GADCHIROLI (Maharashtra): In a brazen attack, Naxals on Thursday ambushed a police patrol party mercilessly gunning down eighteen policemen here,a day after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram gave a stern warning to the left-wing extremists to abjure violence or face action.
The policemen including a sub-inspector on patrol duty walked into an ambush set up by about 150-200 Naxals under the Laheri police station of the district, bordering Chhattisgarh, and were shot dead in an encounter that lasted over three hours.
The bloodbath comes two days after a Jharkhand police intelligence officer was beheaded by the Maoists in Ranchi district of the state.
The Gadchiroli attack took place a few hours before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the national capital discussed the growing Naxal threat in various parts of the country and measures required to counter it.
A police party of nearly 40 personnel were conducting search operations in the district following intelligence inputs that Naxalites had assembled in the area.
The police party while returning suddenly came under heavy fire and retaliated, District Collector Atul Patne told PTI over phone.
Sub Inspector C S Deshmukh along with 17 jawans were killed in the encounter, Patne said.
Patne said the Left-wing extremists used sophisticated weapons on the police party which was completely outnumbered.
"As many as two platoons of BSF (50 personnel) and additional police force was rushed to the spot and they could manage to save the rest of the policemen caught in the heavy fire," he said.
The naxal attack came five days ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra.
The killings took place two km from Lahiri police post in Bhamragad tehsil of the district.
In February, 15 policemen were killed in Naxal attacks and in May, 16 police personnel, including five women, lost their lives in another Naxal strike in the district.
Taking stock of the situation, the Centre rushed additional paramilitary forces to the area, Home Secretary G K Pillai said.
Inspector General of Police, Nagpur Surendra Kumar said combing operation were underway but said the terrain was very difficult.
"We could send some relief parties there and they have secured the area," District Superintendent of Police S Jaya Kumar said adding efforts were being made to airlift the injured.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil expressed outrage at the incident, saying the killings will strengthen the resolve of the state government in tackling the Naxal menace.
Earlier, Maoists had set ablaze a gram panchayat office in Gadchiroli district.
The incident comes two days after the beheading of Jharkhand police officer Francis Induwar. Home Minister P Chidambaram had yesterday said the security forces will engage the Maoists till they abjure violence and the air force will take steps to protect itself from any Naxal attacks.
"As long as the CPI-Maoists believe in an armed liberation struggle, we have no option but to ask our security forces to engage them, we will arrest them, we will apprehend them," Chidambaram had said in Mumbai.
Would like to see Rahul Gandhi as PM: Jaya Prada
NEW DELHI: Their parties are not on the best of terms, but actress-turned-Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Prada wishes to see Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi as the country's prime minister.
"It is good to see Rahul Gandhi active in politics; he is working hard to understand the ground realities and problems of people; and we (the people of India) would like to see him as the country's prime minister," Jaya Prada said.
Asked if that was the view of her party as well, she said: "It is not about my view or the party view, good work has to be recognised and everyone is seeing his (Rahul Gandhi's) efforts".
She is currently in Maharashtra campaigning for the upcoming state assembly polls there.
Jaya Prada, 47, who first entered parliament as a Rajya Sabha MP in 1996 at the age of 34, is not as impressed with the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre.
"The UPA government talks more and works less. Most of its schemes look impressive on paper while they are not implemented properly at the grassroots level even in Congress-ruled states," Jaya Prada said.
She herself is a second-time MP from the Rampur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, a state that forms the base of the Samajwadi Party but where it did not fare well in the April-May general election.
It was during the general election that ties between her party and the Congress nosedived. The number of Samajwadi Party MPs from the state went down to 22 from a tally of 28.
But she said: "We have not fared badly, we have an impressive number of MPs in the state and in future we will work hard and bounce back with a majority in the 2012 assembly elections".
When asked about the Congress tally going up to 21 in Uttar Pradesh in 2009 compared to just nine in 2004, Jaya Prada said the public was angry with the performance of the Mayawati government and also fed up with the sectarian agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Hence they voted for the Congress, she said.
However, she said: "Now, people are realising that the Congress is not in a condition to form a government in the state and they will vote for Samajwadi Party in future".
The Rampur seat once used to be a Congress stronghold in the state. She was recently reported to have been frightened to tears while touring her constituency during floods.
She said: "I was touring my constituency to know the problems of the people and their sufferings made be sad. I had been working for them, but a lot has to be done."
Asked about the controversy during the Lok Sabha elections when former Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan made unsavoury allegations against her, she said: "Everyone from the party supported me except him.
"I was hurt by what all happened, but I don't carry any bitterness against him. I have always considered him my brother."
Born in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, Jaya Prada entered politics in 1994 after joining the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) at the invitation of N.T. Rama Rao.
But now she is firmly entrenched in the Samajwadi Party and is satisfied with her second innings as Lok Sabha MP.
"I feel great, this is the verdict of the people for a person who has worked for them. Also, it is the recognition of the work of a woman politician who has performed against all odds," she said.
