan after the power supply was interrupted for some time. The power supply was restored within minutes but was enough to disrupt the peak morning hour traffic. Some services were cancelled while others are still running 20-30 minutes late.
Commuters stranded in trains and waiting at platforms said they were unaware of the delays as there were no announcements made. "I boarded a train from Kasara in the morning. Barely had the train started that it halted for few minutes. It started moving after some minutes. I reached work late in Mumbai," said an irate commuter.
Another commuter from suburban Thane decided to take the road after waiting endlessly for train to Karjat. "The 9:30 train to Karjat was cancelled without assigning any reason. I decided to go by roads instead of waiting for another hour," he said.
A railway official informed there was a snag in the power supply system between 7:30- 9 am. some trains were cancelled while some including long distance ones were running several minutes late. Suburban stations like Ambernath, Kalyan and Titwala saw overcrowding for some time.
The cause for the snag is still under investigation.

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Powerloom unit owner killed by business partner, left to rot inside factory in Thane

THANE: A powerloom unit owner was murdered allegedly by his business partner and his body was dumped inside their factory in Bhiwandi here, police said on Tuesday.

According to police inspector R D Shinde of Shanti Nagar police station, the crime took place in Kidwaee Nagar in Bhiwandi where victim Abuzar Shakeel Ansari was allegedly murdered by accused Rehan Mohammad Rizwan Ansari on April 27-28 after a dispute over employing workmen in their unit.

Shakeel's decomposed body was recovered late on Monday evening hidden in a corner in the factory, which was locked to conceal the evidence, he said.

It was only when foul smell began to emanate from the premises that the murder came to light, police said.

Since the body had rotten, it could not be established as to how the victim was killed, they said.

The body has been sent to the local hospital for postmortem. Also, based on the complaint by Gubran Ansari, the brother of the victim, an offence has registered with the Shanti Nagar police station under section 302 and 201 of the IPC against Rehan, who is absconding.

Police has launched a manhunt to nab him.

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Powerloom unit owner killed by business partner, left to rot inside factory in Thane

THANE: A powerloom unit owner was murdered allegedly by his business partner and his body was dumped inside their factory in Bhiwandi here, police said on Tuesday.

According to police inspector R D Shinde of Shanti Nagar police station, the crime took place in Kidwaee Nagar in Bhiwandi where victim Abuzar Shakeel Ansari was allegedly murdered by accused Rehan Mohammad Rizwan Ansari on April 27-28 after a dispute over employing workmen in their unit.

Shakeel's decomposed body was recovered late on Monday evening hidden in a corner in the factory, which was locked to conceal the evidence, he said.

It was only when foul smell began to emanate from the premises that the murder came to light, police said.

Since the body had rotten, it could not be established as to how the victim was killed, they said.

The body has been sent to the local hospital for postmortem. Also, based on the complaint by Gubran Ansari, the brother of the victim, an offence has registered with the Shanti Nagar police station under section 302 and 201 of the IPC against Rehan, who is absconding.

Police has launched a manhunt to nab him.

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Bihar minister files case against Ramdev

PATNA: Bihar minister and JD(U) leader Shayam Rajak on Monday filed a complaint case against yoga guru Ramdev for his uncharitable remarks on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi pertaining to dalits.

Rajak filed the case in the court of chief judicial magistrate Ramakant Yadav.

The matter will come up for hearing tomorrow. Rajak submitted in his petition that Ramdev's statement "Rahul Gandhi visits Dalits' houses for honeymoon" had insulted the downtrodden.

He sought action against Ramdev under IPC 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 and relevant sections of SC & ST Act.

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Pakistani serial killer 'wanted to teach gays a lesson'

LAHORE: Short in stature and softly spoken, Pakistani paramedic Muhammed Ejaz was probably destined for a life of relative anonymity — until he began killing gay men he met online.

The 28-year-old father-of-two was arrested last week and confessed to three brutal murders, saying he wanted to send out a message about the "evils" of homosexuality, though police insist he had sex with his victims first.

The killings have sent shockwaves through the underground gay community of the eastern city of Lahore, which fears Ejaz could be lionized as a hero in a conservative Islamic society where homosexuality is stigmatized and sodomy is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

In an interview with AFP from his prison cell on Sunday night, Ejaz, who sported a neat trimmed beard and was kept shackled, expressed remorse over the killings but said he was acting to stop wrongdoing.

"My way was wrong. It is tragic that the families have lost their relatives but they were spreading evil in society and I had to stop it," said Ejaz, who is due to appear in court on Monday.

"I wanted to warn them to stay away from this evil."

The killings happened in March and April, according to police officer Asad Sarfraz, who headed the investigation. The victims were a middle-aged retired army Major and two other men, both in their twenties.

All three were found with their necks broken and had been sedated. After examining their mobile phone call logs, police were able to identify Ejaz's number and found another former lover whom they used as a honey trap to lure him to a meeting a week ago, where they arrested him.

Ejaz, who was married in 2011 and has two infant children, said his family knew nothing of what he had done and insisted that he was not gay himself.

"I started going on Manjam two months ago using my mobile phone, and found that the gays are everywhere in Lahore," he said, referring to a popular social networking website.

"They are spreading evil and transmitting diseases. They cannot control themselves," he added.

Ejaz said he was the victim of sexual abuse by an older boy when he was around 10 years old and had led a deeply unhappy childhood.

"I have hated them ever since what happened to me," he said.

The case has shone an unwelcome spotlight on Pakistan's closeted gay community, who are often afraid to come out to their families and in the absence of gay venues rely on the Internet and mobile apps to arrange clandestine dates.

With sex outside marriage both illegal and deeply frowned upon, same-sex partners are generally able to avoid the same level of scrutiny unmarried heterosexual couples come under.

With the case due to be heard in court on Monday, one member of Pakistan's gay community said he was worried Ejaz could be hailed as a hero by some conservative Muslims.

"The problem is that paedophilia and homosexuality are often conflated, so people think eradicating homosexuality means eradicating child abuse," he said.

Ejaz had been a sexually active member of the gay community for several months, the man claimed.

"It seems he was motivated by self-hatred and internalised homophobia," he said.

"The worry is — will it inspire others to do the same?"

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Chinese spies read Australian MPs' emails for a year: Report

SYDNEY: A cyber attack on the Australian parliamentary computer network in 2011 may have given Chinese intelligence agencies access to lawmakers' private emails for an entire year, the Australian Financial Review reported on Monday.

The newspaper, citing government and security sources, said new information showed the attack had been more extensive than previously thought and "effectively gave them control of" the entire system.

"It was like an open-cut mine. They had access to everything," a source told the newspaper.

Australian officials, like those in the United States and other Western nations, have made cyber security a priority following a growing number of attacks.

The parliamentary computer network is a non-classified internal system used by federal lawmakers, their staff and advisers for private communications and discussions of strategy.

While inside the system, hackers would have had access to emails, contact databases and any other documents stored on the network, the report said.

The access would have allowed China to gain a sophisticated understanding of the political, professional and social links of the Australian leadership and could have included sensitive discussions between lawmakers and their staff.

Domestic media initially reported on the breach in 2011, although it was believed at the time that Chinese agents had only accessed the system for about a month.

Last year, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints of a new multi-million-dollar Australian spy headquarters, as well as confidential information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's government upheld a ban on China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from bidding for work on the country's $38 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) when it came to power last year, citing cyber security concerns.

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Body of Army Major killed in Jammu & Kashmir arrives in Chennai

CHENNAI: The body of Major Mukund Varadarajan, who was killed along with a jawan in an encounter with militants in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Friday, arrived here by a flight tonight.

The coffin draped with the national flag and floral wreaths from senior army officials arrived at the domestic terminal by an Air India flight from Delhi at around 11.45pm, police said.

Family members received the body, which has been kept at the military hospital at St Thomas Mount.

The cremation is expected to take place at Besant Nagar area here tomorrow with full military honours.

Chief minister Jayalalithaa had ordered Rs 10 lakh solatium to members of the bereaved family and also written to the Major's wife, extending condolences and calling the young officer "a brave son" and "courageous soldier."

The Major, a native of nearby Tambaram, joined 22 Rajput after training at Officers' Training Academy. He had been deployed with the 44 Rashtriya Rifles for counter-insurgency operations in Shopian.

