Goods Train Derailment

Derailment of goods train disrupts train movement

New Delhi, A goods train derailed near Palwal in Haryana, disrupting the services of more than a dozen trains. However, no one was injured in the derailment. "A wagon and engine of a goods train derailed near Palwal following which we had to cancel some trains and divert a few," a Northern Railway spokesperson said. Rail traffic was restored by 11 AM, he said. Five trains including Ferozpur-Mumbai Express and Amritsar-Mumbai Golden Temple Express were diverted towards Ghaziabad-Tundla-Agra section while six trains including Agra-Palwal passenger and Mathura-Ghaziabad passenger trains were cancelled. Timings of six trains including Niazamuddin-Coimbator Express and Nizamuddin-Yashwantpur Karnataka Express were also rescheduled because of the incident.

Indian beat Pakistan to lift Asia Cup

Guangzhou (China), The Indian women's cricket team lifted the inaugural Asian Cricket Council's Twenty20 Asia Cup after beating arch-rivals Pakistan by 18 runs in a low-scoring final here today. India's decision to bat first seemed to have backfired when the team folded for 81 but the bowlers did a splendid job to dismiss Pakistan to 63 in 19.1 overs.

What was particularly impressive about the Indian bowlers was their discipline, giving away just a couple of wides from 19.1 overs, which they took to bowl out their opponents. "So happy for the girls even though I'm disappointed not to have played because of my ankle. Winning this Asia Cup is a great achievement and what's been special is how our team has become like a family over the years, everyone contributes and plays for each other," said an elated skipper Mithali Raj, who could not be a part of the team today.

Electing to bat first, Indian women did not have an good beginning as they lost both their openers within the first couple of overs. Anuja Patil was the first one to be shown the way to the pavillion by Sadia Yousuf. Sulakshana Naik soon followed suit to leave India tottering at two for four.

Petrol, diesel prices

Petrol, diesel prices up marginally on dealer commission hike

New Delhi, Petrol price was today hiked by 29 paise per litre and diesel by 20 paise after government decided to increase commission paid to petrol pump dealers.   Petrol in Delhi from today costs Rs 68.19 per litre as against Rs 67.90 previously. Similarly, diesel rates have been hiked to Rs 47.15 per litre from Rs 46.95, industry sources said. Rates will vary in states due to differential in local sales tax or VAT rates. Petrol price hike varies from 29 paise to 37 paise (in Bangalore), while diesel rates vary from 20 paise to 24 paise a litre.

The Petroleum Ministry late last night issued orders increasing the dealers commission on petrol from Rs 1.49 per litre to Rs 1.78 a litre. The same on diesel has been hiked by 17.7 paise -- from 91 paise to Rs 1.08. After taking into account the incidence on VAT, the hike in diesel comes to 20 paise, sources said. Sources said the decision to hike dealers commission was taken on Thursday but orders were issued only last night. The increase in dealers commission is first since July 2011. During that period, the commission was hiked by 28 paise on petrol and by 15.5 paise on diesel.

Federation of All India Petroleum Traders General Secretary Ajay Bansal said the hike falls short of their demand for 67 paise increase in commission on petrol and 42 paise on diesel considering steep hike in operating cost of a petrol pump. "Few of our operating costs like running pumps on generators, free services (like air and water) and increase in evaporation, seem to have not been taken into account while calculating the proposed commission," Bansal said. The Ministry, he said, has assured to look into these in two months time.

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

No wrongdoing in holding IRB shares

No wrongdoing in holding IRB shares, says Pawar

Chennai, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today denied any wrongdoing over him holding IRB shares. "If me or my wife had purchased shares of one particular company and sold it next year, I don't understand how I am answerable for that. Anyone can do that. Anyone can buy shares in any company," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Reacting to reports in this regard, he alleged the media was "going to that level," and said he was sorry to say that. Reports in a section of media had said Pawar had held 1,000 shares in BJP President Nitin Gadkari-linked Ideal Road Builders (IRB) as on March 31, 2011. Pawar declined to respond to allegations of irregularities surrounding Gadkari.

Andhra Pradesh

One child dead, another injured during TV serial shooting in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: A five-year-old boy has died and a girl has been seriously injured during the shooting of a television serial in Andhra Pradesh.

Police sources have said that during the shooting of 'Indrani' this morning, a female actor driving a car accidentally hit a footpath and then ran over the children. The police are investigating whether she had a valid driver's licence.

