Milkha Singh bats for diabetes awareness

Recently, legendary athlete Milkha Singh launched the Ranbaxy Diabetes Care program at the annual conference of the Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India being held at India Expo Centre.

‘Physical fitness plays a vital role in fighting the adversities in life and give mental strength to bounce back. The goal of Ranbaxy Diabetes program is not just about medicines but to offer holistic diabetes care which starts with healthy life style which includes healthy food, regular excercise to provide physical and mental fitness,compliance to medicines and doctors advise,’ Singh said at the event.

‘Ranbaxy is taking lead for promoting physical activity and fitness amongst doctors and mass public as first step towards tackling life style disorder like diabetes,’ said Rajeev Sibal, Vice President and Head (India), Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.

Milkha Singh re-entered national consciousness recently after his biopic starring Farhan Akhtar took the nation by storm.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a metabolic disease which is characterised by high blood sugar levels. It can be caused either due to the lack of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or because the body’s cells fail to respond to the insulin produced (type 2 diabetes). Some of the common symptoms of diabetes are hunger, frequent urination and increased thirst. While type 1 diabetes is usually genetic, type 2 diabetes is caused more by lifestyle factors. It is one of the common ‘lifestyle diseases’ which is plaguing people in the developed countries and often has a causal link to heart diseases, hypertension and obesity. (Read more..)

Home remedies for diabetes

Ever wonder if there was something you could do at home to keep your blood sugar levels in check? Well, there is. Here are some of them:

Holy Basil Leaves: Also known as tulsi, leaves of holy basil are packed with antioxidants and essential oils that produce eugenol, methyl eugenol and caryophyllene. Collectively these substances help the pancreatic beta cells (cells that store and release insulin) function properly. This in turn helps increase sensitivity to insulin. An added advantage is that the antioxidants present in the leaves help beat the ill effects of oxidative stress.

Tip: Have two to three tulsi leaves whole, or about one tablespoon full of its juice on an empty stomach to lower the blood sugar levels. Read more home remedies

Caring for a diabetic

Diabetes can be treated but can’t be cured. People with diabetes can still live a long and healthy life by making some important changes in their lives. When a family member is diagnosed with the disease your support and care can go a long way in achieving and maintaining their blood glucose control. Your role as a care taker can throw up some unique challenges.

Educate yourself

You can care for your family member only when you know about the disease. So, first and foremost, educate yourself about diabetes. Know as much as you can about the disease. To stay healthy, they have to learn how to monitor and control their blood sugar levels. (Read: Living with diabetes)

Pay attention to their diet

Diabetics need to eat regular meals. They need to have at least three meals every day at about the same times. Hence it is important to follow a healthy meal plan at home. Make healthy diet a lifestyle. Encourage them to eat a variety of foods. Give them a choice of food with less fat, less sugar and less salt. Include high-fibre foods, like vegetables, fruit and whole grain breads and cereals in the menu. Don’t stock up on junk food. Read more…

Yoga poses to keep diabetes under control

Breathing in deeply and breathing out helps oxygenate your blood, and improves circulation. It also calms the mind and gives your rattled nerves some much needed rest.

Steps to do this pose: Sit on a yoga mat on the floor. Fold your legs in either padmasana or sit cross legged. Now straighten your back, keep your chin parallel to the floor, place your hands on your knees with your palms facing upwards and close your eyes. Breath in deep and hold your breath for five counts. Exhale slowly. Repeat this process at least ten times. Once you are done, rub your palms together till they are warm, and place them on your eyes. Now slowly open them and smile.

2. Setubandhasana: This pose not only helps keep one’s blood pressure in control it also helps to relax the mind, improves digestion, relieves the symptoms of menopause in women and stretches the neck and spine.

Steps to do this pose:

Lie flat on your yoga mat, with your feet flat on the floor. Now exhale and push up, and off the floor with your feet. Raise your body up such that your neck and head are flat on the mat and the rest of your body is in the air. You can use your hands to push down for added support. If you are flexible you can even clasp your fingers just below your raised back for that added stretch. The key here is to not overexert or hurt yourself while doing this pose.

More: http://health.india.com/news/milkha-singh-bats-for-diabetes-awareness/

Aruna Shanbaug in ICU with pneumonia

Aruna Shanbaug, the KEM Hospital nurse, who has been in a vegetative state for the past 40 years, is down with pneumonia, triggering scare among her caregivers at KEM hospital on Friday.

The ailment left the rape survivor in a breathless state, prompting doctors to shift her from the hospital's ward 4 into the medical intensive care unit (MICU). A room outside the ward at KEM has been Shanbaug's home ever since she was rendered paralyzed after being attacked and raped by a ward boy in 1973.

On Friday, Shanbaug did not seem to be her usual self; the nurses attending to her round-the-clock noticed that she had difficulty in breathing and immediately alerted the doctors. Shanbaug was promptly moved to the MICU and put on non-invasive oxygen support. Tests confirmed pneumonia and she was put on antibiotics.

KEM hospital dean Dr Shubhangi Parkar said she was responding well to medications. "The vital parameters are an indicator. They have shown great improvement. Senior doctors are attending to her several times a day, and resident doctors are keeping a watch," said Dr Parkar, adding she was now being fed through tubes. Hoping Shanbaug would be moved out of MICU shortly, Parkar said, "She should be better soon."

Then a 25-year-old nurse at the hospital, Shanbaug was brutalized by ward boy Sohanlal Bartha Valmiki. To pin her down, he used a dog chain around her neck, causing serious damage to her brain cells and reducing her to a vegetative state.

Around a month ago, Shanbaug lost her elder sister, Shanta Nayak (77), her only family in the city. Nayak, who lived in a chawl in Lower Parel, had earlier said she did not have the resources to take care of Shanbaug. According to hospital staffers, Nayak had not visited her sister in over two decades. Sieving from her memory, Nayak's neighbour Jaya Sarraya said, "Aruna would come here till she got her quarters in the hospital. But Shanta or her daughters seldom discussed her. A lot of time has passed since the incident."

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Aruna-Shanbaug-in-ICU-with-pneumonia/articleshow/25569358.cms

Unbecoming of Nair to criticize mission: CNR Rao

Noted scientist CNR Rao on Friday lashed out at former Isro chief G Madhavan Nair for criticizing the Mars Mission.

"It is unbecoming of Nair as an Indian to make such comments. I am extremely critical of them," Rao said on the sidelines of an event, adding that Isro's achievement is laudable.


Nair, who has been extremely critical of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), has been maintaining that the project is "nothing but a publicity stunt".

The day before MOM's launch on November 5, Nair had said that "a successful launch will help the space agency cover up its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) failures". He also said that the Rs 450 crore used for the project "was of little use as the scientific instruments on board will not discover much on Mars".

To which Rao, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, said: "Scientifically, I don't want to comment on the mission. But their efforts need to be applauded. They could have taken more time and done a better job. As an Indian, it's a good feeling."