The encounter, in which the Major and the jawan were killed, ended yesterday. Bodies of three militants were also recovered.

Security forces had launched search operations in Karewa Malino in Shopian, 55km from Srinagar on April 25 on information about presence of three Hizb-ul Mujahideen militants.

The militants were asked to surrender but resorted to firing, triggering the gunfight.

Shopian is part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency and the encounter took place a day after militants attacked a polling party escorted by police and CRPF in the district at the end of the voting on Thursday.

One polling officer was killed while five others, including three security personnel, were injured in the incident.

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Major Mukund Varadarajan cremated with full state honours in Chennai

CHENNAI: The body of Major Mukund Varadarajan, who was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Shopian area of Kashmir last Friday, was on Mondya cremated with full state honours.

Tamil Nadu minister TKM Chinnaya and senior officials paid their last respects to the martyred armyman.

Bereaved family members were present on the occasion. The body, brought here from Kashmir late last night, was kept at the Officers Training Academy hospital for the public to pay their last respects.

State governor K Rosaiah expressed shock and grief over the death.

The Nation, especially the Indian Army, has lost a brave and young promising officer and his death is an irreparable loss, he said in a release today, condoling the death.

A wreath was placed on the body on behalf of the Governor, the Raj Bhavan release said.

Chief minister Jayalalithaa had on Sunday expressed grief over the death of Varadarajan and announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family.

Major Varadarajan was killed along with a jawan in the encounter.

Security forces had launched a search operation in Karewa Malino in Shopian, 55 km from Srinagar on April 25, following information about presence of three militants — two locals and one foreigner.

The encounter ended Saturday morning. The bodies of three militants were also recovered.

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China says no internet freedom without order, as US TV shows pulled

BEIJING: There can be no internet freedom without order, China's top Communist Party newspaper said on Monday after several US television shows were pulled from Chinese video sites, the latest signs of Beijing's tightening grip on online content.

The removal of the shows coincides with a broad crackdown on online freedom of expression that has intensified since President Xi Jinping came to power last year and drawn criticism from rights advocates at home and abroad.

Authorities last week also stepped up their battle against pornography, revoking some online publication licences of one of China's largest Internet firms, Sina Corp, for allowing "lewd and pornographic" content.

"While ordinary people and governments have enjoyed the conveniences brought by the Internet, they have also in turn experienced the Internet's negative effects and hidden security dangers," the People's Daily, the party's main mouthpiece, said in a commentary.

It was published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng", meaning "Voice of China", often used to give views on foreign policy.

"If you don't have Internet order, how can you have Internet freedom? Anyone enjoying and exercising their Internet rights and freedoms must not harm the public interest and cannot violate laws and regulations and public ethics," the paper said.

Four US television shows, The Big Bang Theory, The Practice, The Good Wife and NCIS, were removed from video websites at the weekend, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The series are all popular and it was not clear why these particular programmes had been singled out.

Searches on Youku Tudou, Sohu and Tencent , which provide the shows, produced messages that the content was temporarily unavailable. None provided any immediate comment.

TIGHTER REGULATIONS

The removal of the shows followed a directive from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) last month that tightened the process for broadcasting television programmes and short films online.

Programmes and films lacking licences are not permitted to be shown online, according to the SARFT directive. Penalties include a warning and a fine and, in serious cases, a five-year ban on operations and investment in online programming.

But there are no specific regulations governing overseas TV programmes licensed by Chinese websites, said one person who works at an online video site, adding that regulation was expected at some point but with a minor impact on the industry.

China's online video market was worth 12.8 billion yuan ($2.05 billion) in 2013, according to Chinese data firm iResearch. Market value is expected to almost triple by 2017.

SARFT has been in discussions with online video sites about greater control of their content since 2009, according to people familiar with the matter.

China maintains tight control over the media. Censorship is widespread, and Internet users cannot access information about many topics without special software to circumvent restrictions.

Online video sites are extremely popular and at times act as a lodestone for comment on social issues. Users upload videos documenting corruption, injustice and abuses attributed to government officials and authorities.

The Communist Party last year renewed a campaign on online interaction, threatening legal action against people whose perceived rumours on microblogs like Sina Weibo, are reposted more than 500 times or seen by more than 5,000 people.

The campaign has muted online demands from advocates of transparency, who see it as a tool to punish Party critics.

Pornography is illegal in China, but critics say the crackdown on material deemed obscene is an extension of government attempts to tighten its grip on the Internet.

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Disappearances fuel backlash in jihadist-ruled Syrian city

BEIRUT: Concern over the fate of hundreds who have gone missing in a Syrian city run by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has fuelled a backlash against the jihadist group.

Mothers of the detainees gather every day outside ISIL bases in the city of Raqa, where the extremist group is in full control and governs through a harsh interpretation of Islamic sharia law, according to residents and activists.

"They cry, begging for information and for their sons' release," said Amer Matar, whose citizen journalist brother Mohammad Nour has been detained by ISIL for nine months.

"My mother suffers every day, because she is not given any information about her youngest child," said Matar, a filmmaker from Raqa who became a refugee in Germany because of his own activism against President Bashar al-Assad.

The kidnappings and other abuses led activists to mobilize a new campaign against ISIL last week that has gathered support on social media networks and seen protests held across opposition-run areas.

Rooted in al-Qaida in Iraq, ISIL first emerged in Syria's war in spring last year, and was initially seen as an ally by fighters seeking Assad's overthrow.

But ISIL's quest for hegemony and systematic abuses - including the kidnapping of hundreds of rebels, activists and even ordinary citizens accused of "crimes" like heresy and smoking cigarettes - eventually turned the opposition against the extremist group.

ISIL has in recent months been expelled by rival rebels from many opposition areas, but the northeastern city of Raqa on the Euphrates river remains squarely under its control.

Sema Nassar, a prominent human rights activist, says ISIL is believed to be holding "more than 1,000 Syrians in Raqa province, though it is impossible to know the exact number."

She also said those suspected of opposing ISIL or violating its puritanical social code vanish, all too often without a trace, while others have been publicly executed.

The province is home to an unknown number of detention facilities, including secret prisons where torture is especially severe, says Nassar, who works with the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

Activists describe a climate of fear not unlike that under the Assad regime, and many have fled to nearby Turkey, fearing arrest or worse.

"ISIL sees activists as a challenge to their power, who must be eliminated," said Nassar.

Despite the dangers, a group of dissidents using secret identities last week launched a campaign calling on ISIL to leave Raqa under the name 'Raqa is Being Slaughtered Silently'.

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Air India to put overseas assets on the block to rake in resources

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Apr 27, 2014, 11.39AM IST

NEW DELHI: Air India is considering selling off its properties in foreign destinations like Hong Kong, Nairobi and Mauritius as part of asset monetization to garner resources.

The national carrier has started approaching Indian banks and public sector undertakings for disposal of these properties including floorspace in prime locations, airline officials said.

They said the Indian high commissions at these places have also been approached to help the airline find suitable buyers for the assets.

The plan to monetize real estate assets is an important ingredient of Air India's financial restructuring and turnaround plans, under which the airline aims to raise an estimated Rs 5,000 crore over a period of ten years, with an annual target of Rs 500 crore from 2013-14 onwards.

The airline has already chalked out plans to monetize its unutilized or surplus immovable assets over the next few years, the officials said, adding properties in several cities including Delhi and Mumbai are already in the process of either being sold, or leased or rented out.

Air India was also exploring other avenues for generating ancillary revenues, including leasing out space in some of its booking offices for banks to install ATM outlets.

The airline plans to start with leasing out office space in Delhi and Mumbai, and then extending it to cities in South India, the officials said.

As part of reducing distribution and marketing costs, the national carrier was also looking at enhancing its revenue through web-sales which at present contributes up to 20% of its total sales.

To push up online business, discounts were also offered for a short while on web-sales on international sectors.

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Malaysia has embraced US help in jet search, Barack Obama says

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: President Barack Obama says the US has found Malaysia's government to be eager for assistance and forthcoming during the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner.

Obama says he understands the heartache of relatives who want answers. He says there should be transparency in what the investigation has and hasn't turned up.

Obama says the US will continue providing all the assistance. He says Malaysia's government has been welcoming of that assistance.