The actor and some other crew members have been taken into police custody. A case will be registered against her under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly causing death due to negligence, a senior police official has said. Both the children were reportedly bystanders. The girl who was injured has been moved to hospital.

The accident took place in a residential area of Chandanagar in Cyberabad reportedly while a stunt was being performed. Several reports say the crew had not sought permission from local authorities.

Sun TV Network

Sun TV Network wins new IPL franchise bid

Mumbai, Sun TV Network won the Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League for an amount of Rs 85.05 crores per year, putting an end to the process of finding a new team in the wake of the controversial termination of cash-strapped Deccan Chargers. The IPL Governing Council met here today to open the bids
for the new IPL franchise and Sun TV was found to have the highest bid amount.

"SUN TV Network have won the Hyderabad Franchise for an amount of Rs 85.05 crores per year. This Franchise fee represents a premium of over a 100 % above the amount paid by DCHL for the Hyderabad Franchise in 2008," BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a release. "The SUN TV Network bid was substantially higher than the second bid of PVP Ventures, which was Rs 69.03 crores," Jagdale said.

The BCCI had floated the tenders for a new IPL franchise after terminating Deccan Chargers' contract on September 15 but the team owners DCHL had challenged it at the Bombay High Court. The High Court had ruled in favour of the BCCI after Deccan Chargers Holdings Limited failed to furnish bank guarantee of Rs 100 crore before October 12 5pm deadline. Later, an arbitrator had ordered for status quo but the High Court again ruled in favour of the Board.

DCHL then approached the Supreme Court which, however, declined on October 19 to interfere with the High Court decision which had set aside the status quo order passed by the arbitrator.

Sunil Gavaskar - Lifetime achievement award

Sunil Gavaskar to receive BCCI's lifetime achievement award

Mumbai: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar will be conferred the Col C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award at the annual BCCI awards function. The BCCI's Col C K Nayudu Award Committee met here on Friday and decided to confer the honour on the legendary opener, a release from BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said. The award comprises a trophy, citation and a cheque for Rs. 25 lakh. Gavaskar will receive the honour at the BCCI Awards Ceremony, to be held shortly.

Gavaskar represented India in 125 Tests from 1970-71 to 1986-87, scoring a record 774 runs in his debut series in the West Indies. He was the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Tests, and the first to play 100 consecutive Tests. He was the first batsman to score hundreds in each innings of a Test thrice and was the first batsman to surpass Sir Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries.

He led India in 47 Tests and his greatest triumph as captain was India's victory in the World Championship of Cricket, a limited-overs tournament featuring all the then Test-playing nations, in 1984-85. Post retirement, he became a cricket expert. He was also the chairman of the BCCI's Technical Committee, and the chairman of the ICC's Cricket Committee. Meanwhile, the committee has also decided to honour seven individuals posthumously with Special Award for their outstanding contribution to Indian cricket.

The yesteryear cricketers -- Vijay Merchant, Vinoo Mankad, Dattu Phadkar, Vijay Manjrekar, Ghulam Ahmed, M L Jaisimha and Dilip Sardesai -- will receive a trophy and cheque of Rs. 15 lakh at the award ceremony. It has been learnt that the ceremony will take place in Mumbai on November 21, two days before the commencement of the second India-England Test at the Wankhede Stadium.

Saina Nehwal

Saina enters quarterfinals of French Open

London Olympics bronze medallist shuttler, Saina Nehwal notched up a comfortable straight-game victory over Thailand’s Sapsiree Taerattanachai at the French Open Super Series here today and stayed on course for her second successive title after Denmark Open triumph last week. The 22-year-old from Hyderabad, who had won her maiden Denmark Open title last Sunday, looked in control throughout the second round match against Sapsiree and prevailed 21-16 21-13 in a 37-minute women’s singles event to move into the quarterfinals.

The top seeded Indian rode on her eight smash winners and 12 clear winners to claim her second victory over world number 27 Sapsiree. Saina had beaten her in the All England Championship in March this year.
Saina, who jumped one place to reach the third spot in the latest world badminton ranking today, initially engaged in a fierce battle with the Thai girl, before opening up a narrow four—point lead midway at 12—8.

Sapsiree clawed back at 13-13 but Saina soon reeled off five straight points to extend the gap, which the Thai girl failed to bridge. In the second game, Saina didn’t allow Sapsiree any chance to cut down the lead as she dominated right from the start. From 4-1, the Indian consistently surged ahead. Saina is likely to take on another Thai girl in seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon, who will face Indonesia’s Aprilla Yuswandari in another pre-quarterfinal match. Intanon, who won the World Junior Champion for three consecutive years in 2009, 2010 and 2011, is one of the fastest rising shuttlers in world badminton. The world number 10 Thai holds a 1-3 record against Saina. She had beaten the Indian once in 2011 Sudirman Cup.