On the Rs 450 crore spent on the mission, he said the sum is "peanuts" compared to other budgetary allocations. "Do you have an idea of the numbers we deal with in our budgets? Rs 450 crore amounts to nothing for a project like this," he asserted.

Pointing out that the country has to wait till next September to ascertain if the project is a complete success or not, he said India needs to spend more on research and development, and education. "Compared to many other countries, like Japan and China, we do not spend enough. We need to allocate at least 2%-3% of our budget on this," he said.

Rao was addressing the media to announce that Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Jakkur has completed 25 years. He said the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Institute of Science Technology and Development Studies (CSIR-NISTAD) has rated JNCASR as the institute with the highest scientific impact, followed by the Indian Institute of Science. "It is an achievement we've accomplished in just 25 years," Rao said.

More: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-09/india/43854120_1_mars-orbiter-mission-cnr-rao-g-madhavan-nair

Mars Orbiter Mission's big night tonight, spacecraft will be hurled to an apogee of nearly one lakh kilometres

Tonight will be the big night for the Mars mission. The Mars Orbiter Mission's spacecraft will be given another earth bound manoeuvre at 0206 hrs. The reason to celebrate: the celebrity spacecraft will be hurled to an apogee of nearly one lakh km. This will be the fourth orbit raising manoeuvre since the inter-planetary spacecraft, India's first, was launched on November 5 from SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.


The midnight monoeuvres have caught the fascination of space enthusiasts who are tracking every development related to the mars mission that Indian scientists have made possible. They have questions to ask and Isro's scientists are more than willing to explain why the orbit raising manoeuvres take place only in the nights.

"Firing has to happen near the perigee and in the visibility from ISTRAC ground stations. All these orbits have argument of perigee of ~285 degress. When all these constraints are put together, firings time will almost always fall in to midnights of Indian sub continent," Isro explained about the reasons for the midnight manoeuvres.

According to Isro scientists, the Liquid Engine On-board MOM has performed flawlessly over the last three consecutive nights by gradually raising MOM's Velocity at perigee and the resultant Apogee altitude as well. "And now MOM is in a large elliptical orbit and will need another thirty hours for firing its liquid engine to gain additional velocity," they said.

The third orbit raising manoeuvre of Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft, starting at 02:10:43 hrs on Nov 09, 2013, was successful. The change observed in the Apogee was from 40,186 km to 71,636km.

The second orbit raising manoeuvre of MOM was at 02:18:51 hrs(IST) on Nov 8, 2013.The change observed in Apogee was from 28,814km to 40,186km.

The first orbit-raising manoeuvre of India's Mars Orbiter Mission was performed at 01:17 hrs Indian Standard Time (IST) early on November 07, 2013) when the 440 Newton Liquid Engine of the spacecraft was fired for 416 seconds by commanding it from Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC) at Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Peenya, Bangalore. With this engine firing, the spacecraft's Apogee (the farthest point to Earth) was raised to 28,825km.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mars-Orbiter-Missions-big-night-tonight-spacecraft-will-be-hurled-to-an-apogee-of-nearly-one-lakh-kilometres/articleshow/25565412.cms?

World Chess Championship - Game 2 between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen drawn like Game 1

The first game between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw.

In this second game, Anand will play with white and Carlsen black a reverse of yesterday's colours. This game is also a draw.

Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen.

The world champion vs the World No1; the King vs the Crown Prince. This is the chess battle of this century.

The World Chess Championship unfolds at Hotel Hyatt Regency as history is in the making over the next three weeks.

If Carlsen wins, he would herald a new era in World Championship. If Anand wins, he would be rated along with Garry Kasparov as the most successful world champion in modern chess.

World champion Viswanathan Anand will start with black pieces in the first game.

The first game will be played on Saturday, followed by the second on Sunday with Carlsen having black. The games will start at 3 pm at Hotel Hyatt Regency, the venue of the championship.

There will be a rest day after the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th games. After the sixth game, the colours will be reversed so Anand would have black in the sixth and seventh games.

The players are fighting for a purse of $3 million with the winner standing to earn $1.45m and the loser just under $1m. Carlsen has already pocketed $137,000 of the prize fund for agreeing to play on his opponent’s home turf.

The time control for the 12 games will be: 40 moves in two hours for each player, the next 20 moves in one hour and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61.

If the match goes into tiebreakers after a 6-6 tie in Classical chess, there will be a four 25-minute rapid chess games to break the tie. If that also ends in a tie, blitz chess mini-matches of two games each will be played. If the first set ends in a tie, the second, third and fourth will follow. In all five sets (10 games) will be played to break the tie.

Even then if the match is tied, the Armageddon (sudden death game) will be applied. In that game, white will get five minutes and black four but black needing only a draw to win the game and match. The rapid, blitz and Armageddon will have separate draw of lots to choose the colour.

The chief arbiter for the championship is, Ashot Vardapetyan from Armenia the same official who was in charge of the Anand-Boris Gelfand World championship match in 2012 in Moscow.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-game-one-drawn-viswanathan-anand-takes-on-magnus-carlsen-at-world-chess-championship-1916235

Online ticket sale for Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test starts at 11am

The tickets for the much-awaited Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test and last match at Wankhede Stadium will be sold online from 11am starting from November 11 on kyazoonga.com.

The second Test match between India and West Indies will start from November 14.

The tickets are priced at Rs500, Rs1,000 and Rs2,500.

Only two tickets per person can be booked.

After one books the ticket online, he/she has to collect it from redemption/ ticket pick-up counters which will be opened between 8am and 3pm at the Mumbai Hockey Association from November 12.

Buyers are requested to bring their credit/ debit cards, a valid photo ID proof and its photocopy and a print out of the page of the ticket confirmation.

If someone else is collecting the ticket, then the person needs to carry an authorisation letter and the buyer’s original photo identification and its photocopy.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-online-ticket-sale-for-sachin-tendulkar-s-200th-test-starts-at-11am-1917152

Bigg Boss 7: Aijaz Khan knows exactly how to manipulate his moods to provoke others, says Candy Brar

Candy confesses that on many occasions she found herself on the verge of breaking down.

Candy Brar

Former model Candy Brar, latest to be evicted from "Bigg Boss - Saath 7", says she was a "nervous wreck" inside the house because of the atmosphere. She feels most of the contestants are actors and they manipulate their moods to be in the limelight.

"It was the atmosphere in there. Everybody was eager to make his or her presence felt. Most of them are actors, so they can orchestrate mood changes to suit their needs," said Candy, who was evicted Saturday.

"Someone like Aijaz Khan knows exactly how to manipulate his moods to provoke others. I couldn't do that. I am not someone from the limelight. I didn't know how to attract attention to myself. I didn't want to," she added.

This was not her first reality show -- she was the runner up of MTV's adventure reality show "Roadies 2".

But she feels that she is not cut out for something like "Bigg Boss".

"That place was not for me. I was there for barely two weeks, and it was suffocating. I just couldn't take it," said Brar, who currently looks after the business and marketing of Showman Entertainment.

"Not that anyone had a fight with me or was rude to me, or anything. Nothing like that. But there was so much negativity in there. If I had stayed one more week, I'd have fallen ill," she added.