Obama was speaking at a press conference on Sunday with the prime minister of Malaysia after a private meeting.

The Malaysian government has been criticized for mismanaging the search. Relatives of the passengers protested outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing in the past week.

The Boeing 777 was carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese.

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Signs of new natural gas field found off Israel coast

JERUSALEM: An oil and gas group exploring offshore Israel on Sunday said that it may have discovered a field that contains an estimated 2.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and 255 million barrels of oil.

About 30tcf of gas has been discovered off Israel's Mediterranean coast in recent years; turning the country once dependent on energy imports into a potential exporter.

The latest announcement, which was based on 3D seismic data from 2012, covers the Oz licence some 50km (30 miles) from the coastal city of Herzliya in water 1,150 metres (yards) deep.

The licence is shared by Lapidoth-Heletz with a 41.5 per cent stake, Frendum Investments with 21.5 per cent, Coleridge Gas and Oil with 12 per cent, Israel Opportunity and Placida Investment each with a 10 per cent stake, and Azerbijan-based Caspian Drilling with the remaining 5 per cent.

Lapidoth-Heletz said a report by Texas-based consultants Netherland, Sewell & Associates estimated a 23-27 per cent chance of success for finding the 2.5tcf of gas and a 16-18 per cent chance for finding 255 million barrels of oil.

"(Oz's) proximity to reserves where producible amounts of natural gas and oil have been found strengthened our opinion that the license holds significant amounts of gas and oil," said Eli Kamar, chief executive of Lapidoth-Heletz.

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Coal scam: CVC may back CBI on closure of about 20 cases

NEW DELHI: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is likely to support CBI's recommendation for closing about 20 preliminary enquiries (PEs) filed by the agency in connection with the multi-crore coal blocks allocation scam.

The Supreme Court had on March 28 asked CVC to peruse the coal blocks allocation cases in which there was a difference of opinion within CBI on the closure issue.

CVC, which exercises superintendence over CBI for overseeing corruption cases, has reviewed files relating to these cases and is likely to support the probe agency in its report to be filed in the apex court early next month, official sources said.

The commission is also likely to get its report vetted by legal experts before filing it in the court next week, the sources said.

There are about 20-22 PEs in which CBI officers — investigating and supervising — have divergent views.

CBI is probing at least 16 cases of alleged misappropriation in coal blocks allocation.

The apex court's direction to CVC had come following filing of two closure reports last month in coal blocks cases in which DIG Ravi Kant, who supervises the probe along with other two officers of the same rank, had given opinion for filing of charge sheets in them.

The court, while hearing coal block cases, had late last month asked Central Vigilance Commissioner and two vigilance commissioners to give their suggestions whether the cases can be closed or CBI can go ahead with the filing of charge sheets in them.

CBI had last week filed closure reports in two coal cases related to JLD Yavatmal Energy and JAS Infrastructure Pvt Ltd on the ground of lack of evidence of criminal conspiracy or cheating against them.

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Fire breaks out in lawyers' chamber block in Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: A fire broke out in a lawyer's chamber block in the Supreme Court premises today and four tenders were rushed to douse the blaze.

Fire brigade officials said that the fire, which broke out in the R K Jain lawyers' chamber block, had been brought under control.

While there was no immediate report of any casualty, the damage was being assessed.

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Six killed in Pakistan clash as tribal groups exchange fire

ISLAMABAD: At least six people were killed and two injured on Saturday in an exchange of fire between two tribal groups in Pakistan's tribal region of North Waziristan.

The clash took place between the two groups in the Lowara Mandi area in Dattakhel tehsil of North Waziristan over a land dispute, Dawn online reported.

The area where the incident occurred reportedly lies adjacent to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

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13 trapped tunnel workers rescued alive after 16 hours in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Thirteen construction workers, including a Chinese national, were rescued on Saturday 16 hours after they were trapped by a landslide inside an under-construction tunnel of a major China-assisted hydropower project in western Nepal.

Some 16 Nepali workers and Chinese nationals were trapped inside the tunnel of Upper Madi hydropower project in Kaski district, about 125 kilometres from the capital, after a mudslide blocked its entrance yesterday.

However, three workers including another Chinese national, have not yet been found, Nepal Army sources said.

The workers were trapped for 16 hours inside the tunnel, which is being dug as part of the construction works of the 25 MW Madi Khola Hydropower project.

They were pulled out from the tunnel after clearing the debris with the help of excavators, loaders and breakers.

Army personnel and police were mobilized to rescue the workers.

Earlier yesterday, the rescue team had managed to establish contact with the trapped workers and supplied water and air to them through a pipe by digging a hole.

An excavator operator and two others are still missing after the landslide struck, according to police.

The project site at Sildujure is located in Kaski district, 17 km north of Pokhara, the tourist hub of western Nepal.

The USD 52 million project has a joint investment from China International Water and Electric Corporation and the Nepalese private sector partner.

The hydropower project, the first build-operate-transfer hydropower project invested by a Chinese firm in Nepal, would generate 25 MW of power in the energy-deficit country.

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Quake measuring 6.5 magnitude strikes off Tonga, US geological survey says

SYDNEY: An earthquake measuring 6.5 magnitude struck off the northeast coast of Tonga in the South Pacific on Saturday, said the US geological survey.

The undersea quake was 10 kms (6 miles) deep, and about 75 kms (46 miles) northeast of Tonga. There was no immediate tsunami warning.

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Quake measuring 6.5 magnitude strikes off Tonga, US geological survey says

SYDNEY: An earthquake measuring 6.5 magnitude struck off the northeast coast of Tonga in the South Pacific on Saturday, said the US geological survey.

The undersea quake was 10 kms (6 miles) deep, and about 75 kms (46 miles) northeast of Tonga. There was no immediate tsunami warning.

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Six killed in Pakistan clash as tribal groups exchange fire

ISLAMABAD: At least six people were killed and two injured on Saturday in an exchange of fire between two tribal groups in Pakistan's tribal region of North Waziristan.

The clash took place between the two groups in the Lowara Mandi area in Dattakhel tehsil of North Waziristan over a land dispute, Dawn online reported.

The area where the incident occurred reportedly lies adjacent to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

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India, Switzerland looking at ways to share information on black money, Chidambaram says

NEW DELHI: India and Switzerland are discussing ways to share information on specific accounts relating to black money stashed in the European nation, finance minister P Chidambaram said on Saturday.

The minister further said that he received a reply on his letter from his Swiss counterpart and will send India's response in the next few days.

"This is a matter where Swiss minister and I are discussing with each other how information into specific account (relating to black money) can be provided by the Swiss government to Indian government," Chidambaram said while replying to a media query at the AICC headquarters.

On his letter to Swiss finance minister Eveline Widmer- Schlumpf for revealing information on bank accounts in Switzerland, he said, "We have got a reply. I got a reply a week ago and we are working on a further letter now."

As regards content of the letter, he said, "it's long reply and the minister has defended the Swiss position in some matter. The minister has made conciliatory statement in one of the matters. The reply is being studied very carefully and we will send further letter in the next few days."

In his two-page letter to Swiss minister in March, Chidambaram had threatened to drag the European nation to multilateral foras like G20 for continuing to block its requests.

Chidambaram also reminded her of the April 2009 declaration adopted by G20 leaders stating that the "era of bank secrecy is over."

In a strongly worded letter, he said India might examine further steps like declaring Switzerland a non-cooperative jurisdiction if non-cooperation continues.

Chidambaram had said Switzerland did not honour the terms of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two nations, under which information about Indians with accounts in Swiss banks has been sought by the tax authorities.

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PM may be a myopic not to see Modi wave: Arun Jaitley

AMRITSAR: A day after Manmohan Singh dismissed the Modi wave as a creation of the media, BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Friday said the Prime Minister may be a "myopic" not to see the "support" for the BJP's prime ministerial nominee.

He also said that Gandhis were "all at sea" as against the support for the Gujarat chief minister.

On Singh's utterance on Narendra Modi, he said the Prime Minister had reacted to the "obviously visible Modi support" by suggesting that he saw no Modi wave in the country.

"Manmohan Singh may be myopic not to see a Modi wave," he said and asked, "that is it that he sees it but can't admit it?"

The Prime Minister had on Thursday dismissed the "Modi wave" as a creation of the media.