Princess engaged

Sweden’s Princess engaged to her US boyfriend

Swedish Princess Madeleine has become engaged to her U.S. boyfriend Chris O’Neill and the couple plan to marry next year, the royal court said Thursday. “Chris proposed to me in the beginning of October,” the princess said in an interview posted on the palace website, adding that the wedding was planned “sometime in the summer of 2013.” King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia said they were “very happy” over the news, as were Madeleine’s siblings Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip, and O’Neill’s mother, Eva Maria.

The king had consented to the engagement and has sought approval from the government in accordance with the procedures set out in the Swedish constitution, the palace said. The couple have been dating for two years and live in New York. O’Neill, 38, who has US and British citizenship, is a banker. He was born in London and has five half-sisters. His father, Paul, died in 2004. Madeleine, 30, is the youngest of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s three children.

The princess works for the World Childhood Foundation (WCF), a charity set up by the queen. She moved to New York after she broke off a previous engagement to a Swedish lawyer in 2010. “For the time being we will continue to live in New York due to both of our current obligations. However, we will not exclude the possibility of moving to Sweden in due course,” Madeleine said. Madeleine is fourth in line to the Swedish throne after her older sister, Crown Princess Victoria, Victoria’s daughter Estelle, and Prince Carl Philip — brother of Victoria and Madeleine.

Earth Quake

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits off Taiwan

Taipei: A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck off southern Taiwan on Thursday, the island's Seismology Center said, but there were no reports of any damage or casualties. The tremor, which was felt across the south of the island, struck at 6:31pm (1031 GMT), 22.1 kilometres (13.73 miles) south of the island's second biggest city Kaohsiung, at a depth of 33.0 kilometres under the sea, the centre said.

Seismologists attributed the lack of damage caused to the quake's relatively deep epicentre.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes.

A 5.9-magnitude quake in February sent people rushing onto the streets of the island's second-largest city of Kaohsiung and led to a temporary suspension of rail services, but no major damage was reported.

In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's recent history.

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CLT20

CLT20: Mumbai Indians fined for slow over rate against Chennai Super Kings

The Mumbai Indians were fined for not being able to bowl the required number of overs in the stipulated time during the match against the Chennai Super Kings in Johannesburg, a media release said.

Despite all allowances been taken into consideration, the Mumbai Indians were assessed to be one over short of the required rate.

Mumbai Indians captain, Harbhajan Singh, received a US$ 1500 fine while each player was fined US$ 750.

If Mumbai repeats this offence during its next game of the tournament, a one-match ban will be imposed on Harbhajan.

The Mumbai Indians lost their match by six runs and will now face the Sydney Sixers in their final group match in Durban on Monday. Mumbai, though, are already out of the competition while Sydney were the first ones through to the semis.

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Blast near police station

Blast near police station in Damascus, 10 killed

Damascus: An explosion hit the Old City of Damascus on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens of other civilians, Syrian activists said. It came as President Bashar Assad discussed the civil war in his country with visiting UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. The blast targeted a police station in the Bab Touma neighbourhood, a Syrian official said, insisting on anonymity because he is not allowed to make press statements.

Bab Touma, a popular attraction for shoppers, is inhabited mostly by members of Syria's Christian minority. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the death toll. It said it was not immediately clear if the victims were civilians or policemen. But it described the blast as "strong" and said ambulances and police cars were rushing to the area. No other details were immediately available.

Brahimi, who represents the UN and the Arab League, met with Assad in another part of the capital. Brahimi has appealed for a truce between Assad's forces and rebels for the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which begins October 26. Brahimi arrived in Damascus on Friday after a tour of Middle East capitals to drum up support for the cease-fire, which he hopes will pave the way for a longer-term truce.

A range of countries including Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Germany have thrown their support behind the idea, but neither the Syrian government nor the rebels have signed on. Brahimi met Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Saturday. A Foreign Ministry statement released after the meeting did not mention the proposed truce, but said the two men discussed "objective and rational circumstances to stop the violence from any side in order to prepare for a comprehensive dialogue among the Syrians."

Syrian government forces and rebels have both agreed to and then promptly violated internationally brokered cease-fires in the past, and there is little indication that either is willing to stop fighting now.

