Sunita Williams Visit India on April 1st to interact with students

New Delhi: Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a female astronaut, will start her India trip on April 1 from the national capital. Williams will visit the National Science Centre (NSC) in the national capital on April 1 and interact with students and teachers.

"The centre will host Sunita L Williams (Captain, US Navy) and NASA astronaut on April 1. She will be interacting with a select group of students and teachers," an official of the NSC said.

The astronaut will next fly to Mumbai and spend April 3-4 in the financial capital, before going to Gujarat. Her father is from Gujarat's Mehsana district.

Williams last visited India in October 2007, when she gave a talk at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. Sunita Williams to visit India on April 1, to interact with students

In Mumbai, she will visit a working women's hostel managed by the Indian Council of Social Welfare in Chembur and talk to residents and students. She will hold another interactive session with school children at the Nehru Science Centre in Worli.

Her final destination in India would be Gujarat, where she is expected to meet relatives and pay a visit to her ancestral village. Williams, who was bestowed an honorary doctorate degree by the Gujarat Technical University, will address students there.

Williams last visited India in October 2007, when she gave a talk at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. Williams holds the world record with 50 hours and 40 minutes for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut.

In addition, she has spent a total of 322 days in space (on two missions) and now ranks sixth on the US endurance list and second for a female astronaut.

Hazare to begin nationwide tour sunday

Mumbai: Anna Hazare will embark on a year-long, all-India tour from Sunday to campaign for a stronger Lokpal bill, electoral reforms and other issues he has been raising for the past few years, an aide said here.

The first phase of the nationwide tour, planned since a year, will kick off from Amritsar in Punjab, and then to Haryana and Uttaranchal. In these three states, the 75-year old Hazare is scheduled to address meetings in at least three dozen cities and towns, culminating in Haridwar on April 17.

The new movement comes exactly two years after Hazare had gone on a hunger strike against corruption in New Delhi April 2011, followed by a similar agitation in August that year and culminating with a hunger strike in Mumbai in December.

After completing the three states and a short break, he will then go on to the second leg of his tour, covering Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, the dates of which are being finalized.

During the tour, Hazare will also work for forming a nationwide organisation of individuals, social groups and NGOs fighting corruption at the grassroots level.

The tour, which was expected to start January, was postponed on account of his frail health, an eye surgery and other prior commitments.

The plans for the tour were finalized at a meeting of experts and advisors he had convened last October in his native village, Ralegan-Siddhi in Ahmadnagar district.

Sri Lanka Cricket allows players in IPL

Sri Lanka Cricket allows players in IPL, but says no to Chennai matches

 Colombo:  Sri Lankan cricket Board on Thursday decided top allow its cricketers to take part in the IPL but directed them not to play in Chennai after the governing council of the high-profile Twenty20 league decided to withdraw them from the games to be held there.

"Discussions were held with Minister of Sports regarding the release of Sri Lanka players for IPL 2013. Based on a note sent by Minister of External Affairs regarding the safety of players, it was decided that No Objection Certificates issued to the players be restricted to exclude their appearance at any venue in Tamil Nadu and also to obtain the Players' personal opinion on their willingness to participate in the event," said a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket.

"At initial stages, SLC liaised with BCCI and obtained Safety Guarantees for their participation and conveyed their assurances to each individual player. If and when the players express their intention to play in the IPL 2013, they would be permitted to proceed with the restriction indicated on playing in the state of Tamil Nadu," the statement said.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said yesterday that no player would be allowed to proceed without the safety guarantees from the Indian government.

Thirteeen Sri Lankan players, including two captains of their respective teams, are in the squad of different franchises for the sixth edition of the IPL.

Bowing to intense political pressure, top Sri Lankan players were yesterday withdrawn from the Chennai matches of the IPL after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refused to host them in view of the prevailing anti-Sinhalese sentiments in the state.

Nelson Mandela back in hospital with lung infection

 Johannesburg: Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection, the government said on Thursday.

A statement said the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader was admitted shortly before midnight. It gave no further details other than to say he was receiving the "best possible expert medical treatment and comfort".

Mr Mandela was admitted briefly to hospital earlier this month for a check-up.

However, he spent nearly three weeks in hospital in December with a lung infection and after surgery to remove gallstones.
 
It was his longest stay in hospital since his release from prison in 1990 after serving 27 years for conspiring to overthrow the white-minority apartheid government.

Japan's JICA extends Rs 11,400 cr loan to India

New Delhi, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) today decided to provide a Rs 11,400 crore loan for funding various infrastructure projects in India, including the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).  The loan will be used for construction of dedicated freight corridor for the development of DMIC, metro project in Chennai and piped water project in West Bengal, JICA said in a statement. An agreement was signed between the government of India and JICA for providing soft loan to the tune of Rs 11,400 crore.

Of the total amount, 136119 million yen (Rs 7,860 crore) has been allocated for dedicated freight corridor project and construction of dedicated freight rail between Delhi and Mumbai, which is the base for setting up of DMIC. "Industrial revival is crucial for economic growth and India's ambitious DMIC project is vital for promoting direct investment in India as well as Indian exports," JICA said in a statement. The loan is to be repaid over a period of 40 years with 10 years grace period and carries a concessional rate of 0.20 per cent. Further, for construction of the Chennai Metro project, JICA extended a loan of 48691 million yen (Rs 2,811 crore), which would help alleviate overcrowding on the roads of the city which suffers from chronic traffic congestion, the statement said.