Lashing out at the Congress, he said, "This the first time that an outgoing government, through its leaders, is carrying on a campaign of negativity rather than highlighting their own achievements."

While the country is debating anti-incumbency against the Congress, the Gandhis are busy attacking the incumbent, he said.

"It is a rare occasion in history that a ruling party hides its failure by blaming the opposition", he said.

"Modi's ability to set the agenda for good governance and stick to it despite provocation is clearly demonstrable. It is the enormous amount of goodwill that Modi enjoys even in eastern and southern parts of the country which is leading to a significant increase in the BJP vote," he said.

"As against this, the Gandhis are all at sea," he claimed.

The senior BJP leader said the election is about a dual trend.

"The first is an anti-incumbency against the Congress and the UPA. A principle component of that incumbency is leadership failure. It is thus this leadership failure which is responsible for the second electoral reaction", he said.

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PM may be a myopic not to see Modi wave: Arun Jaitley

AMRITSAR: A day after Manmohan Singh dismissed the Modi wave as a creation of the media, BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Friday said the Prime Minister may be a "myopic" not to see the "support" for the BJP's prime ministerial nominee.

He also said that Gandhis were "all at sea" as against the support for the Gujarat chief minister.

On Singh's utterance on Narendra Modi, he said the Prime Minister had reacted to the "obviously visible Modi support" by suggesting that he saw no Modi wave in the country.

"Manmohan Singh may be myopic not to see a Modi wave," he said and asked, "that is it that he sees it but can't admit it?"

The Prime Minister had on Thursday dismissed the "Modi wave" as a creation of the media.

Lashing out at the Congress, he said, "This the first time that an outgoing government, through its leaders, is carrying on a campaign of negativity rather than highlighting their own achievements."

While the country is debating anti-incumbency against the Congress, the Gandhis are busy attacking the incumbent, he said.

"It is a rare occasion in history that a ruling party hides its failure by blaming the opposition", he said.

"Modi's ability to set the agenda for good governance and stick to it despite provocation is clearly demonstrable. It is the enormous amount of goodwill that Modi enjoys even in eastern and southern parts of the country which is leading to a significant increase in the BJP vote," he said.

"As against this, the Gandhis are all at sea," he claimed.

The senior BJP leader said the election is about a dual trend.

"The first is an anti-incumbency against the Congress and the UPA. A principle component of that incumbency is leadership failure. It is thus this leadership failure which is responsible for the second electoral reaction", he said.

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NIA files chargesheet against Patna blasts accused

PATNA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against Imtiyaz Ansari, an accused in the Patna serial blasts ahead of the Oct 27, 2013 rally by BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, police said on Friday.

"The chargesheet was filed at a special NIA court in Patna Thursday," a district police official said.

The chargesheet was filed against Ansari after a thorough probe by an NIA team.

Ansari, a resident of Jharkhand's capital Ranchi, is in custody. He was arrested at the Patna railway station after a bomb exploded on the platform few hours before Modi's rally at Gandhi Maidan here. At least six people were killed and nearly 100 injured in a series of blasts during the rally.

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Padmanabhaswamy temple audit a difficult task, will do it sincerely, Vinod Rai says

NEW DELHI: Former CAG of India Vinod Rai on Friday said he felt "honoured" to be asked by the Supreme Court to supervise the special audit of property of Kerala's famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and would carry out the "difficult" task sincerely.

Rai, a former Kerala cadre IAS officer who worked in Thiruvananthapuram where the temple is situated, said the task of auditing the property of country's richest temple is not going to be easy.

"I am honoured to take it up. It is a Supreme Court order and amicus curiae has suggested my name. I am of course, very humbled because the task ...it is going to be difficult task. It is not going to be easy," Rai said.

"With all sincerity I will take up the task," he said. In its interim order yesterday, the Supreme Court had said that Rai will supervise special audit of property of temple.

The apex court order came after issues of financial irregularities and mismanagement were reported by amicus curiae — senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam.

A bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and A K Patnaik also constituted a new temple administrative committee headed by District Judge, Thiruvananthapuram.

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RJD MP Prabhunath Singh's arrest stayed till May 19

CHAPRA (Bihar): In an interim relief to the beleaguered RJD MP Prabhunath Singh, a court in Bihar's Saran district today stayed his arrest till May 19 in connection with two FIRs lodged against him for poll-related offences.

District and Sessions Judge Navneet Kumar Pandey passed the order preventing Singh's arrest till May 19 after he filed an anticipatory bail application.

A lower court had issued arrest warrant against Singh in connection with two FIRs, including one charging him with sedition, lodged at different police stations in the district.

The judge adjourned the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea of Singh till May 20.

The relief comes days after the Election Commission (EC) had granted interim stay on his arrest till the hearing of his anticipatory bail application.

The district administration has lodged two FIRs against Singh and his supporters for allegedly breaking barricade on April 15 and another for challenging the EC's impartiality in a poll speech made after filing of nomination by former Chief Minister Rabri Devi from Saran parliamentary seat on April 12 last.

In his speech Singh had reportedly accused the EC of having failed to ensure voting by poor people and exhorted his supporters to cast multiple votes.

The RJD leader was later booked in two more cases for intimidating District Magistrate Kundan Kumar and violation of Model Code of Conduct.

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Pakistan court reserves ruling on Musharraf's plea for probe report

ISLAMABAD: A special court in Pakistan on Friday reserved till April 28 its ruling on Pervez Musharraf's plea seeking a copy of probe report which is the basis of the treason trial against the former military ruler.

The three-judge court, headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh high court, heard the case pertaining to high treason charges against the 70-year-old former President.

Musharraf's lawyer Farogh Nasim said the trial should be fair else it should not take place at all.

Nasim said that along with the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) probe report on the outcome of the investigation process, all the documents pertaining to the case should also be provided.

He also questioned the initiation of the trial under Article 6 of the Constitution and said the process would be challenged.

Nasim also expressed his reservations regarding the safety and preservation of the documents, saying it was common knowledge that records were not maintained properly in Pakistan.

The court subsequently adjourned the hearing of the case till April 28 while reserving its judgement related to the handing over of the FIA report.

Nasim yesterday claimed several documentations pertaining to the emergency had been made to disappear and only the FIA report could help resolve the mystery as to which documents had gone missing.

He alleged that non-provision of the FIA investigation report shows "malintention" on part of the government.

On March 31, Musharraf was formally charged for subverting and circumventing the Constitution by imposing emergency in 2007.

The court had on April 16 ruled that daily hearings would be held starting from today.

Since Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-exile in March last year, he has faced prosecution in four major cases, including for his alleged involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

The former president, who is the first military ruler in Pakistan's history to be tried in court, has rejected all the charges leveled against him.

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Delhi cops take custody of SIMI operative Abu Faisal

BHOPAL: Delhi Police special cell on Wednesday took alleged state chief of Student's Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Abu Faisal in custody. He has been taken to Delhi for interrogation on his suspected links with Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas, a Pakistani national and Indian Mujahideen member who was arrested last month from Ajmer.

It is alleged Abu developed contacts with Waqas in Munnar, Kerala, where Waqas lived in hiding, disguised as a Maharashtrian named Nabil Ahmad in 2013.

While in Kerala, Waqas faced financial problems and received money through Western Union money transfer. Delhi Police suspect Abu Faisal pumped funds in Waqas's account.

Delhi Police team arrested Waqas from Ajmer along with three other IM operatives from Jaipur and Jodhpur last month. He is an expert in making IEDs who was reportedly trained at a Lashkar camp in FATA, Pakistan.

According to Delhi Police sources, after entering India in September 2010, Waqas was active in various terrorist operations, including Jama Masjid shootout of September 2010, Varanasi blast in December 2010, Zaveri Bazar serial blasts in Mumbai in July 2011, Pune blasts in August, 2012 and Hyderabad blasts in February 2013.

Serial blasts at BJP's Patna rally have also been linked to Waqas, who according to intelligence sources, was planning big strikes during Lok Sabha elections with the help of local IM modules.

Abu was introduced to Waqas by alleged IM's operational chief in the country, Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu. Tehseen was arrested from Naxalbari in Darjeeling district of West Bengal three days after Waqas's arrest.

