Yamuna river

Four drown in Yamuna river in Agra  

Agra: Four persons drowned in Yamuna river while immersing Ganesha idols in various parts of the district, police said on Sunday.

Arvind (25) and Kanha (25), both residents of Jagdishpura-Garhi Bhadauria area, drowned at Kailash ghat near Sikna while immersing Ganesha idols in the river on Saturday, they said. In the second incident, Ramurti (20) was swept away in the river at Hathi Ghat, police said. Meanwhile, one Rahul (21) drowned in Yamuna near Fatehabad town, they said.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic eyes world number one title this year  

Taipei, Taiwan: Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic aims to reclaim the world number one spot by the end of the year, he said during a promotional tour to Taipei.

Djokovic was knocked off the world number one ranking when Swiss legend Roger Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title and 17th career Grand Slam title in July to reclaim the position he last held in May 2010. "That's one of the goals. Of course I want to be number one of the world again. It's an ambition. It's possible (by) the end of the year," Djokovic told reporters.

"I try to focus on each tournament individually and see how it goes. I need to play really well because there are so many great players in this moment... so we'll see." After a remarkable 2011, when he recorded one of the greatest individual seasons in tennis history and a dominant start to 2012, Djokovic has come up short in the last two Grand Slams, losing to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final and Federer at Wimbledon.

Lightning

 5 killed by lightning

 Guwahati, Five persons were killed by lightning in Assam's Dhubri and Golaghat districts today. Lightning struck Kanaimara village in Dhubri district killing three persons on the spot.The dead have been identified as Hafizur Rahman, Ruptam Ali and Islam Ali. In another incident, two girls were struck by lightning at Sukhnani village in Golaghat district, officials said.  

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Anna Hazare

No more fasts, will fight for causes through agitations  

Pune,Anna Hazare has said that he will not resort to fasting any more to press for his demands, and will fight for his causes through agitations. "Now onwards I will not undertake fast. In future I will fight for my causes through agitations," Hazare said last night at a Ganesh mandal ceremony in Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial township near here.

The anti-corruption crusader also said he would continue to work to send "clean" people to Parliament. He said a large number of retired IAS officers had shown their willingness to join his movement for a corruption-free India. Expressing full faith in country's youth, Hazare asked them not to be pessimistic about future of the country. Hazare had gone for fast three times last year (twice in Delhi and once in Mumbai) to press for a strong Lokpal Bill.

 The Gandhian again sat on a protest fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in July this year. Earlier, he had undertaken hunger strikes on several occasions in Maharashtra on issues related to corruption and transparency in governance. Hazare says he is deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, for whom fasting was a spiritual weapon.

Indonesian Air Crash

Two killed in crash at Indonesian air show

Two people on board a light aircraft were killed when it crashed during an airshow in West Java, news reports said Saturday. The Bravo AS 202 crashed in the airforce complex near Bandung airport where the show took place. There were no casualties on the ground.

The pilot, identified as Air Vice-Marshall Noorman Lubis, was an experienced acrobatic pilot and the other passenger, Lieutenant Colonel Toni Hartono, was a flying instructor. The training aircraft, owned by the Indonesian Aerosport Federation, was flying too low at the time of the crash, witnesses said.  

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Shimla schoolgirls' death

Shimla schoolgirls' death: Parents blame school authorities  

SHIMLA, The death of two girls of a British-era convent school in Shimla on Friday became murkier when their parents blamed school authorities. The parents said the girls did not die accidentally, but committed suicide after being "mentally harassed" by their teacher.

 Class 6 students Shakshi Thakur and Nancy Thakur of the Convent of Jesus and Mary were found dead near the school on Monday. At that time, police said the girls died when a speeding vehicle hit them. Parents and relatives of the victims on Friday reached the school and staged a protest.

They said the girls committed suicide after their class teacher allegedly tortured and mentally harassed them. "That's the only reason they took the extreme step," one of the relatives told reporters. Agitated relatives ransacked the school and manhandled staff. Some teachers locked themselves inside classrooms along with students to protect themselves.

When the parents and relatives were staging the protest, the school authorities sent SMSs to all the parents to collect their wards immediately as the situation in the school was turning tense. During the protest, some senior students came out in the support of the victims' parents and raised slogans outside the principal's office. "The police officials are not fair in their investigation.

They are shielding the school management," alleged Rajender Thakur, father of Nancy. Superintendent of Police Chander Shekhar told IANS that investigations are on. "No case has so far been registered. We are looking into various theories about their death," he said. The aggrieved parents, however, alleged that they would not be able to get justice unless a case is registered against the class teacher and the school management.

Prime Minister

We will do what is good for the country: PM

New Delhi, Unfazed by the uproar over FDI in retail and other tough decisions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today indicated that the Government may continue with the reforms process and expressed willingness to discuss issues with allies. "We will do what is good for the country... reforms are not one-off process," he said. The Prime Minister was responding to questions on demands for rollback of decisions on FDI in multi-brand retail, diesel price hike and cap on subsidised LPG cylinders by the opposition.

