Anna may end ‘maun vrat’ in 3-4 days

Anna Hazare on Monday said he plans to end his vow of silence in three to four days and would undertake a tour of the country to meet those who supported his anti-corruption campaign.

Hazare, 74, said in his blog that the thought of giving up his 'maun vrat' was playing on his mind.

"In the next three to four days I might end my 'maun vrat'. Crores of people have turned to reading my blog all over the world hence I think it would only seem appropriate that I end my 'maun' and hold open discussions with them," he said.

The crusader said that he would "embark on a tour and meet all those young men and women, farmers, working class, school children from all over the world who were a part of this movement against corruption and at times even went to jail for the sake of the cause".

"I have this strong urge from within to meet and talk to all these people who bravely faced the hazards. Hence I would like to end my 'maun' and start off touring different states and hold discussions with them," said Hazare, who has been campaigning for a strong Lokpal to check corruption in high places.

He has led two successful anti-corruption campaigns in New Delhi in April and August, resulting in the government agreeing to his demand for a strong Lokpal bill and passing it in the winter session of parliament.

"Especially I hope to gather as much energy from these young men and women as I had during my previous movement," Hazare said, adding that the "energy" will be utilised to get the Jan Lokpal bill, Team Anna's version of the proposed ombudsman legislation, passed in Parliament.

He also said he would continue his "struggle" for 'Right to Reject' the candidates in the poll fray and 'Right to Recall' those elected.

"All my countrymen will be connected with me directly in this struggle is my belief," Hazare said.

Though he started his vow of silence Oct 16, he has been putting forward his view through his writings that are then read out by his aides or through his blog.

Sri Sri to go on anti-corruption yatra in UP

Renowned spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will embark on an anti-corruption yatra in Uttar Pradesh next month.

Ravi Shankar would visit Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Mirzapur, Amethi, Sonebhadra, Chandauli and Kanpur from November 7 to November 10. Importantly, most of the districts to be covered by Sri Sri are known Congress strongholds.

The announcement comes at a crucial time as Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go to polls early next year and political parties are considering the elections as the decider before the big fight – Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Although stakes are high for regional parties like the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, they are even higher for the Congress as Rahul Gandhi has been devoting all his energies in revitalising the party in the state – he would also embark on a yatra from November 14.

Importantly, party’s outspoken general secretary Digvijay Singh had last week accused Sri Sri of being part of the BJP’s plan to tarnish the UPA government.

Singh had alleged that while Ramdev and Anna Hazare were "Plan A and B" of the RSS and BJP, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was "Plan C".

Ravishankar had rubbished the allegation and stressed that he will continue to fight against corruption. Last week, he administered an oath to nearly one lakh people, asking them not to give or take bribe.

The BJP had also slammed Digvijay Singh for attacking Sri Sri Ravishankar, saying he was suffering from "foot in mouth syndrome".

Although it would be the first time that the Bangalore-based guru would be personally starting a movement against corruption, he had lent support to the movements started by Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare.

Interestingly, Team Anna had last week conducted yatras in the state and has also threatened to intensify its agitation against the Congress if the Lokpal Bill is not passed in the Winter Session of the Parliament.

BJP’s veteran LK Advani’s anti-corruption ‘Jan Chetna’ yatra had also crossed through Uttar Pradesh, it is currently in Karnataka.

Other senior party leaders from the state like Rajnath Singh and Kalraj Mishra have also announced their plans to start yatras ahead of the polls.

Not be left behind, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Akhilesh Yadav is also on a state-wide yatra to highlight what his party terms as the misrule of Mayawati.

Sensex flat with negative bias; banks, tech buck trend

The BSE benchmark recovered from day's low as banks and technology stocks witnessed buying interest. However, the fall in oil & gas, cement, realty, healthcare, capital goods, select metal and auto stocks kept a lid on any meaningful recovery. The 50-share NSE Nifty slipped 24 points to 5,337 and the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 54 points to 17,750.

Robert Parker of Credit Suisse Asset Management feels the valuations are attractive in emerging markets. Moreover, he also indicated that higher growth levels in Asia may attract FIIs.

Among technology stocks, Infosys and Wipro gained 1-1.6% while TCS rose just 0.2%.

From the banking space, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and PNB climbed 0.8-1% whereas SBI moved up just 0.2%.