Another 14225 million yen (Rs 821 crore) would be extended for piped water supply project in Purulia district of West Bengal. "The project will construct water supply facilities to provide safe and adequate drinking water," the statement. Both the loans are to be repaid in 30 years with a grace period of 10 years and carries a concessional interest rate of 1.40 per cent. Chief Representative of JICA in India Shinya Ejima said
the three projects will go a long way in meeting India's socio-economic development objective. JICA is an independent institution and aims at contributing to the promotion of international cooperation and development of regions.

IPL rejigs fixture, RCB matches during polls rescheduled

IPL rejigs fixture, RCB matches during polls rescheduled

 New Delhi:  The Indian Premier League on Wednesday re-jigged the fixtures of the high-profile tournament, making changes in the dates and timings of some of the matches, including the ones to be held in Bangalore on May 4 and 6, which were rescheduled owing to the Assembly elections in Karnataka.

The match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab, earlier scheduled to be held in Bangalore on May 4, will now be played on May 14, while RCB's home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was slated for May 6, has been advanced to April 9.

Kings XI Punjab's match against Delhi Daredevils, earlier scheduled for April 23 in Mohali, has been shifted to Dharamsala on May 16, while KXIP's May 16 fixture against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Dharamsala will now be held in Mohali on May 6.

Delhi Daredevils' home match against KXIP, earlier scheduled for May 13 here, has been rescheduled for April 23. 

The following changes have been made to the IPL schedule:

KXIP vs DD - shifted from April 23 (8:00 pm, Mohali) to May 16 (8:00 pm, Dharamsala)

SH vs DD - stays on May 4 but moves from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm in Hyderabad

RCB vs KXIP - shifted from May 4 (8:00 pm, Bengaluru) to May 14 (4:00 pm, Bengaluru)

RCB vs SH - shifted from May 6 (8:00 pm, Bengaluru) to April 9 (4:00 pm, Bengaluru)

DD vs KXIP - shifted from May 13 (4:00 pm, Delhi) to April 23 (8:00 pm, Delhi)

KKR vs PWI - shifted from May 14 (8:00 pm, Ranchi) to May 15 (4:00 pm, Ranchi)

KXIP vs RCB - shifted from May 16 (4:00 pm, Dharamsala) to May 6 (8:00 pm, Mohali)

CSK vs DD - shifted from May 16 (8:00 pm, Dharamsala) to May 14 (8:00 pm, Dharamsala)

RCB vs CSK - shifted from May 19 (4:00 pm, Bengaluru) to May 18 (8:00 pm, Bengaluru)

PWI vs DD - shifted from May 18 (8:00 pm, Pune) to May 19 (4:00 pm, Pune).

Wanted professional sleeper for 35 days

London:

Fed up with the neighbours? Pipes burst in the kitchen? Or, you just want to get away from it all for a while?
Hotel Finn in the heart of Helsinki might just be the ticket - they're seeking a "professional sleeper" for 35 days to test their rooms and write all about it. Hotel manager Tio Tikka says he thought up the stunt to help promote the hotel after lengthy renovations.

Tikka said Wednesday that they were looking for a "dynamic person to write a quality blog" about their daily experiences at the basic hotel, which has no bar or restaurant.

Requirements: Fluent Finnish and English, Russian a plus. The job opens May 17 with applications closing end of April.

So far more that 600 would-be hotel sleepers have applied.

Hydrabad

Hydrabad: At least 11 teenagers drowned during Holi revelry in Nizamabad district and at Kukatpally area, police said.

A group of 15 boys went to the village tank to bath after Holi celebrations in Basant Cheruvu (village tank) in Sirikonda village of Nizamabad district late this afternoon, after which seven of them began drowning, a senior police officer at Armoor told.

Two of them were rescued by one of them even as five others drowned one after the another, he said.

The deceased were identified as Imran, his brother Afroz, Abraz, Taushik and Madhu, all aged between 16 and 17, who were students of the Intermediate first and second year course.

The police reached the spot within 10 minutes after being informed, retrieved their bodies and shifted them to a government hospital for postmortem, the police officer said.

"None of the five students who drowned in the incident knew to swim. It seems the boys entered the water without having any knowledge about its depth. However, after reaching a distance they were caught in the muddy area, where they slipped and drowned," he said.

In another incident, a 15-year-old boy Sheikh Amir drowned in a well in the Kukatpally area. Amir, along with four other friends went to take bath after participating in Holi celebrations, but drowned, while four others managed to save themselves, police said.

In Karimnagar district, five drowning deaths were reported.

Sircilla Deputy Superintendent Damera Narsaiah said G Ambadas (30) and P Satyanarayana (28) of Mustipalli village drowned in a well while bathing after the Holi revelry.

S Saikiran Reddy (22), a student, drowned in a canal on the outskirts of Korutla.

Earlier, Ajeem alias Ajju (28) drowned in a canal at Metpalli. Boina Srinivas (23), another student, drowned in Lower Manair Dam reservoir after falling down accidentally.

Guatemala City

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck near Guatemala City, but residents said they barely felt the temblor and authorities had no immediate reports of damages or deaths.

The US Geological Survey said yesterday the quake’s epicentre was located 6 kilometres northwest of San Jose Pinula and had a depth of 200 kilometres.

“So far we have received no reports of damage and we’re monitoring nationwide,” said Mario Cruz, a spokesman for firefighters.

