Police quizzes flight crew in which Sunanda, Tharoor fought days before her death

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NEW DELHI: Delhi Police's SIT, probing the death of Sunanda Pushkar questioned the crew of a flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi in which former union minister Shashi Tharoor and his wife had allegedly fought on January 15 last year. The SIT may also question a senior Congress leader, who was on the same flight, about what was the fight all about and what triggered it, said a police official associated with the probe. "The members of the flight's crew were also questioned on these lines," the official said. During his questioning, Tharoor's domestic help Narain Singh had told police that after landing at Delhi, Pushkar had called their family friend Sunil Trakru who had taken her to the five star hotel where she was found dead later. Earlier in the day, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said that the SIT probe is on at full swing. Some of those questioned in the case so far include Narain Singh, Tharoor's family friend Sanjay Dewan, the hotel doctor who pronounced her dead, hotel's staff including its manager. The official also said that police will question in a day or two a woman journalist with whom Sunanda had spoken before her death and Tharoor's PS Abhinav Kumar who had informed the then SHO of Sarojini Nagar police station about the death. After Tharoor alleged police torture on one of his aides for "getting a confession" that he along with the Congress MP killed Sunanda, the SIT is taking precautions before questioning anybody in the case. "People are contacted late in the night that they have to come for questioning tomorrow. They are also instructed not to inform anybody, especially media about it.” "Police also gets a medical examination done of the person before questioning him or her so that any allegation of torture can be ruled out," the official said. "They are called at a spot from where they are taken to a different location. They are not allowed to use mobile phones and the SIT operation shifts base every day," he added. 51-year-old Sunanda was found dead in her suite at a five-star hotel in south Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014, a day after she was involved in a spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on micro-blogging website Twitter over the latter's alleged affair with Tharoor.

Censor Board chief Leela Samson quits over Dera chief's controversial film

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NEW DELHI: Amidst reports that controversial film "Messenger of God" featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in lead role has been cleared by Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), Censor Board chief Leela Samson said on Thursday night that she has decided to resign.

Asked if she was aware of media reports that the nod has been given by FCAT to the film's screening, Samson said, "I hear so. Nothing in writing yet. Yet, it is a mockery of Central Board of Film Certification. My resignation is final. Have informed the (I&B) Secretary".

There was, however, no official word on the decision, if any, of FCAT.

The Censor Board had referred the issue of clearance to "Messenger of God" to FCAT. The film was slated to hit the screens on Friday.

Asked why she has decided to quit, she did not specifically refer to the reported clearance to the film but said the reasons cited are alleged "interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers of the organization who are appointed by the ministry."

According to Samson, "...having to manage an organization whose Board has not met for over nine months as the ministry had no funds to permit the meeting of members."

She said the term of all the members and the Chairperson of the Censor Board "are over. But since the new government failed to appoint a new Board and Chairperson, a few were given extension and asked to carry on till the procedure was completed."

"However, recent cases of interference in the working of the CBFC by the ministry, through an 'additional charge' CEO, and corrupt panel members has caused a degradation of those values that the members of this Board of CBFC and Chairperson stood for," Samson alleged.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of Sirsa (Haryana)-based Dera Sachcha Sauda said "as per our information, FCAT has cleared the movie for release. But a written order is awaited."

On January 12, Samson had said "it has been unanimously decided to refer the film to FCAT".

The Dera spokesman said the movie "is against drugs and there is nothing objectionable" in it.

The Union Home Ministry has been concerned that the release of the film may evoke protests from some quarters as certain Sikh organisations have been opposing the movie.

The Home Ministry had sent an advisory to states that "various Sikh organisations and individuals are opposing the movie on the ground that its release would disturb the communal harmony and law and order. They also opine that glorification of DSS chief, facing serious criminal cases, should not be allowed".

The Home Ministry said tension between DSS followers and Sikhs always remain a potential flash point in view of ongoing rivalry between Sikhs and the Dera followers.

Fifty more bodies found in the Ganga river

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Unnao: Fifty more bodies were today recovered from the river Ganga in Safipur area of the district even as sanitation workers of Nagar Palikas have refused to further take them out from the river.

So far 80 bodies have been taken out from the river near Pariyar ghat, District Magistrate Saumya Agarwal said.

The body count is said to be more than 100.

The sanitation workers have refused to take out the bodies from the river as they are in a very bad shape, an
officer said.

A team of doctors led by Chief Medical Officer Geeta Yadav is taking forensic sample of the bodies.

The DM said that as per the opinion of the doctors post mortem was not possible, instead sampling was being done for
DNA testing.

She said that as bodies were still being recovered it was not possible to tell the exact number as of now.

Meanwhile, BJP alleged that the bodies were being buried with the help of JCB machine.

State president Laxmi Kant visited the spot last night and demanded proper cremation of the bodies after post mortem.

He also demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. IG (Law and Order) A Satish Ganesh had yesterday said that bodies which were ostensibly disposed of in the Ganga river as part of last rites by their kin, surfaced after the water receded near Pariyar ghat.

Till yesterday around 25-30 bodies were recovered. 'During preliminary investigation, local residents informed that instead of cremating the bodies of unmarried girls they are set adrift in the Ganga river,' the IG had said.