12 killed, 83 hurt in blast outside Indian Embassy in Kabul
Kabul: A suicide bomber on Thursday blew up his car outside the compound of the Indian Embassy in the Afghan capital killing at least 12 people and leaving 83 wounded, including three ITBP jawans, in a fiery blast that had all the hallmarks of Taliban.
The powerful blast blew up the mission watch tower, destroyed vehicles and left a trail of death and destruction with Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad saying, "Indian Embassy was the target."
"A suicide car bomb took place near the Indian Embassy in which 12 people were killed and 83 wounded. Most of the wounded are civilians," Interior Ministry spokesman Zemaral Bashry said.
The Indian Ambassador said, "We have confirmed reports of nine killed, four critically injured and 12 others severely wounded. The toll may go up."
But the suicide bomber failed to breach the Embassy's security perimeter and Prasad said, "no mission staff or Indian had been killed in the attack."
Three ITBP jawans guarding the barricaded Embassy compound received minor injuries in the blast which occurred at 0827 local time (0927 IST), Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said in New Delhi.
This was the second attack on the Indian mission here as last year a suicide car bomber had rammed the front wall of the Indian Embassy, killing 60 people in the strike blamed on Taliban militants linked to Pakistan's intelligence service ISI.
Rao said the security measures for the personnel and the mission taken after the 2008 attack have "worked effectively and have been able to prevent" what could have been a bigger tragedy today.
After flood, epidemic fear
Hyderabad/New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh government faces its toughest task yet since the floods as it grapples with threats of outbreak of post-flood epidemics. Krishna, Kurnool, Guntur, Kadapa and Mahabubnagar districts, which were ravaged by the floods and remained underwater for six days, now face the possibility of the outbreak of cholera, malaria, diarrhoea and even plague is being feared.
The situation has improved in the worst-hit Krishna district where flood waters have receded, giving an opening to relief and rescue teams and health workers to reach out to the marooned villages. Still, more than 200 villages remain cut-off and food and medicines are being air-dropped by IAF choppers. The state has decided not to provide cooked food packets in areas where people can cook if they are provided rations. Several people fell ill after eating stale food distributed in Kurnool district on Tuesday. Drinking water supply has also not been restored as pipelines are clogged with silt and debris.
The South Central Railway has cancelled all train services between Repalle and Tenali because of the flood, officials said.
“The toll in Andhra Pradesh stands at 63 and water is receding fast. Since the outflow at Prakasam barrage at Vijayawada is now 7.8 lakh cusecs against 10.7 lakh cusecs yesterday, there is a definite improvement,” Relief Commissioner Dinesh Kumar said.
In Krishna and Kurnool districts, thousands of animal carcasses, rotting debris and silt have accumulated on the roads. Without enough workers and machines to clear them, they have been lying there since the floods ravaged the area on October 2. Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister D Prasada Rao said though flood water had receded considerably, 573 villages in the five flood-hit districts still remained inundated.
India's swine flu toll touches 374
NEW DELHI: Eight swine flu deaths, five of them in Maharashtra, were reported on Thursday, taking the toll in India to 374, health authorities here said.
As many as 146 new cases were also reported in the country, pushing the total number of people affected with the flu to 11,507. For the first time since the outbreak of the contagious flu May 16, seven positive cases were reported from the distant Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
With the five deaths in Maharashtra, that has reported the maximum number of deaths and cases in the country, the toll in that state has jumped to 153.
While three swine flu deaths were reported in Maharashtra Thursday, two earlier deaths' laboratory confirmation came Thursday, state health authorities said.
In Karnataka, one death was reported. But two people, who had died earlier, were found to have succumbed to swine flu after the lab reports came positive for the flu. The deaths due to the H1N1 virus in the southern state have now reached 106.
Of these 106 swine flu deaths in Karnataka, 71 were in Bangalore and the remaining from other parts of the state.
"Till date, samples from 48,355 persons have been tested for Influenza A in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country, and 11,507 of them have been found positive," an official statement here said.
Of the 146 new cases Thursday, 44 were from Delhi. With these, the number in the Indian capital has gone up to 2,941 - the second highest after Maharashtra in the country.
Maharashtra reported the second highest new cases Thursday -- 35. This takes the total cases in the state to 3,187 - the highest in the country.
New cases were also reported from Kerala (18), Haryana (12), Tamil Nadu (10), Andhra Pradesh (nine) and Uttar Pradesh (one).
Indian business News
RBI set to tighten policy in 2010: Moody's
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India is set to raise its key short-term interest rates soon, as inflationary pressures build, but it is likely to wait until the start of 2010, Moody's Economy.com said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could start raising its repo and reverse repo rates before end-2009 but is likely to wait till the beginning of the next calendar year and might also opt to increase banks' cash reserve ratio first, the unit of Moody's Corp said in a note on Thursday.
Inflationary pressures are elevated in India as the poorest monsoon in decades has led to a drought in key agricultural areas.