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Denmark Open

Saina Nehwal beats Juliane Schenk; wins Denmark Open

Saina Wins the Denmark Open 21-17, 21-8. Just 35 minutes of play. 6th premier title for her and second of the year after Indonesian Open.This is Saina's 16th international title overall of which she has won 6 premier titles. 2 premier titles were won in 2012, the other being Indonesian Open Super Series. Both players are on court now and practicing/ warming-up for the title clash. Saina has not lost a game in this tournament so far and would love it to be that way even now. The men's doubles final is over now and Saina Nehwal and Juliane Schenk should be on court anytime now.

The match is just some time away now as the men's doubles final between Korea and Malaysia is on now and they are into the last game of the match. Saina Nehwal may have had a lucky route through to the final after world number 1 Yihan Wang retired during the semi-final but others may argue that she anyway was leading the match comfortably. Anyway, the semis are out of the way and it is time to concentrate on the finals now against German Juliane Schenk, who is number 7 in the Badminton World Federation rankings as against Saina's fourth. The Indian leads in the head-to-head record though with 5-3 advantage over Schenk.

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Indian Boat Seized

Pakistan agency apprehends 13 Indian fishermen and seize 12 boats

Jamnagar, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 13 Indian fishermen and seized 12 boats, a fishermen's body said today. PMSA yesterday confronted 13 Indian fishing trawlers with 76 fishermen in the international waters off Zakhau Coast. Later, it apprehended 13 fishermen and 12 Indian boats, taking them away to Karachi, National Fish Workers' Forum's national secretary Manish Lodhari.

"However, the PMSA let off a boat with 63 fishermen, who reached the port of Okha here today and informed us about the abduction of 13 Indian fishermen and 12 boats," he said. Lodhari, who is also the Porbandar Boats Association's secretary, said that fishermen apprehended by Pakistan were from Porbandar, Mangrol and Vanakbar regions. The Indian Coast Guard, marine police, and district authorities have been informed about the incident.

Nigeria violence

At least 24 dead after northeast Nigeria violence

Maiduguri: Officials said that at least 24 people were killed in a northeast Nigerian city following a night where explosions and gunfire echoed throughout the area after an apparent attack by a radical Islamist sect.

A worker at Borno State Specialist Hospital told The Associated Press on Tuesday that soldiers dropped off 24 bodies there following the attack on Monday. The worker said the military identified the dead as Boko Haram members and that many of the corpses were dressed in the long robes favored by the sect.

The worker spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of angering either the military or the sect. A military spokesman later said a single soldier was wounded in the attack, though witnesses around the neighbourhood said they saw more military casualties.

Odisha CM Naveen

Odisha CM Naveen turns 67

Bhubaneswar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today celebrated his 67th birth day in a simple manner receiving flowers from well wishers, official sources said. Patnaik, who was born to Gyan Patnaik and Biju Patnaik on October 16, 1946 at Cuttack, also attended office as usual and held meetings.

Ministers, MLAs, political leaders, school and college students along with people from different walks of life congratulated Patnaik on the day. "I am glad that people wished me on the day. I pray God to keep everybody happy in Odisha," Patnaik said.

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Jharkhand

5 killed in road accident in Jharkhand

Khunti (Jharkhand), Five persons were today killed and three others injured when two vehicles collided in Khunti district, the police said here.

The collision between a truck and a Bolero occurred at Jorapool on the Khunti-Ranchi road, Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar said. Four died on the spot while one succumbed to injuries on way to hospital, he said. All the victims were occupants of the car, which was travelling to Lapung from Ranchi. 

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Sending porno multimedia messages may soon invite prison term

New Delhi, Soon, sending a pornographic multimedia message and emails may land you in jail for a maximum period of three years. The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved amendments to the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act (IRWA), 1986 which also proposes to slap hefty fines on persons found guilty of such acts. "The amendments broaden the scope of the law to cover the audio-visual media and material in electronic form," an official statement said here. The amendments were necessitated as the current act covers only the print media.

The changes also enhance the amount of fine to be slapped against persons found guilty of such acts from Rs 2,000 to a minimum of Rs 50,000 going upto Rs one lakh for the first conviction. In case of repeat of the offence, the imprisonment may extend to seven years and a fine between Rs one lakh and Rs five lakh for second conviction. Police officers not below the rank of Inspectors are authorised to carry out search and seizure, in addition to State and Central Government officers authorised by the State or Central Government, it said.