'Most of the bodies were badly mutilated so it was difficult to ascertain their gender,' he said. PTI

SC grants 3 months extension to Italian Marine in his country

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today granted three months extension to Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre, accused of killing Indian fishermen in 2012, to stay in his country on medical grounds.

A bench headed by Justice A R Dave allowed the plea of the Marine, who had recently undergone heart surgery in Italy
after the Centre said there was no objection to allow his plea on humanitarian ground.

The bench also comprising justices Kurian Joseph and Shiva Kirti Singh permitted a plea of the Marine after Italian
ambassador gave an identical undertaking which was given by him on September 12, 2014, when Latorre was allowed to go to
his country last year for four months for medical treatment after he suffered a stroke here on August 31.

Additional Solicitor General PL Narasimha told the bench that he has an instruction that the Marine be considered for
his plea provided the Italian ambassador furnish the identical undertaking.

Senior advocate Soli Sorabji, appearing for the Marine, said that the ambassador is ready with the undertaking on the
same terms and conditions. PTI

Nigeria: 150 killed in Boko Haram clashes in Baga

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Abuja: Nigeria's military said on Monday that at least 150 people had been killed in clashes with Islamists in the northeastern town of Baga, giving a rare official death toll a few weeks before presidential elections in which security is a big issue.

Defence spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade was reacting to reports that some 2,000 had been killed by Boko Haram insurgents who took control of Baga and the surrounding area 10 days ago. The military is fighting to reclaim it.

Scores of civilians were killed when the militants, who are fighting to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, raided Baga and a nearby military base. The base is also the headquarters of a multinational force with troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Witnesses who escaped to neighbouring towns and Borno state capital Maiduguri said the insurgents razed buildings and homes and killed dozens of civilians in subsequent raids last week.

Thousands of refugees have fled Baga to neighbouring Chad or been displaced within Nigeria.

"Terrible atrocities have been committed against innocent Nigerians in Baga by the rampaging terrorists who attacked and have been operating in the town since 3 January," Olukolade said at a news conference.

"From all available evidence, the number of people who lost their lives during that attack has so far not exceeded about 150 ... including ... terrorists who were bearing arms and got killed in the course of ... battle with troops."

The military has a habit of understating death tolls, while local politicians tend to overstate them.

"Many residents have left, leaving the population in the town almost seriously depleted," Olukolade said.

Boko Haram has killed thousands in a five-year-old rebellion which is seen as the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer and is a headache for President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of what is likely to be a closely fought vote on Feb. 14.

A southern Christian, he faces Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim and former military ruler regarded as tough on security.

100,000 Germans march against anti-Islam protests

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Supporters of anti-immigration movement PEGIDA hold flags during a demonstration in Dresden (Reuters).

Dresden: A record 25,000 people joined an anti-Islamic march in Germany on Monday, claiming their stance was vindicated by last week's Paris jihadist attacks. However, the impressive turnout was dwarfed by 100,000 counter-demonstrators calling for tolerance nationwide.

Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier stressed that "Islam belongs to Germany" and announced she would on Tuesday join a Muslim community rally in Berlin against extremism, along with most of her cabinet ministers.

Undeterred, supporters of the self-styled Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident, or PEGIDA, gathered for their 12th rally since October in their birthplace of Dresden in former communist east Germany.

The marchers waved the German national flag and held up placards that read "Fight Islamisation, stop the flood of foreigners now" and "Stop multiculturalism. My homeland will stay German".

Following last week's deadly Islamist attacks in Paris, they held a minute's silence and many wore black armbands.

Some carried French flags and signs that read "They can't kill our freedom" and "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie), claiming solidarity with those killed in the attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

These terrorist attacks "can happen everywhere," said protester Juta Starke, 70, who added that she immediately thought "it is Islam, it is the political ideology of Islam" when she learnt of the shootings.

Political leaders had urged PEGIDA to call off their latest rally, saying it had no right to whip up hatred against Muslims in the name of solidarity with terror victims.

"It is simply disgusting how the people behind these protests are trying to exploit the despicable crimes in Paris," said Justice Minister Heiko Maas.

PEGIDA meanwhile spawned its first spin-off abroad Monday, when 200 people rallied against Islam in Oslo.

Activists have also announced plans for PEGIDA-style protests in Switzerland and Austria, while other European far-right groups have voiced support for the movement.

Across Germany, however, revulsion with PEGIDA's xenophobic message has sparked growing counter demonstrations, which Monday dwarfed the anti-foreigner movement and its regional clones.

Anti-PEGIDA rallies drew over 8,000 in Dresden, 30,000 in Leipzig, 20,000 in Munich, 17,000 in Hanover, 9,000 in Saarbruecken, 5,000 in Duesseldorf, 4,000 each in Berlin and Hamburg, 2,000 in Rostock, and smaller crowds in other cities, national news agency DPA reported.

In Dresden, one PEGIDA protester carried a picture of Merkel wearing a Muslim facial veil, mocking the chancellor who has urged citizens to stay away from PEGIDA marches. Merkel earlier Monday stressed that "Islam belongs to Germany", adding that: "I am the chancellor of all Germans".

She said she would attend a vigil at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate, organised by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany under the banner "Let's be there for each other. Terror: not in our names!"

President Joachim Gauck will address the event, which Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other top officials will also attend.

Merkel thanked leaders of Germany's four-million-strong Muslim community for quickly and clearly condemning the violence committed in the name of their faith in last week's bloody attacks in Paris.

