Sachin steals the show at National Game

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Thiruvananthapuram' The biggest cheers as always were reserved for cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar who was one of the chief guests at the opening ceremony of the 35th National Games that got underway here Saturday night.

Tendulkar was roped in by the Kerala government as the goodwill ambassador for the Games and even while Malayalam superstar Mohanlal came under flak from certain quarters for allegedly collecting money to stage his nearly four-hour-long musical show, those who found fault with him looked at Tendulkar who has not charged anything.

Each time the speakers mentioned the name of Tendulkar, the more than 40,000-strong crowd roared and when chief minister Oommen Chandy welcomed him, the roar went on for a few minutes prompting Chandy to profusely thank the cricketing icon.

'I and my government on behalf of the people of Kerala extend our thanks to you for gracing this occasion and also by being the goodwill ambassador. Your gesture towards us will always be remembered,' said Chandy.

Another round of cheers waited for him when various sporting legends from Kerala carrying the torch went up to the podium to hand it over to him. There was more clapping and shouting when he handed it to Anju Bobby George and P.T. Usha who lit the massive Kerala 'nilavilaku'(traditional lamp).

National Games: Preeja to lead 744-member Kerala team Thiruvananthapuram: Asian Games

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Thiruvananthapuram: Asian Games medalist Preeja Sreedharan will lead the 744-member strong Kerala team for the National Games scheduled to be held from January 31 to February 14.

The team comprises 391 males and 353 females. This is for the second time Kerala is hosting the event.

Malaysia declares MH370 an 'accident'

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia declared on Thursday the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 an accident, clearing the way for the airline to pay compensation to victims' relatives while the search for the plane goes on.

The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared on March 8 last year, carrying 239 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing.

Months of searches have failed to turn up any trace.

'We officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident ... and that all 239 of the passengers and crew onboard MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives,' Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said in a statement.

The announcement is in accordance with standards of annexes 12 and 13 in the International Civil Aviation, said Azharuddin. It will allow families of the passengers to obtain assistance through compensation, he said.

Malaysia Airlines was ready to proceed immediately with the compensation process to the next-of-kin of the passengers on the flight, he said.

China called on Malaysia to compensate families.

'We call on the Malaysian side to honour the promise made when they declared the flight to have been lost and earnestly fulfil their compensation responsibilities,' Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.

Most of the passengers on the plane were from China.

International investigators are looking into why the Boeing jet veered thousands of miles off course from its scheduled route before eventually plunging into the Indian Ocean.

The search in the Indian Ocean is still going on and Malaysia is also conducting a criminal investigation, Azharuddin said.

'Both investigations are limited by the lack of physical evidence at this time, particularly the flight recorders,' he said.

'Therefore, at this juncture, there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident.'

The DCA plans to release an interim report on the investigation into the missing jetliner on March 7, a day before the first anniversary of the disappearance, a minister said on Wednesday.

'This declaration is by no means the end,' said Azharuddin, adding that it will continue with the search for the missing plane with assistance from China and Australia.

Malaysia airline's crisis worsened on July 17 when its Flight MH17, on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

REUTERS

Sensex, Nifty touch record highs

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Mumbai: A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday scaled a new high of 29,844.16 points surpassing its previous high of 29,786.32 points touched Jan 28.

While good buying was observed in IT and auto sectors, selling pressure was seen in metal and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 29,801.60 points, was trading at 29,737.70 points (at 09.26 a.m.) in the early session, up 55.93 points or 0.19 percent from the previous day's close at 29,681.77 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 29,844.16 points and a low of 29,650.33 points in the trade so far.

The S&P IT index gained by 163.31 points and auto index moved up by 116.40 points. However, metal index dropped by 45.59 points and FMCG index fell by 20.99 points.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was also trading 2.15 points or 0.02 percent up at 8954.50 points. It touched a record high of 8,996.60 points during the morning trade.

Sumbhan' remark : M V Jayarajan gets 4 weeks jail

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New Delhi: CPM leader M V Jayarajan who made the `sumbhan' remark against High Court judges in the state, was given 4 weeks jail term by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court Friday upheld the conviction of M.V. Jayarajan for calling state high court judges 'idiots', but reduced the sentence from six months to four weeks. An apex court bench headed by Justice Vikramajit Sen upheld Jayarajan's conviction holding that he has no remorse for his utterances against high court judges.

The Supreme Court criticised in sharpest terms the 'sumbhan' remark and observed that it was unwanted. The Supreme Court had the other day said that Jayarajan's remarks were derogatory to the judiciary and he was not willing to withdraw it nor apologise for the remark.

Jayarajan's counsel said that it was not the judges but the judgement that his comment was aimed at and the controversy regarding the comment was a creation by media. When the court sought to know if Jayarajan was ready to offer apology his counsel said he had not received any such instruction.

The high court taking suo moto cognisance of his utterances convicted him for contempt and awarded his six months imprisonment in 2010

However, he was granted bail by the apex court after serving a week in jail.

Oil slumps to near six-year low under $ 44

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London : New York oil prices tumbled to a near six-year low underneath USD 44 per barrel today, as record-high US crude inventories deepened worries over the global supply glut.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for March delivery dived to USD 43.57 a barrel, a level last seen on March 12, 2009.

The contract later stood at USD 43.87, down 58 cents from yesterday's close.

European benchmark Brent North Sea crude for March meanwhile rose nine cents to stand at USD 48.56 a barrel in
London late afternoon deals.

'WTI ... extended losses below USD 44 per barrel, showing the potential for a possible test of the USD 40 key level in
the upcoming trading sessions if the sharp downside momentum continues,' said Sucden analyst Myrto Sokou.

Crude futures also fell sharply yesterday after official data showed US crude stockpiles surged by 8.9 million barrels
to 406.7 million in the week to January 23.

The overall level of stockpiles was the highest since the US government began keeping weekly records in 1982.

Sokou added that the weekly US energy report 'indicated a prolonged deterioration in oil fundamentals' of supply and
demand.

In reaction to the US inventories data, WTI dropped usd 1.78 in New York while Brent fell USD 1.13 in London yesterday.

'Crude oil stocks now find themselves at their highest level since the data series began more than 30 years ago and
are 17 percent above the five-year average,' added Commerzbank analysts.

'The lion's share of the inventory build took place on the US Gulf Coast, where the biggest storage capacities are to
be found. Crude oil stocks at Cushing also grew by a significant two million barrels, meaning that the inventory
build there has totalled a good eight million barrels since the beginning of the year.'

