Keralite killed in road accident in Oman

Dubai:An Indian national was killed and three others were injured in a car accident in Oman. Twentyeight-year-old Arun Kumar from Kerala was killed when the driver lost control of his vehicle and it crashed into the post yesterday between Salalah Hafaq and old Omantel office. The three injured are Ajeesh, Rajeeb and Moosa. Sources in Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah said Ajeesh and Rajeeb are on life-support, the Times of Oman newspaper reported. 'Moosa has suffered a severe fracture in his leg,' the hospital sources said. Arun was working as a salesman in a company in Salalah. The victims were on a shopping trip as Moosa was planning to go on vacation. PTI

Keralite killed in road accident in Oman

Dubai:An Indian national was killed and three others were injured in a car accident in Oman. Twentyeight-year-old Arun Kumar from Kerala was killed when the driver lost control of his vehicle and it crashed into the post yesterday between Salalah Hafaq and old Omantel office. The three injured are Ajeesh, Rajeeb and Moosa. Sources in Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah said Ajeesh and Rajeeb are on life-support, the Times of Oman newspaper reported. 'Moosa has suffered a severe fracture in his leg,' the hospital sources said. Arun was working as a salesman in a company in Salalah. The victims were on a shopping trip as Moosa was planning to go on vacation. PTI

Massive storm batters southern Britain disrupting flights, trains

LONDON: Strong storm winds and rain battered southern parts of England and Wales early on Monday, forcing flight cancellations, disrupting trains and closing roads and major bridges before the start of rush-hour.

Local media dubbed the storm 'St. Jude', after the patron saint of lost causes who is traditionally celebrated on Oct. 28, and made comparisons to 1987 when a storm killed 18 people in Britain and felled around 15 million trees.

London's Heathrow airport said around 20 percent of flights would be cancelled between 0600 and 1100 GMT and told passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.

The Highways Agency, which operates the road network in England, said high winds had forced the closure of London's southbound Dartford Crossing and the M4 Severn crossing, between South Wales and England, in both directions.

Train services were also disrupted, with Network Rail, Britain's rail network operator, saying they were unlikely to get going until 9.00 a.m. (0900 GMT) in some areas.

Strong winds were forecast to continue hitting Britain's East, East Midlands, West Midlands, South East and South West and there was a risk that motorbikes and high-sided vehicles could be blown over, the agency added. The strongest recorded winds hit England's Isle of Wight at 99 mph (160 kph) at 0600 GMT, the Met office said.

'The thing that's unusual about this one is that most of our storms develop out over the Atlantic so that they've done all their strengthening and deepening by the time they reach us,' Met Office spokeswoman Helen Chivers said.

'This one is developing as it crosses the UK, which is why it brings the potential for significant disruption ... and that doesn't happen very often.' Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a meeting between the Environment Agency, forecasters and government departments on Sunday to discuss contingency plans.

Storms and strong winds are also expected to hit parts of the Netherlands on Monday, the Dutch Meteorological Institute said. Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest, said the storm could lead to flight delays or cancellations, while the national railway said train services could be disrupted.

In Britain, winds peaked at more than 110 mph when the 1987 storm hit without warning, causing millions of pounds of damage and provoking criticism of Britain's national forecaster. The Met Office said advances in forecasting technology had allowed it to predict Monday's storm well in advance, and that it had started discussions with local councils, emergency services and transport operators early last week. Reuters

Massive storm batters southern Britain disrupting flights, trains

LONDON: Strong storm winds and rain battered southern parts of England and Wales early on Monday, forcing flight cancellations, disrupting trains and closing roads and major bridges before the start of rush-hour.

Local media dubbed the storm 'St. Jude', after the patron saint of lost causes who is traditionally celebrated on Oct. 28, and made comparisons to 1987 when a storm killed 18 people in Britain and felled around 15 million trees.

London's Heathrow airport said around 20 percent of flights would be cancelled between 0600 and 1100 GMT and told passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.

The Highways Agency, which operates the road network in England, said high winds had forced the closure of London's southbound Dartford Crossing and the M4 Severn crossing, between South Wales and England, in both directions.

Train services were also disrupted, with Network Rail, Britain's rail network operator, saying they were unlikely to get going until 9.00 a.m. (0900 GMT) in some areas.

Strong winds were forecast to continue hitting Britain's East, East Midlands, West Midlands, South East and South West and there was a risk that motorbikes and high-sided vehicles could be blown over, the agency added. The strongest recorded winds hit England's Isle of Wight at 99 mph (160 kph) at 0600 GMT, the Met office said.