"Germany wants peaceful coexistence of Muslims and members of other religions" and Tuesday's vigil would send "a very strong message", she said at a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Merkel and Davutoglu had on Sunday joined French President Francois Hollande and other world leaders at a huge Paris solidarity rally in the wake of the massacre of 17 people by Islamist gunmen.

She said there was still need for better inter-religious dialogue in Germany but expressed her gratitude to Muslim community leaders who "very quickly drew a very clear line and delivered a clear 'No' to the use of violence" following the attacks.

The latest PEGIDA demonstration came after a firebombing Sunday of the offices a tabloid in the northern city of Hamburg that had reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed from Charlie Hebdo.

German police were investigating whether there was a link between the show of support for the French weekly and the arson attack but let two suspects detained Sunday go for lack of evidence.

As a security precaution, Leipzig city, which saw its first PEGIDA-style demonstration on Monday with several hundred marchers, has banned displays of Mohammed cartoons.

Close down all quarries at Mukkunnimala: Vigilance

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Thiruvananthapuram: The Vigilance team probing illegal quarrying at Mukkunnimala here has recommended that all the quarries in the hill should be closed down. The Vigilance director on Tuesday handed over a report in this regard to the District Collector. The Vigilance also submitted a report to the state government recommending suspension of four officials who facilitated illegal stone mining there.

The Vigilance' stance is that its probe into illegal quarrying at Mukkunnimala will go on smoothly only if the quarries are shut down.

The Vigilance had in its preliminary report found that 35 quarries, 155 crusher units and an M-sand unit were functioning at Mukkunnimala without necessary papers.

The documents of other quarries need to be examined. However, goons and assailants are disrupting officials from gathering evidence. So, the steps for putting the lock on the quarries should be initiated immediately, the Vigilance department has requested the district collector.

Meanwhile, District Collector Biju Prabhakar said that it is impossible to shut down all the quarries. He added that the Vigilance director should specify the quarries that need to be closed down.

The officers suggested to be suspended are former Pallichal panchayat secretaries Noel Raj and Albert, village officer G. S Ajayakumar and district geology officer R. Gopakumar.

All four of them have been arrayed as accused in the case registered by the Vigilance. The Vigilance director made the recommendations based on the report of Vigilance SP E. Shraffuddin.

Illegal quarrying and related official irregularities were rampant at Mukkunnimala during 2010-14.

Mission accomplished in Afghanistan?

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• Slawek Szefs reports on the long-awaited end of Polish combat operations in Afghanistan

At the close of 2014 NATO officially concluded its 11-year ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

Afghan security officials attend the security transfer ceremony in Laghman province, Afghanistan, 11 January 2015. Afghan national forces took over full responsibility for the country's security 01 January, as NATO-led coalition forces ended their 13 year combat mission and started a new phase providing training, advice, and assistance. EPA/GHULAMULLAH HABIBI

A strong Polish contingent - numbering 2,500 soldiers in the peak of its 7th rotation - had been part of the Alliance's multinational operations.

However, as Slawek Szefs reports, it would be difficult to evaluate their presence and actions in a simple, clear-cut manner.

“Problems are still there to be seen, while for a great number of countries which undertook the tremendous effort the mission is a concrete contribution to the development of Afghanistan,” Poland’s deputy premier and MOD head Tomasz Siemoniak said in an interview with Polish Radio.

tags: Afghanistan, audio main, Polish armed forces

- See more at: http://www.thenews.pl/1/6/Artykul/193378,Mission-accomplished-in-Afghanistan#sthash.NzPrzsrn.dpuf

Polish Pope’s close theatre friend dies

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he eminent actress who shared a close relationship with Pope John Paul II, Danuta Michalowska, has died in Krakow at the age of 92.

Danuta Michalowska Photo: PAP/Jacek Bednarczyk

Michalowska performed with Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope, in an underground drama company, the Rhapsodic Theatre, during the Nazi occupation.

They exchanged more than 100 letters, including a final note which she received from the Pope two weeks before he died in April 2005.

She was a member of the Stary Theatre company for several years, but it was in her own solo performances in which she gained spectacular acclaim, presenting selections of religious poetry – including verse by Karol Wojtyla – and her adaptations of such works as Mickiewicz’s ‘Pan Tadeusz’ and Pushkin’s ‘Eugene Onegin’.

Michalowska also taught at the Drama Academy in Krakow for over four decades, serving as its Chancellor in 1981-84. Her students included such famous Polish actors as Wojciech Pszoniak, Olgierd Lukaszewicz, Jan Frycz and Krzysztof Globisz.

In 2008, Danuta Michalowska was granted the honorary citizenship of Krakow. (mk/jb)

- See more at: http://www.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/193429,Polish-Pope%E2%80%99s-close-theatre-friend-dies#sthash.snkyD05i.dpuf

SpaceX's rocket recovery test reportedly fails

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Washington: After two delays, US firm SpaceX launched its fifth cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) early Saturday morning but its rocket recovery test seemed to have failed.

The mission generated a lot of interest because SpaceX was trying to realise a precise landing of the rocket's first stage on a floating ocean platform for the first time.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the rocket made it to the platform but 'landed hard.'

'Close, but no cigar this time,' he said, 'Ship itself is fine. Some of the support equipment on the deck will need to be replaced.'