These amendments seek to ensure that more effective protection is provided against indecent representation of women by covering newer forms of communication like Internet, multimedia messaging, beyond the print and audio-visual media, it said. "This would aid in addressing the problem of increased objectification of women thereby ensuring dignity of women," the release said.

The IRWA was enacted with the specific objective of prohibiting the indecent representation of women through advertisement, publication, writing, and painting or in any other manner, the official release said. However, over the years, technological revolution has resulted in the development of newer forms of communication such as Internet and satellite based communication, multi-media messaging, cable television, it said. It has, therefore, become imperative to widen the scope of the law so as to cover such forms of media, on one hand, and to strengthen the existing safeguards to prevent indecent representation of women through any such form, the release said. Extensive consultations were held with stakeholders including lawyers and civil society organisations on the draft Bill, before its finalisation, it said.

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Virender Sehwag

Sehwag clears fitness test, to play Champions League T20

Senior opener Virender Sehwag will play in Delhi Daredevils’ opening Champions League Twenty20 encounter against IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Centurion on Saturday after he cleared the fitness test here today.

Sehwag had suffered a ligament strain on his left ankle during India’s final Super Eights game against South Africa in Colombo recently. “Virender Sehwag today appeared for a fitness test which was conducted by Kirk Russell. He cleared the test and was declared fit to play in the tournament from the start,” a Delhi Daredevils official told.

Sehwag today also played a warm-up game against Sydney Sixers. However the practice match didn’t go along expected lines for the out-of-form opener as he was yorked for nought by pacer Josh Hazlewood as Daredevils managed only 107 against the Big Bash champions. Daredevils captain Mahela Jayawardene and star opener David Warner however didn’t play the game. While Warner was rested, Jayawardene had an appointment with the dentist and was unavailable for the match.

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Nobel Prize in Literature

2012 Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Mo Yan

Stockholm: The 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Chinese writer Mo Yan.

Literature is one of the most talked-about and emotion-stirring categories of the prestigious awards.

The Swedish Academy revealed the winner at its headquarters in Stockholm's Old Town.

Keith Campbell

Clone scientist who helped create Dolly the sheep dies

London: Professor Keith Campbell, one of the scientists who helped clone Dolly the sheep, has died at the age of 58, it was announced on Thursday. Mr Campbell, who died last Friday, had led the scientific research into the creation of Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute in 1996.

Ian Wilmut, who led the team and became known as the sheep's creator, was reported to have said that Mr Campbell deserved 66 per cent of the credit for his contribution. Mr Campbell started working at the institute in 1991 and left in 1999 when he became a Professor of Animal Development at the University of Nottingham, Edinburgh Evening News reported.

A spokesman for the university confirmed his death on Thursday, though he did not specify the cause of death. Since Dolly, research into animal cloning has developed rapidly. Cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, dogs and cats have all been cloned, as well as laboratory animals such as mice and rats.

Last month, the team involved in creating Dolly were reunited when they appeared on BBC Radio 4's Reunion show. Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell, Bill Ritchie, Marjorie Ritchie and John Bracken, who is said to have named Dolly after popular country singer Dolly Parton, all took part. Dolly started her life in a test tube before the embryo was transferred into a surrogate mother six days later.

She was born on July 6, 1996, but the scientific development was not made public until the following year, to allow the results to be prepared. Dolly went on to successfully produce six lambs, the first being Bonny in 1998.

Dengue Cases

33 fresh dengue cases in Delhi, virus hits 330

New Delhi, 33 fresh cases of dengue were reported in the national capital, taking the total number of those hit by the virus to 330. Of the 33 new cases, one was reported from outside Delhi while the others were reported from South, North and East Delhi municipality areas. Except Narela and City Zones, all the other zones in the city reported fresh cases today, as per figures from all three MCDs.

Out of the 330 cases, five cases have been reported from outside Delhi. A nine-year-old girl died due to dengue last month. Last year, the capital saw 216 cases of dengue, including eight originating from outside, and three deaths. In 2010, there were 4,108 cases, including 24 from outside, and five deaths while the figures for 2009 were 29 dengue cases but no deaths. In 2008, there were 550 cases and two deaths.

80 more dengue cases in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: At least 80 people in Odisha have tested positive for dengue in the last couple of days, taking the total number of those affected by the disease in the state to 1,707 this year, an official said on Thursday.

The death toll due to the outbreak has, however, remained at four with no new death reported from any part of the state, MM Pradhan, joint director of the state health department, said. Majority of the latest cases were reported from the worst hit districts of Balasore and Ganjam, he said, adding the patients were receiving treatments at home.