The quake was only 9 kilometres from Guatemala’s capital, but was barely felt, perhaps because of its depth.

In November 2012, a magnitude-7.4 earthquake left 42 people dead in Guatemala. The quake, which was just 32 kilometres deep, was centred off the coastal town of Champerico. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Guatemala since6 temblor that killed 23,000.

Australia can become No. 1 in two years

 Perth:  Australia cricket coach Mickey Arthur has said the tour of India was the toughest of his career but expressed confidence that his side can again become No. 1 in Tests in two years.

Australia's 0-4 drubbing in India was their worst result in the Indian subcontinent and the worst ever since losing 1-5 to England in the 1978-79 Ashes.

"I've said it publicly, it was the toughest tour I've ever had in my career but that's what happens in India. India is a tough place to go and play, it's a tough place to win. We set ourselves very high standards with the Australian team. Myself and Michael (Clarke) set really high standards with the players," Arthur was quoted as saying by Herald Sun Tuesday.

"I think we moved forward, moved in the right direction and hopefully this will be the foundation of something really good for the Australian cricket side. We've said it numerous times now; we could have carried on and been third in the world comfortably but we don't accept that, we want be No.1 in the world. We've put some stuff in place that we believe can get this team there in the next 24 months."

Arthur also denied about the speculated rift between skipper Clarke and vice-captain Shane Watson.

"Team harmony is fantastic. The players work extremely hard. We've got a really good group of young players who want nothing more than to make Australia the best cricket team in the world. It's a funny perception around Michael and Shane, they're different personalities, different characters but they get on really well. It's sometimes a media beat-up around Watto and Pup, they work really well together and always have. I haven't seen anything to dispel that," said the South African.

Arthur admitted he had concerns entering the tour of India due to the tough conditions.

"It's totally different conditions. I was always really worried about the conditions in India, especially with a group of young players. You can sit and you can tell players what it's like to play there but until you've experienced it, you don't comprehend it," Arthur said.

IPL 6 - Sri Lankan players Withdraw Match

IPL 6: No Sri Lankan players to play in Chennai

NEW DELHI: The IPL governing council on Tuesday decided not to field Sri Lankan players in the IPL matches to be held in Chennai due to security concerns after Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said that her government will not permit IPL matches in the state capital that involve Sri Lankan players, umpires and even support staff for the event.

"In view of the popular antipathy and anger in Tamil Nadu against the actions of the government of Sri Lanka, the state government is of the view that IPL matches involving Sri Lankan players, umpires and other officials should not be played in Tamil Nadu," Jayalalitha said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, also the union minister of state for parliamentary affairs, Tuesday said the local administration's advice cannot be ignored but he said the IPL matches will not be shifted out of Chennai and they will be played as scheduled.

"All the matches scheduled to be held in Chennai will go on as scheduled. As far as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is concerned, we have briefed them about the security measures taken by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)," said Shukla.

The sixth edition of IPL is slated to begin from April 3 and Chennai has 10 matches in the calendar. In this year's IPL, 13 Sri Lankan players are included in various teams and Nuwan Kulasekara and Akila Dananjaya are members of the local franchisee - Chennai Super Kings.

Holi of hope for Vrindavan Widows

VRINDAVAN: They sang and danced, laughed and shed tears. They threw flowers at each other and played with gulal. The widows of Vrindavan celebrated Holi with a riot of colours on Sunday, defying tradition that bids them to stay away from festivities of all kind.

These widows of the holy town — tragic icons of institutionalized oppression against women — have been observing Holi for decades. But it had always been a quiet affair, within the confines of their ashrams. They would enact scenes from Krishna's 'Raas leela', shower each other with flowers and occasionally use a bit of gulal.

"We would watch men and women play Holi from the windows of our ashram. The celebrations of the town are legendary," said Pushpa Adhikari, a widow from Bengal, who came to Vrindavan 17 years ago.

On Sunday, though, the widows came out in the open with a cathartic celebration in front of reporters from across the world. They played 'Raas leela' in new clothes and danced to traditional Holi songs amid a shower of flowers and colour.

'A special day'
"It's a Holi of hope. The message that goes out from the celebration is that widows want to be part of the mainstream. They too have aspirations that should be fulfilled," said Bindeshwar Pathak, head of Sulabh International, which organized the event.

Sulabh was mandated by the Supreme Court last August to work among widows of the holy town to ameliorate their suffering and check the practice of begging. It began by distributing a stipend of Rs 1,000 per month (which was last month raised to Rs 2,000), providing medical facilities, teaching them to read and write and giving providing means to earn a living.

The task, however, is enormous. Sulabh's help reaches around 700 of the women, those who stay at the five government-run ashrams in the Vrindavan. There is no clear estimate of the total number of widows in the town, but it is believed that a majority live in rented accommodation, sharing a single room with many others.

An NCW sample survey in 2009 found that 89% of Vrindavan widows were illiterate. Most had children or relatives, who refused to take care of them. Around 70% received no pension and almost 60% had no ration cards, forcing them to depend on alms and singing bhajan to survive.

That change would come slowly was evident at Sunday's Holi celebrations held at the Meera Sehbhagini Mahila Ashram. Most other widows, who live in government ashrams and have started receiving the Rs 2,000 stipend, sat quietly through the festivities.

Many of them have ailments that aren't getting proper treatment or attention. Javitri Tomar, a former resident of Kolkata who has a damaged leg, said the ashram officials wanted money to provide her with a wheelchair.