Candy has no complaints against the contestants.

"They were all very nice to me. And I've come away with at least four very good friends - Armaan Kohli, Tanisha Mukherjee, Eli Avram and VJ Andy. And yes, from among the new entrants Sofia Hayat. Even the others were okay with me. Nobody raised his or her voice at me."

In fact, Armaan and Tanisha were heard imploring viewers to not eliminate Candy.

"Usually contestants go behind each other's backs and vote against the very people they swear are their friends. But here some of them were actually asking that I not be eliminated. It was heart-warming... but I had to get out."

Candy confesses that on many occasions she found herself on the verge of breaking down.

"I am the kind of person who gets nervous at the slightest of negativity. Very frequently in there (inside Bigg Boss) when tempers flew high, my heart started palpitating. I'd try to find a corner away from the camera to cry. Maybe I shouldn't have gone in there."

Candy says the reason she went in there was not money.

"Nowadays Rs.50 lakh can't even even buy you a home. So money was not the criteria. I went in there because someone I didn't know at all (Vivek Mishra) took my name in the context of (her ex-boyfriend) Kushal Tandon. I suddenly began getting calls from all and sundry asking what was that all about. I am not used to being questioned by relative strangers.

"I've a very small circle of close friends whom I'm comfortable with. Here I was suddenly getting calls and messages from strangers. I just wanted to go in there and confront this guy. And look at my luck. The guy, who had put me in a compromising position, left. So I was basically left to wonder what I was doing in there."

Candy comes away from "Bigg Boss" swearing never to be part of any reality show.

"I was on 'Roadies', but it was nothing like 'Bigg Boss'. Here everyone was constantly playing mind games trying to provoke one another for no rhyme or reason.

"This was no place for me... But it was a learning experience. I've come out maybe a little stronger. I value my loved ones even more now. I can't wait to meet my family again," she said.

Right now Gauhar Khan, Kamya Punjabi, Pratyusha Banerjee, Aijaz, Tanisha, Andy, Armaan, Elli, Sofia and Sangram Singh are battling it out inside the house.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-bigg-boss-7-aijaz-khan-knows-exactly-how-to-manipulate-his-moods-to-provoke-others-says-candy-brar-1916919

I had to decide whether I wanted to fly blind: Viswanathan Anand

After game one ended in a draw after just 16 moves, a sheepish Magnus Carlsen (who had played with white and hence on whom the onus of pushing for the win rested) had said he would try his best to provide the fans a better spectacle in the remaining games. On Sunday, it was Viswanathan Anand's turn to turn up at the principal's office. "Yeah, I was surprised (with Carlsen's choice of opening). Today it is my turn to tender a slight apology. The position we got after move 12 was a very sharp one," Anand said in the post match press conference.

Anand was referring to 12. c3 Be7. GM Vidit Gujarathi's analysis on chessbomb.com at this point provides a neat summary of where the game stood: "A very less explored line. Here white has to take an important decision. Usually in such positions white should sacrifice the h4 pawn and gain momentum in development."

Anand explained: "I have studied it in the past and it is a very very complicated position. I hadn't really expected it, that is clear. I had to decide whether I wanted to fly blind. It is clear that he would have been into the details much more than I have so I chose a slightly solid line. A prudent decision today."

'Expect better games'

Promising a better show for the rest of the match, the world champion added: "I am sure there will be better games, we are both just settling into the match. We both have a bit of information about what the other person is aiming for and it should get interesting. We both got caught in slightly unexpected situations (in the two games so far)."

Carlsen said he was not the greatest of starters and insisted things would get exciting later on. "I feel it is little similar to my start in Candidates where I made an easy draw with black, and let my opponent get an easy draw with black in the second game and that one took off quite quickly, so let us see. We are just settling in so far, as Vishy said. It is hard to go for sharp lines when you do not know what you are getting into," said Carlsen. Though he started with two draws in the Candidates Tournament in April 2013, seven out of Carlsen's eleven remaining games yielded a result.

The two short draws haven't perturbed the players too much though. "I am going to relax a bit after some tough games," said Carlsen when asked about what his plans for the rest day were.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/i-had-to-decide-whether-i-wanted-to-fly-blind-viswanathan-anand/1193377/0

I am surprised that my movies with Saif flopped: Kareena Kapoor

Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor said she was surprised that her movies with her husband Saif Ali Khan had failed to make waves at the box office.

The movie star who was in Indore to promote her forthcoming movie 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein' said that she had no problems with it, as Saif Ali Khan was her hero in real life.

Kareena Kapoor told reporters that she hoped that this would not lead to any change in her life.

She said that in 1990s, lead actresses were not given roles which they get today and added that though male actors dominate the film industry, the type of roles actresses chose depends on themselves.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/i-am-surprised-that-my-movies-with-saif-flopped-kareena-kapoor/1193464/

Apple Said Developing Curved IPhone Screens, New Sensors

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is developing new iPhone designs including bigger screens with curved glass and enhanced sensors that can detect different levels of pressure, said a person familiar with the plans.

Two models planned for release in the second half of next year would feature larger displays with glass that curves downward at the edges, said the person, declining to be identified because the details aren’t public. Sensors that can distinguish heavy or light touches on the screen may be incorporated into subsequent models, the person said.

The new Apple handsets are still in development and plans haven’t been completed, the person said, adding that the company probably would release them in the third quarter of next year.With screens of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, the two new models would be Apple’s largest iPhones, the person said, and would approach in size the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 that Samsung Electronics Co. debuted in September. The South Korean maker last month released its curved-screen Galaxy Round, the latest phone in an array of sizes and price points that’s helping keep Samsung ahead of Apple in global market share.
Screen Size

Natalie Kerris, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, declined to comment.

“Screen size is one of the things where Apple has to catch up to the Android camp,” Dennis Chan, an analyst at Yuanta Financial Holding Co. in Taipei, said, referring to phones using Google Inc.’s operating software. “Innovation in components has been a key for Apple since the first iPhone came out.”

Apple broke with past practice in September when it unveiled two versions of the iPhone at the same time, the iPhone 5s with more advanced features and the iPhone 5c at lower prices, as part of a strategy to appeal to broader markets.

Demand for the iPhone 5s is much higher, and iPhone 5c production has been reduced, the person said.

Revenue growth for the current quarter, Apple’s traditional holiday sales period, may be the slowest since 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg based on the company’s financial forecast published last month. Samsung said last month it expects this quarter’s shipment growth rate from the prior quarter to fall to a “low single digit” percentage from the “mid-10 percent range” the prior period.

Testing continues on the pressure-sensitive technology, which is unlikely to be ready for the next iPhone release and is instead planned for a later model, the person said.

Apple’s testing and development of new materials follows its history of working with suppliers to produce new technologies that can enhance device functions. The original iPhone, released in 2007, offered touchscreen technology developed with Taipei-based TPK Holding Co. (3673) that was more responsive than available at the time.