'Didn't get good landing/impact video. Pitch dark and foggy. Will piece it together from telemetry and... actual pieces,' he stated.

The unmanned Dragon cargo ship lifted off at 4:47 a.m. aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spacecraft carried about 2.5 tonnes of supplies and payloads, including materials to support 256 science and research investigations.

SC refers Italian Marine Latorre's plea to another bench

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India H L Dattu today referred to another bench a plea of Massimiliano Latorre, one of the two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen in 2012, seeking extension of his stay in Italy on health grounds.

The bench also comprising Justice A K Sikri said, 'It is not proper for us to take up the application because we have
earlier expressed some reservations and made certain observations'.

The bench, while noting that later some other development had taken place, said, 'Let it be placed before another bench.'

The bench was referring to the heart surgery undergone by Latorre on January 5.

While posting the matter for hearing on Wednesday, the bench in its order said, 'On earlier occasion, an application filed by the petitioner had inter-alia made a plea seeking more or less the same relief. While hearing the said application, we had made certain observations.

'Having made the observations on the application filed earlier we deem it not proper to take up the application for
hearing and post it before another bench day after tomorrow,' the bench said.

Latorre, one of the two Italian marines facing murder charges in the fishermen killing case had, on January 7, moved
the apex court seeking extension of his stay in Italy on the ground that he had undergone a heart surgery on January 5.

The case against marines pertains to the killing of two Indian fishermen allegedly by Latorre and Girone on board ship
'Enrica Lexie' off Kerala coast on February 15, 2012. The bench had earlier refused to grant the extension to Latorre and had also rejected the plea of co-accused Marine Salvatore Girone, who had sought the apex court's nod to go to
Italy to celebrate Christmas saying they cannot get such 'leeway'.

Latorre was allowed by the apex court to go to Italy on September 12, last year for four months for medical treatment
and recovery after he suffered a stroke here on August 31.

Later, Latorre had sought extension on the ground of scheduled heart surgery on January 8, which was denied.

The complaint was lodged by Freddy, the owner of the fishing boat 'St Antony', in which the two Indian fishermen
were killed when the marines started firing on them allegedly under the misconception that they were pirates. PTI

V V Surjith to lead Kerala Santhosh Trophy team

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Kozhikode: The Kerala team for the Santhosh Trophy has been announced. The team will be led by KSEB star V V Surjith. The 11 team members are all new faces. 

20 member teamUsman Ashiq, Johnson, Sajith, Sherin Sam, Sukhair, Rahul D Raj, Nasrudhin, Jobin Justin, Sreerag, Shaijumon, Jinshad, Shibinlal, Sandesh M, Jijo Joseph and Ashkar.

Goalkeepers
Nishad, Mithun, Nikhil and Soman

Coach
P K Rajeev

Charlie Hebdo's New Issue Has Mohammed on the Cover

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Paris: Around 9:10 on Monday evening, laughter and a round of applause broke out among the surviving staff of Charlie Hebdo, followed shortly by cries - joyous if ironic - of 'Allahu akbar!'

The group was cheering Rénald Luzier, the cartoonist known as Luz, who on the umpteenth try had produced what they thought was the perfect cover image for the most anticipated issue ever of this scrappy iconoclastic weekly, which will appear on Wednesday.

It showed the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign saying, 'Je suis Charlie' ('I am Charlie'), with the words 'All is forgiven' in French above it on a green background.

'Habemus a front page,' Gérard Biard, one of the paper's top editors, said with a smile, emerging from the staff's makeshift newsroom and deploying the phrase used to announce a new pope.

To find the right image, 'We asked ourselves, 'What do we want to say? What should we say? And in what way?'' Biard said. 'About the subject, unfortunately we had no doubt.'

Since Friday, just two days after gunmen had slaughtered 12 people at the paper, about 25 members of the staff had been huddled in the offices of the leftist daily Libération, under heavy police protection, to work on the next issue. They were still in shock, and confounded to have suddenly become heroes of free speech to the same political and religious establishments they had long mocked.

As the journalists wrestled with grief, there were flashes of mordant humor. Cartoonists sketched while describing how hard it was to go on after the horror in their offices; others lashed out in anger at the killers. The main question looming over the moment: How could they possibly be funny at a time like this?

'We don't know how to do anything but laugh,' said Biard, who was on vacation the day of the shootings.

Worldwide, the massacre has set off debates about security lapses, Islamic radicalism and turning points. Millions of supporters have embraced the slogan 'I am Charlie.' But here, in a top-floor conference room with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower, this was just a bunch of cartoonists and journalists: crying, snacking, laughing, breaking the rules against smoking indoors and trying to hold themselves together long enough to produce an issue.

Their first editorial meeting on Friday began not with article pitches but with remembrances for murdered colleagues, updates on the wounded and a surprise visit by Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Fleur Pellerin, the culture and communication minister - rare appearances at a newspaper more akin to The Onion than to Le Monde (and more likely to skewer those officials than interview them).