Daniel Ang, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, added that the stockpiles surge came as 'no
surprise' as refinery utilisation rates in the world's top crude consumer have been low.

However, 'what is really shocking is that US production still continues to increase despite low crude prices', Ang
said. (AFP)

Militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai kills 26 people

PTI / January 30, 2015, 9:54 am

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Cairo: At least 26 people have been killed, mostly soldiers and 60 others injured in Egypt's restive Sinai when a series of militant attacks, involving car bombs and mortar rounds struck several army and police positions.
The attacks which happened Thursday is the deadliest assault on security forces in recent weeks. It targeted the police headquarters of El-Arish, a military unit and a residential area housing army and police officers.
"Militants fired mortar rounds and used car bombs in the attacks , Egyptian TV reported.
25 military personnel were killed while 60 were injured. Out of the 26 killed, one was a policeman.
"At least three missile shells and a car bomb were used in separate attacks," a source said.
Meanwhile, a police officer was killed in a bomb explosion targeting a police building in the Canal city of Suez.
The officer was on duty when the explosion occurred. The attack took place shortly after the serial attacks in North Sinai.
Last week, the curfew in parts of North Sinai was extended for another three months. The curfew was initially imposed on October 25, following the death of 31 army personnel who were killed in a car bomb attack.
Following the attack, the government decided to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egypt's Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
Over 500 security personnel have been reported killed since then.
The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

New

 

- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/international/2015/jan/30/militant-attacks-egypts-sinai-kills-26-people#sthash.jOt68G97.dpuf

Militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai kills 26 people

PTI / January 30, 2015, 9:54 am

Facebook Tweet

Cairo: At least 26 people have been killed, mostly soldiers and 60 others injured in Egypt's restive Sinai when a series of militant attacks, involving car bombs and mortar rounds struck several army and police positions.
The attacks which happened Thursday is the deadliest assault on security forces in recent weeks. It targeted the police headquarters of El-Arish, a military unit and a residential area housing army and police officers.
"Militants fired mortar rounds and used car bombs in the attacks , Egyptian TV reported.
25 military personnel were killed while 60 were injured. Out of the 26 killed, one was a policeman.
"At least three missile shells and a car bomb were used in separate attacks," a source said.
Meanwhile, a police officer was killed in a bomb explosion targeting a police building in the Canal city of Suez.
The officer was on duty when the explosion occurred. The attack took place shortly after the serial attacks in North Sinai.
Last week, the curfew in parts of North Sinai was extended for another three months. The curfew was initially imposed on October 25, following the death of 31 army personnel who were killed in a car bomb attack.
Following the attack, the government decided to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egypt's Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
Over 500 security personnel have been reported killed since then.
The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

New

 

- See more at: http://www.madhyamam.com/en/international/2015/jan/30/militant-attacks-egypts-sinai-kills-26-people#sthash.jOt68G97.dpuf

Man, children killed in cylinder explosion

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PALAKKAD: Three members of a family were charred to death following an LPG cylinder explosion in their house at 6.30 am Wednesday morning. The dead has been identified as Babu (44), son of late Raman of Palakkad, Abitha (5) and Akshaya (2).
The incident happened when Babu’s wife Prameela went to her tharavadu which is nearby to send her eldest son to school. She went after locking the house as her husband and two children were sleeping. When the neighbours saw fire spreading, they came rushing and broke opened the door. By the time, the three were charred to death.

 

Dr G Velayudhan dies

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Tags: G Velayudhan, dies
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dr G Velayudhan, noted gynecologist and founder of G G Hospital in Kumarapuram, died here Wednesday. He was 87. He died at the KIMS Hospital in the capital city where he was undergoing treatment for old age ailments. His body will be kept at the G G Hospital for public homage and will be cremated at the Thycaud Crematorium Thursday morning. He was the first male doctor in Kerala to specialize in gynecology. He studied for medicine in Madras Medical College, took his DGO in 1956 and MD Gynecology in 1959. He had served as a gynecologist in SAT Hospital from 1967-75. He was the founder and chief medical officer of the G G Hospital started in 1975 at Murinjapalam. He was born in 1928 to Gopala Panicker and Gouri at Poovambara near Attingal. He was very active in social activities under the G G Charitable Trust. He had distributed free breakfast to 70 schools in the capital city. He had constructed houses for 300 poor families. He was the construction committee chairman of K Sukumaran Memorial Park near the Kerala Kaumui office in Pettah. It was under his guidance the park was constructed. His reactions were mainly carried in Kerala Kaumudi daily. He was staying in the penthouse on top of the G G Hospital for the last 30 years. He had recently handed over his hospital to another group. His last wish was to stay in the penthouse till his death. His wife C Omana had predeceased him. He leaves behind his children Dr Meera (Dubai), Chitra (Sivaji Builders), late Dr Maya and in-laws Jayaprakash, Sivaji Jaganatha Panicker and Dr Ullas Prasanan.

Mala Aravindan no more

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Tags: Mala Aravindan, dies
COIMBATORE: Noted actor Mala Aravindan, best known for his work as a comedian and character artist in Malayalam films, died here Wednesday morning. He was 76. He died at 6.30 am this morning at the Kovai Medical Centre Hospital in Coimbatore where he was undergoing treatment for heart ailments. He will be cremated at his native place in Mala. He leaves behind his wife Gettah and children Muthu and Kala. He was born in 1941 at Vadavucode in Ernakulam as the eldest son of Ayyappan, an excise department employee and Ponnamma, a school teacher. Aravindan started his career as a tabla artist. He joined stage plays and started playing tabla as a background artist. When his mother got transferred, his family relocated to Mala and he started using the place name as a prefix to his name. Later, he moved into acting and started acting in professional stage plays of Kottayam National Theaters, Nadakashala, Suryasoma Theatres etc. He has won Kerala State Nataka Academy's Best Actor award for his role in Sooryasoma's play Nidhi. Aravindan started his film career with the 1968 movie Sindhooram, directed by Balakrishnan. Since then he has acted in over 400 films and established his own style which became his trademark. During the initial stages of his career, the Mala-Pappu-Jagathy trio was a guaranteed crowd-puller among Malayalam film audiences. The last film he acted was Punyalan Agarbathis in 2014. Mimics Parade, Kanmadam, Agnidevan, Aalorungi Arangorungi, Poochakkoru Mookkuthi, Vengalam, Uppukandam Brothers, Bhoothakannadi, Joker, Kandu Kandaranju, Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal, Madura Nombarakkattu, Vadhu Doctoranu, Meesha Madhavan, Mahayanam, Pattalam, Sethuramayyar CBI, Rasikan, Sandhesam etc.