Apple said last week it will open a new plant in Arizona to make components for its devices. Merrimack, New Hampshire-based GT Advanced Technologies said Apple will prepay $578 million for furnaces to make sapphire materials used in smartphones, with the iPhone maker getting some exclusive rights.

More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-10/apple-said-developing-curved-iphone-screens-enhanced-sensors.html

Google Glass Prescription Lenses Coming in January

Despite having its fair share of skeptics, Google Glass continues to accrue enhancements that could make it a mainstream hit when it officially debuts next year. The latest is from New York-based company Rochester Optical, which promises to release a special prescription lens add-on for the device in early 2014 (above image is not of the unreleased product).

Rochester Optical announced on Wednesday that Tim Moore, one of the early Glass Explorers, will join its prescription-lens project.

“We’ll be ready to start selling these to the public, at the latest, by January,” Moore toldMashable.

The Google Glass-ready prescription lenses will be priced in the same range as standard prescription lenses, according to Moore. Customers will be able to visit a website where they can choose a matching color for their existing device, and enter their prescription information. Lenses will be shipped within two business days.

“The arm mount will fit Google Glass perfectly, and it will be available in a number of colors that will match Glass colors,” Moore said.

While Rochester Optical's 2014 launch might hint at some knowledge of Google release plans, Moore quickly clarified that Google is not involved in the project in any way.

With a history of eyeglass development spanning 80 years, Rochester Optical’s plunge into the future of eyewear offers yet another indication that established players are finally taking wearable technology seriously. The only question, now, is whether mainstream consumers are just as ready to embrace wearable computing in the same way.

More: http://mashable.com/2013/11/09/prescription-lenses-google-glass/

Telecom M&A rules to be announced this week: Sibal

The government may finally announce much awaited, first-ever policy on mergers and acquisitions for the telecom sector this week. “It (Mergers and acquisition guidelines) has been cleared by Telecom Commission. We will announce it any day now. Probably in coming week,” Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told PTI. Inter-ministerial panel Telecom Commission on November 6 approved the guidelines which will allow telecom companies to acquire operators in a manner that market share of the resultant entity does not exceed 50 percent. 

The M&A policy is expected to further infuse investment in the sector. The M&A policy is expected to further infuse investment in the sector. India’s telecom sector, which has 13 mobile service providers, is expected to see consolidation as some of them under huge debts and unable to generate profits may look to exit the market. Vodafone India, which has around 17.8 percent market share, has already said it has strong financial condition to acquire another company. “I think 4 to 5, may be if you include state operators then 6, is the maximum (number of operators) that this market can have. 

It means where we see nine today, major 3 to 4 (service providers) need to consolidate in one way or the other,” Vodafone India’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Martin Pieters has earlier said. Last month, Bharti group Chairman Sunil Mittal also said that Airtel will look at opportunities to acquire another firm in India, provided that there is a clear M&A policy in place.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/business/telecom-ma-rules-to-be-announced-this-week-sibal-1221169.html?utm_source=ref_article

Australian PM Tony Abbott asked to join Colombo summit boycott

Australia's prime minister was under mounting pressure Monday to join his Indian and Canadian counterparts in boycotting a British Commonwealth summitin Sri Lanka this week over concerns about the island nation's human rights record.

India announced Sunday that Prime MinisterManmohan Singh will be the second leader after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to boycott the Nov. 15-17 meeting. There are 54 members of the Commonwealth, a loose association of former British colonies.

Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon called on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to boycott the meeting after she and New Zealand lawmaker Jan Logie were prevented from holding a press conference on human rights issues in Colombo on Sunday by immigration officials who seized their passports and took them to their hotels for three hours of questioning.

Rhiannon, whose Greens party is not part of Australia's conservative coalition government, described the treatment as ``unlawful,'' given she had an appropriate tourist visa and a letter from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Sri Lankan government explaining her trip.

``I was very concerned that my liberty was denied to me for more than three hours,'' Rhiannon told reporters at Sydney Airport on Monday after arriving from Colombo.

She said the Australian delegation to the summit ``should not be headed by Mr. Abbott as prime minister.'' Abbott's office did not immediately respond to the incident on Monday.

Human rights group Amnesty International said Rhiannon's detention confirms a pattern of continuing human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

The APNZ news service reported that Logie said she was safe after her detention.

The decisions by the Indian and Canadian leaders to not attend the summit is expected to sharpen the focus on demands by Western nations and rights activists that Sri Lanka account for thousands of civilians who are suspected to have died in the final months of a quarter-century civil war that that ended in 2009 when government forces crushed separatist Tamil rebels.

Singh sent a letter to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressing his inability to attend the summit, said Syed Akbaruddin, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman. He did not divulge the contents of the letter.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will represent India at the summit, Akbaruddin said.

India, which has a major interest in the issue because southern India is home to 60 million Tamils, has been urging Sri Lanka's government to resume negotiations with an ethnic Tamil party on increased local autonomy for Tamils.

After the war, Rajapaksa promised to allow a greater degree of autonomy in Tamil-majority regions in the north. However, he has been criticized by foreign countries and rights groups for failing to deliver on his promises.

Harper said last month that Canada was disturbed by ongoing reports of intimidation and incarceration of political leaders and journalists, harassment of minorities, reported disappearances and allegations of extrajudicial killings.

More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/australian-pm-tony-abbott-asked-to-join-colombo-summit-boycott/articleshow/25578363.cms

US ready to risk Israel, Saudi Arabia wrath to seal Iran deal

The United States remains ready to upset key allies Israel and Saudi Arabia by securing a swift nuclear deal with Iran despite the failure of talks in Geneva, US-based analysts said Sunday.

While Tehran remained under the greatest pressure to reach a speedy deal with the major powers, they said, Washington was anxious to take advantage of Iran's willingness to negotiate an accord and avert future conflict in the Middle East.

Three grueling days of discussions between Iran, the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany ended early Sunday without agreement.

The parties had been hoping to broker an accord that would curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

By searching for a deal in Geneva, the US was "maybe trying to go a little too far, too fast, but they were induced by the Iranian enthusiasm," according to Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine.

"It is really the convergence of US and Iranian desires to avoid an even deeper confrontation over the nuclear file that makes an agreement possible at this stage," he added, citing the 10-year impasse concerning the nuclear program, which Western powers suspect of being geared towards producing an atomic bomb rather than peaceful civilian uses.

Alireza Nader, a senior international policy analyst at the RAND Corporation think-tank, questioned the suggestion that the United States was "rushing" to reach a deal at any cost with Iran, with whom it has had no diplomatic relations since 1980.

Despite the historic phone call between US President Barack Obama and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani at the end of September, any improvement in relations between the two sides must continue to be viewed in the context of the decades of mistrust and animosity that preceded it.

However, it was the clear the the United States was keen on reaching an agreement in Geneva, because a "a deal as a first step (provides) an opportunity to stop Iran from moving towards a nuclear weapons breakout capability."

Nader said the Obama administration had always favored a diplomatic solution to the nuclear stand-off.

"I don't think the US position has changed in the last few months," Nader said. "What we have seen now is the willingness by Iran to negotiate."