'We decided that we would do a normal edition, not a memorial issue,' Biard said on Friday, where an emotional three-hour staff meeting had just ended. Caterers brought in trays of smoked salmon, sandwiches and cream-filled desserts. A row of plainclothes police officers stood watch outside. Journalists hovered. Five desktop computers from Le Monde were set up on a round glass table. Since the attacks, donations have been pouring in and a fund has been set up, jaidecharlie9.fr

As the newsroom sprang to life Friday afternoon, Biard reflected. 'They killed people who drew cartoon characters, . That's it. That's all these guys do. If they're afraid of that,' what's their god? he asked, inserting an expletive for emphasis.

The logistics of putting out the paper are tricky. It had to file court requests to recover material from its office, now sealed off as a crime scene. With the help of Libération, Charlie Hebdo will print 3 million copies of the issue, compared with its usual 60,000 copies. The paper was also expected to be translated into several languages.

One idea was clear: keeping the staff members' memories alive by publishing past work. The paper will run drawings by the five cartoonists killed - Stéphane Charbonnier, known as Charb, the paper's editor; Jean Cabut, known as Cabu; Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous; Georges Wolinski; and Philippe Honoré.

They also planned to honor other victims: running work by Bernard Maris, an economist, and Elsa Cayat, a psychiatrist, who both wrote columns; and perhaps publishing an unedited column for Mustapha Ourrad, a copy editor. 'In this edition, they didn't kill anyone,' Biard said. The staff members will 'appear as they always did.' Asked what else would go in the paper, Patrick Pelloux, an emergency room doctor who also writes for Charlie Hebdo, said with a laugh: 'Oh, I don't know. Not much happening this week.'

On Friday afternoon, Luzier, 43, was sketching a pumped-up Arnold Schwarzenegger tearing a copy of Charlie Hebdo in half. On the table, a few cigarette butts floated in a water bottle.

Wednesday was Luzier's birthday, and he and his wife had slept in, then he had stopped off to buy a cake and arrived at work just after the attack. 'I was saved by love and gluttony,' Luzier said. He shook his head. 'The people who came to kill us - they are fanatics and assassins - but above all, they are people who lack a sense of humor.'

The mother of Simon Fieschi, the webmaster who fielded the paper's extensive hate mail and who is now in a medically induced coma, arrived. Luzier got up and hugged her, silently, for a long time. Also injured were the cartoonist Laurent Sourriseau, known as Riss, who was shot in the shoulder; Fabrice Nicolino, a staff member, who has to have parts of his legs amputated; and Philippe Lancon, a journalist for Libération who wrote a TV column for the weekly. He was shot in the face but is expected to survive.

On Saturday, staff members began trickling in around midday. Cartoons began appearing on the conference room wall, which was filled with them by the evening. Someone could be heard crying inside. Corinne Rey, who goes by Coco, sat at the table, brush in hand, drawing. She said the gunmen had forced her to punch in the code to let them into the paper's offices.

When the gunmen arrived, some thought it might be a joke, according to staff members. After years of threats, Charbonnier had made a joke of the jihadist cry 'Allahu akbar,' or 'God is great,' said Zineb El Rhazoui, 32, a Charlie Hebdo reporter who grew up in Morocco and wrote a cartoon biography of Muhammad with Charbonnier.

'It was like his war cry: 'Allahu akbar this.' 'Allahu akbar that,' 'she said. 'We joked with him that he needed to stop using the phrase because the day the assassins actually come to kill us, we won't know if it's them screaming this phrase or Charb,' she said.

Work ground to a halt Sunday, when a demonstration denouncing the violence drew world leaders and more than 1.5 million people to the streets of Paris. Marching in the front row, many Charlie Hebdo staff members wore white headbands that read 'Charlie,' a nod to the paradox of the outsider weekly's sudden arrival on the front lines of a global confrontation. At the demonstration, Pelloux cried for a long time on the shoulder of President Francois Hollande when the president greeted the Charlie Hebdo staff and families of those killed at the related attack at a kosher supermarket.

Pelloux was at a meeting of emergency room doctors when he received a call with news of the Charlie Hebdo attack. He arrived with other rescue workers to find the carnage in a room rank with gun smoke, and began checking to see who was alive and who was dead. 'I've seen cadavers,' he said. But this 'was insane.'

Expressing the trauma of survivor guilt during an interview, he said, 'I shouldn't be alive,' his eyes welling up.

While the staff worked all weekend, the plainclothes police officers sat outside the newsroom door. One said he had once been assigned to Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front, who was not invited to the rally Sunday. The officers lost one of their number in the attacks inside the office on Wednesday, too: Franck Brinsolaro, who had been assigned to guard Charbonnier. Staff members said Brinsolaro had become a part of the tightly knit Charlie Hebdo family, even bringing in his mother's homemade pate; at Christmastime.

Charlie Hebdo, which was founded in 1970 and grew out of an earlier satirical weekly, Hari Kiri, was an equal-opportunity offender, taking on the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism and Islam, along with secular targets, including - often wickedly - the politicians who have now rallied to their side. It believed in blasphemy.

'The only thing that is sacred is free expression,' Rhazoui said. Their cartoons of Muhammad posed the greatest threat. They were sued for defamation for running the cartoons of Muhammad originally published in a Danish newspaper in 2005 and won the suit. In 2011, the paper's former offices were firebombed after it published a special Arab Spring edition, 'guest edited' by Muhammad, who appears in a cartoon with a clown's nose saying, '100 lashes if you're not dead of laughter.' The perpetrators of the firebombing were never found.