Lakkhi Patra, another ashram inmate from Bengal, said the diabetes medicine given to her by a doctor did not have any effect. She had to bring her stock of medicines from Bengal.

But even the women who sat through the Holi function admitted that the day was special. "When Lal Bahadur Shastri came to Calcutta, the streets were full of flowers. After that day, I'm seeing so many flowers for the first time," said a woman sitting in a chair away from the action.

Six Killed 18 Missing in Indonesian Landslide

Jakarta : Six people were killed and 18 were missing on Monday after they were buried in a landslide caused by heavy rain on Indonesia's Java island, a disaster official said.

"Heavy rains early this morning in West Bandung district triggered a landslide," national disaster management
agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"Six people were found dead and 18 people are still buried," he said, adding that nine houses were also destroyed.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, which is prone to frequent bursts of heavy rain.

Syria Rebels Seize Key Military Base Daraa

BEIRUT: Rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday seized a key air base in the southern Syrian province of Daraa after two weeks of fierce battles with loyalist troops, a watchdog said. Meanwhile, in Damascus's ancient Umayyad mosque, thousands of Assad supporters attended the funeral of pro-regime Sunni cleric Mohamed Saeed al-Bouti and his grandson, who died in a Thursday suicide bombing that killed some 50 people.

"Opposition fighters loyal to Al-Nusra Front, Al-Yarmuk Brigade and other rebel groups seized air defence Base 38 near the town of Saida, on the road linking Damascus to Amman, in the province of Daraa," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The seizure came "after 16 days of fighting," said the Britain-based group.

At least seven rebels were killed in their final assault, said the Observatory, which also documented the deaths of at least eight regime troops including an officer.

"Dozens of prisoners were freed from the base's headquarters," it said.

Amateur video filmed by rebels and distributed by the Observatory showed the bloodied, mutilated corpse of a man identified as Mahmud Darwish, an officer.

Activists also distributed footage showing a group of men, most of them bearded, being set free.

The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of activists on the ground, said the rebels also captured a checkpoint in the Daraa town of Sahem al-Golan.

The Observatory later reported that rebels captured a second checkpoint east of Sahem al-Golan.

Amateur video showed rebels seizing at least two regime tanks and several military vehicles after they captured the checkpoint.

"I swear to God, we are coming for you, O Bashar," a rebel said in a video distributed by anti-regime activists.

The rebel advances came days after rebels seized a border crossing on the frontier with Jordan, said the Observatory.

A security source in Damascus told AFP this week that Jordan was allowing jihadist fighters and arms bought by Saudi Arabia from Croatia to be smuggled into Syria.

In Quneitra, in the southwest, at least 35 rebels were killed on Wednesday and Thursday fighting troops loyal to Assad, said the Observatory.

Some 20 other fighters were also believed dead after battles in majority Druze villages in Quneitra province, which lays on the sensitive ceasefire line with Israel.

Gunfire from Syria hit Israeli army vehicles travelling in the southern Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, causing some damage but no casualties, the army there said.

Israel is closely monitoring its border with Syria and fears that jihadist elements from among the rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad might attempt to attack the Jewish state.

In the central city of Homs, troops pressed a relentless campaign against rebel enclaves after more than nine months of a suffocating siege by the army and security forces.

At Bouti's funeral in Damascus, Syria's top Sunni authority Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun called on "the Islamic and Arab world to save Syria, which is facing a global war.

"If Syria falls today you will be next," he said before thousands of mourners.

The ceremony was led by Toufiq Bouti, the dead sheikh's son, and representatives of key Damascus allies Iran and Hezbollah also attended.

The United Nations estimates that violence across Syria has killed at least 70,000 people since the conflict erupted in March 2011.

On Saturday alone, at least 64 people were killed in violence across Syria, according to the Observatory, which added that at least 24 of them were civilians.

SC moved on Indian role in Sri Lanka war

A Malaysia-based Tamil lawyer has moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into reports that India allegedly helped Sri Lanka crush the LTTE in a war that left some 40,000 Tamils dead. The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by solicitor and advocates firm Meharia and Co on behalf of advocate A. Kanesalingam, a Tamil of Sri Lankan origin.

Kanesalingam urged the court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe should study the "extent of collaboration" between New Delhi and Colombo in the latter's war against the Tamil Tigers.

The CBI was under a "duty to investigate any complaint that there was collaboration between the two governments in a war which (saw) mass killings of civilians", he contended.

A note circulated by counsel Khushbu Jain, representing Kanesalingam, said an independent panel of experts appointed by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon found credible evidence that 40,000 civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan military during the final stages of the war in 2009.

The deaths reportedly took place between January and May 2009 in the Sri Lankan district of Mullaithivu.

The PIL sought directions for the CBI to submit its finding within four months.

The petitioner contended that under the Indian Penal Code, "a person residing in India who commits a crime outside India can be charged and tried in India".

Princess Diana's Dresses raise over 850,000 Pounds

The most iconic item -- the strapless dark blue velvet gown worn at a 1985 dinner thrown by US president Ronald Reagan in honour of the Prince and Princess of Wales -- raised 240,000 pounds (281,000 euros, $363.000).

It was immortalised in the photographs of Diana dancing with Travolta to the song "You Should be Dancing" from his film "Saturday Night Fever".

The dress was bought "by a British gentleman who said he wanted to buy it as a surprise to cheer up his wife", explained auctioneer Kerry Taylor.