Iran was keen to see an easing crippling sanctions, notably restrictions, which have frozen overseas assets worth several billion dollars.

US Secretary of State John Kerry meanwhile defended Washington against the accusation that it was pursuing a deal with Tehran at all costs.

"We are not blind, and I don't think we're stupid," Kerry said.

He also sent a new message to Israel and Saudi Arabia, who have grown increasingly alarmed at the warming of US-Iranian ties, saying Washington had a "pretty strong sense of how to measure whether or not we are acting in the interests of our country and of the globe, and particularly of our allies like Israel and Gulf States."

Analysts are adamant that Israel and Saudi Arabia remain resolutely opposed to any deal between Washington and Tehran.

"Both the Israelis and the Saudis have indicated publicly they want the United States to go to war with Iran," said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council.

"If there is a deal, there will not be a war, that's why they are upset."

RAND Corporation expert Nader also noted the "anxiety" of Israel and Saudi Arabia, who likely feared that a US-Iran deal would be harmful to their long-term strategic interests.

"They are worried about Iranian-American relations improving to their detriment," Nader said. The possibility of Iran playing a bigger role in regional affairs "creates anxiety for Israel and Saudi Arabia."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday Israel would do all it could to "convince world powers to avoid a bad deal."

American Task Force on Palestine expert Ibish said Gulf states already "seem to be concluding, with alarm, that the US is morphing from the guarantor of regional stability to a broker of unsatisfactory and tenuous agreements with regimes that should be confronted or contained."

"The Saudis and other Gulf states are starting to ask the question 'Why does the US seem to be developing a panel of rewarding its enemies and punishing its friends?'"

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-ready-to-risk-israel-saudi-arabia-wrath-to-seal-iran-deal-444290

U.S. Tries to Rekindle Iran Deal After Miscues

A series of miscalculations by the Obama administration and world powers were behind a failure to complete a first-stage agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program this weekend despite days of rising expectations of a deal, said diplomats involved in the process.

Washington sought to take the developments in stride, quickly moving to salvage a deal by dispatching senior American diplomats to Israel and the Persian Gulf to try to win over skeptical allies and show the delay could lead to a better agreement with Tehran.

"We are not blind, and I don't think we're stupid," Secretary of State John Kerry said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "I think we have a pretty strong sense of how to measure whether or not we are acting in the interests of our country and of the globe."

Chief international diplomats agreed that negotiators would meet again in 10 days, an indication that they expect to build on momentum from promising moments during the weekend's meetings in Switzerland. Unlike the final two days of last week's talks, however, negotiations will be conducted by senior officials, not foreign ministers.

The talks in Geneva stumbled at an ambitious moment because of developments that were unforeseen by top officials from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran, the diplomats said.

One was the intractability of Israel's opposition. While Washington and other powers were well aware of Israel's deep antipathy to a deal, they didn't expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to campaign to scuttle it by lobbying leaders around the world as diplomats met in Geneva, diplomats said.

Similarly, despite France's difficult history with Iran, diplomats said they didn't expect the French foreign minister to go public with a warning of a "fool's game" just as negotiations reached a critical point on Saturday.

The talks also were hamstrung by what many diplomats saw as shortcomings in the accord being considered. The proposed initial deal failed to address potentially dangerous elements posed by Iran's expanding nuclear program—in particular, Tehran's heavy water reactor in the city of Arak, which will be able to produce plutonium when it begins operating as early as next year.

Iran might not begin producing plutonium usable in weapons for more than a year after it begins operations, say nuclear experts. U.S. officials stress, meanwhile, that they don't believe Tehran has built a reprocessing facility that would allow it to harvest plutonium from the reactor's spent fuel.

Still, in recent months, as the start date for Arak has grown closer, U.S. and European officials have increasingly worried that they could be nearing a point of no return for Tehran's nuclear program.

Any possibility of using military force to halt Arak's construction is considered problematic once Iranian engineers begin feeding nuclear fuel into the reactor. An attack at that point would cause an environmental disaster if nuclear waste were to be discharged.

As it grapples with those issues, the Obama administration faces resistance not only from Israel, but from Israel's allies in the U.S. Congress. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have voiced support for passage of new sanctions against Iran, and a bill that would do so is awaiting action before the Senate Banking Committee.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) — who also is a member of the Banking Committee, which would vote first on the bill—said Sunday that heftier sanctions are possible, with the provision that they would cease if an acceptable deal were reached.

"It's insurance for the United States to make sure that Iran actually complies with an agreement that we would want to see, which is of course desirable," he said on ABC's "This Week."

The talks in Geneva—conducted by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, a bloc known as the P5+1—appeared to lurch ahead when Secretary of State John Kerry and other top-ranking diplomats began to arrive on Friday. That fueled the perception that an accord was imminent.

The optimistic tone faded when French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius began to question the deal's contents. Among the P5+1 countries, France, along with the U.K. and Germany, has had the most extensive experience negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. The three countries conducted two years of ultimately unsuccessful talks with Tehran from 2003-2004, leaving many senior French diplomats deeply suspicious about Iran's sincerity. Tehran blamed the U.S. for scuttling that deal.

Iranian and Western diplomats said they were broadsided when Mr. Fabius broke diplomatic protocol and told French radio Saturday afternoon that Paris wouldn't accept a deal with inadequate mechanisms for limiting Iran's ability both to enrich uranium and to bring the Arak facility online.

Diplomats in the P5+1 said Mr. Fabius's interview broke an agreement among the parties not to publicly discuss the details of the negotiations. U.S. and European officials didn't challenge the merits of Mr. Fabius's arguments. But he took a demanding position among the negotiating countries, according to a Western diplomat.

Mr. Fabius was quickly backed up by Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Kerry had sought unsuccessfully earlier in the week to gain the Israeli leader's support for talks, but Mr. Netanyahu publicly warned that Israel wasn't obligated to abide by any agreement.

On Saturday, Mr. Netanyahu increased the pressure. He called the leaders of the U.K., Russia, Germany and the Netherlands and argued against accepting the current deal with Iran. "I asked the leaders: What's the rush? I suggested to wait," Mr. Netanyahu told Israeli reporters.

As hopes for an agreement started to fade, Mr. Kerry redoubled his efforts late Saturday. U.S. officials took to email and Twitter messages to advise reporters that a deal wasn't dead. And European leaders said there was still 50-50 chance.

Mr. Kerry also continued to reach out to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

Ultimately, diplomats said they still hadn't gotten the assurances they needed from the Iranians. And they sought to maintain unity amongst the P5+1, particularly France. "We worked very closely with the French," Mr. Kerry told reporters as the negotiation ended at 1 a.m. on Sunday.

A senior negotiator involved in the three days of talks in Geneva, said: "The other side [Iran] is trying to blame France, as it suits a game plan. But the truth is that we made a lot of very concrete progress, but not enough for a good deal that holds."