NTPC has been the leading gainer on Nifty since morning, rising 1.3%. However, Tata Power and Power Grid declined 1-1.8%.

Reliance Industries and ONGC continued to trade lower, falling 1.4% and 2.3%, respectively. Tata Motors and Ambuja Cements were biggest losers, declining 3.5%.

Coal India, ITC, BHEL, Sterlite, JSPL, DLF, M&M, Sun Pharma and Cairn were down 1-2%.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones by 741 to 646. The broader indices were marginally higher.

 Nifty trades in narrow range; SBI, Maruti, Infy most active

The NSE Nifty continued to trade in a narrow range of 5315-5340, led by a fall in oil & gas, metal, capital goods, cement and healthcare stocks. The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 70 points to 17,735 and the 50-share NSE Nifty lost 28 points to 5,332.65.

Among largecaps, Tata Motors, Sterlite Industries, Jindal Steel, Hindalco, ONGC, Ambuja Cements, Ranbaxy Labs and M&M slipped 2-3.5%.

However, Wipro, NTPC, Infosys, HDFC Bank, Hero Motocorp, IDFC and Sesa Goa were top gainers among largecaps, rising 0.5-2%.

SBI, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank and Infosys were most active shares on exchanges.

Indian equity benchmarks were trading lower on the back of profit booking in oil & gas, metal, banking, capital goods, cement, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group companies and select auto stocks. The market had rallied 6% last week and hence investors are seen booking some profit today. However, cheered up by Wipro's Q2 numbers, technology stocks were quite supportive .

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 96 points to 17,709 and the 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 36 points to 5,325.

Asian markets too were under pressure. Hang Seng, Straits Times and Kospi dropped over 1%. Shanghai was down 0.5% and Taiwan down 0.34%.

From the oil & gas space, ONGC and Reliance Industries were down 2.4% and 1.2%, respectively.

Maruti Suzuki has managed to show some recovery from early day's low; the stock fell over 2%. Tata Motors was the biggest loser, falling over 3.5%. M&M too lost 1% while Hero Motocorp gained 1%.

In the metal space, Sterlite, JSPL, Hindalco and SAIL dropped 0.5-2.5%. Shares of India's largest lenders SBI and ICICI Bank declined 0.5% each. BHEL and HDFC fell over 1%.

However, Wipro was the top gainer among Nifty 50, rallying over 2% post Q2 results. Software services provider's second quarter net profit rose a better than expected 1.2% at Rs 1300.9 crore, helped by increased spending by clients and a depreciation in rupee. Infosys rose 1.34% and TCS was up just 0.3%.

Advancing stocks were outnumbering declining ones on BSE by 1227 to 1012

Russia launches space freighter

Russia launched its first unmanned space flight to supply the International Space Station Sunday since an August crash left a half-sized crew on the orbital outpost and raised concerns over Moscow's role as the sole space flight provider.

The Progress freighter blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as scheduled at 6:11 a.m. EDT, carrying supplies to the station, a $100 billion project funded by 16 nations currently orbiting about 240 miles above Earth.

"The vehicle is reported to be going by the book, it is on the money," NASA TV said on its website www.nasa.gov.

It showed the freighter take off under bright sunshine in the Kazakh steppe, carrying nearly 3 tons of food, fuel and supplies including oxygen and clothes and even iPads.

It is expected to dock Wednesday at the station, which is as large as a five-bedroom house and took the United States more than 10 years to build. It is used to conduct research and test new technologies in the unique environment of microgravity.

All Russian space flights were suspended after the Progress failure, leaving a half-size, three-member crew on the space station consisting of US station commander Mike Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and Japan's Satoshi Furukawa.

A new crew is now expected to fly to the outpost on November 14, arriving two days later.

Since the retirement of the U.S. space shuttles this summer, Russian Soyuz capsules are the only ships capable of flying crews to the station, a service that currently costs NASA about $350 million a year.

NASA is seeking $850 million this year to help U.S.-based private companies develop space taxis, with the goal of breaking Russia's monopoly on station crew ferry flights before the end of 2016.

Airstrikes and rockets kill 10 people in the Gaza Strip region

The Israeli armed forces and militants based in the Gaza Strip exchanged attacks Saturday in a sharp escalation of violence that killed nine Palestinians and one Israeli.