The garments, created by some of Diana's favourite designers including Zandra Rhodes, Catherine Walker, Bruce Oldfield and Victor Edelstein, share an extraordinary history.

Some were worn by the princess during official trips to Austria, Australia, Brazil, India, South Korea and the United States, said the auction house.

They were then acquired by Florida businesswoman Maureen Rorech at a 1997 sale to raise money for humanitarian charities supported by the princess, two months before she was killed in a Paris car crash.

Rorech put 14 of the dresses up for sale at a Canada auction in 2011 after declaring bankruptcy, but only four sold as the "reserve prices were ridiculously high", said a spokesman for Kerry Taylor.

All of the remaining items sold on Tuesday at prices ranging from 24,000 pounds to 240,000 pounds. Two were bought by an "important" British museum, revealed Taylor.

"It's important for the generations to come," she added. "Diana was the people's princess, so the people should be able to see these dresses. This is our heritage, our history.

An Indian-origin male nurse lost his registration

MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin male nurse lost his registration and was banned from practising in Australia for at least a year after he was found guilty of professional misconduct for feeding dishwashing liquid to an elderly patient apparently due to his poor English skills.

Bhavesh Shah was practicing as a nurse at the Sydney Adventist Hospital at Wahroonga in May 2009 when he treated a 79-year-old patient who had come in for a hip replacement.

Shah reportedly gave the patient some green liquid from a bottle the man had brought in that was marked as containing heart pills.

Inquiries by hospital officials revealed the bottle's true contents were a 'Morning Fresh detergent' which the patient was using to clean his dentures.

According to 'The Daily Telegraph', Shah's registration was canceled by the state's Nursing and Midwifery Tribunal last week and he was also banned from practicing for at least a year.

Shah admitted the complaint and the tribunal found him guilty of professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct.

The tribunal said the nurse could have been confused about what was in the bottle because of his poor English skills.

Shah was sacked after the incident and the tribunal ordered him to complete a test to prove his English skills - but he failed in six attempts.

The tribunal said his behaviour was incompetent and either because of his poor English or "reckless indifference" he did not read the label on the bottle, which clearly referred to "capsules".

"When he became aware of his error he failed to act (showing) complete disregard for (the patient's) care and safety," the tribunal said.

Shah will have to appear before the tribunal again before his registration is reinstated.

Seven Us Marines Killed in Arms Depot Blast

Nevada: Seven marines were killed and several wounded when a 60mm shell exploded at a military ammunitions depot in America's Nevada, reports said Tuesday.

The accident took place during a training exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot on Monday night.

The Hawthorne Army Depot is a storage site of military ammunition. It is also used as a training centre for special forces heading abroad. The facility is made up of hundreds of buildings spread over more than 230 square miles.

Though the cause of explosion is not clear, a 60mm shell is supposed to have blasted as per a CNN report.

The injured were taken to area hospitals for treatment and further evaluation.

Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, the area's major trauma hospital, took nine patients, including one who died, three who are in serious condition and five who are in fair condition, according to spokeswoman Stacy Kendall.

Hawthorne has held an important place in American military history since World War II when it became the staging area for ammunition, bombs and rockets for the war. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection says that the depot employed more than 5,500 people at its peak. Nevada was chosen for the location because of its remoteness in the wake of a devastating explosion at the government's main depot in New Jersey in the 1920s.

Plane Crashes in US

Small plane crashes in US parking lot; 3 dead

Fort Lauderdale: A small plane crashed into a parking lot near a South Florida airport on Friday afternoon, killing all three people onboard and burning about a dozen vehicles. No one on the ground was hurt.

Fire-Rescue Division Chief John San Angelo said the Piper Navajo, a twin-engine turboprop, began experiencing engine trouble shortly after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport at about 4:30 p.m.

The plane tried to turn around and make an emergency landing, but it didn't make it back to the airport, he said. The plane hit a tree and a fence as it crashed into a parking lot, part of a busy industrial area near blocks of tightly packed warehouses and stores.

The victims' names weren't immediately available. Seven cars and a boat caught fire.

"It looks like a junk yard that burned up," said Matt Little, a spokesman for Fort Lauderdale fire and rescue.

Terry Knowles, owner of R.J. Asset Recovery, said he and another one of his employees were in the repossessed auto lot when the plane crashed.

"I was working on a car, and I heard the engine behind me. I turned around and saw the plane coming right over the building in front of me," he said.

Knowles said the plane appeared to be banking around to head back to the airport, but it just couldn't get the lift.

"It hit the ground and exploded," Knowles said. "It was an instantaneous fireball."

Knowles said he yelled to check on his employee, who had been on the other side of the lot, and the two opened a gate for the presumed arrival of firefighters.

Rick Blackburn was outside working on a race car when he saw the plane tilting sideways in the air as it rapidly descended down. "It dropped like a rock. Boom!" he said.

"The plane hit really hard. We knew the pilot hadn't survived. It was too intense of an impact," said the 55-year-old Blackburn.

He took video with his phone as flames devoured a row of cars, thick blankets of black smoke billowing out.

"It was a ball of flames," he said.

Blackburn said it was immediately clear to those who ran over to help that "it was over." The heat coming from the blaze was intense, he said.

"There were a lot of explosions going off at first. Pop, pop, pop," he said.

About 40 firefighters were at the scene. San Angelo said smoke and the flames were so heavy that when firefighters first arrived, they couldn't tell where the plane was.