When asked to respond to reservations expressed by allies that the recent decisions could hurt their electoral prospects, Singh said the issue could be discussed. "We are far away from elections." Singh was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

During the week, the UPA coordination committee had discussed the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail and other decisions. When his attention was drawn to allegations by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi that FDI was aimed at pleasing the US, he responded saying, "What has the US got to do with this. We are not a country to be dictated by others."

Asked about attacks on him by Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee, who recently walked out of the UPA, he said, "I am not bitter about anything." On the Supreme Court's opinion on the issue of auction of natural resources, the Prime Minister said, "We honour the judgement."

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Passport Hike

Passport and related services fees hiked

New Delhi, Procuring passport will be costlier from October 1. Government has decided to increase the Passport and related services fees from Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 under the normal category and from Rs 2500 to Rs 3500 under Tatkal scheme, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry said tonight. The Passport and related services were last fixed on March 29, 2002.

For Indian citizens living abroad, the revised fee would be USD 75.00 (from 40.00) and Euro 60.00 (from 48.00) for normal applications. The statement said the hike was necessitated by considerable increase in the last ten years in inputs costs relating to establishment, capital expenditure, procurement of equipment, imbursement to police authorities, payment to India Posts, printing of passport booklets, personalization costs, IT expenses and contractual payment to service providers.

The current regime of Passport fee came into force in July, 1993 subsequent to the passing of the Passport (Amendment) Bill, 1992 which permits the government to fix the Passport fee on the basis of actual cost incurred on issuing of a Passport.

ATM Robbery

Robbers escape with ATM cash van
New Delhi, Armed robbers today escaped with the cash van of a private bank in south Delhi this afternoon after waylaying the vehicle and opening fire on the guard.    The incident took place in Defence Colony area at around 1:45 PM when the van was carrying cash to an ATM of ICICI  bank, police said.

The guard was injured while trying to stop the robbers from escaping with the van, which is believed to have contained around Rs five crore, they said.

ISRO case

ISRO case: studio owner taken into custody

Karnataka police team that was in Kollam district in Kerala as part of investigations in the ISRO trespassing case on Thursday took into custody a photo studio owner and his assistant for allegedly helping a woman make a fake ID card with which she gained entry into the space agency's headquarters in Bangalore a few days back.

Police here said Sini Balan, the owner of a studio in nearby Punalur and his assistant Dibin had been taken to Bangalore for further questioning.

Buela N Sam (41) of Punalur, working in Ahmedabad, created a scare after she breached security to gain entry into the ISRO headquarters using a fake identity.

She had visited her hometown recently and allegedly made a fake identity card using which she gained access to the ISRO guest house and its headquarters.

Though police had earlier suspected involvement of a lamination centre at nearby Kottiyam, it was learnt later that the ID card was suspected to have been made from the studio in Punalur.

Beula was in Punalur earlier this month in connection with a family bereavement. Her relatives said she had undergone treatment at a mental clinic near her hometown two years ago.

Using the fake identity card, she stayed at the ISRO Satellite Centre guest-house at Jeevanbheema Nagar for two days from September 19. On September 21, she gained entry into the high-security "Anthariksh Bhavan", ISRO headquarters.

She roamed around in the building premises for a couple of hours before some ISRO staff growing suspicious, reported the matter to the security and arrested her.

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Little boy injured

Indore

Little boy injured as mobile phone explodes in his mouth

            Indore, A little boy was injured when a mobile handset which he had put into his mouth exploded suddenly last night, at Shajapur tehsil's Pagravat village near here, hospital sources said today.          The ten-year-old Chetan Singh studying in the fifth class was rushed to the M Y Hospital here after he lost some of his upper teeth, injured his lips and lower jaws, sources said.

            After immediate treatment, the boy was admitted to ward number 18 where his condition was stated to be stable, sources said. The brand of the mobile handset was not revealed in the medical report, sources said.

Issues on Cooking gas connections

Govt says no ban on issue of new cooking gas connections

New Delhi, The government today said it has not banned issue of new cooking gas (LPG) connections which are being released on completion of KYC (Know Your Customer) formalities.  "There is no ban on release of new LPG connections," an oil ministry statement said.  "To ensure that subsidised domestic cylinders are available to genuine customers, new connection requests will be accepted by all LPG distributors...", it said.  The connections will be released on completion of KYC (Know Your Customer) formalities and de-duplication of the applicants across all the three Oil Companies to ensure that multiple connections are not released, it said.

Andra Pradesh

AP: Headmaster suspended for shoving student against wall

Hyderabad, A headmaster of a state-run high school in neighboring Ranga Reddy district was today suspended on the charge of giving corporal punishment to a standard 7th student, leading to injury. Paniraju, headmaster of Zilla Parishad High School at Rampally allegedly shoved the student against the class room wall this morning for not doing homework.

 The student's head hit the wall. Angry relatives and locals demonstrated in front of the school afterwards. Ranga Reddy District Education Officer suspended the headmaster, pending further inquiry. The boy was treated at a local hospital and later discharged. No police complaint was filed.