Palestinian sources said five Islamic Jihad militants were killed in an initial Israeli airstrike near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, including a prominent maker of rockets. Israeli news reports said the airstrike targeted a cell responsible for launching a rocket into Israel recently.

The army said the strike was not in retaliation for an attack, but was instead a preventive action.

A few hours later, a barrage of about 20 rockets began landing in southern Israel, some making direct hits on residential buildings and setting cars and property on fire. One rocket landed in a school in the city of Ashdod that was closed for the Sabbath.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Two additional Israeli airstrikes killed four more Islamic Jihad members, Palestinian sources said. One Israeli was killed, according to Israeli news reports, and several injured people were taken to hospitals.

The spate of violence in recent days broke a cease-fire agreement that largely had held since August. It came just days after international negotiators visited Israel and the Palestinian territories to try to restart peace talks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to mayors of communities that were targeted in southern Israel, promising that the military response would get tougher, if necessary, according to a statement from the prime minister's office early Sunday.

Speaking at a news conference in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel was not looking for a confrontation with the Palestinians but that it would "not take one barrage after the other without response."

Saturday's increase in violence came less than two weeks after a prisoner exchange between Hamas, which rules Gaza, and Israel.

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held for more than five years, was freed Oct. 18. Israel agreed to release more than 1,000 Palestinians, about half of whom already are free.

Some in Israel, including opposition leader Tzipi Livni, warned that the deal would bolster the standing of Hamas. In a statement Saturday, Livni urged Israel to weaken "radical terror elements such as those behind the rocket attacks through direct action as well as a "diplomatic process with the moderate elements who do not employ violence."

GCHQ chief reports 'disturbing' cyber attacks on UK

The UK has been subject to a "disturbing" number of cyber attacks, the director of communications intelligence agency GCHQ has said.

Sensitive data on government computers has been targeted, along with defence, technology and engineering firms' designs, Iain Lobban said in the Times.

There was a "significant" unsuccessful internet-based attack on Foreign Office computer systems this summer, he added.

On Tuesday, the government hosts a two-day conference over the issue.

Foreign Secretary William Hague convened the London Conference on Cyberspace against a backdrop of the UK treating the threat from cyber warfare as seriously as that from international terrorism.

It aims to bring together political leaders, such as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU digital supremo Neelie Kroes, with leading cyber security experts and technology entrepreneurs such as Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Cisco vice-president Brad Boston.

Mr Hague believes a "global co-ordinated response" is required to forge policy on cyber development.

Writing in the Times, Mr Lobban said such an inclusive approach was vital.

"The volume of e-crime and attacks on government and industry systems continues to be disturbing," he wrote.

"I can attest to attempts to steal British ideas and designs - in the IT, technology, defence, engineering and energy sectors, as well as other industries - to gain commercial advantage or to profit from secret knowledge of contractual arrangements.

"Such intellectual property theft doesn't just cost the companies concerned; it represents an attack on the UK's continued economic wellbeing."

Mr Lobban added that government online taxation and benefits services could be targeted in future and said a black economy had already developed which saw UK citizens' credit card details offered for sale.

Saif takes over as 10th Nawab of Pataudi

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan is crowned as the 10th Nawab of Pataudi today in Pataudi Palace.

The ceremony is very small and private and was attended by very few people.

He is the first titleholder from Bollywood.

Though the title of 'Nawab' is not recognised by the Indian government any more, this ceremony is being done for its sentimental value, especially for the people of Pataudi.  Pataudi has been ruled by Saif's forefathers since the early 19th century.

Reports also suggest that Saif will not use the title of Nawab and wants to remember his father as the last Nawab of Pataudi.

Saif's father Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi died on September 22, 2011.

Metallica rocks Palace Grounds in Bangalore

After Friday’s debacle in Gurgoan, Metallica finally gave its first ever live performance in India. As Bangalore played host to America`s foremost metal mongers, rock music frenzy swept the sprawling Palace Grounds in this garden city.

Follower of the rock finally got a taste of the four-member American band`s performance today, chanting "Metallica" braving sharp showers that pounded the city for more than an hour in two spells.