Tehseen, whose name figured in several bomb attacks in recent years, including blasts in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Varanasi, is believed to have taken over the IM operations after the arrest of its co-founder Yasin Bhatkal last August.

However, Waqas and Tehseen do not figure anywhere in the Abu Faisal's interrogation report prepared by Madhya Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). Faisal alias 'Doctor' was re-arrested by the state anti-terrorist squad from Barwani district after his escape from Khandwa prison with six others on October 2.

Recently, he was taken on transit remand by National Investigation Agency (NIA) for interrogation in connection with different terror attacks.

According to sources in state ATS, Faisal has not approached any advocate for help in filing his bail application. When his father came to meet him at Bhopal jail, he said he would come clean.

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Seven killed in road accident in Odisha, as van collides with truck

KENDRAPARA: At least seven people were killed and 11 others injured when a van in which they were travelling collided with a truck at Chandol police outpost chowk, about 15 KM from here, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place early on Thursday at the Cuttack-Chandballi state highway when the ill-fated van coming from Kendrapara collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, they said.

Those killed were poor daily wage workers and five of them were women. They hailed from Gandhipalli locality on the outskirts of Cuttack city, police said.

Six people died on the spot while another died on the way to the hospital. The van was carrying about 18 people, Kendrapara superintendent of police Rabi Narayan Behera said.

All survivors are critically injured.

They have been rushed to the nearby government-run Nischintakoili Community Health Centre. Police forces have rushed to the spot to maintain law and order situation, police said.

The cause of the accident is being ascertained, they said, adding that further details are awaited.

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YSR Congress MLA Shobha Nagi Reddy succumbs to road mishap injuries

HYDERABAD: YSR Congress party candidate B Shobha Nagi Reddy, who was seeking a re-election from Allagadda constituency in Andhra Pradesh in the upcoming assembly polls, succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, police said.
46-year-old, Shobha, a sitting MLA was seriously injured after the four-wheeler in which she was travelling turned turtle at around 11.30pm on Tuesday while returning after a election campaign in Kurnool.

She was rushed to a private hospital at Banjara Hills here with severe bleeding injuries, where she died undergoing treatment.

A medical bulletin issued by Care Hospital on Thursday said "We are sad to inform Shobha Nagi Reddy, who was brought to Care Hospital on April 24 following a major road accident is no more."

Two gunman and the vehicle driver, who were travelling along with Shobha had also suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kurnool.

Their condition is out of danger, a police officer said adding, "it seems the vehicle driver lost control while trying to take a turn as paddy was put on the road."

The woman legislator is survived by her husband former MP Bhuma Nagi Reddy, two daughters and a son.

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YSR Congress MLA Shobha Nagi Reddy succumbs to road mishap injuries

HYDERABAD: YSR Congress party candidate B Shobha Nagi Reddy, who was seeking a re-election from Allagadda constituency in Andhra Pradesh in the upcoming assembly polls, succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, police said.
46-year-old, Shobha, a sitting MLA was seriously injured after the four-wheeler in which she was travelling turned turtle at around 11.30pm on Tuesday while returning after a election campaign in Kurnool.

She was rushed to a private hospital at Banjara Hills here with severe bleeding injuries, where she died undergoing treatment.

A medical bulletin issued by Care Hospital on Thursday said "We are sad to inform Shobha Nagi Reddy, who was brought to Care Hospital on April 24 following a major road accident is no more."

Two gunman and the vehicle driver, who were travelling along with Shobha had also suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kurnool.

Their condition is out of danger, a police officer said adding, "it seems the vehicle driver lost control while trying to take a turn as paddy was put on the road."

The woman legislator is survived by her husband former MP Bhuma Nagi Reddy, two daughters and a son.

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Policeman killed in Assam's Kokrajhar in poll violence

GUWAHATI: A policeman was on Thursday killed while another was injured when a mob tried to capture a poll booth in Kokrajhar parliamentary seat of Assam, leading BSF personnel to open fire.

In view of the violence, polling has been stopped at five polling booths even as a contingent of police and BSF personnel have been rushed to the area.

Officials said a Border Security Force (BSF) platoon deployed in village Balapra and Harbhanga for poll security duties opened fire to save election officials and police personnel after a group of 40 people tried to capture a booth.

"A total of ten rounds have been fired. While one policeman has been killed another is seriously injured after they were attacked by the mob," a senior official said.

Officials said a strong mob of about 40 people attacked the policeman deployed for poll security duties, killing one policeman.

A BSF party positioned nearby immediately swung into action and ensured the retreat of the unidentified attackers.

Two INSAS rifles, of the killed and injured policeman, have also been looted.

Polling in underway in six Lok Sabha seats in Assam today.

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Policeman killed in Assam's Kokrajhar in poll violence

GUWAHATI: A policeman was on Thursday killed while another was injured when a mob tried to capture a poll booth in Kokrajhar parliamentary seat of Assam, leading BSF personnel to open fire.

In view of the violence, polling has been stopped at five polling booths even as a contingent of police and BSF personnel have been rushed to the area.

Officials said a Border Security Force (BSF) platoon deployed in village Balapra and Harbhanga for poll security duties opened fire to save election officials and police personnel after a group of 40 people tried to capture a booth.

"A total of ten rounds have been fired. While one policeman has been killed another is seriously injured after they were attacked by the mob," a senior official said.

Officials said a strong mob of about 40 people attacked the policeman deployed for poll security duties, killing one policeman.

A BSF party positioned nearby immediately swung into action and ensured the retreat of the unidentified attackers.

Two INSAS rifles, of the killed and injured policeman, have also been looted.

Polling in underway in six Lok Sabha seats in Assam today.

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Campaigning ends for 10 LS seats in MP, polling on Thursday

INDORE: The high-pitch campaigning for third round of polling in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of Malwa and Nimar regions of the state ended on Tuesday evening. Polling will be held in these constituencies on April 24.

As many as 118 candidates are in the fray from the 10 LS seats, eight of which fall in Malwa-Nimar region. Of state's 29 LS constituencies, voting for 19 seats were completed in the first two rounds on April 10 and April 17.

This round of polls is crucial for Congress as it had won six out of the 10 seats in 2009 parliamentary elections. BJP trying for a clean sweep of the region has put in all its might during the campaign.

A total of 1,69,60,213 voters including 81,71,532 women will be eligible to cast their votes at 19,444 polling booths in the constituencies of Dewas, Ujjain, Indore, Dhar, Ratlam, Mandsaur, Khargone, Khandwa, Betul and Vidisha. Election Commission has deployed 1,55,552 officials for smooth conduct of polls.

In Indore, seven-time MP and BJP candidate, Sumitra Mahajan is pitted against Satyanarayan Patel of Congress and Anil Trivedi of AAP while in Khandwa state Congress committee president Arun Yadav is locked in a triangular contest against senior BJP leader Nandkumar Singh Chouhan and state coordinator of AAP Alok Agrawal.

Former president of state Congress unit and tribal face of party, Kantilal Bhuria, is trying to retain Ratlam seat is facing a stiff opposition from Dileep Singh Bhuria of BJP. Kantilal Bhuria has won last four elections from here but this election is considered to be the toughest for him.

Another important seat that goes to poll on Thursday is Mandsuar from where sitting Congress MP and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Meenakshi Natarajan, is trying her luck for second time.

The high-profile Vidisha constituency is witnessing a keen contest between sitting MP and BJP's leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Congress candidate Lakshman Singh, younger brother of Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh. Swaraj had romped home in the 2009 Lok Sabha election by a margin of over four lakh votes.

Vidisha has been a stronghold of the BJP since 1989. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have successfully represented Vidisha in the past.

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Delhi court summons Kejriwal, two others in defamation case

NEW DELHI: Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and two others AAP leaders have been summoned as accused by a court in a criminal defamation complaint filed against them by an advocate.

Metropolitan Magistrate Muneesh Garg directed Kejriwal, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav to appear before it on June 4 in the matter.

"Accused persons namely Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Yogender Yadav are summoned for offence punishable under Sections 499/500/34 (defamation and common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

"Be listed on June 4, 2014 for appearance of accused persons," the court said on the complaint of advocate Surender Kumar Sharma

"In the totality of facts and circumstances, considering the deposition of complainant and other evidence on record, I find prima facie material to summon the accused persons for offence under Sections 499/500/34 IPC.

