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Five killed, 20 injured 6 in serial blasts in Patna before Narendra Modi's election rally

Lakhs gather despite news of second bomb blast in Patna

PATNA, (TNP) :  Five people were killed and 66 injured in six serial bomb blasts near the venue of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally in Patna on Sunday minutes before he reached there to address a huge gathering.

Hours before the multiple explosions, a crude bomb went off in a newly constructed toilet at the Patna railway station, two km from the BJP’s ‘Hunkar rally’ venue.

Five people died from blast injuries and 66 others were being treated for these injuries, according to Vimal Karak, Deputy Superintendent of Patna Medical College Hospital.

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 railway station is barely two kilometers from Gandhi Maidan, venue of the 'Hoonkar rally' to be addressed by BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Modi. 

Five low intensity blasts occurred on the outer periphery of the Gandhi Maidan, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami told in Delhi. One bomb went off before the Eliphistine cinema hall on the western side of the rally venue, police said. Tens of thousands of people had gathered at the rally venue.

Immediately after the explosion at the railway station, bomb disposal swept the area and recovered two more crude bombs, Railway Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar Sinha said.

One security personnel was injured while defusing a bomb recovered from the toilet, he said.

People were seen rushing the injured to the hospital as the explosions sparked panic.

At the rally, plumes of smoke billowed from a couple of sites even as BJP leaders, including Mr. Modi, addressed the crowd.

The Home Ministry sought a report from the Bihar government on the explosions and has sent teams of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) to the state.

“I can’t say whether it was a terror attack or political conspiracy. Only after the investigation, we will be able to tell anything,” Union Minister of State for Home R P N Singh said.

Mr. Modi later said he was saddened at the blasts. “Blasts in Patna are deeply saddening and unfortunate. Condolences with families of deceased and prayers with injured. I appeal for peace and calm,” the Gujarat Chief Minister said in a tweet.

Hours after the blasts, one live bomb was found at Gandhi maidan and it was being defused, police said. The entire maidan was also being searched thoroughly.

Krishna, an eyewitness, said the gathering was first told that the tyre of a vehicle had exploded after the first explosions went off near the rally venue.

“But it didn’t seem so. I went there to check. I knew they were bomb blasts. The sound of the blasts was too loud,” he said.

"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". 

Modi later said he was saddened at the blasts. "Blasts in Patna are deeply saddening and unfortunate. Condolences with families of deceased and prayers with injured. I appeal for peace and calm," the Gujarat chief minister said in a tweet.

Fresh rains scare Phailin-hit Orissa

Heavy rain hits life in Orissa and Andhra, toll rises to 45

Bhubaneswar - Heavy rain occurred at several places in Orissa for the second consecutive day on Sunday making life miserable for citizens.

Meanwhile, the rain toll in the state has gone up to 36. The toll is expected to rise.
The situation is expected to worsen further under the impact of a fresh low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. 

The Orrisa government on Friday ordered closure of all educational institutions in seven districts and deployed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

The combined toll from the two waves of flood in Odisha stood at 33.

While the massive floods claimed 20 lives in Andhra Pradesh and forced the evacuation of over 68,000 people, the death toll in Odisha touched 10 and forced over 1.50 lakh people to evacuate their homes.

The met department has attributed the heavy rains to the creation of a low pressure zone over the Bay of Bengal, as an impact of Cyclone Phailin.

Due to the resultant vigorous northeast monsoon, the two states have been experiencing heavy rainfall, leading to the flood situation.

The Andhra Pradesh met office has warned of heavy rains in the state over the next two days. Further, district collectors all over the state have been asked to be on high alert and evacuate more people from low-lying areas.

This is the second wave of floods within 12 days to have hit the Odisha.

The two states are still realing from the devastation caused by Cyclone Phailin.

The local weather office has already predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state during the next 48 hours.

During the last 24 hours, Krishnaprasad in coastal Khurda district had recorded the highest rainfall of 280 mm. The rainfall in Bhubaneswar, Orissa’s capital, was 84.5 mm.

Rivers in spate

Water levels in several major rivers like the Bamsadhara and Rusikulya in southern Orissa, Hati in western Orissa and Baitarani in coastal Orissa have already started to rise because of the heavy rain during the last 48 hours. 