The crowd gave a rapturous response as guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead vocalist Jamesh Hetfeild and bassist Robert Trujillo regaled the packed audience.

About 22,000 tickets were sold for the concert, according to organisers.

As music buffs poured into the venue and began to take vantage spots to witness the dazzling show of the popular band, clouds opened up in the sky.

To keep the large gathering engaged, two bands – Inner Spectrum from the city and Guillotine from New Delhi - did a opening act and glued the drenched fans to music for more than 90 minutes.

However, it was climactic moment as Metallica took the stage to play some of their hits much to the delight of their fans.

The performance, which was to be the second for Metallica in India, turned out to be its maiden show following the abrupt cancellation of its concert at the Leisure Valley in Gurgaon on Friday over ‘security issues’.

‘China could do Kargil on India’

China could do a Kargil on India "to teach India a lesson", warned strategic affairs think-tank IDSA, adding it could be a "limited war".

The limited hostilities could be confined to a specific section of the border, limited in duration and amenable to a negotiated termination, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) said in its report.

Projecting conflict scenarios between the two Asian giants, a report titled 'A Consideration of Sino Indian Conflict' by Ali Ahmed said, "The lower end of the conflict at this level could be a Kargil-like situation. China's aim could be to teach India a lesson so as to influence India's rise before its capacity building underway acquires traction."

The report warned this "could be a limited war confined to a specific section of the border or LAC, limited in duration and amenable to a negotiated termination".

The Kargil hostilities were triggered by infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) in 1999.

Ahmed warns at a higher level, China could indulge in a "territorial grab" by entering an area such as Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

"At the next rung, it could be a more ambitious bid southwards up to its claim line. Lateral or horizontal expansion of conflict from one theatre to another is the next step, with the conflict engulfing one or more of the four possible theatres -- Ladakh, Central Sector, Sikkim and Arunachal," the report said.

The think-tank said in view of India becoming better prepared in future with its capability-development programmes, it could engage China's "hegemonic attention."

"Since India would be better prepared by then, China may instead wish to set India back now by a preventive war. This means current day preparedness is as essential as preparation for the future," it said.

A Suicide car blast near UNHCR building in Kandahar

Three Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide attack in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar early on today, authorities in Kandahar said.

The blast was close to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) building in Kandahar, the UN said.

"We are aware of an explosion which took place earlier this morning in the vicinity of the UNHCR guest house," United Nations spokesman Dan McNorton said. "All our international staff are accounted for ... the incident is still ongoing. We are working through our processes to make sure all our Afghan staff are safe."

Authorities in Kandahar said three civilians had been killed, describing the incident as a suicide attack.

"(There have been) three local civilians killed and another one wounded. A Nepali is wounded too," the provincial governor's media office said on its Twitter feed, adding that two armed attackers were still shooting at security forces.

The attack is the latest in a string of lethal assaults on foreigners in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, a suicide car bomber killed 13 troops and civilian employees of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, including Americans, Britons and a Canadian, in the deadliest single ground attack against the coalition in 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

Vice President Hamid Ansari leaves for India after CHOGM

Vice President Hamid Ansari today left for India after attending the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting here.

Ansari, who represented India at the summit of the leaders of the 54-nation bloc, had also held informal meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, among other world leaders here.

However, no bilateral talks was held with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Taking a step-by-step approach to reforms, the Commonwealth has agreed to adopt some of the recommendations of an eminent persons group to make it more relevant in current times, but has virtually rejected the proposal for a human rights commissioner.

The final CHOGM communique yesterday, the last day of the summit, noted the "impasse" in the Doha round and urged the trade ministers' World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in December to commit to make "substantive progress" as well as make a formal "anti-protectionist pledge".

The communique also called for "accelerated efforts" to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).

It endorsed India's position that seeks a quick conclusion to the negotiations on the CCIT at the UN.

Indira Gandhi remembered on 27th death anniversary

 The country fondly remembered former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 27th death anniversary on Monday with President Pratibha Patil leading the nation in paying rich tributes to the departed leader.

Patil paid floral tributes at Shakti Sthal, the memorial of Gandhi, here this morning.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were also present on the occasion.

Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Union Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Kamal Nath, KV Thomas, N Narayana Swamy and Krishna Tirath and senior Congress leaders Motilal Vohra, Manishankar Aiyar were also present.