Ever since, the paper had run a little tag on its front page that read 'irresponsible publication,' a dig at the critics who said they had been asking for it. 'We felt very alone' after the 2011 attack, said Laurent Léger, an investigative reporter at the paper since 2009, who last week survived by ducking and said he would write for this week's issue about the investigations into the attacks.

He said he was confident the staff would rally for this week's issue, but he worried about the weeks to come. 'What we're afraid of is after,' he said.

New York Times

Toll in hooch tragedy climbs to 27

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Toll in hooch tragedy climbs to 27

Lucknow: The toll in the hooch tragedy in Lucknow and Unnao districts today climbed to 27 with 13 more people dying in various hospitals here.

Over 100 persons were still undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the state capital.

'Till now 12 deaths have been reported from King George Medical University, two each from Balrampur hospital and
Malihabad and one from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital,' Chief Medical Officer, Lucknow, SNS Yadav told PTI.

He said these deaths do not include seven in Unnao and three elsewhere.

'Patients still undergoing treatment include 61 in KGMU, 17 in Balrampur, 20 in civil hospital and 16 in Lohia
hospital. 17 patients are under observation,' Yadav said.Condition of about 10 others admitted in various hospitals in the state capital is stated to be serious.

The hooch tragedy occurred in Kharta and other villages in Malihabad area of Lucknow and Talasarai village in Hasanganj area of Unnao district yesterday.

Seven persons, who consumed illicit liquor in Datli village in Malihabad, died in Talasarai village in adjoining Unnao district, Station in-charge, Hasanganj, Pradeep Yadav had said.

Taking serious note of the incident, Excise Commissioner Anil Garg had suspended seven employees of the department,
including excise inspector of Malihabad area, and recommended action against District Excise Officer, Lucknow, Lal Bahadur
Yadav.

Besides, Circle Officer, Station Officer, a sub-inspector and three police personnel were placed under suspension in
Malihabad.

He said a case has been lodged against five persons for selling spurious liquor and the main accused Jugnu has been
arrested.

Cracking the whip, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had directed suspension of sub-divisional magistrate, assistant
excise commissioner (enforcement), district excise officer, circle officer of police and station house officer.

Akhilesh also directed departmental action against joint excise commissioner and sought explanation from the excise
commissioner.

He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the victims and said free treatment should be
provided to those admitted in hospitals. PTI

US Centcom Twitter, Youtube accounts hacked by IS

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Washington: The Twitter and Youtube accounts of the US Central Command was hacked Monday by a group claiming to back the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) jihadi organisation, media reported.

According to a Fox News report, for several minutes, the Twitter account of the Centcom was filled with incendiary messages promoting the IS, including one that said, "American soldiers, we are coming, watch your back. ISIS."

Another page showed what appeared to be an image from a computer web camera in a military facility. An accompanying tweet said, "ISIS is already here, we are in your PCs, in each military base."

Shortly after the page was taken over, Twitter suspended the account. Centcom's YouTube page was also compromised.

"We can confirm that the US Central Command Twitter account was compromised earlier today," a US defence official told Fox News, adding, "Centcom is taking appropriate measures to address the matter."

The cyber attack sent US military officials scrambling to respond. "This is bad," one Centcom source told Fox News.

The Twitter account, while it was compromised, carried an image identifying the page as "CyberCaliphate," with a message that said, "I love you ISIS."

The page began posting screen shots of information about military commanders, including phone numbers and email addresses. It also posted what purported to be "Korean scenarios" and "China scenarios," with maps.

The same image on top of the hacked Twitter page was also emblazoned atop Centcom's YouTube page.

Asked about the hacking attack, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest described it to be "something we take very seriously." However, he stressed that there was a difference between a "large data breach" and the "hacking of a Twitter account". He said that officials were investigating the extent of the incident.

The US and its allies have been undertaking air strikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria.

The hacking attack by the IS comes after the terrorist attacks in France last week, in which 17 people and three attackers died.

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India's Mars Orbiter team wins US award

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Chennai: India's Mars Orbiter programme team has won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category from the US based National Space Society (NSS), the society said.

In a statement issued in Washington Monday, the NSS said its 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category has been won by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Mars Orbiter Programme team.

"This award will be presented to an ISRO representative during the National Space Society's 2015 International Space Development Conference, the 34th ISDC, to be held in Toronto, Canada," the statement said.

The conference will run from May 20-24.

According to the NSS, India's Mars Orbiter launched Nov 5, 2013 that went into Mars orbit Sep 24, 2014 achieved two significant mission firsts in terms of an Indian spacecraft that has gone into orbit around Mars on the very first try and that no other country has ever done this. Secondly, the spacecraft is in an elliptical orbit with a high apoapsis, and has a high resolution camera which is taking full-disk colour imagery of Mars.

Very few full disk images have ever been taken in the past, mostly on approach to the planet, as most imaging is done looking straight down in mapping mode.

These images will aid planetary scientists.

The Mars Orbiter programme team located in Bangalore is headed by Mylswamy Annadurai, the statement said.

The NSS is an independent non-profit educational membership organisation dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization.

