Maoists kill two police officials, abduct one in Bengal

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Kolkata, October 20: Armed Maoists rebels killed two police officers and abducted another in a daring daylight raid on a police station in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district on Tuesday, officials said.

The rebels also looted money from a nearby Keshiapara branch of the State Bank of India and left posters demanding the release of a jailed Maoist leader.

The looted cash amounted to around Rs.1 million. SBI branch manager Bairagi Charan Naik said the operation was led by a woman who had firearms in both hands. “She was speaking fluent English, Bengali and Hindi,” he said.

Hindutava links to Terror Blasts from Bhatkal to Goa

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Banglore,October 20: Investigators are probing a Bhatkal angle to the blast that killed two in south Goa on Friday. According to the police, two activists of Sanatan Sanstha, a right-wing Hindu group, were killed in Margao when explosives being ferried in their scooter went off in a traffic jam.

These explosives, investigators say, could be part of the huge cache that was seized from three men in Bhatkal on Saturday. The three — Nagaraja Somaiah Devadiga, Jettaiah Devadiga and Anand Manjunatha Devadiga — had been pedalling explosives to people involved in illegal quarrying.

Rosaiah confident of managing AP’s finances

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Hyderabad, October 20: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today expressed confidence that his government will be able to manage the state’s finances which is under some “stress”.

“There is some stress. But it is not something insurmountable. We have to be prudent in three things. One, the revenue to the government, the allocations and the release of funds. I am confident that I will be able to manage somehow,” he said at a Meet the Press programme organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) here.

‘Injustice has always been done with Bihar’: Nitish

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Patna, October 20: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today alleged that injustice had always been done with the state and said talk of making India “a developed nation” would be an exercise in futility unless problems of “backward states like Bihar” received due attention.

Maoists raid police station, kill two, loot bank

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Midnapore (WB), October 20: In a first such operation in West Bengal, Maoists today raided a police station, shot dead two police officers and kidnapped the officer-in-charge in West Midnapore district, where they also looted a bank.

The Maoists numbering around 50, including women, arrived in two groups on motorcycles and headed for the police station and the State Bank of India branch nearby, police said.

Self-rule agenda equivalent to de-facto freedom: PDP

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Srinagar, October 20: Opposition PDP in Jammu and Kashmir today said the party’s agenda of self-rule was equalvent to “de-facto” Azadi (freedom) without undermining the sovereignty of India and Pakistan.

“Yes, self-rule is equalvent to de-facto Azadi… freedom from siege. From mental, physical, political siege but without undermining the soverignty of India and Pakistan”, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti told reporters here.

Father, son duo killed by relatives

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Lucknow, October 20: A father and son duo were today killed by their relatives in Chhatari police circle area of Bulandshahr district over a land dispute, Home department sources said here.

Mohar Singh(58) and his son Ram Prakash(30) were killed, when they attacked by their family members with sharp-edged weapons this morning, they said.

Both of them died on the spot, police said adding that an FIR has been lodged against five persons Nahar Singh, Tejpal, Bablupal, Naipal and Banti in this regard.

Police has launched a manhunt to nab the accused.

–Agencies

New ‘quick darshan’ system at Tirumala from tomorrow

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Tirupati, October 20: Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, would start with Rs 300 ‘quick darshan’ tickets from tomorrow, in a bid to curb menace of middlemen as well as provide devotees a glimpse of the deity without much delay.

Named ‘Seegradarshan’ (quick darshan), the system will come into force at dawn at Vaikuntam Queue complex on the hills from Wednesday, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthananams (TTD) Public Relations Officer T Ravi told PTI here today.

White ants eat stamp paper in Orissa

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Talcher (Orissa), October 20: Stamp papers valued at Rupees two crore have been eaten by white ants in Talcher sub-treasury, Sub-Treasury Officer Smruti Rekha Sahu said.

There was a two-day holiday during Diwali last week when the white-ants ate stamp papers of Rs 500 and Rs 5,000 denomination, she said.

The insects managed to enter an iron chest in which the stamp papers were kept, she said.

Angul District Collector V V Swamy has ordered an inquiry.

Stamp papers are used for registration of documents in land deals.

–Agencies

Maya against raising of minimum marks for IIT-JEE

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Lucknow, October 20: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today stoutly opposed any move to raise the minimum percentage of marks required to appear in IIT joint entrance examinations.

In a letter to Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, she said any move to raise minimum percentage of marks for admission to IITs would affect the future of lakhs of students in Uttar Pradesh.

“The number of UP Board students securing 80 per cent and more in standard 12th is not much. Thus, formulating a restrictive policy will affect their future,” Mayawati said.

Bomb hoax at Le Meridian in Ahmedabad

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Ahmedabad, October 20: A hoax call about presence of bomb gave jittery moments to guests at the Le Meridian hotel here today.

Bomb disposal and dog squads were rushed to the hotel in Khanpur area of the city following the phone call, police said.

The call turned out to be a hoax as nothing suspicious was found in the premises, they said.

“We did not find anything in the hotel. We have searched each and every room there,” BDS chief R D Yadav told PTI.

However, the guests, many of them foreigners, were shifted to another hotel as a precautionary measure.

–Agencies

Randhir gets down to the nitty-gritty of the Games work

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New Delhi, October 20: Vice-chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) Randhir Singh, who has emerged as the pointsman for the 2010 New Delhi Games, has started addressing the areas of concern listed by Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell here over a week ago.

Randhir, who has been entrusted the control of the Games sub-committees, started to use the whip Monday by calling the panels in-charge of the functional areas Fennell raised.