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Srinagar Strike

Strike protesting Prez visit to Valley hits normal life  

Srinagar, Normal life in Kashmir was today disrupted due to a strike called by separatist groups to protest President Pranab Mukherjee's visit even as an independent MLA held a sit-in to draw his attention towards the mercy plea of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Shops, schools and business establishments remained closed due to the strike called by hard line Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and supported by several other separatist groups. Although public transport remained off the roads in most parts of the valley, many private vehicles could be seen plying on the roads, official sources said. They said stringent security measures were put in place for Mukherjee's maiden visit to the state since his election as the President.

Meanwhile, independent MLA from Langate Sheikh Abdul Rashid staged a sit-in alongwith nearly 100 supporters at Regal Chowk to draw Mukherjee's attention to Guru's mercy petition. Rashid said he had voted for Mukherjee during the presidential election as he had promised to look into the Parliament attack convict's appeal for mercy. There was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the Valley so far, official sources said.

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Weapons Found

100 weapons found near LoC

Srinagar, Army today said it has found over 100 assorted weapons of Chinese make near the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of Kashmir. "More than 100 weapons, including 98 pistols, have been seized near the Line of Control in Keran Sector of Kupwara district," an army spokesman said.

 He said the recoveries included 10 AK rifles and two assault rifles of other makes.     "The weapons are of Chinese make and the packing material like newspapers are also Chinese," the spokesman said.     He said a possible tragedy has been averted due to high vigil of the army along the LoC as "the adversary is trying to push in maximum warlike stores before winters". Further details of the seizure are awaited.

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Puri Beach Festival

18th International Puri Beach Festival from Nov 23 Bhubaneswar,

In a bid to attract tourists from across the globe, the annual beach festival at Puri sea shore will kick start from November 23, official sources said today. The week-long beach festival which has been an annual event in Puri since 1993, would get additional flavour with introduction of certain new programmes. "Each member of hotel association of Puri will offer special discount up to 30 per cent on room rent and food bills during the festival period," R K Das Mohapatra, the president of the festival organising committee, said.

Important exhibition, food stalls, beach sports, special boat race among local fisherman, sand art show, helium balloon ride, kite fly show, camel ride & horse ride on the beach, meena bazaar & merry go-round, bhagawat katha discourse will be part of the festival, tourism and culture minister Maheswar Mohanty said after presiding over the first preparatory meeting for the event. Information brochures will be prepared on different tourist places of Puri.

Arrangements of tourist guide will also be made, Mohanty said adding there is a growing trend in the tourist arrival to the city Puri and Odisha during the festival due to continuity of the festival. "The festival has been a brand event of Odisha for the past over 17 years without change of date, time & venue," he said.

Bomb Explosion

One killed in parcel bomb explosion Howrah (WB), A woman was killed and her husband injured when a bomb, wrapped in a parcel, exploded in their house at Dakshin Baksara area in Howrah district today, police said. Chaitali Santra (40) was killed in an expolsion as she tried to open a parcel received through a courier agency at her residence this afternoon. Her husband suffered injuries and was hospitalised. An investigation has started.

Bus Accident

Maharashtra: Bus plunges into river in Buldhana, 16 dead  

Buldhana: In a tragic accident, 16 persons lost their lives when the state transport bus they were travelling fell into the Purna River in Buldhana district of Maharashtra.

As per initial reports, the ST bus met with the tragic accident near Sangrampur in the district. At least 35 people were travelling in the bus when the driver lost control and the bus plunged into the Purna River. 16 bodies have been recovered so far, while many others are said to be injured.

Emergency meet

Emergency meet of DMK Executive on Oct 1

Chennai, An emergency meeting of the DMK executive will be held here on October 1 to discuss the alleged foisting of cases on partymen by the ruling AIADMK. A DMK statement tonight claimed a slew of cases were being slapped on its leaders, with some of them being detained under the stringent Goondas Act by the government, with a view to "prevent them from actively participating in cooperative and parliamentary elections".

The meeting would be held under the leadership of DMK chief M Karunanidhi at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam, DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said.

World T20

Simon Taufel to quit umpiring after World T20 Colombo:

Simon Taufel will step down from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires after the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, which runs until October 7, to take up the new role of Umpire Performance and Training Manager, the ICC said on Wednesday.

The 41-year-old from Australia made his international debut in January 1999 in an ODI between Australia in Sri Lanka in Sydney and 23 months later he made his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test between Australia and the West Indies.

 In an outstanding career, Taufel umpired in 74 Tests and 174 ODIs with his last Test and ODI appearances being at Lord's a month ago in matches featuring England and South Africa. Taufel won the ICC Umpire of the Year award for five successive years from 2004 to 2008 and also had the honour of umpiring in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He also stood in the finals of the ICC World Twenty20 2007 and 2009 in South Africa and England respectively, as well as in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 in England along with Rudi Koertzen.

Announcing his decision, Taufel said: "Following the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, I'm moving on from active international umpiring for personal and professional reasons. My wife and children have supported me immensely throughout my career and it is time for me to spend more time with them. Taufel also thanked for the support he received during his illustrious career.