US ready to talk to Taliban chief Mullah Omar

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Washington is ready to negotiate with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, as his involvement is crucial for the prospects of peace in Afghanistan.

According to the Age, Clinton’s comments are seen as a significant shift in US policy, from moves to divide the Taliban-led insurgency and isolate Omar, to an acknowledgement of his leadership.

Earlier, the Haqqani network’s commander, Sirajuddin Haqqani, warned Washington that only the Quetta Shura, the Taliban-led militant organisation, could negotiate a peace deal and that his fighters would not be divided.

In an appearance before the House foreign affairs committee, Clinton said the US would continue to “fight, talk and build” in Afghanistan and Pakistan to test any willingness to negotiate.

Clinton said there was “evidence going both ways” on its intentions.

She said last month's Haqqani meeting was not a “negotiation” and that no meetings had followed it, but she stressed that any negotiations with the Taliban in the future would require the Quetta Shura’s blessing.

India arrives on F1 circuit; Vettel wins first GP

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel started from the pole and ended as the winner of inaugural Formula One Indian Grand Prix 2011. McLaren’s Jenson Button was second and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third.

The race had started off with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in the lead and he remained there for most of the time.

Sachin Tendulkar waved the chequered flag, signaling the successful completion of the world’s biggest televised sport into the country.

The collision brothers, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa were back doing the bang act at the Indian GP as well. Hamilton came up the inside of Massa, had the line and then crashed, sending debris off the chassis of the two cars in the 24-25th lap. Massa would surely have a few choice words for the McLaren driver at the end of this race.

Massa was also given a penalty for the collision and was required to drive through. He immediately served the penalty but had to end his race prematurely in the 34th lap as his car's suspension was broken.

Starting from pole, Vettel faced no challenge whatsoever as he cruised to a comfortable 8.4 seconds win over McLaren's Jenson Button.

Button did push hard towards the end but the Red Bull driver was way too ahead to beat. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was third, followed by Red Bull's Mark Webber, who had started second on the grid.

Sutil had dropped to 13th after starting from eighth but the Force India driver pulled his way back and pipped Sergio Perez of Sauber in the dying minutes of the race to secure the ninth position.

The result strengthened Force India's sixth position in the constructor's championship as it is now leading nearest rival Sauber by 10 points. Force India now have 51 points.

Paul di Resta, the other home team driver, finished outside the points bracket at the 13th place.

Narain Karthikeyan, the only Indian driver on the grid, had a tremendous result as he finished 17th after starting last in the race, in which five drivers crashed out.

Mercedes' Michael Schumacher, followed keenly in India, also had a marvelous result as he recorded his third best result of the season by taking the fifth position after starting 11th on the grid.

Pastor Maldonado then became the third driver to go out when he lost control over his car and ran onto the grass.

But way ahead of the chasing pack, Vettel had no problem at all and he led comfortably, followed by Button, teammate Mark Webber, Alonso and Massa.

Intense drama unfolded in lap 24 when Massa and his old foe Lewis Hamilton collided when the Brazilian moved a bit to his left and the chasing MacLaren driver smashed into his sidepod.

Massa was soon handed a driver-through penalty for causing collision but his misery was far from over as he hit a kerb at turn eight which broke his front left suspension finishing his race.

Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi also pulled out of the race a few moments earlier after smoke started emitting from his engine.

Philippines welcomes world’s `7 billionth baby`

World welcomed its seven billionth baby in Philippines on today.

Danica May Camacho was born in a packed government hospital in Manila. Members of the press were present in the delivery room when Danica was born just after midnight.

Her mother, Camille Dalura cradled her and whispered, "She looks so lovely. I can`t believe she is the world`s seventh billion."


Danica, weghing 2.5 kilos, is the second child for Dalura and her partner, Florante Camacho.

Soon after the delivery, top officials of the United Nations met the baby and her parents and gifted them a small cake.

Local benefactors gifted the baby a scholarship grant for the child`s study and a livelihood package to enable the parents to start a general store.

Interestingly, world’s six billionth baby, 12 year old Lorrize Mae Guevarra was also present at the hospital to witness the landmark event.

Speaking to the media, Guevarra said, "I am very happy to see this cute baby. I hope like me she will grow up to become healthy and well loved by everyone."