Television images showed heavy black smoke rising from the crash scene. Later video footage show a parking lot with vehicles in a corner that were burned-out shells, a smoldering heap covered in foam spread by firefighters on the scene. The cars were by a chain-link fence, and a building on the other side was streaked with black.

A storage facility and an indoor go-kart track are among the businesses listed nearby.

The airport serves smaller planes rather than the larger commercial flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The crash happened at the start of rush hour alongside Interstate 95, the major north-south route along Florida's Atlantic coast. It's also near Fort Lauderdale Stadium, where the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles once held spring training, and Lockhart Stadium, where the defunct Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Miami Fusion soccer teams played.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said he's amazed no buildings were damaged.

"It's a terrible scene. It's the scene of a tragedy," he said after walking through the wreckage.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said an investigator should arrive in Fort Lauderdale by Saturday.

In Gujarat nearly 100 Swine Flu deaths this year 341626

With almost a 100 deaths, Gujarat seems to be caught up in the wave of Swine flu cases. With the numbers swelling, the state health machinery has gone in an overdrive to counter the deadly virus which has reared its head in the state almost after two years. Since January, Gujarat hospitals have reported over 500 confirmed cases of Swine flu. Already almost a 100 people have succumbed to the deadly virus. Health officials said that the worst affected areas have been North Gujarat and Saurashtra region. In Ahmedabad alone, 58 cases have been reported, out of which about a dozen are still in the isolation ward of the civil hospital. The health ministry says all efforts are being made to provide medical help to the patients. "What has increased the toll is that some patients have other ailments as well, so that has worsened their condition... particularly the expecting mothers who have been adversely impacted," said State health minister, Nitin Patel. The health authorities have created special isolation wards in several government hospitals in the state. More beds are being set up in those hospitals to cater to patient inflow. "Special teams have been formed and we are constantly monitoring the situations," said Ahmedabad civil hospital Superintendent, Dr MM Prabhakar. But Gujarat is not the only state battling the deadly flu. According to Union health ministry, Rajasthan has reported 124 deaths this year while over 1200 cases have been reported from Delhi killing 16 people. Haryana and Punjab have reported 29 and 34 deaths respectively. But there is a silver lining. With the onset of summer, the mutation of the virus is on the downswing. "This year with the onset of winter, January and February months have seen maximum number of cases. With March on, the temperature is going up and we are predicting that the numbers would go down drastically," said Dr Prabhakar. But with no long term remedy in sight, this respite is only likely to last a few months.

India outclass Pakistan 3-1

India outclass Pakistan 3-1, keep Azlan Shah hopes alive

India grabbed their first points in the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament on Tuesday. In a must-win round-robin league game in Ipoh, Malaysia, India got the better of Pakistan 3-1, leading 2-1 at half-time. This was a must-win clash for India because the new-look team had lost its first couple of games against Australia and South Korea.

Tuesday’s win lifts India to the fourth position in the six-nation tournament. Pakistan also have a win from three matches but have an inferior goal-difference than India’s. Australia and Malaysia lead the table – with six points from two games.

India led 2-1 at the breather with goals from Rupinder Pal Singh and Akashdeep Singh. Mandeep Singh scored a field goal in the 56th minute to seal a game where both nations defended better than took their scoring chances.

The match was off to an explosive start. Three goals were scored in the first 10 minutes with Pakistan taking the lead in the 5th. India leveled the very next minute and in the 9th, made it 2-1. Two of these three goals came from penalty corners even as Pakistan enjoyed territorial supremacy.

Pakistan shot into the lead in the fourth minute when Mohammed Waqas deflected in a smart penalty corner. But India took advantage of their first short corner when Rupinder’s powerful dragflick beat the Pakistani defence.

India made it 2-1 through Akashdeep, who capped a sizzling move down the right split open the Pakistan defence. Top scorer of the junior Asia Cup, Akashdeep showed wonderful opportunism striking home a feeble save by the Pakistan goalie. India could have scored at least two more goals but goalmouth crosses went abegging in what was an entertaining first half.

India made it 3-1 when an unmarked Mandeep Singh kept his cool inside the striking circle, first deflecting a hit-in and then slamming in the rebound.

Pakistan did everything but score a second goal. They had nine penalty corners in the game, but poor finish and some solid goalkeeping by veteran goalie Sreejesh denied India’s arch-rivals. India played a good tactical game, defending well and keeping their lead intact with timely challenges.

This was the 52nd time India have beaten Pakistan in an international hockey match. Last year too, India beat Pakistan 2-1 in the Azlan Shah Cup with goals from Sandeep Singh and S.V. Sunil.

BJP's Kerala unit

Italy's decision is a challenge to the country, alleges BJP

Kozhikode, BJP's Kerala unit today said Italy's decision not to send its two marines back to India to face trial for allegedly killing two fishermen was a challenge posed against the Centre. Speaking to reporters here, V Muraleedharan, BJP state President alleged that from the beginning of the case itself, the Centre had adopted a stand in favour of the Italian marines and it was due to the intervention of the people that Centre was "forced" to resort to actions against the two marines.

BJP would demand the Centre to take steps to bring them back to India, he said. On the speech of PDP leader Andul Nasser Madhani during the marriage of his daughter at Kollam recently, Muraleedharan said it was gross violation of the parole conditions.

Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad airports among top 5 in the world

Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad airports among top 5 in the world

New Delhi, Airports of Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad are among the top five airports in the world providing international standard services. Airports Council International (ACI), a global body of airports, has adjudged Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport as second best after Seoul's Incheon airport in the category of airports handling 25-40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) for their service quality for the year 2012.  Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport was adjudged the third best in this category, an ACI  statement said.

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International airport (RGI) has bagged the second position for their service quality in the category of five to 15 MPPA. Japan's Nagoya airport was adjudged the best in this category. In the Asia-Pacific region, Delhi airport was adjudged as fourth in the Best Airports by Region (fewer than two million passengers per year) category. Seoul's Incheon ranked first, Singapore's Changi second and Beijing was placed at the third spot.

The annual service quality passenger survey undertaken by ACI, an autonomous and independent body, measures customer feedback on a range of service delivery parameters that track the customer experience at an airport from the moment of arrival to the departure gate. Analysis of this "real-time" data, recorded on the day of travel, serves as a guide for better aligning service provision with customer expectations The ASQ Awards have become the world's leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmark.

US and South Korea began annual military drill on Monday

Seoul: Notwithstanding the tensions over North Korea, the US and South Korea began annual military drill on Monday.

North Korea that condemns US-South Korea joint drills, threatened to scrap an armistice that ended Korea war and also to launch ‘pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the US’.

An agitated North also snapped hotline with South Korea as it had threatened last week, South Korea’s unification ministry said.

The ministry said North Korea seems to have cut the emergency link set up to deal with any contingency along the demilitarized zone of Panmunjom, which separates the two Koreas, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Tensions have been running high since North Korea conducted its third nuclear test Feb 12, and the UN agreed to impose tougher sanctions on the country for its renewed provocations.

Pyongyang has launched a bombast-filled propaganda campaign against the drills, which involve 10,000 South Korean and about 3,000 American troops, and last week's UN vote to impose new sanctions over the North's nuclear test. Analysts believe that much of that campaign is meant to shore up loyalty among citizens and the military for North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang isn't believed to be able to build a warhead small enough to mount on a long-range missile, and the North's military has repeatedly vowed in the past to scrap the 1953 armistice. North Korea wants a formal peace treaty, security guarantees and other concessions, as well as the removal of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

Still, South Korean and US officials have been closely monitoring Pyongyang's actions and parsing the torrent of recent rhetoric from the North, which has been more warlike than usual.

North Korea regularly claims South Korea-US drills are a preparation for invasion, but Pyongyang has signaled more worry about the drills that began Monday. The drills follow UN sanctions that the North says are the result of US hostility aimed at toppling its political system.

North Korea has also warned South Korea of a nuclear war on the divided peninsula and said it was cancelling nonaggression pacts.

Despite the threats, South Korea and the US began the 11-day war games as scheduled Monday. The allies have repeatedly said the drills and other joint exercises are defensive in nature and they have no intention of attacking the North.

A US military statement said the exercise is not related to current events on the Korean Peninsula.

The drills are part of larger war games that began March 1 and are set to go on for two months.

US troops in South Korea are meant to prevent North Korean aggression, U.S. and South Korean officials say, and are a legacy of the Korean War, which ended with the peace treaty that leaves the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal, Kashyap enter quarterfinals in All England championships

 Birmingham:  Top Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap continued their winning run to reach the quarterfinals of the All England Championship with contrasting victories in Birmingham.

World number three Saina defeated Belaetrix Manuputi of Indonesia 21-16 21-11 in a 34-minute women's singles match at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The 22-year-old will next take on sixth seed Chinese Shixian Wang later in the day.

London Olympics quarterfinalist Kashyap notched up a stunning 21-18 21-12 victory over world number six Kenichi Tago in the men's singles prequarterfinals. He had lost to the Japanese in the China Open in 2011.

The Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Indian will next take on second seed Chen Long of China. The Indian had lost thrice to Long but in their most recent encounter at the Indonesia Open last year, the Kashyap had an upperhand.

However, it was curtains for young shuttlers P V Sindhu and Sourabh Verma, who went down in straight games to superior opponents in the prequarterfinals last night.

World number 16 Sindhu suffered a 17-21 14-21 loss to fourth seed Juliane Schenk of Germany in a 39-minute women's singles match, while World number 43 Sourabh fought hard before going down 19-21 19-21 to number eight Vietnamese Tien Minh Nguyen.

The mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju too crashed out of the tournament after a 17-21 16-21 loss to Polish pair of Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba in the pre-quarterfinals.

In the women's singles match, Saina put her smashes to good use to outclass the Indonesian, who played well at the nets but didn't have enough strokes in her armoury to challenge the Indian.

After surging ahead with a 7-3 lead, Saina went into the breather at 11-7 but the Indonesian clawed back to make it 12-12. However, the Indian was unfazed and slowly marched ahead to pocket the first game.

In the second game, Saina was more dominating and was 11-2 up midway. After that, though Belaetrix tried her best, Saina didn't give much chance to her unfancied rival.

Up against Tago, Kashyap used his smashes with precision and tried to match the Japanese at the nets.

The Indian opened up a 6-3 lead initially and made it 11-10 lead at the break. Tago soon clawed back at 12-12 but Kashyap didn't allow him to get an upperhand to gain the bragging rights with a 1-0 lead.

In the second game, Kashyap was more dominating right from the start as after opening up a slim 4-3 lead, he kept widening the gap. Tago crumbled under pressure to eventually give Kashyap a comfortable win.