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Naidu writes to PM

Telangana: Naidu writes to PM, wants all-party meet

Hyderabad, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu tonight shot off a letter to the Prime Minister requesting the Centre to immediately resolve the contentious Telangana issue and asked it to convene an all-party meeting immediately where his party's stand would be clearly spelt out.

He reminded Prime Minister Mnamohan Singh that the TDP had made its stand known on the Telangana demand through a letter to the Pranab Mukherjee Committee way back in 2008. Accusing the Centre of "complicating" the statehood issue, Chandrababu regretted that it had failed to take a call on the issue so far and thereby pushed Andhra Pradesh into a deep crisis. He accused the Congress and the TRS of trying to gain political mileage out of the Telangana issue.

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Ronjan Singh Sodhi

Ronjan Singh Sodhi wins silver at ISSF World Cup finals  

New Delhi: Leaving behind the London Olympics disappointment, India's ace double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi on Monday won a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Slovenia. Sodhi, who had failed to qualify for the finals of the Olympics, shot a score of 191 (144+47), which is three more than the London Games gold medal score.

 It is third year in a row that Ronjan has won a medal at World Cup finals. In the previous two editions -- 2010 and 2011 -- he had won a gold each. National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) President Raninder Singh praised the performance of the Ferozpur shooter and said he will continue to bring laurels for the country.

Turkey

Turkey: Deadly blast 'kills seven' in Tunceli A powerful explosion has rocked the eastern Turkish city of Tunceli, say reports. The blast targeted a military vehicle, security sources told Reuters news agency. Turkish media are reporting that seven people have been killed.

The city is near the country's Kurdish area and suspicion will automatically fall upon Kurdish rebel group the PKK, says the BBC's Istanbul correspondent James Reynolds. Fighting between Turkish troops and the PKK has escalated in recent months.

Turkish TV stations showed shaky footage of workers trying to put out fires in two burnt-out vehicles. Reports said the vehicles were blown up by remote detonation.

Pratibha Patil in trouble over gifts

Former President Pratibha Patil in trouble over gifts

 New Delhi: Controversy seems to be following Pratibha Devisingh Patil even after she finished her term as President of India. Following a inquiry that revealed Ms Patil had taken several "gifts" given to her when she was President to her hometown Amravati, Rashtrapati Bhawan has acted. In his application, RTI activist Subhash Agarwal has said that the former President must return all the gifts by January 13, 2013. In reply to the application, Rashtrapati Bhawan has said that all articles should be back by January 13.

 "It was a decision taken by President Pranab Mukherjee soon after he took office," said the President's Press Secretary. Patil family said that they were yet to receive any intimation from Rashtrapati Bhawan about this. The gifts include things like a stone box given to Ms Patil as a memento by visiting US president Barack Obama.

Ms Patil's predecessor A P J Abdul Kalam had also moved gifts out of Rashtrapati Bhawan, but they were for display at the Defence Research and Development Organisation, where he used to work. Conventionally, presidents and other dignitaries who are given these gifts deposit them with the government.

Gujarat Road Accident

Six killed, 30 hurt in Gujarat road mishap

Anand (Guj), Six persons, including five women, were killed and at least 30 others injured eleven among them critically--when their mini-truck overturned after it collided with a tractor on Kinkhlod-Umeta Road, about 20 kms from here, police said. Among those killed, five were women and the condition of eleven of the 30 injured is said to be critical, a police official said. The spot of the mishap is near to Navakhal Circle near Anklav police station.

According to police, the tragedy struck when at least 35 women were returning in the ill-fated vehicle from Bhadraniya village after attending a religious function and were headed towrads Koyali in Vadodara. The injured have been admitted to SSG Hospital in Vadodara, a private hospital in Borsad and a community health centre in Anklav, police said.

Among the five women killed, three are identified as Madhuben Thakorebhai Patel, Sudhaben Bipinbhai Patel and Jethna Harish Patel, police said, adding the identity of other deceased is being established.

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Caroline Wozniacki wins KDB Korea Open

Seoul: Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki beat injury-plagued Kaia Kanepi 6-1, 6-0 Sunday to win the KDB Korea Open.

Wozniacki from Denmark needed only about one hour to defeat the third-seeded Kanepi of Estonia to win the tournament on Seoul's Olympic Park hard courts.

It was Wozniacki's 19th career WTA victory. She defeated Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in the semifinals while Kanepi advanced the finals after beating Varvara Lepchenko of the United States 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Singapore GP

Singapore GP: Sebastian Vettel wins

Singapore: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Singapore Grand Prix for the second straight year on Sunday, jumping up to second place in the Formula One drivers' championship.

 Vettel inherited the lead from pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, who led the race until he suffered a gearbox failure on lap 22 and had to retire.

 Hamilton's teammate Jenson Button finished second at Marina Bay ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who increased his championship lead from 27 to 29 points with six races to go.

Force India's Paul di Resta finished a career-best fourth while Mercedes' Michael Schumacher retired after a heavy crash into the back of Jean-Eric Vergne.