Retired army jawan shoots wife dead

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Kozhikode: A retired Army jawan allegedly shot his wife dead at Kunnamangalam in Kozhikode.

The accused, Suresh, shot his wife, Sheeja, on Tuesday morning.

Sources said the reason behind the murder is unknown. The accused has been taken into custody.

BJP hartal hits normal life in Kerala

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Thiruvananthapuram: The day-long hartal called by BJP, demanding the resignation of Finance Minister K.M. Mani in the bar bribery case, has disrupted normal life across the State.

Initial reports said buses, taxis and autorickshaws kept off the roads and shops remained closed all over the State.

Private vehicles are plying and no violence has so far been reported from anywhere.

The BJP in Kerala is also demanding that Chief Minister resign and go for a midterm poll.

BJP State president V. Muraleedharan Thursday said that it would be a disaster for Kerala if Mani presented the next State Budget.

-  

Palestinians should learn from India's peaceful resistance' -

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Ramallah: In a rare gesture, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah participated in a reception here to celebrate India's Republic Day and told his people to learn from the Indian example of peaceful resistance.

Accompanied by four senior ministers, four Governors, top officials and several other Palestinian dignitaries, Hamdallah joined a gathering of around 250 people assembled to celebrate India's 66th Republic Day in West Bank city of Ramallah.

Praising Mahatma Gandhi's model of non-violent movement against the British to attain India's Independence, he said that the "Palestinians could learn from the Indian example of peaceful resistance".

The Palestinian Prime Minister thanked India for providing financial assistance in developing various developmental projects in the Palestinian territories and also helping in the efforts to reconstruct Gaza.

"India has been consistent in its support to the Palestinians, diplomatically and politically, and has been also at the forefront of efforts towards the reconstruction of war-battered Gaza," he told the gathering congratulating them on the occasion.

India had recently provided the Palestinian Authority (PA) with an assistance of USD four million while parallel pursuing many other programmes aimed at skill development among the Palestinian population.

Expressing India's "unconditional and unwavering" support for a just resolution of the Palestinian problem, Representative of India (ROI) to Palestine, Mahesh Kumar, outlined certain initiatives taken by the new government in India, especially the "Make in India" initiative.

"Our economic engagement with Palestine, though substantial, has enormous untapped scope and potential. I, therefore, invite my Palestinian friends to avail the opportunity in India," Kumar said.

India-US ties a defining partnership of the century: Obama -

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New Delhi: US President Barack Obama said Tuesday the India-US relationship could potentially emerge as the defining partnership of the century.

“I believe that the relationship between India and the US can become the defining partnership of the century,” Obama said in a town-hall style lecture at the Sri Fort Auditorium here.

The US president said he desired to share his vision of how the two countries could strengthen their bilateral relationship.

“Today, I want to speak directly to you, the people of India, about what I believe we can achieve together and how we can do it.

“My commitment to a new chapter flows from the deep friendship between our people. Michelle (the First lady) and I felt it ourselves,” he said in the last public engagement of his three-day state visit to India.

During the visit, Obama was the chief guest at the 66th of the Republic Day parade here Monday.

“With the tricolor above us we celebrated the strength of your constitution... in yesterday's parade we saw the pride and diversity of this nation,” he said, adding that it was a great honour for him to be the first American president to attend the Republic Day parade.

Beetroot juice boosts exercise function in heart patients

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New York : A small yet significant study shows that beetroot juice improves exercise function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

The new research by Wake Forest University looked at a small group of COPD patients who drank beetroot juice as compared to a placebo drink before exercise.

'The intent of this study was to determine if acute ingestion of beetroot juice, which is rich with nitrates, prior to exercising could improve the exercise capacity of COPD patients,' said Michael Berry, chair of Wake Forest's department of health and exercise science.

COPD makes it difficult for patients to breathe and worsens over time.

In turn, they tend to limit their activities, become more sedentary, and lose fitness and physical function.

The findings showed overall that those patients who drank beetroot juice were able to extend their exercise time and had reduced exercise diastolic and resting systolic blood pressures.

'This is the first study to demonstrate beneficial effects of dietary nitrite supplementation on exercise performance and blood pressure in patients with COPD,' he added. One of the benefits of exercise is that if you get positive results, you are more likely to continue doing it.

'If beetroot juice positively impacts those results, it could motivate COPD patients to continue to be physically active and improve their health,' he added.

The research appeared in the journal Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry.

Sania in Australian Open mixed doubles third round

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Melbourne: The top seeded mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Bruno Soares entered the third round of the mixed doubles competition in the Australian Open tennis tournament here at the Melbourne Park Monday.

The Indo-Brazilian pair defeated unseeded Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and American Abigail Spears 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-8 in a close contest that lasted for 93 minutes.

The winning duo hit 45 winners compared to 33 by their opponents and committed 12 unforced errors, two fewer than the losing team and claimed 86 points in total.

They will nest play the victor of the second round match between Slovakian Andreja Klepac-Australian Chris Guccione and the Australian pair of Casey Dellacqua and John Peers.

IANS

Colombia's Paulina Vega wins Miss Universe 2014 title

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Miami: Colombian beauty Paulina Vega Sunday night beat 87 contestants, including India's Noyonita Lodh, to win the Miss Universe 2014 crown here Sunday night.

Bangalore girl Noyonita, 21, failed to reach the Top 10, but she had managed to pave her way into the Top 15 at the 63rd edition of the pageant. India has not won the Miss Universe crown since 2000, when now Bollywood actress Lara Dutta had walked away with the accolades.

At the 2014 pageant, contestants from 88 countries were participating.

Miss USA Nia Sanchez was crowned first runner-up, while Diana Harkusha from Ukraine was named the second runner-up at the glitzy event, which was held at the FIU Arena at Florida International University here.

The judges included actor William Levy, Grammy winner musician and producer Emilio Estefan, footballer Desean Jackson, baseball player Giancarlos Cruz-Michael Stanton and boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Colombian fashion-journalist Nina Garcia, 'The Hills' star Kristin Cavallari, fashion guru Louise Roe and 'Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' star Lisa Vanderpump were part of the panel too.

Vega was crowned by her predecessor Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler from Venezuela at the end of the pageant.

Some of the highpoints of this year's Miss Universe was the new crown, created by Diamonds International Corporation (D.I.C), given to the winner along with an audience question that was asked in addition to the judges round.