Rain waters have already entered into towns in several districts.

Some of the heavily waterlogged towns are Bolangir in western Bolangir district, Berhampur in southern Ganjam district and Nayagarh in coastal Nayagarh district.
In Bhubaneswar, rain water has entered into different colonies, particularly on the city outskirts.

Traffic affected

Traffic has also been affected at different places in the state.

In northern India, showers drenched parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, adds PTI. The monsoon showed signs of gaining momentum in these states while it was subdued in the national capital and some other places in the region.

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China and India sign 'landmark' border pact

To ease LAC tension * 8 more agreements signed * PM takes up stapled visa issue with Li * Cooperation agreement will help nations manage disputes

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Beijing on Wednesday. 

Beijing, October 23,2013  (TNP) - China and India made a major step forward in their ties on Wednesday with an agreement on border defense cooperation and measures to promote regional economic integrity.

The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) was among the nine pacts the two countries signed here at the conclusion of talks between the two sides led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Premier Li Keqiang.

After witnessing the signing of the border agreement with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, Premier Li Keqiang said at a news conference that they believe "the two countries have more common interests than disagreements".

The two countries have the ability to manage border disputes, Li said.

Singh said the agreement "will add to the existing instruments to ensure peace, stability and predictability on our borders".

Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the agreement is a "landmark" legal document to regulate the behavior of both sides and will help eliminate potential misunderstanding and misjudgment.

Beijing and New Delhi have successfully put the border situation under control and properly handled the latest ups and downs, Qu said.

China and India held the fourth round of a consultation and coordination meeting on border affairs in Beijing late last month.

Meeting Singh on Wednesday, President Xi Jinping told him that they should further manage disputes so that the China-India relationship would "correspond to the revitalization process of the two countries".

Hu Shisheng, director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said, "Both governments have a strong consensus in ensuring the tranquility of the border, and leaders of both sides are also clear that they want to eliminate disturbance from sensational media reports about the border issues."

A memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation on cross-border rivers was also signed.

China will enhance cooperation with India on infrastructure construction, including railways, to push forward the development of the BCIM Economic Corridor, involving Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.

"The first meeting of the working groups from the four countries will be held in December" to study the detailed plans of constructing the economic corridor, according to a statement released after the meeting.

Beijing and New Delhi have set up working groups and the Chinese group visited India this month.

"The project will be a defining factor of the following decade," Hu said, adding that the two countries, as the important poles of the mega-project, should take advantage of the economic corridor.

The Prime Minister also met President Xi Jingping, who underscored the need for the two countries to charter a course for the future need to stand tall and look far.

The Prime Minister invited Xi to visit India, while the Chinese President promised to take New Delhi’s concern on river water into account from a human angle. China’s assistance to Pakistan was also brought up during the meetings with the two Chinese leaders.

Underscoring the significance of Prime Minister Singh’s visit, Premier Li noted that this was the first time since 1954 that exchange visits of Prime Minister of India and Chinese Premier took place within the same calendar year.

Prime Minister Singh and Premier Li mentioned that both sides had agreed to strengthen strategic communication at all levels, including on shared neighbourhood in order to build mutual trust.

The liberalised visa regime that would have enhanced extended period of stay for business visitors was put on the hold by India to convey its unease over the decision to give stapled visas to two archers from Arunachal Pradesh recently.

India did not allow the sportspersons to take part in the event in China and raised the issue during the talks today. But having placed the issue on the table, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said it would remain in discussion.

Asserting Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country, India felt the state cannot be discriminated against by such a policy which China felt was a practice followed by countries in some cases.

Through the Memorandum of Understanding on trans-border rivers pertaining to Brahmaputra or Yaluzangbu, as the Chinese call it, both agreed to extend the hydrological data provision period during flood season in China from May 15 to October 15, instead of existing start period of June 1 each year.

The two will further strengthen cooperation and cooperate through existing Expert Level Mechanism on provision of flood-season hydrological data and emergency management. India has expressed concerns over China’s plans to construct a series of dams across the river as an upper riparian state.