‘1000’ that tells the story of 1000 rupee note

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Perhaps, it is for the first time, in the history of Malayalam cinema, a 1000 rupee note turns the virtual hero of a film. Director ARC Nair tells this offbeat story through his film ‘1000’ that will hit theatres in January. Nair has written the story and script for the film, which is his directorial debut, as well.   The gist of the film is the journey of a 1000 rupee note during its transactions through the hands of its different characters.Tamil film star Bharat does the central character and Leema pairs up with him to do the female lead. "However, the film could be called a multi-starrer as actors such as Shammi Thilakan, new comer Asif Arman, Mukesh, Maqbool Salmaan and Biyon have decisive roles to play in it. It will be a wholesome family entertainer packed with action, comedy, romance and sentiments," says Nair, who had also penned the story for Prithviraj-Kavya film Kangaroo released in 2007.   '1000' was shot at Thoduppuzha, Vagamon and Thiruvananthapuram over a time that spanned 32 days.   The film is produced by Nishi Govind, who also has a significant role along with Production Controller Vipin Vallassery. Rajesh Mohan has composed music for lyrics written by Rajeev Alunkal. Meanwhile, actor-politician Ganesh Kumar, MLA, also appear in the film.   “Those who watch ‘1000’ will be able to read between the lines…they may be able discover their own stories from the main story,” adds ARC Nair.

A million Chinese couples apply for second child

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BEIJING: Nearly a million Chinese couples have sought permission for a second child after China eased its controversial one-child policy last year to address demographic imbalances in the world's most populous nation.

 

The relaxation came as the world's second largest economy strives to address its declining labour force and ageing population.

 

China's current population of 1.3 billion would see a rise with the realxation in this three decade old family planning policy.

 

"The number of applications is in line with the estimate of less than two million annually by China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC)," Mao Qunan, spokesman with the commission said today.

 

"The commission will put more effort toward improving the population monitoring mechanism and will stipulate relevant policies," he said.

 

 Since China's one-child policy was eased in a pilot program in east China's Zhejiang Province in January 2014, couples nationwide may now have a second child if either parent is an only child.

 

"We will also collect public opinion on health care for pregnant women and children in a timely manner," Mao was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

 

The concession to have second child evoked poor response with fewer couples opting to exercise the option due to spiralling cost of rising children, media reports said.

 

Although 11 million couples have been granted a permit to have a second child since the country relaxed its family planning policy at the end of 2013 only seven lakhs of them have filed birth applications, according to the latest NHFPC statistics.

 

"This number really falls short of our expectations," official said.

 

According to 2013 official report, China had about 185  million people above the age of 60 and the figure is expected to surge to 221 million this year.

 

This will include 51 million 'empty nesters,'or elderly people whose children no longer live with them, which makes it incumbent on the part government to improve their social security management involving large amount of funds.

 

The old policy restricted most of the urban couples to have one child and most rural couples to two children, if the first child born was a girl. 

Oil attack: IAS Assn expresses displeasure in withdrawing case

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IAS Association Monday expressed dissatisfaction in withdrawing the case of an oil attack by KSU activists towards Keshevendra Kumar IAS while serving as the higher secondary director in protest against the hike in plus two fees.

The association decided to meet the chief minister and express their protest against the decision of the home department to withdraw the case without consulting them. Kumar also said that he was not informed about the decision. KSU state president V S Joy said that he had not asked the home department to withdraw the case.

The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court (lll) will pronounce the verdict on prosecution deputy director’s withdrawal plea on February 5. The incident happened in February 2012.

Sippy Noorudeen, KSU district general secretary, activists Ajinaz, Anzar, Shameem, Sreelal, Vignesh, Shanawaz and Saddique were arrested in the case. Following the incident, Noorudeen was expelled from KSU. The activists were granted bail after paying an amount of Rs 5.5 lakhs. Sheen Tharayil, the then Thampanoor circle inspector had filed the charge sheet on March 13 in 2013.

Divers retrieve AirAsia jet's black box recorders from sea

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Jakarta/Singapore: Searchers today retrieved the black box recorders of ill-fated AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea two weeks ago with 162 people on board, Indonesian officials said.

'I received information from the National Transport Safety Committee chief that at 07:11 am (local time), we have
managed to get part of black box or the flight data recorder (FDR),' Bambang Soelistyo, the chief of Indonesia's search and
rescue agency Basarnas, told reporters.

'What we have found and carried is the FDR' and we confirmed this as the object has a tag number and serial –
PN-2100-4043-02 and serial number SN-000556583, he said.

'Now we are trying to locate cockpit voice recorder,' he added.

The black box recorders are important because they should contain the pilots' final words and possibly various flight
data.

Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 lost contact with ground control on December 28, less than half way into a two-hour
flight from Indonesia to Singapore and crashed possibly due to bad weather.

In his last communication, the pilot of the Airbus A320-200 said he wanted to change course to avoid a storm.
Then all contact was lost.

Only 48 bodies, including at least two strapped to their seats, have been found in the choppy waters.

Indonesia's Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan assured the search to find the still untraced bodies would be funded by
the State budget and the efforts would continue no matter how long it would take. PTI

'Boyhood' wins Golden Globe for best picture, drama

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BEVERLY HILLS: “Boyhood” has won the Golden Globe for best picture, drama. The movie, directed by Richard Linklater, was filmed over 12 years, a much-acclaimed feat that provides a unique perspective on the evolution of a family. The film stars Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel” has won the Golden Globe for best picture, musical or comedy. Directed by Wes Anderson, the film is a visually sumptuous concoction starring Ralph Fiennes displaying admirable comic chops as the pompous concierge of an Eastern European resort between the two world wars.