The event also witnessed a flashback showing former Miss Universe winners from past several years along with a special showcasing of Isler and her contribution in the year after winning the crown.

IANS

Advani, Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, K K Venugopal get Padma Vibhushan

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New Delhi: L K Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, thespian Dilip Kumar and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were on Sunday chosen for this year's Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, as government gave a saffron touch honouring eminent people of various fields in this year's list of Padma awardees.

Eminent lawyer K K Venugopal, D Veerendra Heggade of the famous Dharmasthala Jain temple in Karnataka, eminent nuclear
scientist M R Srinivasan and Aga Khan were also chosen for Padma Vibhushan.

Former CEC N Gopalaswami, Microsoft chief Bill Gates and his wife Melinda were selected for Padma Bhushan in the list of 104 people whose names were released on the eve of Republic day.

This list comprises nine Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awardees. 17 of them were women and equal number were in the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and four posthumous awardees.

Former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap, journalists Rajat Sharma and Swapan Dasgupta, eminent lawyer Harish Salve, cardiologist Ashok Seth, Indian-American mathematician Manjul Bhargava were also in the list of Padma Bhushan awardees. Hindi journalist Ram Bahadur Rai has been chosen for Padma Shri.

Hindu religious leader Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya (Padma Vibhushan), Swami Satyamitranand Giri (Padma Bhushan), both from Uttar Pradesh, Shivakumara Swami of Karnataka (Padma Bhushan) and Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja of Portugal (Padma Shri) and former NCERT Director J S Rajput (Padma Shri) also figure in today's list.

Late Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin has been chosen for Padma Shri. Eminent Carnatic musician Sudha Ragunathan, wrestling coach Satpal, Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, David Frawley (Vamadeva) of the United States, Saichiro Misumi of Japan, scientist S Arunan find themselves in the Padma Bhushan list.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, economist Bibek Debroy, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who helped BJP's Lok Sabha campaign,
sports personality Saba Anjum, one of the founders of Infosys T V Mohandas Pai, badminton player P V Sindhu, woman cricketer Mithali Raj, Gujarati writer Tarak Mehta were given Padma Shri.

Cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, who was best known as the creator of Chacha Chaudhary has been selected for Padma Shri
posthumously.

Badminton star Saina Nehwal and boxer Vijendra Singh, who sought Padma awards have been ignored. The award will be given at a function later in the year.

Following is the list of the 104 persons conferred Padma Awards. These include nine Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri awardees.

Padma Vibhushan

Name (Discipline) State/Country

LK Advani (Public Affairs), Gujarat
Amitabh Bachchan (Art), Maharashtra
Prakash Singh Badal (Public Affairs), Punjab
Dr D Veerendra Heggade (Social Work), Karnataka
Dilip Kumar (Art), Maharashtra
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (Others), Uttar Pradesh
Prof Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan (Science and Engg), Tamil Nadu
Kottayan K Venugopal (Public Affairs), Delhi
Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Trade and Industry) France/UK

Padma Bhushan

Jahnu Barua (Art), Assam
Dr Vijay Bhatkar (Science and Engineering), Maharashtra
Swapan Dasgupta (Literature and Education), Delhi
Swami Satyamitranand Giri (Others), Uttar Pradesh
N Gopalaswami (Civil Service), Tamil Nadu
Dr Subhash C Kashyap (Public Affairs), Delhi
Dr (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj (Art), Madhya Pradesh
Dr Ambrish Mithal (Medicine), Delhi
Sudha Ragunathan (Art), Tamil Nadu
Harish Salve (Public Affairs), Delhi
Dr Ashok Seth (Medicine), Delhi
Rajat Sharma (Literature and Education), Delhi
Satpal (Sports), Delhi
Shivakumara Swami (Others), Karnataka
Dr Kharag Singh Valdiya (Science and Engg), Karnataka
Prof Manjul Bhargava (Science and Engg), USA
David Frawley (Others), USA
Bill Gates (Social Work), USA
Melinda Gates (Social Work), USA
Saichiro Misumi (Others), Japan

Padma Shri

Dr Manjula Anagani (Medicine), Telangana
S Arunan (Science and Engg), Karnataka
Kanyakumari Avasarala (Art), Tamil Nadu
Dr Bettina Sharada Baumer (Literature and Education), J-K
Naresh Bedi (Art), Delhi
Ashok Bhagat (Social Work), Jharkhand
Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Art), Maharashtra
Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora (Literature and Education), Assam
Dr Gyan Chaturvedi (Literature and Education), Madhya Pradesh
Prof (Dr) Yogesh Kumar Chawla (Medicine), Chandigarh
Jayakumari Chikkala (Medicine), Delhi
Bibek Debroy (Literature and Education), Delhi
Dr Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi (Medicine), Manipur
Dr Ashok Gulati (Public Affairs), Delhi
Dr Randeep Guleria (Medicine), Delhi
Dr KP Haridas (Medicine), Kerala
Rahul Jain (Art), Delhi
Ravindra Jain (Art), Maharashtra
Dr Sunil Jogi (Literature and Education), Delhi
Prasoon Joshi (Art), Maharashtra
Dr Prafulla Kar (Art), Odisha
Saba Anjum (Sports), Chhattisgarh
Ushakiran Khan (Literature and Education), Bihar
Dr Rajesh Kotecha (Medicine), Rajasthan
Prof Alka Kriplani (Medicine), Delhi
Dr Harsh Kumar (Medicine), Delhi
Narayana Purushothama Mallaya (Literature & Education), Kerala
Lambert Mascarenhas (Literature and Education), Goa
Dr Janak Palta McGilligan (Social Work), Madhya Pradesh
Veerendra Raj Mehta (Social Work), Delhi
Tarak Mehta (Art), Gujarat
Neil Herbert Nongkynrih (Art), Meghalaya
Chewang Norphel (Others), Jammu and Kashmir
T V Mohandas Pai (Trade and Industry), Karnataka
Dr Tejas Patel (Medicine), Gujarat
Jadav Molai Peyang (Others), Assam
Bimla Poddar (Others), Uttar Pradesh
Dr N Prabhakar (Science and Engg), Delhi
Dr Prahalada (Science and Engg), Maharashtra
Dr Narendra Prasad (Medicine), Bihar
Ram Bahadur Rai (Literature and Education), Delhi
Mithali Raj (Sports), Telangana
PV Rajaraman (Civil Service), Tamil Nadu
Prof JS Rajput (Literature and Education), Uttar Pradesh
Kota Srinivasa Rao (Art), Andhra Pradesh
Prof Bimal Roy (Literature and Education), West Bengal
Shekhar Sen (Art), Maharashtra
Gunvant Shah (Literature and Education), Gujarat
Brahmdev Sharma (Literature and Education), Delhi
Manu Sharma (Literature and Education), Uttar Pradesh
Prof Yog Raj Sharma (Medicine), Delhi
Vasant Shastri (Science and Engg), Karnataka
S K Shivkumar (Science and Engg), Karnataka
PV Sindhu (Sports), Telangana
Sardara Singh (Sports), Haryana
Arunima Sinha (Sports), Uttar Pradesh
Mahesh Raj Soni (Art), Rajasthan
Dr Nikhil Tandon (Medicine), Delhi
H Thegtse Rinpoche (Social Work), Arunachal Pradesh
Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi (Medicine), Gujarat
Huang Baosheng (Others), China
Prof Jacques Blamont (Science and Engg), France
Late Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin (Others), Maharashtra
(Posthumous)
Jean-Claude Carriere (Literature and Education), France
Dr Nandrajan 'Raj' Chetty (Literature and Education), France
George L Hart (Others), USA
Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja (Others), Portugal
Late Meetha Lal Mehta (Social Work), Rajasthan (Posthumous)
Tripti Mukherjee (Art), USA
Dr Dattatreyudu Nori (Medicine), USA
Dr Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (Medicine), USA
Dr Saumitra Rawat (Medicine), UK
Prof Annette Schmiedchen (Literature and Education), Germany
Late Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran (Art), Delhi (Posthumous)
Late R Vasudevan (Civil Service), Tamil Nadu (Posthumous)