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) State of the World Population Report, the Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world with 94.9 million people.

Huge cache of chemical weapons in Libya, PM confirms

Libya's interim prime minister has confirmed the presence of chemical weapons in Libya and said foreign inspectors would arrive later this week to deal with the issue.

Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said Libya has no interest in keeping such weapons.

"We would like to assure you that the new Libya will be a peaceful Libya and that it is in our interest to have no weapons in Libya," he told reporters yesterday.

Last week, Ian Martin, the top UN envoy to Libya, told the UN Security Council that undeclared chemical weapons sites have been located in Libya.

At the time, he also expressed concern over command and control of chemical and nuclear material sites.

Jibril, who has announced his resignation ahead of the formation of a new interim government, did not provide any details about the chemical weapons.

"There are international organisations taking care of this issue," he said, adding that representatives of those organisations are due to arrive in Libya later in the week.

A Russian-drafted UN resolution, to be voted on this week, calls on Libyan authorities to destroy stockpiles of chemical weapons in coordination with international authorities.

Obama aide delays trip to China, India - W.House

President Barack Obama's top national security adviser delayed a planned trip to China and India last week to help Obama deal with Libya and a decision on U.S. troops in Iraq, the White House said on Friday.

White House national security adviser Tom Donilon had been scheduled to meet with Chinese leaders on Oct. 21 in Beijing, including with Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, and then travel on to India.

But the Oct. 20 killing of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, and Obama's decision, announced the next day, to pull all remaining U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year, kept Donilon in Washington, said White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Vietor said the visits, which would have come ahead of an important Asia-Pacific summit being hosted by Obama in Hawaii next month, will be rescheduled for a later date.

The White House gave no indication of what Donilon would have discussed on the trip, which comes as Obama is seeking to reinforce his administration's focus on Asia despite the demands on its attention of the Arab Spring.

But it would have taken place at a delicate time, after the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate this month approved a bill to punish China for keeping its yuan currency artificially cheap against the dollar, which U.S. lawmakers say boosts Chinese exports at the cost of scarce U.S. jobs.

Over an hour of meditation reduces pain

A little over an hour of meditation produces powerful pain-relieving effects in the brain, a new study shows.

"This is the first study to show that only a little over an hour of meditation training can dramatically reduce both the experience of pain and pain-related brain activation," said Fadel Zeidan, who led the study.

"We found a big effect - about a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and a 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness," added Zeidan, post-doctoral research fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre.

"Meditation produced a greater reduction in pain than even morphine or other pain-relieving drugs, which typically reduce pain ratings by about 25 percent," said Zeidan, reports the Journal of Neuroscience.


For the study, a group of healthy volunteers who had never meditated attended four, 20-minute classes to learn a meditation technique known as focused attention, according to a Wake Forest statement.

Focused attention is a form of mindfulness meditation where people are taught to attend to the breath and let go of distracting thoughts and emotions.

Both before and after meditation training, participants` brain activity was examined using a special type of imaging -- arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL MRI) -- that captures longer duration brain processes, such as meditation, better than a standard MRI scan of brain function.

During these scans, a pain-inducing heat device was placed on the participants` right legs. This device heated a small area of their skin to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that most people find painful, over a five-minute period.

The scans taken after meditation training showed that every participant`s pain ratings were reduced, with decreases ranging from 11 to 93 percent, Zeidan said.

Rs.40,000 tickets for Gaga concert - they`re sold out!

One has to shell out Rs.40,000 for a ticket to attend international pop star Lady Gaga`s performance at the F1 after-party in Greater Noida Sunday and the show is a total sell out, says actor-businessman Arjun Rampal, who is organising the event.

"The maximum capacity for the party is 1,000, and Gaga`s show is completely sold out," Arjun told IANS.

The F1 after-parties, to be held as part of the Airtel Grand Prix of India, will take place at a special, 20,000 sq ft construction at the Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort in Greater Noida.

International DJ Roger Sanchez will perform on day one Friday, Edward Maya on the second day Saturday and Tom Navy on day three Sunday. Gaga will stage the finale.

Gaga, known for numbers like "Poker face" and "Born this way", is already in town, and excited about her performance.

