Eyewitness claims 3 men killed T P Chandrasekharan

Kozhikode : The murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T P Chandrasekharan in Kozhikode district of Kerala on May 4 was executed by three 'goons' who came in an silver-coloured car, an eyewitness account today claimed. 
Talking to a private TV channel P Ramachandran, who was decorating a club at Vallikkode, the spot where he was killed on the fateful night, said he and his colleagues saw three persons alighting from the silver-coloured car after dashing against the motorbike of the victim.
One of them carried a long sword, the second a log, he said, adding the third man also held some object but he could not identify it.
He said the criminals left the scene in around three minutes after committing the dastardly act.
The witness said he and his colleagues attempted to rush to the scene to protect Chandrasekharan, but they were scared away by the assassins who hurled a bomb.
The Innova, which was found abandoned at Chokli in Kannur district was impounded by the Special Investigation Team the following day.
A rebel CPI (M) leader, Chandrasekharan, was assasinated at Vallikkode near Vatakara in the district when he was returning home on his motor bike. (UNI) 

Eyewitness claims 3 men killed T P Chandrasekharan

Kozhikode : The murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T P Chandrasekharan in Kozhikode district of Kerala on May 4 was executed by three 'goons' who came in an silver-coloured car, an eyewitness account today claimed. 
Talking to a private TV channel P Ramachandran, who was decorating a club at Vallikkode, the spot where he was killed on the fateful night, said he and his colleagues saw three persons alighting from the silver-coloured car after dashing against the motorbike of the victim.
One of them carried a long sword, the second a log, he said, adding the third man also held some object but he could not identify it.
He said the criminals left the scene in around three minutes after committing the dastardly act.
The witness said he and his colleagues attempted to rush to the scene to protect Chandrasekharan, but they were scared away by the assassins who hurled a bomb.
The Innova, which was found abandoned at Chokli in Kannur district was impounded by the Special Investigation Team the following day.
A rebel CPI (M) leader, Chandrasekharan, was assasinated at Vallikkode near Vatakara in the district when he was returning home on his motor bike. (UNI) 

Man kills wife for not feeding daughter

Lucknow: In a bizarre and heart-rending incident, a young man here shot his wife dead early Friday because she was not feeding their one-year-old daughter.The incident took place in the Vikram Nagar area when sweet shop owner Dinesh Shukla first angrily shouted at his wife Sarita as their daughter was crying to be fed.
When 25-year-old Sarita refused to feed the infant girl, an incensed Dinesh whipped out a country-made pistol and shot his wife at point-blank range. The bullet hit her stomach and she slumped to the ground, dying within a few minutes.
The assailant husband picked up his daughter and rushed out of the house before neighbours and the landlord could reach the scene. The assailant then handed over his daughter to his brother Kamal, who lived nearby.Dinesh is absconding while the body of Sarita has been sent for autopsy, police told IANS. 

Man kills wife for not feeding daughter

Lucknow: In a bizarre and heart-rending incident, a young man here shot his wife dead early Friday because she was not feeding their one-year-old daughter.The incident took place in the Vikram Nagar area when sweet shop owner Dinesh Shukla first angrily shouted at his wife Sarita as their daughter was crying to be fed.
When 25-year-old Sarita refused to feed the infant girl, an incensed Dinesh whipped out a country-made pistol and shot his wife at point-blank range. The bullet hit her stomach and she slumped to the ground, dying within a few minutes.
The assailant husband picked up his daughter and rushed out of the house before neighbours and the landlord could reach the scene. The assailant then handed over his daughter to his brother Kamal, who lived nearby.Dinesh is absconding while the body of Sarita has been sent for autopsy, police told IANS. 

Air India crisis deepens, sacks another 25 pilots

New Delhi: Air India Friday sacked another 25 protesting pilots - taking to 71 the number dismissed - and asked aviation regulator Directorate General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to cancel their flying licenses.
The development comes even as the airline said it is working on a contingency plan to salvage its international operations as the pilots' agitation entered its fourth day, forcing the airline to cancel 12 more flights and reschedule over a dozen.
'We have sacked 25 more pilots and have moved the DGCA for cancelling their flying licenses,' a senior Air India official told IANS.
The airline has sacked 71 pilots in the four days since the agitation began Tuesday and derecognised their union - the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG).
The airline also announced that it is working on a contingency plan.
'We are working on a plan. This involves operating a bare minimum number of flights on the international sector. This plan may come into effect from early next week,' the official said.
'We have plans to bring in executive and reserve pilots to operate the flights. We also have plans to wet lease aircraft to operate on the affected routes.'
The airline has stopped bookings on some of its ultra long-haul routes till May 15, effectively cancelling more than 15 flights per day to major sectors such as the US, Europe, and some other destinations like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Air India also had grounded the bulk of its Boeing 777 fleet. The airline has 17 B-777 aircraft.
'We have almost grounded the fleet of 777s. Some are stationed in Mumbai and the rest are in Delhi. Some are operating to destinations like Hong Kong and Shanghai, depending on the availability of pilots,' a senior official in the operations arm of the airline told IANS.
The airline is losing an estimated Rs.10 crore per day due to the agitation. Maintaining the grounded aircraft would further add to its expenditure. 
The carrier's low cost subsidiary, Air India Express, also cancelled five flights on the day on which Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and apprised him about the steps being taken to resolve the crisis.
The civil aviation minister earlier asked the pilots to return to work. 'If they want to talk, they should come to work, and all issues can be discussed... We are going to take a long-term view,' Ajit Singh told reporters after meeting the prime minister in his Parliament House office.
The pilots had said they were open to talks. But the government did not accept the offer, saying there would be no negotiations till the pilots returned to work.
Ajit Singh said that he informed the prime minister that all efforts are being made to resolve the crisis. 'Whatever we are doing is being done as per policies, by talking to everyone involved.' 
The minister further said that apart from the Boeing-787 Dreamliner training issue, other aspects of the strike could be resolved soon as the ministry was planning to implement the Justice Dharmadhikari report which deals with better integration of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines cadres.