'The thing that's unusual about this one is that most of our storms develop out over the Atlantic so that they've done all their strengthening and deepening by the time they reach us,' Met Office spokeswoman Helen Chivers said.

'This one is developing as it crosses the UK, which is why it brings the potential for significant disruption ... and that doesn't happen very often.' Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a meeting between the Environment Agency, forecasters and government departments on Sunday to discuss contingency plans.

Storms and strong winds are also expected to hit parts of the Netherlands on Monday, the Dutch Meteorological Institute said. Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest, said the storm could lead to flight delays or cancellations, while the national railway said train services could be disrupted.

In Britain, winds peaked at more than 110 mph when the 1987 storm hit without warning, causing millions of pounds of damage and provoking criticism of Britain's national forecaster. The Met Office said advances in forecasting technology had allowed it to predict Monday's storm well in advance, and that it had started discussions with local councils, emergency services and transport operators early last week. Reuters

Attack on Chandy: CPM workers held, blame game on

Thiruvananthapuram/Kannur: A day after Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was injured in stone pelting allegedly by LDF workers in Kannur, police Monday booked 17 CPM activists for attempt to murder as the ruling and the opposition engaged in blame game over the incident.

Chandy, who arrived in the state capital in the wee hours, is undergoing treatment at the Medical College hospital for the forehead injury and swelling on the chest, hit by a stone during the incident in Kannur. Doctors attending on 70-year-old Chandy said his condition was stable but advised complete rest for three days compelling him to cancel all engagements, including the mass contact programme at Kollam Tuesday.

In overnight search, police rounded up 22 CPM workers from different parts of Kannur and arrested 17 of them, who were remanded. They had been charged with IPC 307 (attempt to murder),324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and other sections including unlawful assembly. The police also registered cases against a large number of CPM leaders, including MLAs from the district K K Naryanan and C Krishnan.

State Home Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan said the incident during a LDF protest was a "planned attack" and wanted the CPM to leadership to call off their agitation over the solar scam. "What happened yesterday was a planned attack as the LDF volunteers have been blocking the Chief Minister's engagement across the state for the last five months, the Minister told reporters.

CPM state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan vehemently denied involvement of LDF workers in the attack and dared the government to conduct a thorough investigation to track down the real culprits instead of haunting the CPM activists.  Chandy had a steady stream of visitors including Governor Nikhil Kumar, CPM stalwart and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan and ministers and Congress leaders. President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Chandy over phone and enquired about his health, official sources said.

The ongoing campaign by CPM-led LDF over solar panel scam turned violent last evening as protesters allegedly pelted stones at Chandy at Kannur, where he had gone to attend a couple of engagements including the valedictory of the state police athletic meet. In view of the incident,the state government has proposed to provide "Z" category security to Chandy.

Squarely blaming the CPM for the attack on Chandy, KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala said it showed the party was resorting to violent means as their campaigns failed to receive people's support. The contention of Pinarayi Vijayan was not going to be taken seriously by the people as it was only a face-saving excuse, Chennithala told reporters. "The CPM cannot absolve itself from the incident. What has happened has shamed Kerala as an elected chief minister had been premeditatedly targetted", he said. The Congress also organised protest meetings across the state in the evening over the incident. The district leaders of the LDF in Kannur alleged the stone-pelting was the handiwork of a hired goons brought engaged by some Congress leaders to malign the LDF.

Attack on Chandy: CPM workers held, blame game on

Thiruvananthapuram/Kannur: A day after Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was injured in stone pelting allegedly by LDF workers in Kannur, police Monday booked 17 CPM activists for attempt to murder as the ruling and the opposition engaged in blame game over the incident.

Chandy, who arrived in the state capital in the wee hours, is undergoing treatment at the Medical College hospital for the forehead injury and swelling on the chest, hit by a stone during the incident in Kannur. Doctors attending on 70-year-old Chandy said his condition was stable but advised complete rest for three days compelling him to cancel all engagements, including the mass contact programme at Kollam Tuesday.

In overnight search, police rounded up 22 CPM workers from different parts of Kannur and arrested 17 of them, who were remanded. They had been charged with IPC 307 (attempt to murder),324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and other sections including unlawful assembly. The police also registered cases against a large number of CPM leaders, including MLAs from the district K K Naryanan and C Krishnan.

State Home Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan said the incident during a LDF protest was a "planned attack" and wanted the CPM to leadership to call off their agitation over the solar scam. "What happened yesterday was a planned attack as the LDF volunteers have been blocking the Chief Minister's engagement across the state for the last five months, the Minister told reporters.