The other nominees were- “Birdman,” “Into the Woods,” “Pride,” and “St. Vincent.”

Julianne Moore gets Best Actress Drama for 'Still Alice'.

Eddie Redmayne wins award for best actor, movie drama, for "The Theory of Everything".

Michael Keaton has won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy for “Birdman.” Keaton, in a career-topping performance, plays an aging movie actor trying to exorcise his superhero past and jumpstart his fading career by putting on a serious Broadway play.

The other nominees were- Ralph Fiennes, “The Grand Budapest Hotel“; Bill Murray, “St. Vincent“; Joaquin Phoenix, “Inherent Vice“; and Christoph Waltz, “Big Eyes.”

Amy Adams has won the Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy for “Big Eyes.” Adams plays American painter Margaret Keane, whose unstable and deceptive husband takes credit for her highly popular artwork for years before she eventually proves at a dramatic trial that she was the true artist.

The other nominees Sunday were - Emily Blunt, “Into the Woods”; Helen Mirren, “The Hundred-foot Journey”; Julianne Moore, “Maps to the Stars”; and Quvenzhane Wallis, “Annie.”

List of winners for the Golden Globe Awards:
Motion Pictures

Actress, Musical or Comedy- Amy Adams, “Big Eyes.”

Supporting Actor- J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash.”

Supporting Actress- Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood.”
Foreign Language- “Leviathan.”

Animated Film- “How to Train Your Dragon 2.”

Screenplay- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, “Birdman.”

Original Score- Johann Johannsson, “The Theory of Everything.”

Original Song- “Glory” (music by John Legend, Common), “Selma.”

Television

Series, Musical or Comedy- “Transparent.”

Actress, Musical or Comedy- Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin.”

Actor, Musical or Comedy- Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent.”

Movie- “Fargo.”

Actress, Miniseries or Movie- Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman.”

Actor, Miniseries or Movie- Billy Bob Thornton, “Fargo.”

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie- Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey.”

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie- Matt Bomer, “The Normal Heart.”

Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award- George Clooney.

Weeks after Taliban attack, Peshawar school reopens

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PESHAWAR: Pakistani children and staff were returning to a school in Peshawar where Taliban gunmen nearly a month ago killed 150 people almost all of them students. Students in green uniforms and their families were returning to the Army Public School in Peshawar on Monday as children across the country returned from an extended winter break. A ceremony was expected to be held at the school where gunmen slaughtered dozens of children. But classes were not expected to be held until later this week.

Rural broadband project will be commissioned in Kerala Monday

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New Delhi: Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will on Monday commission India's first hi-speed rural broadband network in Kerala's Idukki district under the Digital India programme, an official statement said here Saturday.

'With the commissioning of Idukki, the district, which is relatively inaccessible and has a large tribal and rural population, will become the first district in the country to have all its gram panchayats connected through NOFN (National Optical Fibre Network),' the statement said.

'It is expected that the establishment of NOFN would open up new avenues for access service providers like mobile operators, cable TV operators etc. to launch next generation services, and spur creation of local employment opportunities encompassing e-commerce, IT outsourcing etc. as well as services such as e-banking, e-health and e-education for inclusive growth,' it added.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will be the guest of honour at the event.

NOFN is the world's largest rural connectivity project. It seeks to link each of India's 2.5 lakh gram panchayats through a broadband optical fibre network. On its completion, NOFN is expected to facilitate broadband connectivity for over 600 million rural citizens.

NOFN, which is being funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), Department of Telecom, is envisaged as a non-discriminatory telecom infrastructure that will bridge the gap in rural telecom access.

NOFN will enable 100 Mbps of bandwidth in each gram panchayat.

In the first phase, NOFN will cover 50,000 gram panchayats, with the balance 200,000 panchayats expected to be covered in a phased manner by 2016. The project is being implemented by three central PSUs - BSNL, PGCIL and Railtel in the phase first.

German Paper attacked over Charlie Hebdo Cartoons: Police

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Berlin: A German newspaper in the northern port city of Hamburg that reprinted Prophet Mohammed cartoons from the French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo was the target of an arson attack early Sunday, police said.

No one was hurt.

'Rocks and then a burning object were thrown through the window,' a police spokesman told AFP. 'Two rooms on lower floors were damaged but the fire was put out quickly.'

The regional daily, the Hamburger Morgenpost, had splashed three Charlie Hebdo cartoons on its front page after the massacre at the Paris publication, running the headline 'This much freedom must be possible!'

Police said the attack occurred at about 0120 GMT and that two people had been detained, while state security had opened an investigation.

Whether there was a connection between the Charlie Hebdo cartoons and the attack was the 'key question', the police spokesman said, adding that it was 'too soon' to know for certain.

Police declined to provide further information about the suspects.

Two Islamic jihadists stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, killing a total of 12 people including some of France's best-loved satirists.

Both men were killed Friday in a standoff with police.

Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported earlier Sunday that the bloodshed in France could signal the start of a wave of attacks in Europe, citing communications by Islamic State leaders intercepted by US intelligence.

Shortly after the bloodbath in Paris, the US National Security Agency had intercepted communications in which leaders of the jihadist group announced the next wave of attacks, the tabloid said, citing unnamed sources in the US intelligence services.AFP