Mr Pradhan said that trained volunteers were carrying out awareness campaigns in the affected areas. At least 33 people were killed, mostly in the Talcher area of Angul district, by the viral disease last year. This year, however, the number of patients reported from this region has remained negligible, Mr Pradhan said.

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Miraculous escape

Miraculous escape for 25 as portion of bus hangs in air

Udhagamandalam (TN), Around 25 passengers had a miraculous escape when a bus overshot a parapet wall on a ghat road and its front portion hung precariously in air over a 300-feet deep gorge. The driver of the state-owned transport corporation bus lost control and hit the parapet wall after the central axle rod of the vehicle snapped on Manjoor road near Parali in Tamil Nadu's hilly Nilgiris District, police said.

However, the bus, proceeding to Manjoor from Coimbatore, came to a halt after the broken axle hit the wall leading to the front portion of the bus hanging in air. The passengers and driver moved cautiously towards the rear side and got down safely.

Had the bus not come to a halt, it could have plunged into the 300 feet deep gorge, resulting in casualties, they added. Transport officials were making efforts to retrieve the bus.

Nobel Prize for Physics

Serge Haroche, David Wineland win 2012 Nobel Prize for Physics

Stockholm: French scientist Serge Haroche and American David Wineland won the 2012 Nobel Prize for physics for work in quantum physics, the prize committee said on Tuesday.

"The Nobel laureates have opened the door to a new era of experimentation with quantum physics by demonstrating the direct observation of individual quantum particles without destroying them," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement on the award of the 8 million crown prize.

Physics is the second of this year's crop of awards. The prizes, which reward achievements in science, literature and peace, were first awarded in 1901 in accordance with the will of Swedish dynamite millionaire Alfred Nobel.

Greenfield Airports

Govt planning to build 10-15 greenfield airports


New Delhi, Giving a push to aviation infrastructure development, Government is planning to build 10-15 greenfield airports and modernising 50 others in the non-metro cities over the next few years. "About 50 non-metro airports are being modernised within the next two years and overall 10-15 new greenfield airports are being planned," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters on the sidelines of the 49th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation of Asia-Pacific region here.

Maintaining that the civil aviation sector in India was witnessing an annual growth of nine per cent, he said, "We expect a double digit growth in air traffic in the next few years." Asked about the basis of his assessment, Singh said, "The huge middle class is growing, trade is growing and India should achieve at least six per cent GDP growth now. There may have been a temporary setback as we see a decline now, but air traffic is expected to grow substantially." Earlier addressing the conference, he said the government had initiated a major process of modernising existing airports and developing greenfield ones "through a mixed strategy of public sector, private sector, joint ventures and public- private partnership" to accommodate the growing air traffic.

While airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad had been built with private sector participation, "new airports are ready for commissioning in Chennai and Kolkata very soon," he said, adding that the government now permits up to 100 per cent FDI in greenfield airports. More >>

School children get food poisoning

24 school children get food poisoning

Ballia (UP), Twenty four students of a madarsa fell ill after consuming some eatable in a fair here, official sources said today. The incident took place when the students of Darook Uloom Ubadia in Kotwari village in Rasda area ate some item in a fair last night and started complaining of uneasiness and vomiting this morning, they said.

Chief Medical Officer P K Singh said the students were rushed to hospital, where their condition was improving. A team of health officials also visited the madarsa to take stock of the situation, which was normal, police said.

Indonesia

Quake of 6.3 magnitude strikes off eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

The quake struck 100 miles southeast of the city of Ambon, at a depth of 21.6 miles, the USGS said.
An Indonesian meteorological service official said no tsunami was generated.

Northwest Mexico

6.0 earthquake strikes off northwest Mexico - USGS 

LONDON (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck in the Gulf of California off the Mexican coast early on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with initial reports suggesting it caused no casualties or significant damage.

The quake was centred 57 miles (92 km) southwest of Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Mexico, at a depth of 6.3 miles, USGS estimates showed.

According to Mexico's national seismology institute, the quake measured 5.7 and was centred 99 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of Ahome, Sinaloa. It struck at 0526 GMT.

"We felt a tremor, the building shock and we went outside, that was all," said a local police officer in Los Mochis. "There is no damage to buildings and everything is normal." He knew of no injuries.

"We felt it hard, and it shook the building like we've never felt before," said Rafael Ines, an editor at Los Mochis paper El Debate. "It was a pretty hardcore shake."