Washington is continuing to try and salvage a diplomatic initiative that could define President Barack Obama's foreign policy legacy. Mr. Kerry dined with the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi Sunday in another attempt to gain support from skeptical Persian Gulf states. The U.S. lead negotiator, Wendy Sherman, traveled to Israel to confer with Mr. Netanyahu.

And Mr. Fabius's office challenged the perception that France was seeking to torpedo an agreement with Iran.

"We are not far from an accord. We have made progress, but we still have work to do," a senior French official said Sunday.

More: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303460004579189833024575064

Two killed, 68 injured in Riyadh clashes

At least two people were killed 68 suffered injuries in clashes in this Saudi Arabian capital city Saturday, media reports said. A total of 104 vehicles were also damaged.

Riots started when unidentified individuals involved in violent acts inside narrow roads in the capital city and attacked the public with stones and sharp objects, reported Xinhua citing a Riyadh police official.

A police spokesperson announced the arrest of 561 riot inciters and unidentified people. Of the total injured people, 28 were Saudis and 40 expatriates.

According to Al Arabia TV, the unidentified individuals were illegal Ethiopian workers who opted for violence to resist their arrest as part of a nationwide campaign to search for illegal workers after the end of a six-month amnesty that ended early this year.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-two-killed-68-injured-in-riyadh-clashes-1917088

Maldives Supreme Court postpones presidential run-off vote to Nov 16

Maldives Supreme Court has ordered the suspension of today's run-off for the controversy-ridden presidential re-vote, prolonging the political turmoil in the country amid mounting international concern over a looming constitutional crisis.

The presidential run-off was due to take place on Sunday but theSupreme Court delayed it until November 16 in a pre-dawn ruling.

"All relevant state authorities are informed that today's election cannot take place," the Supreme Court said just hours before the run-off was due to begin.

In yesterday's crucial re-vote, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chief Mohammed Nasheed emerged a winner but failed to clinch 50 per cent of the votes to avoid a run-off.

The 46-year-old former president bagged 46.4 per cent of the votes, a marginal increase from his previous tally of 45.45 per cent votes in the September 7 polls that were annulled by the Supreme Court in which Nasheed had emerged the front-runner.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader Abdullah Yameen made a significant gain of nearly five per cent over the 25.35 per cent of votes he secured in the annulled polls and managed 30.3 per cent of the votes yesterday.

Jumhooree Party (JP) leader and resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim bagged 23.4 per cent of the votes as second runner up.

The order issued by the Supreme Court stated that by holding the run-off the very next day to the first round could undermine the constitutional rights of many people.

The court ordered all state institutions to hold the second round on November 16, saying it finds Saturday "the best date to hold the run-off".

Ibrahim had asked the court for more time to tell his supporters which way to vote in the run-off between Nasheed and Yameen, half-brother of former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The court order came following Chief Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thaufeek's announcement that he was going ahead with the run-off agreed beforehand by the candidates, but with a five-hour delay.

Nasheed, speaking to the media for the first time after yesterday's presidential election, said the constitution dictates that the presidency will expire tonight and that an election held with Waheed as president will not be legitimate.

"Dr Waheed, my vice president, will not continue as president. I believe that he stayed in power to maintain a government we formed together. Constitution clearly states the government will end. Partaking in an election with Waheed as president will be taking part in an unlawful election," Nasheed was quoted as saying by the Sun.

Meanwhile, Maldives Vice President Mohamed Waheed Deen resigned today, news daily Haveeru reported without citing any reason.

The UN today called for an interim government in the Maldives after the Supreme Court ruling.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, in a statement, expressed concern over the highest court's ruling which suspended the runoff election, halting a presidential vote for the third time in two months.

Taranco noted that the ruling meant that the Maldivian presidential elections will not be completed before the term of the current government which expires tonight.

Both the US and the Commonwealth had warned against delaying the presidential run-off vote.

"It is now imperative that the second round take place immediately and in line with Elections Commission directions in order to ensure the Maldivian people are led by an elected president of their choice," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The 53-member Commonwealth bloc's special envoy to the Maldives, Donald McKinnon, said: "It is important now that the electoral process move forward swiftly to its conclusion, with the holding of the second round.

"It is unreasonable and unacceptable for parties to continue to demand changes to an agreed election date. Voters deserve better from their leaders and a greater degree of predictability over something as serious as a presidential election."

This is the third time the presidential elections have been derailed.

Nasheed's MDP had warned that the country could be heading towards a constitutional crisis without a leader, but the Supreme Court yesterday ruled that outgoing President Mohamed Waheed can remain as a caretaker.

The country needs to have a new president in place by November 11 when the current presidential term ends.

Nasheed won the country's first multi-party elections in 2008, ending 30 years of rule by Gayoom but after clashing with key institutions, including the judiciary and security forces.

The political scene in Maldives has been in a state of flux since Nasheed resigned under duress in February 2012. He was succeeded by Vice-President Waheed.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/maldives-supreme-court-postpones-presidential-runoff-vote-to-nov-16/1193237/0

Hyderabad under New Delhi's control after Andhra bifurcation raises hackles of TRS

A home ministry task force wants New Delhi to have control over law & order in Hyderabad for a decade afterAndhra Pradesh is divided, raising the hackles of the main separatist Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

The recommendation, justified on the ground of "fear psychosis" among professionals from Seemandhra (the coastal and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh from which Telangana is sought to be separated) comes amid a frenzy of activity which could determine the fate of the bifurcation of India's fourth-largest state.

The task force headed by K Vijaya Kumar, a former director general of the Central Reserve Police Force and senior security advisor to the home ministry, visited Hyderabad last week before making its recommendations to a ministerial panel that will decide on the issues relating to bifurcation.

"There is fear psychosis in Seemandhra professionals in Hyderabad that they will be driven out and forced to sell their concerns under distress after division of the state. Pertinently, most of the private educational institutions and hospitality sector in and around Hyderabad are owned by people of Seemandhra origin," according to the task force's report seen by ET.

Panel to meet this week

"As concerns of people of Seemandhra region are primarily Hyderabad-centric, GoM (the group of ministers) may think in terms of keeping safety, security, law & order and protection of properties pertaining to Hyderabad under the control of a central authority, who may be governor of the state," according to the task force's report.

The task force also wants students to be treated as locals in Hyderabad and Telangana for 10 years. Moreover, it said government employees must be allowed to continue serving in Telangana if they want to. The panel of ministers is due to meet again this week and is scheduled to make its views known before the winter session of Parliament begins.

Hyderabad, which Congress has said will remain the joint capital for 10 years, is the biggest bone of contention. Home to MNCs such as Microsoft and Google, it is also the base for some of India's top pharmaceutical companies, among them Dr Reddy's Laboratories. Migrants from Seemandhra account for a significant part of the city's entrepreneurship as well as its professional workforce.

B Vinod Kumar, a politburo member of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said, "The apprehensions of the settlers are unfounded and the recommendations of the task force on vesting law & order powers with the Centre are biased and objectionable." On the other hand, the task force cited examples of extortion in the name of raising money for pro-Telangana agitations.