Manmohan Singh said Premier Li was receptive when he expressed concern about the unsustainable trade imbalance and explore avenues to bridge the gap.

India agreed to take forward the suggestion by Premier Li for setting up an industrial park to attract investment from China to India.

India faces an adverse trade balance of up to 42 per cent while bilateral trade touched $ 62 billion last year as against the 2015 target of $100 billion.

Around the time the two leaders were meeting, CEOs Forum of India and China were engaged in a discussion in an adjoining room of the Great Hall of the People. Besides, both countries envisage further discussion on concept of alignment of the ambitious BMIC (Bangladesh, Myanmar, India and China) economic corridor.

Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Ahluwalia said besides understanding on water efficiency, railway modernisation was being looked at as an idea including technology for heavy haul of freight and increasing speed of trains.

China and India also agreed to study the potential for a bilateral regional trade arrangement, and said a bilateral strategic and economic dialogue will be held in November or December.

Liu Xiaoxue, an expert on Indian economic studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said a greater degree of openness between the two huge emerging economies will help fully tap potential.

"China and India have a population of 1.3 billion and 1.2 billion respectively, and if they fully open their markets to each other, we will both survive," Liu said.

The leaders also discussed the construction of a Chinese industrial park in India to ease the trade imbalance.

India should accelerate infrastructure construction to "help attract investors, especially the world's leading manufacturers", Liu said.

This will help eliminate India's huge trade deficit against China, Liu said.

Singh arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a three-day visit.

The Indian prime minister will deliver a speech at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Thursday.

What They Agreed On:-

• Trans-border rivers, with China sharing hydrological information on the Brahmaputra;
• Independent foreign policies with other countries not to become a source of concern for each other;
• Expediting efforts to conclude a framework agreement for setting up industrial zones;
• China willing to expand its foray in infrastructure development, including railways, in India.

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Chongqing to start 72-hour visa-free stays

A night view of Chongqing Centre Business District at the angle across Yangtze river

CHONGQING, Oct. 23 (TNP) -- Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality will launch 72-hour visa-free stays for travelers from 45 countries, becoming the fifth city on the mainland to introduce the policy.

Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing will apply the visa-free policy to passengers from countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan, the municipal government said Wednesday.

To enjoy the policy, travelers should hold third country visas and have booked plane tickets leaving for a third country or region within 72 hours.

The scheme provides convenience for overseas tourists and will promote the openness of the inland hub and its economic, trade and cultural exchanges with the world, said a Chongqing municipal government official.

So far, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have already launched the 72-hour visa-free service.

Ai Yang, deputy secretary-general of the Chongqing government, said, "The policy will increase cooperation between Chongqing and foreign countries, boosting tourism, commerce and cultural exchanges."

He sees the policy as an opportunity for Chongqing to develop local tourism, commerce, culture, exhibitions and air travel.

Jean Bruno, a Frenchman who has worked in the legal sector in Chongqing for three years, said the decision will boost cultural and performance exchanges between Chongqing and overseas countries.

"It will benefit artists and troupes the most, making it much easier to stage touring shows in Chongqing," Bruno said, adding that it will also help some of his friends who are interested in touring Asia.

But he said the policy needs more promotion among foreigners. "It is worth making more people aware of this visitor-friendly policy," he added.

Visitors eligible for visa-free stays must have air tickets to a third country with confirmed dates and seats, and visas where required.

A service center for transit passengers will operate at Chongqing airport.

"The airport will provide services including currency exchange and travel advice at the international terminal for the convenience of passengers," said Pei Mingxue, the airport’s deputy manager.

In 2012, 22.05 million passengers used Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, ranking it the ninth-busiest nationwide.

More than 1 million passengers entered or left China from January to September at the airport, with the total for the year estimated to reach 1.3 million.

Pei also said a third terminal is being built at the airport and work is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

Twenty-one international airlines operate from the airport, and a non-stop flight from Chongqing to Sydney is due to be launched at the end of the year. Non-stop flights to the 45 countries covered by the new policy, including Russia, Germany and Italy, are being planned.

Zhang Xiang, a senior official at the Chongqing Tourism Administration, said that from January to September the city received nearly 52 million overnight visitors, with 1.71 million coming from overseas.