Moody's Economy.com also said that delays in withdrawing monetary stimulus could see India's inflation becoming broad-based.
India's headline inflation rose at a slower-than-expected pace at the end of September on firm food prices, adding to the debate over when the RBI should exit from its accomodative monetary stance.
The RBI governor has said India needs to exit from excessively accomodative monetary and fiscal policies but there was no consensus on when or how, given competing concerns about growth and inflation.
"The RBI will walk a fine line between dampening inflation while keeping growth robust, but to its credit it has successfully navigated similar situations before," Moody's Economy.com said.
Inflation eases to 0.7 pct Sept 26
New Delhi: The wholesale price index rose 0.7 per cent in the 12 months to Sept. 26, lower that previous week's annual rise of 0.83 per cent, government data showed on Thursday.
It compared with a median forecast of a 0.99 per cent rise in a Reuters poll.
The annual inflation rate was 12.08 per cent during the corresponding week of 2008.
Private sector economists have said inflation could reach as high as 8 per cent by the end of March.
A policy adviser said on Monday inflation could be around the comfort level of 5 per cent by the end on 2009/10 with easing of speculative pressures on food prices.
Oil rebounds to USD 70.40 a barrel
Singapore: Oil rebounded in Asian trade on Thursday, lifted by strong regional stocks, which rallied after US aluminium giant Alcoa said it swung to profit in the third quarter.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for November delivery, was up 83 cents to USD 70.40 a barrel in morning trade.
Brent North Sea crude for November delivery climbed 82 cents to USD 68.02.
"Oil is drifting up as Asian stock markets are also trading higher," said Victor Shum, a senior principal with energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz in Singapore.
He said news that Alcoa had returned to profitability after three consecutive quarters of losses drove stocks and oil prices higher.
Alcoa said its net income was USD 77 million, compared with a net loss for the second quarter of USD 454 million.
It was the first company in the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average index to announce results for the September quarter.
Revenues were USD 4.6 billion compared with USD 4.2 billion in the second quarter, a nine per cent increase, Alcoa said in a statement.
Alcoa's report is "very positive and this really marks a strong start for the third quarter corporate earnings season," Shum said.
"This sparked the stock markets in Asia to turn up and oil has gained along with them," he added.
Indian Sports News
Bangalore:The inaugural edition of the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 tournament kicked off with a dazzling opening ceremony marked by laser shows and musical performances by reputed international stars at M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.
Reggae singer Shaggy, Grammy winner Chaka Khan, British pop star Jamelia and Shaolin monks from China set alight the star-studded opening ceremony as thousands of spectators thronged the stadium to have a glimpse of the spectacle.
The proceeding started with skippers of the twelve participating teams exchanging flags and taking the "MCC - Spirit of Cricket" before leaving their hand prints in clay, as an attestation to play the game within the spirit of cricket.
"It is an incredible moment. I hope this champions league helps the game to grow and expand. The birth of this new concept could not have been possible without the support of the different Cricket Boards," Champions League Commissioner Lalit Modi said.
After the inaugural speech, twelve world-renowned Japanese drummers took centrestage, followed by international dancers in Michelle Ferranti costumes.
American R&B singer-songwriter Yvette Marie Stevens, better known as Chaka Khan, then entertained the audience with her hit single "I Feel For You".
Then there were the acrobatic cube artists showing their feat followed by the Shaolin monks from China who displayed Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Chi Kung movements in an adrenalin-packed sequence, surrounded by the agile Kalaripayattu artists.
Shaggy then enthralled the audience with his song "Feel the Rush", which was the official anthem for the mascots of the Euro 2008 football tournament. His performance was accompanied by a multi-coloured laser show and eight wind dancers.
No change in existing format of IPL as of now: Lalit Modi
Bangalore: Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi on Thursday dismissed speculation that the number of foreign players allowed in the teams could be increased next year, saying the number would remain unchanged at four.
"There can be speculation that the number of foreign players would go up to six or more in IPL teams. IPL is purely a domestic cricket. As of now, there is no change in the existing format of permitting not more than four foreign players in a team," Modi told reporters here.
"IPL is a domestic league. It will remain so. The objective is to encourage young talent in India," Modi, also the head of the Champions League, the new version launched to promote club cricket in the country, said.
The launch of Champions League will usher in rapid growth of club level cricket around the world, Modi said.
"Currently we don't have plans to take the Champions League to non-cricket playing nations, but it may be a possibility someday", he said.
The matches are, however, being telecast worldwide in several countries to enable people, who have not seen cricket before to watch it, Modi said.
In the inaugural match of the Champions League, being held in India on Thursday, Royal Challengers, Bangalore, takes on Cape Cobras.
The first day's tickets here have been sold out and the response is good, Modi said.
"We expect similar response in other places also. We are examining how best we can help the flood affected. It is on cards. We are still in discussion," he said, when asked whether part of the tournament earnings will be donated for flood relief operations in rain-ravaged Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
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