Test proves 12-year old Indian girl has higher IQ than einstein 338497

A 12-year-old Indian-origin girl in UK has stunned everyone after she scored an incredible 162 on her IQ test - even higher than Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Neha Ramu, daughter of an Indian doctor couple, achieved a score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test - the highest score possible for her age.

The score puts her in the top one per cent of brightest people in the UK and means she is more intelligent than physicist Hawking, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and scientist Albert Einstein, who are all thought to have an IQ of 160.

"Neha scored 162 on the Cattell IIIB test, putting her within the top one per cent of people in the country," a spokesman for British Mensa said.

Neha's parents lived in India before moving to Britain when their daughter was seven, 'The Telegraph' reported.

Neha had always performed well at school, but it was only when she took an entrance exam for her school, achieving a perfect score of 280/280, that they realized her potential.

She took the test for Mensa, a society for people with high IQs, two years later, and achieved the maximum possible score for someone aged under 18.

"At first I did not really realise what she was capable of as she wasn't being stretched at school and when she joined primary school in the UK. We didn't really understand the system here," her mother Jayashree said.

"I am so proud of her. Although she's being doing well at these kind of tests for sometime now. This is just marvellous.

I can't express the feeling," she said.

Neha plans to follow her parents' footsteps into a career in medicine. She has already set her sight on a place at Harvard after taking her SATs - the American equivalent of A-levels - and achieved a score of 740 out of 800 in a test designed for 18-year-olds.

A devoted Harry Potter fan and keen swimmer, Neha admitted to have found the Mensa test "quite hard".

"I'm really, really happy because I found the test quite hard and I wasn't really holding out much hope that I'd be a member of Mensa," she said.

"We might have a little party or something sometime soon to celebrate. I haven't told my friends yet but I've told some of my family and they are all very happy for me," said Neha.

Einstein never took an IQ test as none of the modern intelligence tests existed when he was alive, but experts believe he had an IQ of around 160.

Massive winter storm grounds 1100 US flights

CHICAGO: A massive winter storm pounding the northern United States grounded over 1,100 flights, closed hundreds of schools and made roadways impassible on Tuesday.

More than a dozen states from Minnesota to Virginia were in the path of the huge storm which had already dumped as much as two feet (60 centimeters) of snow in Montana and 15 inches (38 centimeters) in North Dakota. The heavily populated Chicago area was expected to get as much of an inch (2.5 centimeters) of snow an hour during the evening rush, the National Weather Service said.

Hundreds of plows were working the Windy City's roads and freeways but with up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow expected, there was no way they could keep up. "Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous," the weather service warned. "Consider only traveling if in an emergency."

Nearly 800 flights were grounded at Chicago's O'Hare airport -- a major hub -- while another 240 were cancelled at Chicago Midway. Over 100 flights were cancelled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to FlightAware. The storm was expected to hit the nation's capitol late Tuesday or early Wednesday, and some Congressional meetings were already being cancelled in Washington.

106 year old US man gets school diploma

BEVERLY, Massachusetts: A 106-year-old US man who had to drop out of school to support his mother and five siblings has finally earned his diploma.

Fred Butler was awarded the honorary diploma Monday during an emotional ceremony in Massachusetts.

Butler thanked "everybody who is responsible for this."

He was married for 65 years, raised five children, served in the US Army during World War II and worked for his city's water department.

But daughter-in-law Cathy Butler says he always regretted dropping out and always emphasized the importance of education to his children and grandchildren.

India topple Pakistan

India topple Pakistan; Ashwin reaches career best 11th in Test rankings

Dubai:  India moved up a rung to fourth in the ICC Test rankings for teams replacing Pakistan, while veteran Sachin Tendulkar jumped three places to be 17th in the batsmen's chart announced on Wednesday.

Among the bowlers, off-spinner R Ashwin was rewarded for his match haul of 12 for 198 in the first Test as he rose to a career-best 11th.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni charged up 15 places to 21st courtesy his maiden double hundred at Chennai.

Other centurion of the Chennai Test Virat Kohli has gained 10 places and is now on a career-best 25th position.

South Africa consolidated their position on the top of the Test rankings after a thumping victory over Pakistan in the third and the final Test at Centurion.

There was no other change in the top 10 of the bowlers' table, which is headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn followed by his teammate Vernon Philander.

Hashim Amla continued to lead the Test batsmen chart followed by Australian skipper Michael Clarke.

Indians killed abroad in 2012

52 Indians killed abroad in 2012

New Delhi: A total of 52 Indians living outside the country were killed while another 50 committed suicide during 2012 in foreign lands, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

In 2010, 58 Indians were killed abroad and 55 committed suicide while in 2011, 38 were killed and 56 committed suicide.

"There does not seem to be an increasing trend in the number of such deaths," Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said replying to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Sometimes delays occur in bringing the bodies back to country due to local laws and procedures or non-cooperation of sponsors, he said.

The discussion was about citizens of the country who were murdered or killed in accidents in foreign countries.

"The entire process is subject to norms laid down by the host governments. The government of India, through the concerned embassy, intervenes in cases where the delay seems to be unjustified," he said.

Replying to another question, Mr Ravi said: "The government provides legal and financial assistance to the Indian women who are deserted or divorced by their overseas spouses."

"Twenty-seven non-government organisations are empanelled in seven countries like the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain and Qatar to provide such assistance," he said.