The majority of foreign visitors came from the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Zhang said.

"The tourism administration will provide suggested routes for transit passengers, including a Three Gorges tour and a food tour. We will also open a service window at the airport to provide advice in several languages," she added.

Chongqing, the only municipality in southwestern China, has a population of 30 million. The downtown area is surrounded by hills and has two rivers.

About Chongqing  

Chongqing  formerly romanized as Chungking  is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities in the People's Republic of China (PRC). 

Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China.
The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the sub-provincial city administration that was part of Sichuan province. As of April 29, 2011, the municipality had a population of 28,846,170, although the urbanized area is estimated to have a population of only 6 or 7 million, whereas the greater area comprises some 34.000.000 people all together. Chongqing is the largest direct-controlled municipality in China, and comprises 19 districts, 15 counties, and 4 autonomous counties.
The official abbreviation of the city, 渝 (Yú), was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997. Chongqing was also a municipality of the Republic of China (ROC) administration, serving as its wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). Its abbreviated name is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds into the Yangtze River.

Chongqing has a significant history and culture and serves as the economic centre of the upstream Yangtze basin. It is a major manufacturing centre and transportation hub and in a July 2012 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, was named as one of the 13 emerging megacities, or megalopolises, in China.

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Typhoon Francisco heading for Japan

TORONTO – As Japan recovers from one typhoon, another is on its doorstep.

Typhoon Wipha struck the country just a week ago. Typhoon Francisco is now on its way to the island, packing sustained winds near 150 km/h with gusts of 222 km/h and is moving west-northwestward at 15 km/h.

The storm is expected to make landfall near Tokyo Friday or Saturday as a category one typhoon.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the storm was about 530 km southwest of Okinawa, Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings and advisories for much of the eastern part of the country.

Projected path of Typhoon Francisco (left) and Typhoon Lekima (right).

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), the storm is generating wave heights of up to 13.1 metres in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.

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Australian court defers bail pleas of 2 Indians accused of rape

Melbourne, October 22
The bail pleas of two Indian-origin men from northern India charged of abducting, raping and blackmailing a Canberra woman was today deferred by an Australian court.

Ajitpal Singh (31) and Randhir Singh (20) appeared in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) magistrate's court on charges of rape, abduction, unlawful confinement, and committing acts of indecency and pleaded not guilty.

The duo applied for bail, but Magistrate Peter Dingwall deferred the request until the men's immigration status could be confirmed. The court heard a third man had fled the country back to India earlier this month.

The two allegedly used a dating app to lure the woman into meeting them at the Kippax shopping centre in Holt suburb, according to an ABC report.

It was said that the victim who was from Canberra was also once threatened by the accused who told her that they were aware of her son's school before driving her to an apartment where they repeatedly assaulted and raped her.

The woman told police she had no idea how the men found out her private details, but that she thought she recognised one of the men after they followed her onto a bus at an earlier date.

ACT police said the case was an example of the perils of social media applications. Both men are being held in Canberra's jail while concerns over their immigration status are resolved. The next hearing of the case will be next week. 