'It (Dreamliner) was the original issue when they went on strike. As far as the issue of career progression is concerned, the Dharmadhikari report deals with this and similar issues,' Ajit Singh said.

'A discussion is on in the ministry on how to implement it. We will talk to the affected people when we implement the report.'

The standoff between the Air India management and the striking pilots had its impact on both houses of parliament Thursday, with members saying the agitation was destroying the national airline and sending wrong signals to the outside world.

Trouble started for the airline on Tuesday when pilots belonging to IPG took mass sick leave protesting the move to provide Boeing-787 Dreamliner training to pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines.

The airline has also moved petitions in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court. The apex court will hear the petition along with special leave petition (SLP) filed earlier by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), the union of erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots

Air India crisis deepens, sacks another 25 pilots

New Delhi: Air India Friday sacked another 25 protesting pilots - taking to 71 the number dismissed - and asked aviation regulator Directorate General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to cancel their flying licenses.
The development comes even as the airline said it is working on a contingency plan to salvage its international operations as the pilots' agitation entered its fourth day, forcing the airline to cancel 12 more flights and reschedule over a dozen.
'We have sacked 25 more pilots and have moved the DGCA for cancelling their flying licenses,' a senior Air India official told IANS.
The airline has sacked 71 pilots in the four days since the agitation began Tuesday and derecognised their union - the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG).
The airline also announced that it is working on a contingency plan.
'We are working on a plan. This involves operating a bare minimum number of flights on the international sector. This plan may come into effect from early next week,' the official said.
'We have plans to bring in executive and reserve pilots to operate the flights. We also have plans to wet lease aircraft to operate on the affected routes.'
The airline has stopped bookings on some of its ultra long-haul routes till May 15, effectively cancelling more than 15 flights per day to major sectors such as the US, Europe, and some other destinations like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Air India also had grounded the bulk of its Boeing 777 fleet. The airline has 17 B-777 aircraft.
'We have almost grounded the fleet of 777s. Some are stationed in Mumbai and the rest are in Delhi. Some are operating to destinations like Hong Kong and Shanghai, depending on the availability of pilots,' a senior official in the operations arm of the airline told IANS.
The airline is losing an estimated Rs.10 crore per day due to the agitation. Maintaining the grounded aircraft would further add to its expenditure. 
The carrier's low cost subsidiary, Air India Express, also cancelled five flights on the day on which Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and apprised him about the steps being taken to resolve the crisis.
The civil aviation minister earlier asked the pilots to return to work. 'If they want to talk, they should come to work, and all issues can be discussed... We are going to take a long-term view,' Ajit Singh told reporters after meeting the prime minister in his Parliament House office.
The pilots had said they were open to talks. But the government did not accept the offer, saying there would be no negotiations till the pilots returned to work.
Ajit Singh said that he informed the prime minister that all efforts are being made to resolve the crisis. 'Whatever we are doing is being done as per policies, by talking to everyone involved.' 
The minister further said that apart from the Boeing-787 Dreamliner training issue, other aspects of the strike could be resolved soon as the ministry was planning to implement the Justice Dharmadhikari report which deals with better integration of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines cadres.

'It (Dreamliner) was the original issue when they went on strike. As far as the issue of career progression is concerned, the Dharmadhikari report deals with this and similar issues,' Ajit Singh said.

'A discussion is on in the ministry on how to implement it. We will talk to the affected people when we implement the report.'

The standoff between the Air India management and the striking pilots had its impact on both houses of parliament Thursday, with members saying the agitation was destroying the national airline and sending wrong signals to the outside world.

Trouble started for the airline on Tuesday when pilots belonging to IPG took mass sick leave protesting the move to provide Boeing-787 Dreamliner training to pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines.