Saudi Princess

Saudi Princess concludes her six-day visit to India New Delhi,

Princess Adelah Bint Abdullah al-Saud, daughter of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, today concluded her six-day visit to India. Princess Adelah, who is also the chairperson of Saudi Heritage Preservation Society and National Museum Advisory Board, along with a 12-member delegation was visiting the country on the invitation of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The visit was a part of the "Distinguished Visitors Programme" 2012-13, official sources said. During her stay, the princess met Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, ICCR President Karan Singh, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed, and discussed matters of mutual interests.

She also met with representatives of institutions in the field of Art and Culture and got herself acquainted with India's long experience in the field of antiquities and museum, they said. A supporter of constructive initiatives in Saudi society dealing with health, social issues, women empowerment, culture and heritage, the Princess visited the Taj Mahal before leaving for Riyadh, they said.

Recurve Women – Final

KI Bo Bae (KOR/2) v Deepika KUMARI (IND/1)

The clash of the titans on the women’s side! The No. 1 in the world, KI, and recent double Olympic Champions versus the No. 2 of the world, KUMARI, and runner-up, among many other medals, of the Istanbul World Cup Final last year.

KI did not have a great start and KUMARI jumped onto the opportunity. She won the first two sets 26-23 and 27-25.

 KI came back strong in the third set with 9-9-10, better than the 9-8-7 of KUMARI. The rain was not getting any easier, but KI managed to tie the match. She won the fourth set 8-10-8 to 8-8-7.

 KUMARI started the fifth set with a 9. KI got an 8. The Indian scored a 9. The Korean scored a 9. KUMARI had a 1-point advantage and needed a 10 to win. She scored a… 7! Now, KI needed a 9 to win. She did it! After her two Olympic gold medals, KI won the World Cup Final 2012!

KI also won the Longines Prize for Precision as the recurve woman with the most 10s during the World Cup season.

Deepika Kumari

Deepika Kumari wins silver in Archery World Cup

India's top archer Deepika Kumari settled for a silver medal after losing to World No.1 Bo Bae Ki of South Korea in the World Cup Final on Sunday. Deepika, who slipped to the number two spot in the rankings following her shocking first round loss in the London Olympics last month, gave the South Korean a tough fight before going down 4-6.

 It turned out to be a low-scoring tie with Ki's 28 in third end being the highest score. Deepika shot a 27 in the second end for her best score in the match. Another South Korean, Hyeonju Choi, secured the bronze defeating America's Jennifer Nichols 6-4 in the third place play-off. Deepika had beaten Nichols in the semifinals following her win over Miki Kanie of Japan in the last eight stage.

Man hacked to death

Man hacked to death by eve teaser for protecting daughter  

Batala (Pb), A man was hacked to death by a youth while trying to protect his daughter from the eve teaser in the Kot Majlis village here, police said today. Suman Kumar was brutally murdered by one Sabi, who also resides in Kot Majlis village under Qila Lal Singh Police Station last night, they said.

According to police, Kumar on several occasions had asked Sabi to stop eve teasing his daughter and six months back he had brought the issue to the knowledge of village Panchayat. Last evening, Sabi went near the girl's house and Kumar raised an objection over the issue, police said.

Sabi went back and returned soon after with a sharp-edged weapon, they said adding, the youth murdered Kumar with the weapon and managed to escape. On the complaint made by Kumar's wife Geeta, a case under various sections of IPC has been registered against Sabi.

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Earth Quake

Quake shakes southern Mexico

An earthquake shook parts of southern Mexico on Saturday, causing buildings to sway gently in the capital but causing no immediate reports of damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 7.30 a.m. local time (6 p.m. IST) with a magnitude of 5.4. It was centred about 25 km north of Pinotepa Nacional, a city near the Pacific Coast, and about 340 km south-southeast of Mexico City.

Mexico’s national seismology service initially calculated the quake’s magnitude as 5.8 and said it was centred southwest of Pinotepa Nacional.

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Delhi triple murder

Businessman, wife & daughter killed at home

New Delhi: A couple and their daughter were found murdered this morning in their apartment in Rohini in north Delhi. The three were to travel to Vaishnodevi this morning.

The priest who was to travel with them reached their home and found them dead. Yogendra Singh was found with his throat slit on the ground floor of the house. His wife and daughter were found killed in the similar fashion on the first floor.

Police are exploring all angles to the murder and sources say it prima facie appears like some personal enmity.

Seven die in Philippines boat accident

Manila: Seven people died, including two children, and five were left missing after a small ferry sank off the southern Philippines, the civil defence office said on Thursday.

The boat, carrying 27 people, was travelling between islands in the country's southernmost Tawi-Tawi chain when it went down in rough waters late on Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

 Two girls, aged four and eight, were among the dead, the council said. The identities of the others who died are still being confirmed.

Small, wooden ferries are a major form of transport in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. However, the often poorly maintained vessels frequently have accidents during bad weather.

Air hostess suicide case

Delhi court dismisses Gopal Kanda's bail application New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda's bail plea in the Geetika Sharma suicide case.

Gopal Kanda, a key accused in the case, surrended before the police on August 18, almost 13 days after the former air hostess Geetika Sharma was found dead in her Ashok Vihar residence in north-west Delhi on August 5.