It also referred to "inflammatory statements" by some Telangana protagonists and pointed to slogans such as 'Telangana jago aur Andhrawala bhago' (Wake up Telangana, pack up people of Seemandhra) and 'Hyderabad sirf hamara' (Hyderabad belongs only to us).

But Kumar said the fight for nearly six decades has been for a "comprehensive" Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. "If needed, we will resume our movement for a comprehensive Telangana state without any strings attached."

More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/hyderabad-under-new-delhis-control-after-andhra-bifurcation-raises-hackles-of-trs/articleshow/25569684.cms

Winnability only criteria for tickets as BJP, Congress field tainted candidates in Rajasthan

The list of candidates selected by Congress and BJP for the Rajasthan assembly polls reveal both have fielded tainted candidates, encouraged dynastic politics but failed to give enough tickets for women.

Political and electoral compulsions seem to have been top priorities for the two. BJP's list of 176 candidates released on Nov 5 has former state minister Rajendra Rathore, charge-sheeted in the Dara Singh fake encounter case and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, named in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. Among 20 women candidates is the daughter of former Jaipur royal Diya Kumari.

All Mahila Morcha office-bearers, including its head Suman Sharma, were denied tickets. On Saturday, the ticket allotted to one of the 'fresh faces', Priyanka Balan, was withdrawn after it was found she had misled the party about her age.

Only three Muslims received tickets from the party, which has been seen to reach out to the community.

Ameen Pathan, BJP's minority cell head, was hoping to fight elections from Ajmer but was denied a ticket. Congress has been steadily releasing relatively shorter lists, by gauging the mood of ticket-seekers and supporters, to prevent widespread dissent against the party.

Its lists clearly reflect a preference only for 'winnable' candidates and not those with clean credentials. Though it dropped 3 tainted ministers - Babulal Nagar (rape case), and Mahipal Maderna and Malkhan Singh in the Bhanwari Devi murder case - it chose to field their relatives. Leela Maderna, wife of Mahipal Maderna, Hazarilal Nagar, brother of Babulal Nagar and Amri Devi, mother of Malkhan Singh are all in the fray.

When asked why despite the party's top leadership assuring that only clean and public-spirited candidates would fight polls, Congress fielded relatives of tainted candidates, the party said they all have experience with the organisation and people deserve to be given a chance.

"Hazarilal Nagar is the party's Jaipur district president, Leela Maderna has been the district co-operative bank's chairperson. So all of them have an experience of working with the party and enjoy the support of the party workers, based on whose feedback they were given tickets," said Congress spokesperson Satyendra Singh Raghav.

More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/winnability-only-criteria-for-tickets-as-bjp-congress-field-tainted-candidates-in-rajasthan/articleshow/25571948.cms

Assam: Poachers kill 2 rhinos at Rajiv Gandhi National Orang park

The poachers on Saturday killed two rhinos at Rajiv Gandhi National Orang park in Asssam. 41 rhinos have been killed till 2013 by the poachers in Assam. Patrolling forest guards heard gun shots on Saturday night and found the rhino and her two year old calf with their horns removed near Hazarbigha camp in the southwestern area, park officials said on Monday. Four empty cartridges were recovered from the area. 

A massive combing operation has been launched in the park and its adjoining areas to nab the poachers. Orang, with an area of 78.80 sq km in the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra, has a population of more than 90 rhinos, the second highest after Kaziranga. Of the 41 rhinos killed this year, Kaziranga National Park recorded 34 killings, followed by three in Orang and two each in Manas National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Orang, with an area of 78.80 sq km in the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra, has a population of more than 90 rhinos, the second highest after Kaziranga. Rhino horn is highly valued across the world for its alleged aphrodisiac qualities and use in traditional medicine.

Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/assam-poachers-kill-2-rhinos-at-rajiv-gandhi-national-orang-park/433436-3-251.html?utm_source=ref_article

India ready to give Pakistan 'benefit of the doubt': Salman Khurshid

India is prepared to give historic rival Pakistan "the benefit of the doubt" as the two countries strive for peace, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid has said.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have since independence been at loggerheads over Kashmir, which is divided and administered separately by India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.

India regularly accuses Pakistan's army of providing covering fire for armed rebels who cross the border and then mount attacks and in an interview with The Australian newspaper published Monday, Khurshid admitted the relationship was fraught.

"We talk to Pakistan periodically and in terms of personal gestures we receive great warmth," he said.

"But the on-the-ground reality and the results of our meetings are very disappointing."

However, with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month vowing to go the "extra mile" to make peace with India, Khurshid said Delhi would take him at his word.

"Pakistan has a lot of very, very difficult issues to deal with at home," he was quoted as saying.

"Our view is that we should give them time, not at our cost, of course, but that we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

"When Mr Nawaz Sharif says he wants peace and good relations with India, we take him at his word."

But with recent shootings at the border among the heaviest since a ceasefire agreement in 2003, Khurshid pointed out that Pakistan has not yet followed through on its promise of top-level military meetings to sort out better arrangements in Kashmir.

"If they can address the dismantling of the infrastructure of terrorism, that would be a good start," he told the newspaper.

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/india-ready-to-give-pakistan-benefit-of-the-doubt-salman-khurshid-444265

Naxal attack in Gaya village; 3 killed, two injured

In yet another Naxal-related incident, three people were killed and two others injured when the home-grown rebels attacked a village in Bihar's Gaya on Monday.

According to reports, Naxals surrounded the Abkola village in Gaya in the wee hours of Monday and attacked the victims who were attending a cultural event.

Abkola village head Sanjay Yadav and two of his close associates were killed in the attack.

The top officials of the local administration have reached the spot and the combing operations have begun in the area.

Preliminary reports suggest that it was a pre-planned Naxal attack.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/bihar/naxal-attack-in-gaya-village-3-killed-two-injured_889107.html

Mamata Banerjee's approach amuses Shah Rukh Khan and Kamal Haasan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan were left stumped with the hands-on approach of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

After seeing Mamata Banerjee running around the stage to check all arrangements while inaugurating the 19th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), an amused Kamal Haasan said, "She is a dynamo of energy and very surprisingly not interested in sitting in the chair for too long. I am quite surprised, I am not used to it."

"This is my first encounter with your honourable Chief Minister. So I was looking forward to a Chief Minister but I found a sister. I know why you call her that ('didi') now," said Kamal Haasan, who has also acted in a number of Hindi films.

Kamal Haasan added that Mamata Banerjee's approach is like the head of a family who is busy inviting everyone.

Shah RUkh Khan, who addresses the CM as 'Didi', said, "It is extremely wonderful to see her running around, jumping around, making this a wonderful Kolkata International Film Festival coming alive with her energy."

Also the brand ambassador of West Bengal, SRK, described her as someone who is charming, energetic and hyperactive. To the delegates and film lovers attending the eight-day carnival, Khan said, "You are perhaps in the most greatest, the most charming and loving city in the world just like the Chief Minister herself."