PTI

Modi, Obama cheered at Rajpath

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama were greeted with loud cheers as they arrived at Rajpath for the Republic Day parade Monday.

Modi arrived at the saluting dais after paying homage to unknown soldiers at the India Gate and was received by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Modi then waved at the crowd and was greeted with loud cheers.

Obama arrived after him, with wife Michelle Obama, in his official car The Beast and was received by Modi.

As the two moved towards the glass enclosure erected for the VVIPs, Obama also waved at the crowd.

IANS

Mother hangs self after tying son’s body to her

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A mother was found hanging with her son’s body tied to hers in their house on Friday. The bodies were found have been 3-day old when the police came to cordon off the area.  Meanwhile, Karamana police have taken the husband into custody. The RDO was called in by the police to prepare inquest as the relatives alleged some foul-play in the death.  The dead have been identified as Manju (38) from Karamana Nedungadu and her son Abhishek. Manju’s husband is a habitual drinker. Their marriage took place nine years ago and they had recently shifted to the rented house in Kunnumpuram, according to sources. Renjith has told the police that he left the house on Januray 20 after quarrelling with his wife. A relative also saw Manju on the day for the last time. The couple were staying on the first floor of the two-storey house. The incident came to light when the house owner, who is living in the ground floor, complained to the police after he started getting foul smell from upstairs.  The police suspect the incident to have happened on January 20. “The husband would have seen the bodies of his wife and son but he might not have had the courage to report the matter to the police. Maju must have taken the drastic step due to her husband’s ill treatment,” the police said.

Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz dies, new ruler is Salman

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah died early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, the royal court in the world's top oil exporter and birthplace of Islam said in a statement carried by state television.

King Salman has named his half-brother Muqrin as his crown prince and heir.

'His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning,' said the statement.

Abdullah, thought to have been born in 1923, had ruled Saudi Arabia as king since 2006, but had run the country as de facto regent for a decade before that after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke.

At stake with the appointment of Salman as king is the future direction of the United States' most important Arab ally and self-appointed champion of Sunni Islam at a moment of unprecedented turmoil across the Middle East.

Abdullah played a guiding role in Saudi Arabia's support for Egypt's government after the military intervened in 2012, and drove his country's support for Syria's rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.

King Salman, thought to be 79, has been crown prince and defence minister since 2012. He was governor of Riyadh province for five decades before that.

By immediately appointing Muqrin as his heir, subject to the approval of a family Allegiance Council, Salman has moved to avert widespread speculation about the immediate path of the royal succession in the world's top oil exporter.

Long term challenges

Abdullah pushed cautious changes in the conservative Islamic kingdom including increased women's rights and economic deregulation, but made no moves towards democracy and was a hawk on policy towards rival Iran.

King Salman has been part of the ruling clique of princes for decades and is thought likely to continue the main thrusts of Saudi strategic policy, including maintaining the alliance with the United States and working towards energy market stability.

During his five decades as Riyadh governor he was reputedly adept at managing the delicate balance of clerical, tribal and princely interests that determine Saudi policy, while maintaining good relations with the West.

In the long term Saudi rulers have to manage the needs of a rapidly growing population plagued by structural unemployment, and an economy that remains overly dependent on oil revenue and undermined by lavish subsidies.

Saudi Arabia, which holds more than a fifth of the world's crude oil, also exerts some influence over the world's 1.6 billion Muslims through its guardianship of Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites.

Most senior members of the ruling al-Saud family are thought to favour similar positions on foreign and energy policy, but incoming kings have traditionally chosen to appoint new ministers to head top ministries like oil and finance.

In a country where the big ministries are dominated by royals, successive kings have kept the oil portfolio reserved for commoners and insisted on maintaining substantial spare output capacity to help reduce market volatility.

In King Abdullah, we have lost an important voice who left a lasting impact on his country. I condole his demise.Reuters

Pakistan bans JuD, Haqqani network

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SLAMABAD: Pakistan has banned the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) and the Haqqani network after the US insisted it do so, a media report said Thursday.

“The US has sought a ban on the Haqqani network and the Jamaat-ud Dawa but the matter was being delayed,” Dawn online quoted an interior ministry official as saying.

The Pakistani government took action against militant organisations without making a distinction between the good Taliban and the bad Taliban after the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar Dec 16 by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the report said.

Apart from Haqqani network and JuD, the Ministry has also banned Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, Ummah Tameer-i-Nau, Haji Khairullah Hajji Sattar Money Exchange, Rahat Limited, Roshan Money Exchange, Al Akhtar Trust, Al Rashid Trust.

The official said the government had already directed the departments concerned to take immediate steps to freeze the assets of the banned outfits.

The Haqqani Network, founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, has been blamed for some of the most heinous attacks on the US—led foreign forces in Afghanistan. It was designated as a terrorist organisation by the US in September 2012.