"I am finally here + what a dream come true. Performing at Formula 1 in INDIA, and my first day here I reached #15millionmonsters," Gaga had posted on micro-blogging site Twitter after reaching here Thursday.

Her Indian `monsters`, as she calls her fans, are excited too.

"I think Lady Gaga is uber cool. Look at her flamboyant style, carefree attitude, she is so popular...I was so keen to watch her show, but the ticket rate is so high," said 17-year-old Devyanshi Mehra.

Even Arjun Sinha, a 23-year-old was looking forward to Gaga`s performance, until he found out the ticket price.

"There was no way I could have asked my parents to sponsor such an expensive ticket for me. But I am sure all the people who are lucky enough to attend it, will get to enjoy a lot. She`s a total rockstar!" he said.

Asked about the reason for putting such a heavy price tag for the party, Arjun said: "We couldn`t have lowered the price. We have limited space...and here, we are talking about an immensely popular international celebrity. One has to understand that the costs are very high. Maybe if we had a bigger venue with capacity for more people, we could have gone easy on the price. But with less people, it becomes difficult to lower the price. After all it`s business, and we have to break even."

Arjun says he has other reasons too for pricing the party at Rs.40,000 per head.

"We know Gaga has a lot of young fans. In fact, a majority of her young monsters here are teenagers...so we couldn`t have kept a low price, and invited youngsters to a party where there would be free alcohol and stuff. It`s not a done thing," he said.

That is why he has tied up with UTV Stars to telecast the show at a later date in November.

"For all those who will miss out Gaga`s performance, they can watch it on TV. After all we should give the young monsters a chance to see their favourite star on her India tour. The channel will show all the performances exclusively," he said.

Metallica concert is cancelled in Delhi, Organisers arrested for cheating

Four people, including a senior executive of the event management company that has organised the Metallica concerts in India, have been arrested after the rock show scheduled for Friday evening in Gurgaon was cancelled.

The Gurgaon police said the operational head of DNA Entertainment Network for Metallica concerts, Rajesh Chandwani, was among the four people arrested on charges of cheating people and breach of trust. The other three were his team members - Umesh, Ashok Singh and Savio Faleio. The police said they had received several complaints after the show was cancelled. They allege that the organisers sold more tickets than capacity and that they were never informed before the cancellation was announced. The organisers had cited "technical reasons" for scrapping Friday's gig.

Over 25,000 people had gathered at the Leisure Valley Park in Gurgaon's Sector 29 to watch the concert. Less than two hours before the heavy metal band was to play, the organisers postponed the concert to 4 pm on Saturday. Then, after some angry fans trashed equipment, came reports that the Delhi gig had been cancelled altogether.

In a statement released on their site, Metallica cited fans' safety as the reason for the postponement of the Friday's show and permit issues for its subsequent cancellation. "Once we, along with DNA, the promoters of the show, determined that there was a failure of a security barricade in front of the stage that could not be adequately repaired, the promoter reluctantly announced the postponement of the show until Saturday. Unfortunately, on such short notice the promoters were unable to secure a permit for a show on Saturday. Therefore, DNA announced that we would not be able to play in Delhi," the statement read.

The organisers have said all ticket holders will be refunded. They say full-page advertisements on refunds will be put out in the next 24 hours explaining all the details.

During the next three hours, several announcements were made requesting people to move back because the barrier in front of the stage was giving way. The crowd got increasingly more restive with every such announcement, objecting and booing.

After the announcement that the concert had been cancelled, some angry fans near the stage damaged equipment; some tried to set fire to banners near the stage. Others hurled plastic 10-litre bottles of water onto the stage. But a majority of the thousands gathered, though vocally disappointed, stayed calm and largely orderly as they exited through small rickety gates.

Earlier on Friday in an interview, the members of the heavy metal band said they were looking forward to playing for a massive audience. They also said they were keen to see the Taj Mahal.

The police chief in Gurgaon said yesterday that the concert had been called off. "The organisers have to say why they cancelled (the show). They have to explain. They have cancelled it without taking the district administration into confidence," said Police Commissioner S.S. Deshwal. He said that fortunately, the crowd dispersed peacefully.

The concert was organised by DNA Entertainment Network; 25,000 thousand tickets had been sold for prices ranging from Rs. 1650 to Rs. 2750.