"The press release published in newspapers as well as testimonies of witnesses reflect that defamatory remarks were published in the newspaper which affected the reputation of complainant in the society and lowered his reputation in the eyes of other members of the society," the magistrate said.

The court, however, rejected the complainant's plea that AAP leaders had conspired and cheated him, saying in the absence of the very element of deception, there was no prima facie material against any of the accused for the offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy.

The advocate had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who asked him to contest Lok Sabha election on party ticket as Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.

He filled up the application form for contesting on AAP ticket and was later on told by Sisodia and Yadav that the Political Affairs Committee of the party had decided to give him the ticket.

He started his political campaign and incurred expenses of about five lakhs on the campaign, the complaint alleged.

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3 CRPF women personnel killed in road accident, 18 injured in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Three women troopers of the CRPF were killed and 18 injured on Wednesday when their bus overturned after being hit by a speeding truck, an officer said.

The accident occurred near the National Law College in Dwarka in west Delhi at around 6.30am when the Central Reserve Police Force personnel were going to their camp at Jharoda, also in west Delhi.

A CRPF officer identified the dead as assistant sub inspector Ramkala, 45, head constable Seema, 38, and head constable Saroj, 40. All three succumbed to their injuries in a hospital.

The other 18 injured troopers were stated to be out of danger. The truck driver fled from the spot. Police have seized the truck.

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Panel formed to review Pak govt's complaint against Geo TV

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's media watchdog today formed a three-member panel to review the Defence Ministry's complaint seeking cancellation of GEO TV's license for levelling allegations against the ISI over the attempt on the life of leading TV anchor Hamid Mir.

The committee, comprising Syed Ismail Shah, Pervez Rathore and Israr Abbasi, will review the application against GEO and apprise the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) board of the facts surrounding the matter.

PEMRA officials said the nature of charges against Geo news were serious hence the channel would be given a full opportunity for offering an explanation, Dawn News reported.

The complaint was submitted to the media regulator under Sections 33 and 36 of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 after approval from the defence minister Khawaja Asif late last evening after intense deliberations over the matter.

The controversy erupted following the attack on Geo TV's lead anchor, Mir, on Saturday in Karachi.

Soon after the attack, Mir's brother came on the channel blaming the "certain elements" in the ISI and its chief of orchestrating the attack.

According to a statement, the ministry also provided the authority with the relevant evidence suggesting the media group's involvement in tarnishing the image of the intelligence agency.

"The news channel has breached the code of conduct by accusing Director General (DG) of the ISI Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam of masterminding the attempt on senior journalist Hamid Mir," the statement said.

It added that action would be taken against the channel's editorial and management team.

"All those who are involved in the mala fide broadcast, riddled with baseless allegations, will be taken to task," the statement said.

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Delhi court summons Kejriwal, two others in defamation case

NEW DELHI: Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and two others AAP leaders have been summoned as accused by a court in a criminal defamation complaint filed against them by an advocate.

Metropolitan Magistrate Muneesh Garg directed Kejriwal, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav to appear before it on June 4 in the matter.

"Accused persons namely Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Yogender Yadav are summoned for offence punishable under Sections 499/500/34 (defamation and common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

"Be listed on June 4, 2014 for appearance of accused persons," the court said on the complaint of advocate Surender Kumar Sharma

"In the totality of facts and circumstances, considering the deposition of complainant and other evidence on record, I find prima facie material to summon the accused persons for offence under Sections 499/500/34 IPC.

"The press release published in newspapers as well as testimonies of witnesses reflect that defamatory remarks were published in the newspaper which affected the reputation of complainant in the society and lowered his reputation in the eyes of other members of the society," the magistrate said.

The court, however, rejected the complainant's plea that AAP leaders had conspired and cheated him, saying in the absence of the very element of deception, there was no prima facie material against any of the accused for the offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy.

The advocate had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who asked him to contest Lok Sabha election on party ticket as Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.

He filled up the application form for contesting on AAP ticket and was later on told by Sisodia and Yadav that the Political Affairs Committee of the party had decided to give him the ticket.

He started his political campaign and incurred expenses of about five lakhs on the campaign, the complaint alleged.

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Campaigning ends for 10 LS seats in MP, polling on Thursday

INDORE: The high-pitch campaigning for third round of polling in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of Malwa and Nimar regions of the state ended on Tuesday evening. Polling will be held in these constituencies on April 24.

As many as 118 candidates are in the fray from the 10 LS seats, eight of which fall in Malwa-Nimar region. Of state's 29 LS constituencies, voting for 19 seats were completed in the first two rounds on April 10 and April 17.

This round of polls is crucial for Congress as it had won six out of the 10 seats in 2009 parliamentary elections. BJP trying for a clean sweep of the region has put in all its might during the campaign.

A total of 1,69,60,213 voters including 81,71,532 women will be eligible to cast their votes at 19,444 polling booths in the constituencies of Dewas, Ujjain, Indore, Dhar, Ratlam, Mandsaur, Khargone, Khandwa, Betul and Vidisha. Election Commission has deployed 1,55,552 officials for smooth conduct of polls.

In Indore, seven-time MP and BJP candidate, Sumitra Mahajan is pitted against Satyanarayan Patel of Congress and Anil Trivedi of AAP while in Khandwa state Congress committee president Arun Yadav is locked in a triangular contest against senior BJP leader Nandkumar Singh Chouhan and state coordinator of AAP Alok Agrawal.

Former president of state Congress unit and tribal face of party, Kantilal Bhuria, is trying to retain Ratlam seat is facing a stiff opposition from Dileep Singh Bhuria of BJP. Kantilal Bhuria has won last four elections from here but this election is considered to be the toughest for him.

Another important seat that goes to poll on Thursday is Mandsuar from where sitting Congress MP and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Meenakshi Natarajan, is trying her luck for second time.

The high-profile Vidisha constituency is witnessing a keen contest between sitting MP and BJP's leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Congress candidate Lakshman Singh, younger brother of Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh. Swaraj had romped home in the 2009 Lok Sabha election by a margin of over four lakh votes.

Vidisha has been a stronghold of the BJP since 1989. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have successfully represented Vidisha in the past.

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Three charged in New York over $33 million art scam

NEW YORK: Three men were charged on Monday in New York in connection with a $33 million scam over two decades making and selling paintings purportedly by world-famous artists but which were in fact fakes.

Among the bogus works were pieces supposedly by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock and sold to unsuspecting collectors for tens of millions of dollars.

Among the trio was Chinese painter Pei Shen Qian, 75, who allegedly made the forgeries and is believed to have fled to China. Among other allegations, he is charged with lying to FBI agents investigating the fraud.

Brothers Jesus Angel Bergantinos Diaz, 65, and Jose Carlos Bergantinos Diaz, 58, were arrested last week in Spain, said federal prosecutors.

Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said: "Today's charges paint a picture of perpetual lies and greed. As alleged, the defendants tricked victims into paying more than $33 million for worthless paintings which they fabricated in the names of world-famous artists.

"The Bergantinos Diaz brothers then laundered and hid their illegal proceeds overseas. With today's Indictment, the defendants must now answer for their alleged roles as modern masters of forgery and deceit."

The three men, along with Glafira Rosales, who has already pleaded guilty, carried out the scheme from the early 1990's through at least June 2009.

Jose Carlos Bergantinos Diaz first met Qian on a street corner in Manhattan, where Qian was selling paintings, prosecutors say, before bringing him into their ring to create the bogus master works.

Jose Carlos Bergantinos Diaz would buy up canvases of old paintings at flea markets, and stain newer canvases with tea bags, which he gave to Qian to create what has been dubbed "the Fake Works."

Among the bogus works were those purportedly by Rothko, Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn and Robert Motherwell.

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Cyclone halts air search for MH370

PERTH: Air search operations to hunt for the crashed Malaysian airliner were suspended on Tuesday due to a tropical cyclone heading south over the Indian Ocean, as a robotic mini-submarine neared completion of its underwater search with no sign of wreckage.

"Planned air search activities have been suspended for today due to poor weather conditions in the search area as a result of Tropical Cyclone Jack," Perth-based Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) leading the search said in a statement.

"It has been determined that the current weather conditions are resulting in heavy seas and poor visibility, and would make any air search activities ineffective and potentially hazardous," the statement said.