The US and India have both always considered JuD, run by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, a sister organisation of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant outfit blamed for masterminding the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai.

Sunanda death: Police questioning some journalists

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NEW DELHI: Delhi Police Thursday started questioning some journalists to whom Sunanda Pushkar had spoken hours before her death in January last year amidst its efforts to piece together the sequence of events that preceded her demise in mysterious circumstances. The police are trying to find out whether she had mentioned to them about the IPL controversy or her husband Shashi Tharoor’s alleged relations with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar or about any plans of hers to hold a press conference. These journalists had been mentioning that Sunanda had suspected Tharoor of having an affair with Tarar and have also quoted her of saying that she had “taken the flak for him (Tharoor) in the IPL (controversy)”, police sources said while explaining why one male and two female journalists were called for questioning by the Special Investigating Team (SIT).  There has also been a talk that the 52-year-old wife of Tharoor had planned to hold a press conference on January 17, the day she was found dead in a room of a five-star hotel here.‍ The sources said more journalists may be called as police wants to speak to all those who were in contact with her in the days preceding her death. Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi journalists have been called to “understand the sequence of events”.  “Some journalist had mentioned that Sunanda Pushkar had called them an evening prior to her death. So it is relevant for us to talk to them. Therefore, we would like to take the help of these journalists. All those who had mentioned that she had spoken to them, we will talk to all of them to understand the sequence of events and I think SIT will complete it in a day or two,” he said. Delhi Police filed a case of murder in the case on January 1 this year and an SIT was formed to probe the case.  The SIT has questioned several people so far, including Tharoor, who was examined on Monday for around four hours. “The SIT will ask these journalists about the discussion she had with them. What was it that she had spoken about the IPL controversy and Tharoor’s relations with Mehr Tarar,” said a police official close to the investigation.  Sources said that they will also be asked whether she talked about any press conference, which Tharoor’s domestic help Naraain had said that she was planning to hold. Asked whether Tharoor will be questioned again, Bassi said, “It (his statement given to police on Monday) is being analysed and if necessary he would be called in the next couple of days.” He also indicated that Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar can also be questioned if the SIT finds it relevant.  “Everything will be done. We would like to take information from everybody whether they are in India or abroad,” he said. The police chief said police would like to talk to one Tej Saraf (77), who had yesterday claimed that she was taking “fistful of medicines” and had fainted twice weeks before her death when he had hosted her and Shashi Tharoor at his Goa home.

EU lifts import ban on Indian mangoes

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The European Union lifted an import ban on Indian mangoes Tuesday after nine months in which New Delhi had raged over its forbidden fruit.

Brussels outlawed the mangoes in May after saying it had found pests which could harm European crops in 207 Indian consignments of fruits and vegetables.

But a European Union inspection found that India has since tightened controls and also promised measures to keep bugs out of the fruit.

'The measures will allow the import of mango fruits before the start of the next import season in March 2015,' the European Commission said in a statement on Monday.

A ban on bitter gourds, eggplants and snake gourds from India will however remain in place pending evidence of steps to prevent infestation, the EU's executive said. India, the world's largest mango exporter, had threatened to drag the 28-nation EU to the World Trade Organisation over the 'arbitrary' ban last year.

But mango growers in India's bitter regional rival Pakistan had revelled in it, hoping to take a slice out of India's market share. The fruit is a contentious matter regionally, with both countries proclaiming it a national treasure and fighting over whose specimens are superior. Mango importer Monica Bhandari said customers would welcome the lifting of the ban. 'Customers are going to be delighted,' she told the BBC. 'Those who buy mangoes, who were up in arms, have been missing them all season.'

AFP

2 Keralites arrested in Delhi with heroin worth Rs 35 cr

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New Delhi: Two men from Kerala were arrested and more than 10 kilogram of heroin worth Rs 35 crore recovered from them, after which Delhi Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a trans-national drug syndicate linked to Dubai.

The accused have been identified as Ajay B (20) and Siddeekh S (19), both residents of Alappuzha, who were arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from the Ring Road near ISBT Sarai Kale Khan on January 13.

According to the police, for the last few months, Special Cell was working on different modules of trans-national drug cartels which use Delhi as a nodal point for trafficking.

On January 13, information was received that two persons namely Ajay and Siddeekh, both residents of Kerala, had gone to Srinagar, J&K, for receiving narcotics and after collecting the consignment, they had reached Delhi from where they were supposed to go to Mathura by bus from ISBT, Sarai Kale Khan.

'A trap was laid and the duo were nabbed. Both the accused were carrying shoulder bags with them. From the bag carried by accused Ajay, 131 small packets wrapped with yellow plastic tape were recovered,' said Special Commissioner (Special Cell) S N Shrivastava.

On opening the same, transparent polythene packets containing cream colour powder substance, suspected to be heroine was recovered, he said.

From the bag carried by Siddeekh, seven packets wrapped in yellow colour tape were found beneath clothing items, he added.
These packets contained cloth parcels bearing several stamp marking like Speen Ghar Ltd. 555, 333 and 'moon and star' marks etc. And inside these cloth parcels, heroin was found neatly packed in brown paper packets. The combined weight of contraband recovered from both the accused was weighed to be 10.275 Kg, he said.

PTI

Govt employees begin strike

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Thiruvananthapuram: The strike called by pro-LDFAction Council of State Employees and Teachers pressing their demands has begun.

The council demanded among other things immediate implementation of the pay revision package of government employees and teachers and also 20 percent of the basic pay as interim relief with retrospective effect from July 1, 2014.

On Wednesday, Chief MinisterOommen Chandyhad termed the strike call as politically motivated and said there was no justification for the agitation as the pay commission for revision of salaries of employees has been set up and government was waiting for its report for implementation.

During the media briefing of the cabinet meeting, the CM rejected the action council's charge that more than 30,000 posts have been abolished and said actually theUDFGovernment had created 35,000 new posts in various departments.

Chandy added that there was no need for any talks with the striking staff and justified the government decision to implement 'dies non' (no work no pay) rule. 

Aadhar to be made lone proof for APL ration cards

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Thiruvananthapuram: The government is planning to accept only the Aadhar number as proof along with application for the renewal of ration cards from the consumers falling in APL category.

Application form for new ration cards will be issued from first week of February onwards.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy informed this decision soon after the cabinet meeting which was held on Thursday.

A final decision in this regard has not taken yet. But BPL cardholders are required to submit all the other necessary documents apart from Aadhar number.

The Cabinet meeting has also discussed the allegations levelled against the renewal procedures of the ration card.