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his actor-wife Jaya Bachchan were also present at the high-decibel inauguration of KIFF at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mamata-banerjee-s-approach-amuses-shah-rukh-khan-and-kamal-haasan/1193460/

Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall in Vietnam

Haiyan made landfall in northern Vietnam early Monday as a tropical storm, just days after leaving massive destruction in the Philippines. The Vietnamese national weather forecast agency said Haiyan made landfall in northern province of Quang Ninh at 5 a.m. as a tropical storm and was moving toward southern China, where it is expected to weaken to a low depression later Monday. No casualties or major damage have been reported.

It slammed into six central Philippine islands on Friday as the strongest typhoon of the year and one of the strongest on record. It appears to be the deadliest storm - and natural disaster - on record to hit the Philippines, with officials saying that as many as 10,000 people are feared dead.

Later Monday, the storm was expected to enter southern China and further weaken while dropping torrential rains on the provinces of Guangxi and Hunan. Guangxi officials advised fishermen to stay onshore and told residents to take precautions against flooding and landslides.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/typhoon-haiyan-makes-landfall-in-vietnam/article1-1149663.aspx

Biting the hand that feeds: Small towns favour BJP

Kasba Bonli is a newly prosperous market town in Rajasthan and it should be a perfect advertisement for the ruling Congress party's pro-farmer policies. Instead the buzz in the bazaar is for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In just a few years, handouts for farmers by Congress have helped turn the once-deprived village into a thriving retail centre, selling everything from glittery bangles to satellite dishes.

The Congress party-led government pours at least $20 billion a year into rural India in addition to free education and health and cheap food. Cheap fertiliser, seeds and electricity, 100 days of guaranteed paid work a year and new rural roads have given farmers cash to spend.

These funds have helped create an emerging middle class, mostly in semi-urban and small towns, which one estimate has put at almost a quarter of India's 1.2 billion people.

But many in this new middle class believe the next step up the income ladder will come when the opposition BJP and Narendra Modi, its candidate for prime minister and currently the chief minister of neighbouring Gujarat state, will be in power. That bodes ill for Congress ahead of a general election that must be held by May.

Farmer Raghuvir Meena, who voted for Congress in the last state polls, bought two new tractors over the past few years and nearly doubled his farming area, attributing the prosperity to better farming techniques and seeds. He sent three of his four children to college to train as teachers. Now he wants to get out of farming and this time Modi has his vote.

"Modi's track record in Gujarat has excited the youth. Even I would love to see BJP come back to power, for my kids, for their jobs," he said, juggling phone calls on his mobile.

Modi is widely seen as a business-friendly reformer who has attracted investment and bolstered economic growth in Gujarat, providing jobs to many.

For Congress this trend in the small towns is the latest in a series of reverses. It is already battling slowing economic growth, perceptions of poor governance, several corruption scandals and the growing popularity of Modi.

For decades, Congress relied on its pro-farmer policies giving it rural votes. Then, at the last election in 2009, it gained wide support in cities during a period of fast economic growth to win a second consecutive term in office.

However, the urban goodwill is fast eroding because of corruption and a sense of policy drift, while its base constituency of rural poor is shrinking.

"It's a new phenomenon. It's not something that we have been used to in the past," said rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, of the demographic shift.

"Very often experience shows that beneficiaries of programmes instituted by one party end up voting for the other political party," he said.

MODI'S ALLURE

Beyond the commercial bustle, Kasba Bonli has little to offer to the groups of twenty-somethings who loiter on motorcycles in the dusty market, unable to find work.

Often the first graduates in their families, these young men say they want industries and professional jobs rather than more handouts, and they look to Modi for providing such opportunities, not Congress.

Modi has attracted companies such as Ford Motor Co (F.N), Maruti Suzuki (MRTI.NS) and Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) to Gujarat, the state he has governed since 2001.

But he is also seen as a polarising figure. Critics of Modi, a Hindu nationalist, say he didn't do enough to stop religious riots on his watch in 2002 that killed at least 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, although the allegations have never been proved. Others say that despite fast growth, his state is a laggard on social and poverty indicators.

That's not the impression held by Mateem Khan, a frustrated 22-year-old Muslim resident of Kasba Bonli with a lowly data-entry job at the local office for one of the handout schemes, the only skilled work he could find.

"Look at what he has done for Gujarat, there's hardly any unemployment in the state," said Khan. Kasba Bonli's 18,000 people are about half Muslim and half Hindu.

Four banks, 15 private schools, and one private college have sprouted up in the town since 2008, said Ramkishan Gurjar, head of the village council that governs Kasba Bonli. Motorcycle and tractor showrooms have come up over the past three years.

Many local farmers now clutch mobile phones they use to chat to traders about crop prices. Roads have been built to a dozen surrounding villages, helping bring crops quickly to market and consumer goods flowing the other way.

It's a pattern repeated across the country, with swollen villages becoming small towns, creating a demographic group of relatively better off semi-urban voters that barely existed a decade ago, social scientists and politicians say.

Rural consumer spending grew by 36 percent, higher than the 33 percent rise in urban areas, between 2009 and 2012, according to government data.

A national census in 2011 found that 14 percent of India's urban population of about 400 million lived in these towns, double that of a decade earlier. Boston Consulting Group calculates 24 percent of Indian households are now found in small towns.

MAKING HEADWAY

Modi has directly addressed this demographic shift, catering speeches to the new constituency and promising urban amenities such as around-the-clock electricity and broadband internet connections to communities similar to Kasba Bonli.

Opinion polls suggest he is making headway. In a recent Nielsen survey of two largely rural states, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, that contain a quarter of India's population, Modi emerged as the most popular candidate for prime minister.

In Rajasthan, the state in which Kasba Bonli lies, the Congress and the BJP are neck and neck in the villages with support from 46 percent of voters each, according to a July poll by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), a think-tank.

However, in towns of less than 100,000 people, which fall under the semi-urban category, BJP scored 56 percent to Congress's 40 percent.

India electoral mathematics is complicated, taking in local issues as well as caste and religion, making it hard to forecast results. But Rajasthan and four other states hold provincial elections over the next month, which will provide a pointer to how far Modi's popularity extends and how Congress may fare in the national election.

"If you look at people in the (semi-urban) category, they have benefited from education and reservation policies for lower castes. But increasingly our surveys show that, as people get more educated and affluent, the possibility of them voting for the BJP is much higher," said Sanjay Lodha, who co-ordinates CSDS' polls in Rajasthan. (Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

More: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/11/election-polls-rural-congress-bjp-idINDEE9AA00620131111

Four killed, eight injured in Mumbai building fire

Four persons were killed and eight others got injured when a fire broke out in a seven-storey building in suburban Vikhroli early today, officials said.

Fire brigade sources said the fire broke out in the building located in Siddharthanagar area this morning.

It was a residential building and the victims were sleeping when the blaze broke out, they said.

The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, they said.

According to TV reports, fire started in the electric meter cable box and spread through the cable network. Everyone has been evacuated from the building and the injured have been taken to hospital, according to authorities.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai/four-killed-eight-injured-in-mumbai-building-fire/article1-1149657.aspx