In her suicide note, Geetika had alleged that Kanda and one of the MDLR employees Aruna Chaddha were harassing her to rejoin the former minister's firm after she left the job.

Delhi triple murder

3 criminals escape Ludhiana,

 Three criminals today escaped from the central jail here by creating a hole in one of the walls of their cell and later scaling the boundary wall of the prison, police said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Police (ADCP) Sushil Kumar said one of the escapees, Ram Jan, who hails from Siwan district in Bihar, was undergoing life imprisonment for his involvement in a train robbery and murder.

 The other two -- Ravi Kumar and Amit Kumar -- were undertrials in separate murder cases. There were six persons in the cell that was broken open but only three could manage to escape, he said. The escapees had used handle of a bucket and a spoon and improvised it into a rod to dig out the hole in the wall of the cell, Kumar said.

 They escaped through this hole in darkness and ran away, the ADCP said. The police has registered a new case against them and hunt is on to nab them, but no success has been reported so far, he said.

Delhi triple murder

Indian diplomatic bag with visa stickers stolen

 London: In a security breach, three Indian diplomatic bags containing 6,000 visa stickers have been stolen here during transit from the airport to the Indian High Commission. The High Commission was informed on September 3 that four Category 'B' diplomatic bags, including three bags that contained 6,000 visa stickers, had been stolen during transit from the Heathrow airport to India House in Aldwych, central London.

The fourth stolen bag contained stationery items, a High Commission spokesperson said. "On that day, in total 27 bags were received. Out of which, 25 bags contained 50,000 visa stickers (2000 in each bag).

 "The bags were being transported from Heathrow Airport by the clearing agent, who handles 'B and 'C' category diplomatic bags of the High Commission since last several years", the spokesperson said. As soon as the incident came to notice, the High Commission informed authorities in India, and "suitable action" was taken to prevent any misuse of visa stickers, the official said. A case regarding the theft of diplomatic bags was registered with the Metropolitan Police in London.

"The Metropolitan Police is investigating the case.” The High Commission has also taken up the matter with the Diplomatic Protection Group. "The existing arrangements have been reviewed and further precautionary measures are being taken," the spokesperson added. Category 'A' bags are for materials that are considered top secret and is always transported as a hand baggage while Category 'B' contains official communications which are not secret. Category 'C' is for personal letters, newspapers and rest.

Small-time actor attacked for extortion

Mumbai, A small-time actor was today attacked at suburban Juhu by alleged extortionists, who the victim claimed were linked with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and demanded Rs 15 lakh from him, police said. The actor, Bhupinder Yaduvanshi, also claimed to have heard bullet sound saying the extortionists fired at him in a bid to scare him and get the money, police said. According to police, the complainant said he had been receiving extortion calls from a person, who introduced self as the member of MNS party's cinema wing for the past few weeks and demanded Rs 15 lakh from him.

"I refused to give the money. This afternoon, as I stopped at the signal in my car in Juhu, a group of people in two other vehicles smashed glasses of my car with a bat," said Yaduvanshi. "I also heard a bullet sound," he said adding that "I immediately started my vehicle and drove to the police station to save myself. I have a threat to my life." Juhu police station Senior Inspector Arun Bhagat said that a complaint has been registered based on the version of the victim, who sustained bruises on his hands.

"Only after the probe, we can conclude if the accused were associated with the MNS party or not," the officer added. The actor has worked in the film 'Cigarette ki Tarah', which is set for a release.

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Mandya Karnataka

Farmers stage agitation ahead of Cauvery Regulatory Authority meeting

Mandya (Karnataka): Local farmers staged an agitation in Mandya on Tuesday against the release of water to Tamil Nadu and demanded 'justice' for Karnataka at the Cauvery Regulatory Authority meeting at New Delhi on Wednesday. Farmers' leaders took out a procession and staged a dharna, criticising the Centre for its "step-motherly" attitude towards the state.

 The protesters said they would decide on their future course of action after knowing the decision taken at the CRA meeting. Hundreds of farmers from Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Hassan districts, coming under the Cauvery catchment area had participated in a dharna on Monday. The protesting farmers, led by KRRS President K S Puttannaiah, had demanded the state panel ask CRA to evolve a distress water sharing formula between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, based on ground realities.  

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Tirunelveli-Tenkasi train Service

Tirunelveli-Tenkasi train services to begin on Friday

Train services on the newly converted Tirunelveli–Tenkasi broad gauge section would commence on Friday. While three services would begin on Friday, the fourth one would starte on Saturday, a railway statement said.

 Train No. 56797 Tirunelveli-Sengottah Passenger would leave Tirunelveli at 9.30 a.m. and arrive Tenkasi at 11.03 a.m. It would leave Tenkasi at 11.05 a.m. and reach Sengottah at 11.45 a.m.

Train No. 56799 Tirunelveli-Sengottah Passenger would leave Tirunelveli at 6.20 p.m. and arrive Tenkasi at 7.43 p.m. After a two-minute halt, it would depart from Tenkasi and reach Sengottah at 8.35 p.m.