'More camera units will be installed in the camps and drinking water facility too will be made available for those who wait for the photo session. Any complaints reported will be resolved on the spot itself. More officials will be deployed for the smooth functioning of the camps,' the CM said.

'If the senior most woman member of the family is unable to reach the camp owing to any physical disability, the next senior female member of the family can take part in the camp with a consent letter signed by the former. In case of absence of a female member aged above 18 years, cards will be issued in name of the male member of the family,' he said.

'It is planned to conclude the camps by March. However, opportunity will be given to all eligible members. Once the renewal procedures are completed, the scheme of 1 kgof rice at Re.1could be extended to 54 lakh more consumers,' he added
 

Swine flu: 19 die in Telangana, state seeks Centre's help

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 Hyderabad: With 19 people succumbing to swine flu in Telangana so far this year, the state government on Wednesday sought Centre's help and announced several measures to check the spread of the deadly virus.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister J P Nadda in the morning and requested them to send a team of officials to the state, among other things.

Rao reviewed the situation with government doctors, officials, and also private hospital managements and announced that a team of officials would monitor the situation in Hyderabad, and an IAS officer would act as nodal officer for every district.

Rao told reporters that 19 people had died due to the swine flu virus infection so far in the state and another 20-30 people are undergoing treatment. He said that medicines had been made available, community hygiene would be taken care of and swine flu would be covered under the state's 'Arogya Sri' health insurance scheme for the poor.

The patients would be put in sterilised rooms and released after the completion of the medicine course, he said.

Homes of affected persons would be sterilised by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation staff in Hyderabad. 'It is not an epidemic situation (in Telangana). It spreads from person to person. We have to prevent that,' he said.

Asked why community hygiene was not addressed properly earlier, he said certain measures were taken and there would be 'an integrated approach'.

'The health fraternity of Telangana is ready to fight this battle. Nothing to be worried,' he assured.

The patients would be carried to Hyderabad free in the '108' emergency vehicles if needed, he said.

PTI

Sunanda was taking fistful of medicines'

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New Delhi: In a new twist to the Sunanda Pushkar mysterious death case, one of her close friends on Wednesday claimed that she was taking 'fistful of medicines' and had fainted twice weeks before her death when he had hosted her and Shashi Tharoor at his Goa home.

Tej Saraf (77), who had hosted the couple in December 2013, told NDTV that Sunanda wasn't eating well; she wasn't sleeping well; and was in a 'distraught' condition.

'Sunanda was taking fistful of medicines and I asked her 'what are these for', and she said 'I don't sleep very well and I haven't slept for years and so I have Alprax and various painkillers'. In fact we did tell her that this was dangerous,' said Saraf.

Asked as to why he broke his silence a year after Sunanda was found dead at a five star hotel in Delhi, he said, 'I was appalled over the last few weeks by statements being made by various people particularly that Lupus( a skin disorder) was a red herring. I decided to break my silence and tell you what happened during her stay with us over the New Year.'

Saraf also said that he was ready to give his statement to police.

Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, when asked about the claims being made by Saraf, said that the police would like 'to talk to this gentleman'.

(PTI and agencies)

Watch out! Your smartphone may be harbouring bacteria

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London: A group of students from University of Surrey in Britain has revealed that the home button on your smartphone may be harbouring millions of bacteria - some even harmful.

They found that it is not just your own germs that can be found on your phone.

The devices also carry bacteria you have picked up from other people, news.com.au reported.

For the study, the team dipped phones into Petri dishes and watched the growths of bacteria flourish.

According to Simon Park, the lecturer behind the university's annual study, phones store a record of our personal touch as well, especially on the home button.

'It is unusual but very effective way of engaging our students with the often overlooked microbiology of everyday life,' Park was quoted as saying.

Most of the bacteria is harmless but some disease-carrying bacteria such as the Staphylococcus aureus were also seen during the experiment.

IANS

Five-year-old boy fatally shoots his brother in US

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New York: A five-year-old boy accidentally shot dead his nine-month-old baby brother in US' Missouri after he found a gun lying around the bed, media reported Wednesday.

A woman called the police to say her five-year-old son shot his baby brother with a paintball gun, CNN reported.

'But it wasn't a paintball gun. It was a .22-caliber Magnum revolver,' said sheriff Darren White.

Authorities are trying to figure out what led to Monday's shooting in Elmo.

'At this point foul play is not suspected, and it appears that the shooting was accidental,' the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities say the gun belongs to a relative, but not the mother. Police are investigating the gun's ownership.

IANS

Bar bribe row: bar owners reject Biju Ramesh's claim

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Thiruvananthapuram: Bar owner Elegance Binoy and Bar Hotel Owners Association Thiruvananthapuram district president Sunil have come out rejecting the evidences presented by Bar Association working president Biju Ramesh that they handed over bribe to Mani.

Binoy said he never talked to Mani so far and added that he did not hand him over Rs 2 crore at Nedumbassery.

He added that the tape released by Biju carries the conversations of some unidentified persons.

Echoing Binoy's opinion, Sunil also said the revelations made by Biju Ramesh are not true.

'As claimed by Biju, a steering committee of bar owners was not conducted. Also, no such conversations were made with Animon,' he said.

On Monday, a tape allegedly carrying the conversations of bar owners was out. From the conversations, the bar owners were heard saying that they handed over Rs 7 crore to Mani in addition to the Rs 1 crore.

At a meeting of bar owners, a functionary Animon is allegedly heard explaining his colleagues that he handed over Rs 7 crore to Mani.

Coal block allocation: CBI team examines Manmohan Singh

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New Delhi:Former Prime MinisterManmohan Singhis said to have been examined by CBI in the coal block allocation case relating to Hindalco but neither he nor the agency was willing to confirm it.

According to informed sources, a team of CBI officials 'examined' the former Prime Minister at his residence two days ago ahead of the filing of status report before a special CBI court by 27 January.

Singh's examination was in connection with a coal scam case relating to allocation of Talabira II block to Hindalco when he was also holding the portfolio of Coal and in pursuance of the court's 16 December order.

When contacted, CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad refused to confirm or deny the development while an aide of the former Prime Minister denied it.

The sources said Singh was examined about the developments which took place in the Ministry of Coal as well as the PMO after industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla had written two letters dated 7 May, 2005 and 17 June, 2005 to the then PM requesting for allocation of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.

CBI had received a wrap on its knuckles as Special Judge Bharat Parashar had refused to accept the closure report in the case observing that it would be 'appropriate' that the then Coal Minister (Singh) be 'first examined' regarding various aspects of the matter.