Indian PM reaches China, border defence pact on cards

Beijing, October 22
India and China are likely to sign a new Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) signalling the common intent of leadership on either side to maintain peace and tranquility across the borders that are not clearly demarcated.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who arrived here today, will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang tomorrow. Manmohan Singh was received at the airport by the Chinese Vice- Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhai Jun and the Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei. “China is our great neighbour. We have centuries old civilisational links. There are a lot of things we have to discuss. I am looking forward to promote further cooperation between our two countries,” said the Prime Minister.
Besides delegation-level talks with Li, Manmohan Singh will also meet President Xi Jinping and former Premier Wen Jiabao. Both sides will also exchange views on the situation in the region and the world, including Afghanistan whose stability is a must for India, Russia and China.
New Delhi, however, is unwilling to oblige Beijing immediately by agreeing to a liberalised visa regime providing for multiple one-year entry, especially for businessmen. The recent Chinese move to give stapled visas to Indian archers from Arunachal had irked India. At the Union Cabinet meet last week, liberalised visa issue was taken off the agenda.
Sources said Sino-Indian relations should be viewed in the context of an altered landscape in which both countries are to deal with each other as growing economic powers in the world who have benefited from an open international system and have aspirations on the world stage.
According to reports, the draft BDCA that was handed over to India earlier suggested a slowdown of activities not acceptable to India. What appears possible is having a `no-tailing’ by patrols, and among other things opening of two border meeting points in Arunachal Pradesh in addition to existing three -one each in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. India believes it has the right to develop its side of the border, including military bases and develop advanced landing grounds closer to Sino-Indian Border.
The BDCA will seek to address issues on a more firm ground and prevent incidents like Depsang in Ladakh this summer when Chinese patrols parked themselves for 21 days.
``We could handle Depsang in three weeks time with a minimum of fuss. Unlike the 1986 Wangdun that took seven years…we have mechanism in place. We have differences and because of which we have face-offs …have to handle until we settle the boundary question’, the sources said.
Ahead of his Beijing visit, the Prime Minister told the Chinese media that the boundary question is both ``complex and sensitive’’ and the Special Representatives having arrived at the political parameters and guiding principles were now seeking a framework for its resolution. 

Addressing Boundary issues

* The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, mooted by China last year, is expected to be signed on Wednesday when Manmohan meets his Chinese counterpart.

* The BDCA will seek to address border issues on a more firm ground and prevent incidents like Depsang in Ladakh this summer

* New Delhi, however, is unwilling to oblige Beijing immediately by agreeing to a liberalised visa regime The recent Chinese move to give stapled visas to Indian archers from Arunachal had irked India.

Nevada School Shooting: student kills teacher and himself

A student at a Nevada middle school shot dead a teacher hailed as a hero for trying to convince the boy to drop his gun, authorities have said.

SPARKS, Nevada - Michael Landsberry, a 45-year-old Afghanistan veteran, was "defending the students", a local official said.

The student wounded two other students before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Sparks Middle School and a nearby primary school was evacuated and classes cancelled.

The incident occurred at 07:15 local time (14:15 GMT) shortly before the scheduled start of classes.

As many as 200 police officers responded to the scene but fired no shots, authorities said.

Police say a Nevada middle school boy used a semi-automatic handgun to wound two students and kill a math teacher before turning the weapon on himself.

The shooting occurred about 15 minutes before the opening bell at Sparks Middle School on Monday. The student's name wasn't released, and his motive for the shooting wasn't known.

The teacher was being hailed as a hero for trying to protect children from their gun-wielding classmate outside the school. Twenty to 30 horrified students witnessed the shooting as they returned to classes from a weeklong fall break.

Police said between 150 and 200 officers, including some from as far as 100 kilometres away, responded to the shooting.

Motive unknown

The names of the suspect and two other victims have not yet been released.

"As you can imagine, the best description is chaos," Robinson said. "It's too early to say whether he was targeting people or going on an indiscriminate shooting spree."

Students from the middle school and neighbouring elementary school were evacuated to the nearby high school, and classes were cancelled. The middle school will remain closed for the week.

At the evacuation centre, parents comforted their children.

"We came flying down here to get our kids," said Mike Fiorica, whose nephew attends the school. "... It's really chaotic. You can imagine how parents are feeling. You don't know if your kid's OK."

Sparks Middle School east of Reno, Nev., was the scene of a shooting early Monday that left two people dead and two boys wounded, police said.

One of the students injured in the violence that erupted around 7:15 a.m. is out of surgery and the other is doing well, according to police.

The shooting happened on the school's campus and ended outside the school building itself, according to police.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting at Sparks Middle School this morning," Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement extending his thoughts and prayers to those affected.

About 700 students in 7th and 8th grades are enrolled at the school, located in a working class neighbourhood.

"It's not supposed to happen here," Chanda Landsberry said. "We're just Sparks — little Sparks, Nevada. It's unreal."

The violence erupted nearly a year after a gunman opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., leaving 26 dead. The Dec. 14 shooting ignited debate over how best to protect U.S. schools and whether armed teachers should be part of that equation.