However, 10 ships involved in Tuesday's search will continue with their planned activities, the JACC said, hours after issuing a statement that up to 10 military aircraft and ships each will assist in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Bluefin-21, a US Navy probe equipped with side-scan sonar, was currently completing its ninth mission for the ill-fated plane that went mysteriously missing on March 8 with 239 people, including five Indians, on board.

"Bluefin-21 AUV is currently completing mission nine in the underwater search area. Bluefin-21 has searched approximately two-thirds of the focused underwater search area to date. No contacts of interest have been found to date," it said, as the search entered its 46th day today.

Today, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority has planned a visual search area totaling approximately 49,491 sq kms. The centre of the search area lies approximately 1,584km north west of Perth.

The mini-submarine has focused the search on an area where four acoustic signals were detected, leading authorities to believe that the missing Boeing 777-200's black box may be located there.

Authorities said on Sunday that the underwater search for the crucial flight recorders of the crashed Malaysian jet could be completed within a week, provided the weather is favourable for the AUV.

The focused underwater search area is defined as a circle of 10km-radius around the second Towed Pinger Locator detection which occurred on April 8.

Finding the black box and the wreckage are crucial to know why the Beijing-bound plane veered off from its route and mysteriously vanished after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.

The mystery of the missing plane has continued to baffle aviation and security authorities who have so far failed to trace the aircraft despite deploying hi-tech radar and other gadgets.

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2G scam: Court dismisses plea of accused on draft questionnaire

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has dismissed a plea of a private firm executive, facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case, that long and common questions have been put to each accused even though they were not relevant to them.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini rejected the petition of Asif Balwa, director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Limited, observing that in a case of conspiracy, every conspirator was an "agent" of another.

"....This is a case of conspiracy and every circumstance is required to be put to each accused. In such a case, every conspirator is an agent of other conspirators," the judge said.

The court also observed that each accused has been supplied with a separate questionnaire and the questions were based upon the evidence recorded during the trial in the case.

"As such, it cannot be said that the questions are common. Statement of each accused shall be recorded separately as per the evidence on record. There is no question of common questions being put to the accused," it said.

The court, however, allowed Balwa's prayer to defer the recording of statements of the accused for two weeks and fixed the matter for May 5.

The court held that some questions may appear to be long but they pertain to a material fact and have been put together to make them "logical".

"However, if despite every care and caution being exercised in framing the questions, any question is not understandable to any accused and he has difficulty in understanding the same, the accused is at liberty to ask for explaining the question and if despite that any accused still expresses his inability to understand the question, the same can be split up into smaller parts, if so desired by the accused and warranted by the facts of the question," it said.

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LS polls: Section 144 of CrPC to be in force in Tamil Nadu from 6pm today

CHENNAI: In a first, Tamil Nadu elections department has directed all district collectors in the state to invoke Section 144 of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) in all the 39 constituencies, prohibiting unlawful assembly of more than five persons.

"The order will be in force between 6pm on Tuesday and 6am on Thursday, the poll day," chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar said.

The directions have been issued against the backdrop of 'expenditure sensitivity' of the state, known for large-scale distribution of money for exchange of votes on the eve of elections.

"Based on the general feedback and to check money distribution and to maintain law and order by preventing violent clashes between the members of political parties, the prohibitory order will be issued," Kumar said. According to election commission, Tamil Nadu is one among the six expenditure sensitive states in the country.

The 7,000 flying and static squads and zonal teams deployed by the Election Commission have seized Rs 23.53 crore unaccounted cash and Rs 27.44 non-cash items since the model code of conduct came into force on March 5. The commission had seized Rs 58 crore, including Rs 36 crore unaccounted cash, during the previous elections.

Kumar said electoral campaign in all forms should come to a close by 6pm on Tuesday. "Thereafter, door-to-door campaign shall go on, but not more than five persons will be allowed," he said.

Marriage halls, lodging houses in each constituency will be under strict surveillance. Outsiders, including public representatives will not be allowed to stay in the constituency when the prohibitory order is in force.

The commission has engaged 2.93 lakh polling personnel for the April 24 general elections in the state and over a lakh security personnel will guard the polling stations for a free and fair poll.

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LS polls: Section 144 of CrPC to be in force in Tamil Nadu from 6pm today

CHENNAI: In a first, Tamil Nadu elections department has directed all district collectors in the state to invoke Section 144 of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) in all the 39 constituencies, prohibiting unlawful assembly of more than five persons.

"The order will be in force between 6pm on Tuesday and 6am on Thursday, the poll day," chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar said.

The directions have been issued against the backdrop of 'expenditure sensitivity' of the state, known for large-scale distribution of money for exchange of votes on the eve of elections.

"Based on the general feedback and to check money distribution and to maintain law and order by preventing violent clashes between the members of political parties, the prohibitory order will be issued," Kumar said. According to election commission, Tamil Nadu is one among the six expenditure sensitive states in the country.

The 7,000 flying and static squads and zonal teams deployed by the Election Commission have seized Rs 23.53 crore unaccounted cash and Rs 27.44 non-cash items since the model code of conduct came into force on March 5. The commission had seized Rs 58 crore, including Rs 36 crore unaccounted cash, during the previous elections.

Kumar said electoral campaign in all forms should come to a close by 6pm on Tuesday. "Thereafter, door-to-door campaign shall go on, but not more than five persons will be allowed," he said.

Marriage halls, lodging houses in each constituency will be under strict surveillance. Outsiders, including public representatives will not be allowed to stay in the constituency when the prohibitory order is in force.

The commission has engaged 2.93 lakh polling personnel for the April 24 general elections in the state and over a lakh security personnel will guard the polling stations for a free and fair poll.

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Pak successfully test-fires short-range missile 'Hatf III'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday successfully test-fired a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf III (Ghaznavi), capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 290 kilometres, that could cover parts of India.

The "successful training launch" concluded the Field Training Exercise of Strategic Missile Group of Army Strategic Forces Command, the military said in a statement here.

The launch was witnessed by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Rashad Mahmood, Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command, Lt Gen Obaid Ullah Khan, Chairman NESCOM Muhammad Irfan Burney and other senior military officials and scientists at an undisclosed location.

Addressing the troops in the exercise, Gen Mahmood commended the troops on achieving technical and operational excellence in operating the state-of-the-art weapon system, the statement said.

He "expressed his satisfaction over the training goals achieved during the exercise and expected that the officers and men entrusted with the task of deterring aggression would continue to maintain professional excellence", it said.

Gen Mahmood also congratulated all the scientists and engineers for the successful launch of Ghaznavi as another milestone which has further strengthened the defence potential of Pakistan besides ensuring peace in the region.

Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated the participating troops, scientists and engineers for the successful launch of the missile, the statement said.

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Veteran Myanmar pro-democracy campaigner Win Tin dies: Party

YANGON: The co-founder of Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition and the nation's longest-serving political prisoner died on Monday at the age of 84, his party said, after battling for decades to bring freedom to the formerly junta-run country.

"Win Tin died this morning (Monday)," said Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy, which is led by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

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2G case: Court to record statements of Raja, others from May 5

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday fixed May 5 for commencement of recording of statements of former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and 15 others facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini posted the matter for May 5 after the accused sought some more time to answer the 1,718 questions running into 824 pages asked by the court.

"The time has come when the accused will talk to me directly. It is a dialogue between the accused and the judge," he said.

"I have no problem in giving time but I will not give time in between. After it (recording of statements) will start, it will go on. It must go at an appropriate speed," the judge said, adding, "You (accused) will have to answer the questions in bullet speed."

As soon as the hearing began, the defence counsel said that they need time to prepare the answers to the questions provided by the court.

Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, who appeared for Raja, requested the judge that the matter be fixed for May 5 and they will not seek any more time after that.

Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, who appeared for Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, also told the court that they need time to answer the questions.

The court, however, said that cross-examining a witness and asking questions from the accused under Section 313 of the CrPC were different and lawyers were not going to be involved in the process.

"This is between the accused and the judge. Accused may say something to the judge. These are very simple questions," it said.

"In four months, I have read the file and you (accused) must have read the file as well. You can give answers," the judge said and also asked the accused if anyone of them was ready to give answers today.

The accused told the judge that they would give answers after the recording of statement of Raja.