AI plans to fly all-economy planes on Gulf routes

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Mumbai, October 20: As part of its route rationalisation and cost-cutting measures, Air India plans to replace its twin-class aircraft with all-economy ones belonging to low-cost subsidiary Air India Express on few Gulf routes from this month end.

“As part of our route rationalisation plans some of the flights which are currently being operated by erstwhile Indian Airlines on sectors like Bahrain and Doha, will be operated by our low-cost subsidiary Air India Express,” Air India sources said in Mumbai.

Kasaravalli ecstatic after receiving Crystal Globe Award

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Bangalore, October 20: Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, who was honoured with the South Asian Cinema Foundation’s Excellence in Cinema Crystal Globe Award 2009, says receiving the prestigious award has been the most precious moment in his life.

Speaking to IANS from New Delhi where he has gone to receive the National Award for his film “Gulabi Talkies”, Kasaravalli said that a retrospective of his best films were organised in Britain.

Kenyan team to witness Haryana poll counting

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Chandigarh, October 20: A six-member Kenyan delegation will observe the counting of votes Thursday for Haryana assembly’s 90 seats.

The Kenyan delegation will be led by the interim Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Ahmed Issac Hassan. The team will visit a counting station in Gurgaon, adjoining the national capital.

There are 90 counting centres in the state.

Haryana’s chief electoral officer Sajjan Singh said Tuesday that the delegation’s visit was courtesy the Election Commission of India.

–Agencies

Nitish flags off Haj pilgrims

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Patna, October 20: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today flagged off the first group of about 400 Haj pilgrims from Bihar at a function here.

Kumar, accompanied by state Minister for Minorities’ Welfare Sahid Ali Khan, visited the newly-built Haj Bhavan here and wished their “holy visit, a success.”

He appealed to the Haj pilgrims to also pray for peace and progress of the country and Bihar as well.

According to principal secretary (Home) Amir Subhani, around 5,850 Muslims have opted for Haj.

Ktk demands 6,600 cr from Centre for flood relief

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New Delhi, October 20: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today asked the Centre for an immediate release of Rs 6,600 crore for flood relief operations in the state.

Yeddyurappa, who met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today asked for the Centre’s help in the aftermath of the massive floods that resulted into the death of hundreds of people while thousands were displaced.

Talking to reporters here, the Karnataka CM said that the initial estimate of the flood loss in his state was about Rs 17,000-18,000 crores.

Maoists set fire to two road construction vehicles

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Raipur, October 20: Maoist militants Tuesday set two vehicles on fire in Chhattisgarh’s restive Rajnandgaon district bordering Maharashtra, police said.

Armed rebels burnt the vehicles in a forested hamlet, Korchatola, some 200 km west of capital Raipur. The vehicles belonged to a private contractor who was building a road under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Scheme.

Officials here at police headquarters said Maoist guerrillas set ablaze at least 65 vehicles, engaged in road construction projects, this year alone in their stronghold Bastar region.

No proposal to hike marks for IIT entrance exam: Sibal

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New Delhi/Patna, October 20: HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said there was no no proposal to allow only those who obtain 80 per cent marks in their Class 12 examinations to sit in the entrance exam for admissions to IITs as leaders from Bihar opposed any such move.

Making a statement, he described as “baseless” media reports suggesting that there is a proposal to allow only those who obtain 80 per cent marks in their Class 12 examination to sit for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is baseless.

SRK and I are not India, Pakistan: Sallu

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Mumbai, October 20: Bollywood actor Salman Khan wonders why the differences between him and Shah Rukh Khan are being given “national importance”.

“We do not talk to each other but why make a national issue out of it”, asked Salman.

“We are not like India and Pakistan that the issue is given so much importance and priority. There are other things and issues to focus on as well,” Khan said.

Salman said he is tired of answering questions about his fight with Shah Rukh at Katrina Kaif’s birthday party last year.

Blues and Bushrangers to renew their rivalry at Kotla

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New Delhi, October 20: Away from home, two Australian cricketing rivals, New South Wales Blues and Victoria Bushrangers, will challenge each other on Indian turf when they turn out for the first semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20 at Ferozeshah Kotla here Wednesday.

With a host of international stars in their ranks, the match is expected to provide a thriller of Twenty20 cricket, something that has been sorely missed in the tournament so far.

ONGC registers fifth clean development project

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New Delhi, October 20: State-run oil explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has registered its fifth clean development mechanism (CDM) project with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The latest project for enhancing energy efficiency in the amine circulation pumps of the company’s Hazira plant in Gujarat, will fetch an estimated certified emission reduction (CER) of 4043 annually for a period of 10 years, ONGC said in a statement.

The registration process was completed Sep 22.

Army commanders to review operational preparedness

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New Delhi, October 20: The Army commanders conference beginning Wednesday would review operational preparedness of the one million strong force as well security situation in the country and the neighbouring states, officials said here Tuesday.

Army chief, General Deepak Kapoor would chair the four-day conference which will be focusing on macro level issues pertaining to military strategy, operational logistics and matters impacting the welfare and enhancement of satisfaction level amongst all ranks.

Karzai accepts runoff vote to be held on Nov 7

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Kabul, October 20: Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced Tuesday that he failed to win an outright election in the first round of voting and accepted the results requiring a second round that will be held in two weeks.

The president told a press conference at his palace that the decision for the second round of the election announced by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was in accordance with the Afghan constitution.

New initiative to promote skill development launched

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New Delhi, October 20: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday launched the National Skill Development Corp as a public-private initiative to help hone the talent of India’s workforce in 21 high-growth industries.

The new corporation, in which the ratio of stake is 49:51 between the government and the industry, will primarily focus on tackling 30 percent of the total skill gap of India’s workforce over the next decade.