The airline has also moved petitions in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court. The apex court will hear the petition along with special leave petition (SLP) filed earlier by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), the union of erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots

China, Russia to make joint efforts for Syria

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday reiterated the two nations' support to the six-point plan for peace in Syria proposed by the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, Xinhua reported.

The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers made the remarks after two blasts rocked Syrian capital Damascus earlier in the day, killing 55 people.Annan is working to bring an early end to the Syrian crisis that started last March."To appropriately address the Syrian issue, all sides concerned should respect Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," Yang said, adding that the development path of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people on their own.

The two ministers also urged "outside forces" to stop disturbing Annan's work and instigating new conflicts in Syria."Some countries are inciting outside forces to interference into the Syrian situation, which is unacceptable," the Russian foreign minister told reporters.During their talks, both foreign ministers also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue, said a release issued after the talks.

On Afghan situation, Yang said China supports Afghanistan in its efforts to realise peace, stability, independence and development at an early date, urging the international community to increase aid for the insurgency-inflicted country.Lavrov is paying an official visit to China from Thursday to Friday to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member st

China, Russia to make joint efforts for Syria

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday reiterated the two nations' support to the six-point plan for peace in Syria proposed by the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, Xinhua reported.

The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers made the remarks after two blasts rocked Syrian capital Damascus earlier in the day, killing 55 people.Annan is working to bring an early end to the Syrian crisis that started last March."To appropriately address the Syrian issue, all sides concerned should respect Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," Yang said, adding that the development path of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people on their own.

The two ministers also urged "outside forces" to stop disturbing Annan's work and instigating new conflicts in Syria."Some countries are inciting outside forces to interference into the Syrian situation, which is unacceptable," the Russian foreign minister told reporters.During their talks, both foreign ministers also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue, said a release issued after the talks.

On Afghan situation, Yang said China supports Afghanistan in its efforts to realise peace, stability, independence and development at an early date, urging the international community to increase aid for the insurgency-inflicted country.Lavrov is paying an official visit to China from Thursday to Friday to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member st

Twin car bombs in Syrian capital kill dozens

Damascus: Twin suicide car bombs exploded outside a military intelligence building and killed 55 people today, tossing mangled bodies in the street in the deadliest attack against a regime target since the Syrian uprising began 14 months ago.The bombings fuelled fears of a rising Islamic militant element among the forces seeking to oust President Bashar
Assad and dealt a further blow to international efforts to end the bloodshed.
The first car bomb went off on a key six-lane highway during the morning rush hour, knocking down a security walloutside the government building and drawing people to the scene, witnesses said.A much larger blast soon followed, shaking the neighborhood, setting dozens of cars ablaze and sending up agray mushroom cloud visible around the capital.
Syrian state TV video showed dozens of bodies, some charred or dismembered, strewn in the rubble or still insidedamaged cars.An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw medics in rubber gloves picking through the site for human remains amidthe two craters that were blasted into the asphalt.The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police and security services, said 55 people were killed and more than370 were wounded. Officials said suicide bombers detonated explosives weighing more than 1,000 kilogrammes.'The house shook like it was an earthquake,' Maha Hijazi said, standing outside her home nearby. World powers seekingto halt Syria's unrest condemned the attack and urged all sides to adhere to a cease-fire brokered by UN and Arab Leagueenvoy Kofi Annan.
'In order to prevent another escalation of violence, we continue to call on the Syrian regime to fully and immediately implement the Annan plan,' State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Washington. (AP)

Twin car bombs in Syrian capital kill dozens

Damascus: Twin suicide car bombs exploded outside a military intelligence building and killed 55 people today, tossing mangled bodies in the street in the deadliest attack against a regime target since the Syrian uprising began 14 months ago.The bombings fuelled fears of a rising Islamic militant element among the forces seeking to oust President Bashar
Assad and dealt a further blow to international efforts to end the bloodshed.
The first car bomb went off on a key six-lane highway during the morning rush hour, knocking down a security walloutside the government building and drawing people to the scene, witnesses said.A much larger blast soon followed, shaking the neighborhood, setting dozens of cars ablaze and sending up agray mushroom cloud visible around the capital.
Syrian state TV video showed dozens of bodies, some charred or dismembered, strewn in the rubble or still insidedamaged cars.An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw medics in rubber gloves picking through the site for human remains amidthe two craters that were blasted into the asphalt.The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police and security services, said 55 people were killed and more than370 were wounded. Officials said suicide bombers detonated explosives weighing more than 1,000 kilogrammes.'The house shook like it was an earthquake,' Maha Hijazi said, standing outside her home nearby. World powers seekingto halt Syria's unrest condemned the attack and urged all sides to adhere to a cease-fire brokered by UN and Arab Leagueenvoy Kofi Annan.
'In order to prevent another escalation of violence, we continue to call on the Syrian regime to fully and immediately implement the Annan plan,' State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Washington. (AP)