In a statement on the website of Sandy Hook Promise, a gun control advocacy group, Nicole Hockley, whose son Dylan was killed in the shooting said, "It's moments like this that demand that we unite as parents to find common sense solutions that keep our children — all children — safe, and prevent these tragedies from happening again and again."

Vegas club shooting

The local education authority held a session earlier this year on safety measures in its schools after 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at a primary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December.

The attack briefly revived calls for gun control. But in a country where fatal shootings are an everyday occurrence, even that massacre did not lead to nationwide reforms.

Elsewhere in Nevada on Monday, a man opened fire in a Las Vegas nightclub after being denied a refund for an entry fee, killing a patron who tried to intervene, police said.

According to media reports, the suspect demanded his money back after he found Drai's After Hours, a club at Bally's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, too small.

The club's manager and a security guard were also shot and taken to hospital, police Sgt John Sheahan said.

The suspect was transported to hospital with unspecified injuries. Authorities believe he acted alone and expect to charge him with murder and attempted murder.

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Sunita Narain injured in a hit-and-run

New Delhi - The 52-year-old Director General for the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE), Sunita Narain, was injured after being hit by an unidentified vehicle on Sunday morning at the AIIMS flyover while she was cycling to Lodi Gardens.

Based on the victim’s medical report, a case was registered under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life) of the IPC has been registered at the Hauz Khas Police Station.

“Around 6 am Narain, a resident of Green Park, had reached AIIMS flyover when an unidentified vehicle reversed and allegedly hit her. She lost her balance and fell,” said a senior police officer, adding that she was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre by some passersby.

At 6.45 am, police received a call from AIIMS Trauma Centre and after reaching the hospital, they immediately registered a case on the basis of her medical preliminary report. “Narain sustained a swelling on both her forearms and hands, and has a lacerated wound on her nose. She is presently in the ICU,” the officer added.

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Ottawa-area bride dies in balcony collapse on honeymoon in Mexico

OTTAWA -- A tragic picture has emerged of the final moments of a Carleton Place woman's life before she fell to her death in Mexico on Wednesday.

Shannon Amy Guy, 24, newly married to Paul Guy, was excited about a tropical getaway after getting married in August.

But the honeymoon barely had time to get started.

As the mother of two posed for a picture with another couple on third-floor balcony of the room at the Tulum Oasis resort, the glass panels gave way.

Debra Simonton, a Loveland, Colo., resident at the resort, came upon the scene right after it happened.

"The new groom was in the doorway to the room taking a picture of his new bride," Simonton said. "They went to give him the best shot of the ocean behind them, and the glass broke out from behind them."
Shannon died at the scene while two others were taken to hospital.
Paul was in rough shape, Simonto said.

"He was severely in shock and had actually fallen on the ground in the spa area and was alone when (another guest) found him," Simonton said. "He had been hitting the walls, he was just really messed up and shouldn't have been left alone."

Simonton blamed flimsy glass panels for the accident, though hotel staff suggested alcohol played a role -- something the woman disputed.

A friend of the bride said Shannon's top priority was taking care of her young daughters, Kaydence, 3, and Harmony, eight months.

"She was dedicated to her kids 24/7," Amanda Scantland said, fighting tears. "(She was) the type of mom that would do anything for her children and it was always about her children. It was never about her."

As news of the tragedy spread Friday, condolences continued to pour in from grieving friends.

"No words can describe the pain that you and your family are enduring right now, but I hope you can use them as strength to get through the days that will follow you ahead," wrote a friend on the Facebook page of Ted Murray, Shannon's father.

Canadian foreign affairs officials have confirmed the death of one Canadian and injuries to two others but have not released any further details.

Maldives police stop presidential re-vote

Male - Maldives sank further into political disarray on Saturday when police blocked officials from conducting a presidential re-vote, saying holding the election would violate a Supreme Court order.

It's the latest blow to the young Indian Ocean democracy, which has only about three weeks before the end of the current president's term. If his replacement is not elected by then it will spark a constitutional crisis.

The court had annulled results of the September 7 election, agreeing with a losing candidate that the voters' registry included fictitious names and dead people, but it set conditions for a re-vote that police said elections officials did not meet.

Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek attempted to hold the election as scheduled, but on Saturday morning he said the ground floor of his building was full of policemen stopping his staff from carrying election material outside.

