Sachin steals the show at National Game

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Malaysia declares MH370 an 'accident'

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

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

Months of searches have failed to turn up any trace.

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

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

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

China called on Malaysia to compensate families.

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

Most of the passengers on the plane were from China.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

REUTERS

Sensex, Nifty touch record highs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sumbhan' remark : M V Jayarajan gets 4 weeks jail

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oil slumps to near six-year low under $ 44

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai kills 26 people

PTI / January 30, 2015, 9:54 am

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

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

Militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai kills 26 people

PTI / January 30, 2015, 9:54 am

Facebook Tweet

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

New

 

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

Man, children killed in cylinder explosion

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

 

Dr G Velayudhan dies

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

Mala Aravindan no more

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

Retired army jawan shoots wife dead

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

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

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