Petrol price

Petrol price to fall by 56 paise

State-owned retailer Indian Oil on Monday announced a 56 paisa cut in the price of petrol prices effective midnight tonight. The reduction comes as the appreciation of rupee against the US dollar has helped state firms make profit on the fuel.

“Presently, the INR-USD exchange rate has shown an appreciating trend. The international oil prices, however, continue to remain firm casting their shadow on prices. There has been significant volatility in international oil prices and the exchange rate. The trends in the international oil market and the exchange rate shall be closely monitored and the same shall be reflected in future price changes,” the retailer said in a release.

Petrol price was last revised on July 24 when it was raised by 70 paise to Rs. 68.48 per litre in Delhi. It was last cut on June 3 when rates were reduced by Rs. 2.02 per litre.

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Sudanese military plane crashes

Geneina is south-west of Fasher, on Darfur's border with Chad

A Sudanese military plane has crashed outside the capital, Khartoum, killing some 13 people, officials say. The Russian-made Antonov was travelling from Khartoum to Fasher in the conflict-riven region of Darfur. The plane made an emergency landing after trying to turn back to the air base in Khartoum because of mechanical problems, a military spokesman said.

Some nine people were rescued from the crash site west of the capital, he told state TV. "Five minutes into the flight... the pilot radioed that one engine had stopped working," army spokesman Col al-Sawarmi Khalid told the BBC. "Shortly afterwards, he reported that a second engine on the same side (wing) had broken down, which made the plane unbalanced. He said he would make an emergency landing." There have been a number of deadly plane crashes in Sudan in recent years. In August, a civilian plane crashed in a southern state, killing more than 30 people including a government minister.

The authorities say it is hard to get spare parts because of US sanctions against Khartoum. Government forces are still involved in clashes with rebels in Darfur, where a civil war broke out in 2003, though violence in the western region has fallen from its peak.
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LD ACCIDENT

5 killed, 13 injured in accident in JK

Jammu, Five persons, including three women, were today killed while six others injured when their vehicle collided with a truck on Jammu-Poonch highway in Rajouri district.

The deceased belonged to a family in Palmar area of Rajouri and had gone to attend a religious function in Vijaypur area of Samba district, said Mubassir Latifee Superintendent of Police Rajouri. Injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
According to the police the collision occurred after two wheels of the vehicle carrying pilgrims came out on highway at Barkad area near Sunderbani. More >>

Jayawardene quits as Twenty20 captain

Andrew Fernando in Colombo

Matches: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Colombo (RPS) 

Teams: Sri Lanka 
 
Mahela Jayawardene has resigned as Sri Lanka's Twenty20 captain, soon after his team lost the final of the World Twenty20 against West Indies in Colombo. He said he will remain captain of the ODI and Test teams until at least the end of Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in January, and remains available for Twenty20 selection.

"I had a chat to the selectors before this tournament started. I was going to step down from T20 captaincy after this World Cup," Jayawardene said. "I personally feel that for Sri Lanka going forward we need a younger leader. It's a great opportunity for somebody to start in that T20 format. I've spoken to the selectors and they were quite happy with that choice."

Vice captain Angelo Mathews has been groomed for captaincy over the past 18 months, and is the obvious candidate to take the reins in the shortest format.

Jayawardene, 35, had given up the captaincy in all formats in 2009, but resumed leadership when Tillkaratne Dilshan quit the post in January this year. In his second stint at the helm, Jayawardene has seen himself as an interim captain until the younger crop of Sri Lanka players are ready to step into leadership. In addition to Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara has also led the side in recent years, before resigning after Sri Lanka's World Cup final loss in 2011. "I took over till the Australia tour, so I'll assess what I want to do after that," Jayawardene said.

Andrew Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's correspondent in Sri Lanka

CAUVERY-LD KTK 5 LAST

Meanwhile Central Water Commission Chief Engineer K C Jacob told reporters that they   have toured the Cauvery basin and farmers have expressed fears of shortage of water for standing crops. "There is problem in the Cauvery in Karnataka."

He said the team would submit its report with bare facts within two days to the Cauvery River Authority (CRA). The Cauvery Monitoring Committee is scheduled to meet in Delhi on October eight. The Team in their last leg visited Hemavathi basin, including Holenarasipura in Hassan district to assess the situation.

The team yesterday visited Mandya, KRS and heard views of farmers. Jacob said the team would submit its report to the centre in about two days.