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Gunmen kill 11 Algerian soldiers in ambush, ministry says

ALGIERS: Gunmen killed 11 Algerian soldiers in an ambush overnight, the defence ministry said on Sunday, in the first attack of its kind since President Abdelaziz Bouteflika won a fourth term.

The attack took place in the restive Kabylie region east of Algiers, where discontent with the ailing 77-year-old Bouteflika was most evident during the presidential election.

The troops were from a unit that had been deployed as part of a security operation during Thursday's vote and were heading back to their barracks when they were ambushed, the ministry said.

Eleven soldiers were killed in the attack in which two of the assailants also died, said a statement. The national APS news agency said earlier that 14 troops were killed, citing a security source.

The defence ministry said a convoy of the People's National Army was attacked by a "terrorist group" near Iboudrarene in Kabylie, and that five soldiers were also wounded.

"Such criminal action only serves to reinforce the army's determination to eliminate diehard terrorist groups," the ministry said.

It said a search operation for the assailants was under way in Iboudrarene, a cluster of around 10 villages, and that "so far three terrorists were eliminated and two Kalashnikov assault rifles seized."

Witnesses said security reinforcements had been dispatched to Kabylie, a rugged region where al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is active and has carried out operations against government forces.

The attackers laid the ambush on a main road between two villages in the mountainous region where Islamist militants who battled the army during the civil war in the 1990s still operate.

A defence ministry statement said earlier that the "Boumerdes-Tizi Ouzou-Bouira road (in Kabylie) remains the area where anti-terrorist operations have had the most significant results" this year.

Later Sunday, APS, quoting a security source, reported that army soldiers had killed two suspected Islamic extremists in the rural town of Djelfa.

Their bodies were taken to the morgue in the city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of the capital Algiers, the source said, adding that the soldiers recovered two weapons.

Thirty-seven militants were killed by troops across Algeria during the first quarter of 2014, including 21 in Kabylie, the defence ministry statement said, calling the fighters "terrorists".

Algeria mobilised around 260,000 security forces for Thursday's presidential elections, in which Bouteflika won a fourth consecutive term.

Clashes between police and youths seeking to disrupt the vote left some 70 people wounded on Thursday, according to sources in Kabylie, and voting was temporarily suspended in some areas.

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Japan's Abe makes gift to controversial war shrine, skips visit: Reports

TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donated a tree to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine on Monday, but did not visit the memorial which is seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's militarist past.

Abe donated the symbolic gift, a sacred "masakaki" tree, to coincide with the start of a three-day spring festival, Jiji Press news agency and other local media said.

The offering was seen as a sign that he would avoid a personal visit during the festival, reports said, with public broadcaster NHK quoting anonymous sources as saying he was not planning a trip.

Abe had been widely expected to refrain from visiting the shrine ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit to Tokyo from Wednesday to Friday, with Washington calling for Asian neighbours to mend ties.

Many other lawmakers are however expected to make their regular pilgrimage on Tuesday.

The 145-year-old Shinto shrine honours Japan's war dead including several leaders condemned as "Class A" war criminals by the US-led allied powers and executed after World War II.

Abe, known for his nationalist views, drew protests from China and South Korea when he visited the shrine last December at a time when Japan's ties with the neighbouring countries were severely strained over territorial disputes and differences in historical perceptions.

Conservative Japanese parliamentarians make pilgrimages to the shrine during spring and autumn festivals and on the war anniversary.

Abe made the same kind of tree offering at the autumn festival last year, but did not visit the shrine.

Yasukuni is a flashpoint in relations between Japan and its Asian neighbours, with disagreements about history badly colouring relations.

Beijing and Seoul see Yasukuni as a painful reminder of Japan's imperialist past because it enshrines some of the men who ran the country and its military during years of brutal expansionism.

But Japanese conservatives say it is natural that they pay homage to people who lost their lives in the service of their country.

Keiji Furuya, chairman of the national public safety commission, visited the shrine on Sunday, becoming the second minister in Abe's cabinet to go there in the past week.

"I made the visit today so that it would not interrupt my official duty," Furuya said in a statement to Japanese media.

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Saudi Arabia sentences five to death for 2003 attack on expat compounds

RIYADH: A Saudi Arabian court on Sunday sentenced five men to death for their involvement in a suicide attack on expatriate residential compounds in Riyadh in 2003, the state news agency reported.

Another 37 people were sentenced to terms of three to 35 years for assisting the attacks in northeastern Riyadh, which were part of a three-year campaign by al Qaida that killed hundreds and was aimed at destabilising US ally Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh crushed the campaign in 2006, detaining more than 11,000 people in its security prisons, it has said.

The remnants of that al Qaida group fled to Yemen where in 2009 they joined local militants to form al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, now seen as one of the most dangerous branches of the movement around the world.

Saudi Arabia has put on trial hundreds of accused militants in recent months, jailing many of them and sentencing others to death on charges that they played a role in the 2003-06 campaign, or aided those going to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The conservative Islamic kingdom has grown increasingly concerned about radicalisation this year because the war in Syria has spurred what they see as a surge in online militancy. They are worried about a new al Qaida campaign of attacks.

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Three-year-old girl shoots, kills two-year-old brother in US

LOS ANGELES: A three-year-old girl in the US has accidentally shot and killed her two-year-old brother with a rifle, the fourth such incident in the country this month involving children.

The boy, whose name was not released, was shot in the stomach with a .22-caliber rifle that was used earlier in the day and then left in the living room of the home in Cache County, Utah.

"This is a stark reminder of the importance of keeping guns locked up and denied access to young people," Cache County Sheriff Lt Mike Peterson was quoted as saying by Deseret News.

"This is a very tragic incident, but one that is preventable," he said.

"The gun was in an unloaded state but did have live rounds in the magazine. We believe the 3-year-old had to manipulate the action enough to chamber a live round," Peterson said.

The boy's mother heard the gun shot from another room and called for help, according to Peterson.

He said the boy was taken to Logan Regional Hospital, where he was rushed into surgery. The boy was later flown to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he died.

While police believe the shooting incident that happened on Friday was accidental, Peterson said the investigation is ongoing and will be reviewed by the county attorney's office to decide whether charging the parents is warranted.

Meanwhile, in another such incident, a 6-year-old boy accidentally killed a woman in South Carolina when he shot a loaded gun he found in a car.

The fatal shoot occurred on Thursday afternoon as the boy's father was driving a car in Easley.

Alexandra Anita Santos, 22, was riding in the front passenger seat when the boy fired the gun and the bullet travelled through the seat, police said.

There have been a slew of shooting incidents in the US recently involving children who accidentally shoot someone or die of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Earlier this month, a five-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed a seven-year-old girl while playing at a birthday party in Gaston, South Carolina.

Also this month, a two-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old sister while playing with a handgun in Philadelphia.

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Hate crime charge on US man accused of attack on Sikh professor

NEW YORK: A man accused of pulling the beard of a Sikh professor during an attack last year in New York City has been charged with a hate crime.

Christian Morales was charged on Saturday with aggravated harassment in the September attack of Columbia University professor Prabhjot Singh.

A phone number for Morales is out of service. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

Singh has said a group of young men called him "Osama" and a "terrorist" before one grabbed his beard and others beat him. He suffered a fractured jaw.

Hate crimes task force detectives had been investigating the case.

Sikhism is a religion that originated in India. In some cases, practitioners have been targeted by attackers who confuse it with Islam.

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Three dead as container crashes into Scorpio at national highway in Vasai

MUMBAI: Three persons were killed and four other sustained injuries when the driver of a container heading towards Gujarat lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a Scorpio on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway at Vasai on Sunday morning. The vehicles were severely damaged.

According to the deputy superintendent of police (traffic) of Thane Rural, Chandrakant Joshi, the accident occurred at around 6.30am near the Tungareshwar Phata on the highway at Vasai. The Scorpio was heading from Chembur to Rajasthan. The container driver lost control of the vehicle and hit the divider before crashing into the Scorpio. Three of the occupants of the Scorpio were killed on the spot. The injured are being treated at the primary health centre at Kaman in Vasai (east).

Police are yet to ascertain the cause of the accident, although eyewitnesses told the police that the container driver was speeding. The Valiv police is in the process of registering a complaint. The identities of the dead and the injured is still to be ascertained.

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