Train No. 56798 Sengottah-Tirunelveli Passenger would leave Sengottah at 3.15 p.m and arrive Tenkasi at 3.26 p.m. It would leave Tenkasi at 3.28 p.m. and reach Tirunelveli at 5.30 p.m.

 Train No. 56796 Sengottah-Tirunelveli Passenger would commence its regular service from Sengottah on Saturday. It would leave Sengottah at 6.30 a.m. arrive Tenkasi at 6.41 a.m. leave Tenkasi at 6.43 a.m. and reach Tirunelveli at 8.45 a.m.

The above passenger trains would stop at Tirunelveli Town, Pettai, Cheranmahadevi, Karaikkurichchi Halt, Veeravanallur, Kallidaikurichi, Ambasamudram, Kizha Ambur, Azhwarkurichi, Ravanasamudram, Kilakadaiyam, Mettur, Pavurchathiram, Kizhapuliyur and Tenkasi Junction.

 The trains would have 13 general second class coaches and two general second class-cum-luggage van coaches, the statement said.

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Cauvery Water

Consensus eludes Cauvery Water Authority meeting, PM asks Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu between Sep 21 and Oct 15.

Karnataka walks out of Cauvery River Authority meeting protesting PM's ruling that 9,000 cusecs of water should be released to Tamil Nadu.

Anna Hazare

Hazare parts ways with Kejriwal

New Delhi, Team Anna today suffered a vertical split with Anna Hazare and some top activists choosing to part ways with the Arvind Kejriwal-led group, opposing their plans to form a political party. After a roller-coaster ride of 18 months in which they came together to run a high-steam anti-graft movement, the group led by Hazare had acrimonious discussions with Kejriwal and his supporters including Prashant Bhushan and ShantiBhushan on the issue of forming a political party.

Backed by activists including Kiran Bedi and Justice Santosh Hegde, Hazare told the other group during the nine-hour deliberations that they were free to form a political party but cannot use his name or photo for their campaign. "It is unfortunate that the team has separated...

I will not join any party or any group. I will not go for their campaign. I have told them not to use my photo or my name in their campaign. You fight on your own," he told reporters here.

 Hazare refused to accept the survey done by India Against Corruption which overwhelmingly favoured a political path, saying he does not agree with the exercise done through social networking sites.

 "My best wishes are with them (those taking political path). There is no harm in it. If they think that they can get majority in Parliament, it is good...

The paths have been separated. Both of us have chosen our (separate paths). When pointed out that Kejriwal had earlier declared that he will not form any party if Hazare does not approve it, he said if that was the case, then the party should not be formed but "it is a good thing". The discussions saw a section alleging that Hazare was "exploited" by the Kejriwal group. It was countered by others saying "people in Delhi have made Anna what he is now".

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Rajasthan

12 killed in separate mishaps in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Twelve people were killed and as many injured in two separate accidents in Rajasthan today, police said. Six pilgrims, travelling in a truck, were killed when a goods train hit the vehicle while it was passing an unmanned railway crossing in Bikaner district, police said. 

The incident took place early this morning when the victims were on their way to Ramdevra temple in Bikaner district from SriGanganagar. The victims were rushed to the district hospital where four persons, including a woman were declared dead on arrival and three succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, the police said. In another mishap in Tonk district, five persons were killed and a minor boy was injured when the car they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck in the wee hours, police said. 

The victims were on their way to Sanwalia ji temple in Chittorgarh district when the incident took place, they said. The injured boy has been admitted to a nearby hospital, they added.

Fire in Manish market

Fire in Manish market in south Mumbai under control

Mumbai: A major fire that broke out in south Mumbai's Manish Market this evening has been brought under control. No casualties have been reported. 12 fire tenders, 10 water tankers and three ambulances had been rushed to the spot to battle the blaze which broke out around 4:30 pm. The cooling operation is now underway. 

Manish Market is mainly used by wholesale dealers. There was another fire in the Manish Market in November last year which gutted around 300 shops. The report on that fire is still awaited. Sabotage was suspected at that time.

Honorary Doctorate

Odisha institute to confer hony. doctorate on Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, has decided to confer an honorary doctorate on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her 'outstanding' political career. "The chief ninister has agreed to accept the honour from our institute and it will be conferred on her at a special convocation," Founder Director of KIIT and Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS) Dr Achyuta Samanta said here today after meeting the CM.

Car bombing

Car bombing near Baghdad International Zone kills seven

At least seven people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack near the heavily-guarded International Zone in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, officials say. The explosion took place in the morning rush hour at a checkpoint near the 14 July bridge over the River Tigris, which leads to the Karrada district. Three security personnel were among the dead and an MP was reportedly injured.

The International Zone, formerly known as the Green Zone, is the location of most government offices and embassies. "Cars were lining up waiting to be searched at the checkpoint that leads to the Green Zone and suddenly a speeding car exploded nearby," a police source who was on patrol told the Reuters news agency. "Some people died inside cars and I saw two soldiers lying on the ground. We immediately closed the area," the source added. The AFP news agency said MP Habib Hamza al-Turfi was among the 24 people who were hurt by the blast. The attack comes just over a week since more than 100 people were killed in a series of bomb attacks in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad. Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda are believed to have been behind them.