Thowfeek accused the police of overstepping their legitimate role.

India charges 33 aboard armed U.S. 'anti-piracy' ship

A crew member of the vessel in Indian police custody 

CHENNAI, India (TNP) - India has charged 33 men aboard an armed ship operated by a U.S. maritime security firm for failing to produce papers authorizing it to carry weapons in Indian waters, police said on Saturday, a move that could trigger diplomatic tensions.

The captain and the chief engineer were not among those arrested in Friday's action.

The crew have been charged with illegal procurement of diesel and possession of arms and ammunitions without required documentation.

"The captain kept saying that he would produce the required documentation, but whatever was produced was inadequate," a police officer, who did not wish to be identified, told Reuters from the southern city of Chennai.

Police are still checking the authenticity of the documents on the ship, Chacko Thomas, a spokesman in India for Virginia-based AdvanFort, which owns the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Seaman Guard Ohio, told Reuters.

India detained the ship last week and it was being held in the port of Tuticorin along with its crew and armed security guards, which included British, Estonian, Indian and Ukrainian nationals.

The ship had 10 crew members and 25 armed security guards from India, Britain, Estonia and Ukraine. Two of the crew members were not arrested and were allowed to stay on board the ship to carry out maintenance work.

The U.S. embassy in New Delhi could not be immediately reached for comment.

UPDATE: Laos Airline plane crash

Edmonton Today - Edmonton News Blog of Oilers' Oil Country: UPDATE: Laos Airline plane crash: No Canadian on board plane that crashed in Laos Bangkok - Lao Airlines officials say contrary to earlier reports, there was no Canadian a...

Dondia Khera village Treasure hunt

ASI to begin excavation in UP fort for 1000 tonnes of gold after sadhu's dream

Dondia Khera Village Fort

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will start the excavation for 1,000 tonnes of gold, which a seer dreamt, at a dilapidated fort in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district

LUCKNOW: October 18, 2013  (TNP) – The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday began excavating for a treasure of 1,000 tonnes of gold, which a sadhu dreamt to have been buried at a dilapidated fort in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district.

Officials said after ‘puja’ was performed by Hindu sadhus, the survey for the hidden gold began at 11 am at the old fort at Dondia Khera village. The fort belonged to Unnao’s mid-19th century ruler Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh. Unnao is 50km from the state capital Lucknow.

Officials said the survey of the fort of the late ruler of Unnao, Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, at Dondia Khera village will begin at 11 a.m. after 'puja' is performed by Hindu seers. Unnao is 50 km from the state capital Lucknow.

ASI officials have been camping at the site for the last three days and completed marking the area of the potential treasure trove late Thursday amid tight security.

Thousands turned up at the site as the news of the dream occurring to venerated seer Shobhan Sarkar spread and the district administration has now banned the entry of people into the fort premises.

Shobhan Sarkar, a famous saint in the region, wrote to the prime minister a few weeks back, saying the king had come in his dreams and asked him to get the treasure dug up and hand it over to the government of India to tide over the economic crisis.

Preliminary findings, officials say, suggested presence of "some metal underneath the earth", following which ASI teams decided to proceed with the excavation.

Experts, however, are not too sure about the possibility of gold buried underneath.

While many do not rule out the discovery of some gold, they say it is not possible for 1,000 tonnes of gold being buried under the fort as Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh was a ruler who presided over a zamindari stretching not more than 25-30 km.

"He was not a big king and hence it looks unlikely that such a huge gold reserve would be found there," said D.P. Tiwari, former head of the History and Archaeology department at the Lucknow university.

For the villagers, however, Shobhan Sarkar's words are sacrosanct.

Mahendra Pratap Singh, a descendant of the late Unnao ruler, says people firmly believe that if the seer has said it, the gold has to be there.

People have also demanded that in case gold was found, 20 percent of it be spent on development of the area.

Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh fought the British along with Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi during the 1857 mutiny and was overthrown in the process. He went into hiding only to be captured in Varanasi after which he was sent to the gallows.

The old fort at Dondia Khera village belongs to Unnao's mid-19th century ruler Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh. Unnao is 50 km from the state capital Lucknow.