CPM state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan vehemently denied involvement of LDF workers in the attack and dared the government to conduct a thorough investigation to track down the real culprits instead of haunting the CPM activists.  Chandy had a steady stream of visitors including Governor Nikhil Kumar, CPM stalwart and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan and ministers and Congress leaders. President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Chandy over phone and enquired about his health, official sources said.

The ongoing campaign by CPM-led LDF over solar panel scam turned violent last evening as protesters allegedly pelted stones at Chandy at Kannur, where he had gone to attend a couple of engagements including the valedictory of the state police athletic meet. In view of the incident,the state government has proposed to provide "Z" category security to Chandy.

Squarely blaming the CPM for the attack on Chandy, KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala said it showed the party was resorting to violent means as their campaigns failed to receive people's support. The contention of Pinarayi Vijayan was not going to be taken seriously by the people as it was only a face-saving excuse, Chennithala told reporters. "The CPM cannot absolve itself from the incident. What has happened has shamed Kerala as an elected chief minister had been premeditatedly targetted", he said. The Congress also organised protest meetings across the state in the evening over the incident. The district leaders of the LDF in Kannur alleged the stone-pelting was the handiwork of a hired goons brought engaged by some Congress leaders to malign the LDF.

Gov considering to provide 'Z' category security to Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Describing the attack onChief Minister Oommen Chandy in which he was injured in stone pelting at Kannur yesterday as a 'planned one', Kerala government today said placing him under 'Z' category security would be taken after consultation with him. It was proposed to provide 'Z' category security to Chandy, but a final decision in this regard would be taken only after consultation with Chief Minister, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told reporters here.
'What happened during the CPI-led LDF opposition protest was a well planned one as LDF volunteers were blocking Chandy's official engagements across the state for the past five months', he said. 

On the condition of Chandy, who was admitted to Medical College Hospital here, he said Chandy has a swelling in chestand he has to undergo a CT scan to find out whether any glass particles had pierced his forehead. LDF under the cover of showing black flags had virtually indulged in violence and so far 207 police personnel had been injured in the last five months at various places, he said. 'On the one side LDF say they were holding peaceful protests and on the other hand they indulge in violence. Is it not a double standard', he asked. 

Refuting reports that security lapse led to the incident, Radhakrishnan said in view of intelligence report that there would be trouble in Kannur, 'unprecedented' security measures were taken during yesterday's meeting. Nearly 1000 police personnel were deployed for security purpose and DGP has been examining how the incident happened even after such a high security, he said. So far 21 persons have been arrested in connection with the incident and all of them were CPI-M activists, e said. Chandy was injured in stone pelting during a protest demonstration by LDF as part of their agitation against Chandy
on solar scam issue turned violent. LDF was on an agitational path in the state demanding resignation of Chandy on solar scam issue, which related to cheating a few persons by one Saritha S Nair and her accomplice Biju Radhakrishan by offering solar panel solutions. LDF allege that the cheating took place with the knowledge of CM and his office. PTI

Gov considering to provide 'Z' category security to Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Describing the attack onChief Minister Oommen Chandy in which he was injured in stone pelting at Kannur yesterday as a 'planned one', Kerala government today said placing him under 'Z' category security would be taken after consultation with him. It was proposed to provide 'Z' category security to Chandy, but a final decision in this regard would be taken only after consultation with Chief Minister, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told reporters here.
'What happened during the CPI-led LDF opposition protest was a well planned one as LDF volunteers were blocking Chandy's official engagements across the state for the past five months', he said. 

On the condition of Chandy, who was admitted to Medical College Hospital here, he said Chandy has a swelling in chestand he has to undergo a CT scan to find out whether any glass particles had pierced his forehead. LDF under the cover of showing black flags had virtually indulged in violence and so far 207 police personnel had been injured in the last five months at various places, he said. 'On the one side LDF say they were holding peaceful protests and on the other hand they indulge in violence. Is it not a double standard', he asked. 