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ICC ODI

Kohli wins ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year Award

Colombo, India's Virat Kohli was today named the ODI Cricketer of the Year at the ICC annual awards function here. Kohli won the award for his consistent performance over the last 12 months during which he amassed runs all over the world and against almost all the countries India played. During the last one year, Kohli played 31 ODIs and scored 1733 runs at an outstanding average of 66.65, including eight hundreds and six half-centuries. His highest score was 183, against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

"I think I have tried to keep things as simple as possible and it's worked for me on the field," Kohli said. "This year has been a learning curve along the way from the seniors in the team. It's been an all-round effort and I'm very happy to have won this award. "It's always nice to be recognised by the ICC and it's a great feeling and it's the first time I've won one of these awards and it feels great," he added.

In the 50-over format, Kohli has so far scored 3886 runs from 90 matches at an average of 51.81. In Test cricket, he has scored 703 runs from 10 matches at an average of 41.35. He has two centuries and five fifties, with 116 being his best.

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Nationwide Strike

NDA to hold nationwide strike on Sept 20 against diesel price hike and FDI in retail, says BJP leader L K Advani. NDA strikes against economic reforms, calls for Bharat bandh

The National Democratic Alliance has called for a nationwide shutdown on September 20 to protest against the government's decision to hike diesel prices and allow foreign investment in the retail sector. The BJP-led alliance has opposed the government's new round of economic reforms, claiming that these will affect the common man.

The Samajwadi Party, TDP, BJD, the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and the Left parties will seprately hold nationwide protests on Sep 20 against the economic reforms. In what could turn out to be the seeds of a possible Third Front, leaders of eight parties called for "hartals, picketing, demonstrations and court arrest programmes" that day.

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Fighter Sindhu bows out of China Masters

Fighter Sindhu bows out of China Masters

Changzhou (China), Rising Indian shuttler P V Sindhu's giant-killing spree came to a halt after she went down fighting to world number nine Jiang Yanjiao in the women's singles semifinals of the Li Ning China Masters Super Series badminton tournament here today. The 17-year-old, who created a flutter yesterday by beating Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the quarterfinals, lost 10-21 21-14 19-21 to home favourite Yanjiao in an hour and six minutes.

The first game lasted just 14 minutes and Sindhu was thoroughly outplayed with Yanjiao reeling off seven consecutive points to clinch the initiative. There weren't too many smashes or delicate net volleys on display in the opening game as the two players relied on each other's errors to score. In the second game, Sindhu roared back by taking a 6-0 lead first up. It was a marked change from the first game as Sindhu seemed more confident in her stroke-play whether it was the baseline or closer to the net.

The Indian took 23 minutes to eventually prevail 21-14, which included five smashes and an equal number of winners from the net.

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Obama

US will never tolerate attack on its citizens: Obama

From Lalit K Jha

Washington, President Barack Obama today warned that his administration will "never tolerate" attack on US citizens and assured his fellow countrymen that those who attack Americans will find no escape from justice. In his weekly address to the nation, Obama made it clear that as Commander-in-Chief he will never tolerate efforts to harm Americans and will ensure that those who attack them find no escape from justice. Obama's tough message to those who indulge in anti-US attacks came a day after he received bodies of four Americans who were killed in an attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, which included US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.

"As we mourn their loss, we must also send a clear and resolute message to the world: those who attack our people will find no escape from justice. We will not waver in their pursuit. And we will never allow anyone to shake the resolve of the United States of America," Obama said. "We stand for religious freedom. And we reject the denigration of any religion – including Islam," he said. "There is never any justification for violence. There is no religion that condones the targeting of innocent men and women. There is no excuse for attacks on our embassies and consulates. And so long as I am Commander-in-Chief, the United States will never tolerate efforts to harm our fellow Americans," Obama said.

"We are doing whatever we can to protect Americans who are serving abroad. We are in contact with governments around the globe, to strengthen our cooperation, and underscore that every nation has a responsibility to help us protect our people," he said a day after attacks on US missions in several Arab countries over a film deemed offensive to Islam. "We have moved forward with an effort to see that justice is done for those we lost, and we will not rest until that work is done," he said.

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Woman locked by husband in house rescued

New Delhi, A 32-year-old woman, who was locked inside her house allegedly by her husband for several days, was today rescued by police at Jaitpur. The woman, Kavita, a mother of three, appeared to be deprived of food. Her family alleged that they were not allowed to meet her for the past three months.

Her mother had gone to her house three months ago, but her husband Deepak allegedly did not allow her to meet. Kavita's mother yesterday telephoned a neighbour to enquire about her. The neighbour, the family claimed, told them that they had not seen her for the past two-three months. Following this, her family today came to her residence and called police. Police then took the woman, a patient of tuberculosis, to a hospital where she is undergoing treatment.

No case was registered till late evening. Police said the woman's husband claimed that he was giving her medicines and used to take her to hospital too. He handed over to police medicine bills. A senior police official said they were questioning why he had locked her up.