Agartala Express

Gunmen fire at Agartala Express in Assam

 Haflong, Unidentified gunmen early this morning fired at the down Agartala Express train near Bagetar railway station in central Assam's Dima Hasao district but there was no report of any injury or casualty, police sources said.

The gunmen fired from nearby hills on the Agartala-bound train from Lumding near the station under Haflong police station at around 4 am, the sources said. No one was injured or any damage caused to the train by the firing, the sources said. Police and security forces rushed to the site and launched a manhunt to track out the attackers.

Himachal candidates

Cong to release Himachal candidates' list tomorrow

New Delhi, Congress will release its first list of candidates for coming Himachal Pradesh assembly elections tomorrow after a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee chaired by Sonia Gandhi. The party's State Election Committee chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has already evolved a consensus and recommended names of 45 candidates for the poll, which includes 19 sitting MLAs.

BJP has already released its first list of 45 candidates. Congress and BJP are pitched in a direct contest in the hill state. Congress has already announced it would not declare its Chief ministerial candidate for the elections, while BJP is projecting Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal as its choice for the top post once again. Sources say that after delimitation, a number of candidates and sitting MLAs are facing problems. Among these is PCC President and former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh whose Rohru constituency has been wiped out in delimitation exercise.

Singh, a five-time Chief Minister, is understood to be keen to contest from Shimla (Rural) assembly seat this time. Sources say some other MLAs are also facing similar problems and are not getting alternative constituencies of their choice.

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Sania-Nuria

Sania-Nuria in China Open semis; Bhupathi-Bopanna in quarters

 Beijing: Sania Mirza and her partner Nuria Llagostera Vives progressed to the China Open semifinals after coming from behind to pip Julia Goerges and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, on Thursday. The fifth seed Indo-Spanish pair overcame the fighting German-Czech pair 4-6, 6-4, 16-14 in one hour and 34 minutes in the quarter-finals.

Sania and Nuria were profligate as they squandered as many as eight breakpoints in the first set before conceding lead. They lost serve in the second set too but broke the rivals twice to draw parity and stretch the issue to the match tie-breaker, which was a tight affair.

At the men's competition, running simultaneously, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have reached the quarter-finals after scoring a dominating 6-3 6-0 win over Chinese wild card pair of Mao-Xin Gong and Zhang Ze.

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Dhoni & Co.

Dhoni & Co. return from Sri Lanka New Delhi:

The India team returned home on Wednesday evening after being knocked out of the World T20 in Sri Lanka. The team departed early in the day for Chennai, from where the players took different flights back home. While Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh are headed for Mumbai later in the evening, skipper MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli flew for Delhi.

Despite winning four out of five matches during their World T20 campaign, Dhoni & Co. lost out on net run rate to Australia and Pakistan in the Super 8 stage and failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

Pro-Hezbollah

Seven killed in blasts in pro-Hezbollah east Lebanon: Official Baalbek,

Lebanon: At least seven people were killed and four injured in a series of blasts on Wednesday that rocked an area of the Hezbollah-controlled Bekaa valley, a Lebanon security official said.

 Residents of the area said the blasts hit an arms stockpile. Citing "several explosions," the security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not confirm the origin of the blasts.

 Earlier on Wednesday, residents said an arms stockpile in the Hezbollah-controlled area was hit by a blast.

Taj Arabia

Dubai to build own '4 times bigger' Taj Mahal in just 2 yrs!

Manama, Oct. 4: Developers in Dubai are reportedly planning to construct a replica of the famous Taj Mahal, which would be over four times bigger than the original monument.

Developers said that Taj Arabia, an imitation of the 360-year-old marble mausoleum that took Mughal emperor Shah Jahan almost 22 years to build, would be constructed in a span of just two years. The billion-dollar project will be set in the heart of the 41-million square feet Falcon City of Wonders on the Emirates Road.

Developers said that Taj Arabia would be symbolic of 'love and romance' just like the Taj Mahal and would celebrate the union of couples by serving as the world's grandest wedding destination.

Crops At Andrapradesh

Heavy rains lash coastal Andhra:

            Hyderabad

            Heavy rains lashed coastal Andhra Pradesh today resulting in inundation of low-lying residential areas and badly affected standing crops. Machilipatnam in Krishna district received 17 cm of rainfall, followed by Rajahmundry in East Godavari district-16 cms, Ongole in Prakasam district-14 and Eluru in West Godavari, Avanigadda in Krishna and Yerragondapalem and Darsi in Prakasam district received 13 cms each.