Refuting reports that security lapse led to the incident, Radhakrishnan said in view of intelligence report that there would be trouble in Kannur, 'unprecedented' security measures were taken during yesterday's meeting. Nearly 1000 police personnel were deployed for security purpose and DGP has been examining how the incident happened even after such a high security, he said. So far 21 persons have been arrested in connection with the incident and all of them were CPI-M activists, e said. Chandy was injured in stone pelting during a protest demonstration by LDF as part of their agitation against Chandy
on solar scam issue turned violent. LDF was on an agitational path in the state demanding resignation of Chandy on solar scam issue, which related to cheating a few persons by one Saritha S Nair and her accomplice Biju Radhakrishan by offering solar panel solutions. LDF allege that the cheating took place with the knowledge of CM and his office. PTI

Serial blasts ahead of Modi rally, 1 killed

Patna: A bomb exploded in a toilet at Patna railway station today killing a person while two more bombs were recovered from the area, hours before Narendra Modi's address to a rally in the Bihar capital. The bomb exploded near the door of a newly created toilet on platform number 10 of Patna junction in which one person was injured, Railway and GRP officials said.

The railway station is barely two kilometers from Gandhi Maidan, venue of the 'Hoonkar rally' to be addressed by BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Modi. 
The injured person who was inside the toilet was first taken to the railway hospital and later rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), R K Singh, spokesman of Danapur Railway division said.

Immediatly after the blast, bomb disposal personnel came to the spot and recovered two crude bombs, Railway Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar Sinha said. All the 11 trains booked by BJP for the rally had arrived much before the blast, Station Manager of Patna Junction Raju Kumar said.

The BJP demanded a probe into the incident and said its supporters will not be detererd by it. Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna Manu Maharaj visited Patna junction.Patna City SP Jaykant said that security arrangements had been scaled up at the station.  The Patna Rail SP said that the toilet where the blast took place was shut down.

The incident triggered a political slugfest between BJP and its former ally JD(U). 
'This blast cannot stop the youth from being part of Modi's rally. There is anger among people and they want to get rid of Congress and also other parties who are standing with it,' BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

'Investigation should be done so as to find out who is behind it,' he said. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that the blast had put a question mark on security arrangements for such a big occasion. Sushil Kumar Modi, who was at Gandhi Maidan, said he got the information about the blast over phone from a well wisher from abroad.

'When I checked it with the district magistrate. He was not aware of the incident,' he said. Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sabir Ali questioned why 'such incidents were happening after JD(U) parted ways with BJP'.

'There is something suspicious. I can feel. They will divide the nation, divide the people only for power,' he said. JD(U) Spokesman Niraj Kumar said 'why BJP did not depute its workers at the Patna junction for the convenience of the people coming from far off places of the state. 'It's amazing that Sushil Modi came to know about the blast from a well wisher from France and none of BJP workers
present at Patna junction.' PTI

Serial blasts ahead of Modi rally, 1 killed

Patna: A bomb exploded in a toilet at Patna railway station today killing a person while two more bombs were recovered from the area, hours before Narendra Modi's address to a rally in the Bihar capital. The bomb exploded near the door of a newly created toilet on platform number 10 of Patna junction in which one person was injured, Railway and GRP officials said.

The railway station is barely two kilometers from Gandhi Maidan, venue of the 'Hoonkar rally' to be addressed by BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Modi. 
The injured person who was inside the toilet was first taken to the railway hospital and later rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), R K Singh, spokesman of Danapur Railway division said.

Immediatly after the blast, bomb disposal personnel came to the spot and recovered two crude bombs, Railway Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar Sinha said. All the 11 trains booked by BJP for the rally had arrived much before the blast, Station Manager of Patna Junction Raju Kumar said.

The BJP demanded a probe into the incident and said its supporters will not be detererd by it. Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna Manu Maharaj visited Patna junction.Patna City SP Jaykant said that security arrangements had been scaled up at the station.  The Patna Rail SP said that the toilet where the blast took place was shut down.

The incident triggered a political slugfest between BJP and its former ally JD(U). 
'This blast cannot stop the youth from being part of Modi's rally. There is anger among people and they want to get rid of Congress and also other parties who are standing with it,' BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

'Investigation should be done so as to find out who is behind it,' he said. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that the blast had put a question mark on security arrangements for such a big occasion. Sushil Kumar Modi, who was at Gandhi Maidan, said he got the information about the blast over phone from a well wisher from abroad.

'When I checked it with the district magistrate. He was not aware of the incident,' he said. Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sabir Ali questioned why 'such incidents were happening after JD(U) parted ways with BJP'.

'There is something suspicious. I can feel. They will divide the nation, divide the people only for power,' he said. JD(U) Spokesman Niraj Kumar said 'why BJP did not depute its workers at the Patna junction for the convenience of the people coming from far off places of the state. 'It's amazing that Sushil Modi came to know about the blast from a well wisher from France and none of BJP workers
present at Patna junction.' PTI