PTI

Kochi's Infopark gets fresh IT investments worth Rs 320 crore

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Kochi: The phase II development of Infopark here has received a shot in the arm with a pact being inked for fresh investments worth Rs 320 crore under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) route.

'This financial year, Kerala is emerging as the best IT investment destination in the country. Infopark has been at the forefront in attracting IT investment to the state and there will be a few more deals ready to be inked this year,' an Infopark statement said on Monday.

Kochi-based infrastructure developer Padiyath Innovation has signed a deal with Infopark to invest Rs 320 crore for the construction of one million sqft of intelligent IT infrastructure in multiple phases, it added.

The Padiyath Innovation is a joint venture between Harry & More Consulting Private Limited and its sister concern Sunrise Institute of Medical Sciences. The new facility will provide direct employment to 7,000 IT professionals and to nearly 3,000 people in facility management and other support services.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the same was signed between Infopark Chief Executive Officer Hrishikesh Nair and Padiyath Innovation World Private Limited Chairman Shri Harish Rahman Padiyath in the presence of Industries & IT minister, P K Kunhalikutty.

The 'world-class, environment-friendly' infrastructure facility will come up on nearly 4.11 acres of land and it will be certified under the LEED 2011 Shell and Core Certification, the statement said.

It will have a state-of-the-art solid waste management and water recycling facility. The centrally air conditioned building will have food courts, health club, gym and medical clinic. It will also have a parking facility for 1,000 cars and a five- star rated lobby.

PTI

Europe on high terror alert; manhunts and death threats continue

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Europe was on high alert on Sunday as the suspected mastermind of a jihadist cell in Belgium remained at large and jittery authorities blocked anti-Islamist rallies in Germany and France.

With tensions heightened, the second gunman in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack was buried discreetly in an unmarked grave near Paris late on Saturday in the hope that it would not become a pilgrimage site for radical Islamists.

Meanwhile, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, considered the brains behind the cell plotting to kill Belgian police, was still on the run days after the group was dismantled by intelligence services.

But the probe appeared to be progressing with Belgian federal prosecutors announcing they would seek the extradition of a suspect arrested in Athens on Saturday 'who could be linked' to the cell.

In Germany, police banned a rally by the anti-Islamic PEGIDA movement and other open-air gatherings planned for Monday in the eastern city of Dresden, saying there was a 'concrete threat' of an attack against its leadership.

The group claimed the threat came from the Islamic State group based in Syria and Iraq, with local media reporting that PEGIDA's most prominent leader Lutz Bachmann was the target.

The PEGIDA marches have grown steadily since they began in October and drew a record 25,000 people last Monday in the wake of the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead.

The anti-Islamic rallies have spread to other European countries as well, with the first Danish PEGIDA march to take place in Copenhagen on Monday. Organisers said they were expecting some 300 people.

Separately, a French court on Sunday prevented a rally by anti-Islamist groups in Paris on the grounds that they were promoting Islamophobia.

In the wake of the French attacks and the Belgian anti-terror raids, EU foreign ministers were to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss ways to boost cooperation to combat the threat posed by radicalised Europeans returning home after fighting in Iraq and Syria.

The meeting comes as the bloc prepares for a special leaders' summit on February 12 dedicated to fighting terrorism.

Pakistan protests

Cherif Kouachi, one of two brothers who killed 12 people in the attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7, was buried in a cemetery in Gennevilliers, a day after the funeral of his older brother Said in the northeastern city of Reims.

The family, including Cherif Kouachi's widow, kept away from the funeral, the mayor's office said.

The brothers were shot dead by police after a three-day manhunt following their attack on Charlie Hebdo, which had enraged many Muslims around the world with its repeated publication of cartoons lampooning Islam's Prophet Mohammed.

Anger erupted in a string of majority Muslim countries after the magazine responded to the decimation of its staff by running another caricature last week, showing the prophet under the headline 'All Is Forgiven'.

The worst unrest was in Niger, where at least 10 people were killed and several churches were torched over two days of rioting.

Fresh protests broke out Sunday in Pakistan where thousands gathered in almost all major cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, chanting angry slogans and burning French flags.

Charlie Hebdo's chief editor has defended the cartoons.

'Every time we draw a cartoon of Mohammed, every time we draw a cartoon of prophets, every time we draw a cartoon of God, we defend the freedom of religion,' Gerard Biard told NBC's 'Meet the Press' programme.

The weekly has sold 2.7 million copies of the post-killings 'survivors' issue' in France alone and said it would extend its print run to seven million copies - exponentially more than the weekly's normal circulation of 60,000.

President Francois Hollande said France was committed to freedom of expression and people should not change their habits since 'to do so would be to yield to terrorism'.

But a poll published in Le Journal du Dimanche found 42% of French people thought publications should avoid running cartoons of Mohammed, and 50% favoured limiting freedom of expression on the internet and social networks.

French police were, meanwhile, still questioning nine people arrested on Friday on suspicion of providing logistical support such as cars and weapons to Amedy Coulibaly, another Islamist gunman who claimed to be working with the Kouachi brothers.

Coulibaly killed four Jews in a siege at a kosher supermarket in Paris on January 9 before being shot dead by police.

Tension grips Bihar village after three burnt to death

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Patna: Tension gripped a Bihar village Monday, a day after three people were burnt to death and 10 were injured when a mob torched over three dozen houses in Muzaffarpur district after the body of an abducted youth was found, police said.

Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Anupam Kumar told IANS by telephone that a probe into the arson attack began following the directive of Chief Minister Jitan Kumar Manjhi, who is on a visit to Mumbai.

Manjhi is likely to visit the village Monday evening.

Kumar said that preliminary probe suggests that clash in the village was the result of a love affair.

'District administration was not taking any chances, fearing retaliation by villagers,' he said.

The incident took place in Muslim dominated Ajitpur Bahilwara village after the body of a 20-year-old Hindu boy was recovered Sunday. He was allegedly abducted and killed for his love affair with a Muslim girl.

Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjeet Kumar Mishra said a mob attacked the house of the main accused in the youth's abduction and killing, triggering a clash between the villagers.

'Mob torched several houses in which three people were burnt to death and some injured. They also set ablaze vehicles,' Mishra said.

Additional Director General of police headquarters Gupteshwar Pandey, who has been camping in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here, said that 14 people have been arrested in connection with the clash and more arrests would take place.

'Additional security forces have been deployed in the village in view of the tension,' Pandey said.