Metallica is scheduled to perform in Bangalore on Sunday.

US celebrates Statue of Liberty's 125th birthday

Scores of people waved tiny flags after taking the oath of U.S. citizenship at the foot of the Statue of Liberty on Friday, 125 years after the iconic American symbol welcoming visitors and immigrants was dedicated.

"We are a nation of diverse people," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said during the naturalization ceremony on Liberty Island. "And that diversity strengthens our nation."

The new Americans, 125 immigrants from 46 countries, pledged to renounce foreign power, then posed for photos with their citizenship certificates.

The birthday party concluded Friday with a 12-minute fireworks display choreographed to patriotic music.

"I feel like if you live in a place, you should have a say in the politics," said Paul Currie, who moved to the U.S. from South Africa eight years ago. "Otherwise, you're an outsider."

Silvia Hodges, who came to the U.S. from Germany in 1999, said the ceremony made her feel "like I belong here - and I really want to vote."

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was conceived to symbolize the friendship between the two countries and a shared love of liberty. President Glover Cleveland dedicated the statue on Oct. 28, 1886.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "If anybody around this world wants to pick up their family and move so that their family can have freedom - freedom to speak, freedom to be in charge of their own destiny, all the freedoms that we have incorporated into the Bill of Rights - they always come to America."

Actress Sigourney Weaver recited Emma Lazarus' "The New Colossus" and gestured to the statue behind her at the words "a mighty woman with a torch."

On Friday, Cleveland's grandson George, a dead-ringer for the former president, was on hand for the event and received a plaque from the National Park Service.

George Cleveland, a 59-year-old executive director of a senior center in North Conway, N.H., said his grandfather was prescient when he said that "a stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression, until liberty enlightens the world."

"We are still a work in progress," George Cleveland said.

Then, with a 3-2-1 countdown, webcams streaming views from the statue's torch were switched on. The cameras offer panoramas of the Manhattan skyline, the Hudson River and Liberty Island.

"It's really a wonderful way from people from around the world to connect with Lady Liberty using today's technology," said David Luchsinger, the superintendent of the statue and Ellis Island.

On Saturday, the statue's interior will be closed for renovations for about a year, though Liberty Island will remain open.

Vacationers Benoit and Veronique Poullain of Rouen, France, were happy to see the statue on her 125th anniversary. Veronique said it was "like New York, big!" She said the French are "very happy to have contributed this symbol."

YouTube launches broad entertainment venture

YouTube is making a bold step into original programming in an entertainment venture with some 100 content creators, from Madonna to The Wall Street Journal.

The Google Inc.-owned video site said Friday that it's launching more than 100 new video channels. The partners include an array of Hollywood production companies, celebrities and new media groups that will produce mainly niche-oriented videos.

YouTube is shelling out $100 million to producers, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The money is an advance on advertising money the videos will bring in, and Google will recoup its portion first before splitting the proceeds. Advances are as high as $5 million per channel, said another person familiar with the arrangement, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

Neither person was authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

Google declined to offer financial details of the deals, but said the majority of revenue will go to partners.

Participants include Madonna, former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, comedian Amy Poehler, actor Ashton Kutcher, "Office" star Rainn Wilson, spiritual doctor Deepak Chopra and "Modern Family" actress Sofia Vergara. Most are creating channels through their production companies. Madonna is a partner with the dance channel DanceOn, while O'Neal plans the Comedy Shaq Network.

Lionsgate is presenting a fitness channel, and other channels will be launched by news satire the Onion, professional wrestling's WWE, online magazine Slate and news service Thomson.

The channels will roll out beginning this month, though most will premiere next year. YouTube says the channels will add 25 hours of new original content daily, with dozens of Web series debuting at scheduled times.

Ultimately, YouTube is aiming to create a new digital video platform that will rival television programming.

In a blog posting Friday night, YouTube said the channels are being developed "specifically for the digital age." The video site compared the expanded video offerings to the advent of cable television.

YouTube has tried to build a more advertiser-friendly product of professional-quality video, as opposed to simply user-created videos. Advertisers generally prefer to have their ads matched with known quantities. YouTube has also previously tried to urge viewers to stay longer with TV-like services like the YouTube Leanback, which continuously plays a personalized selection of videos. Google is also looking to add professionally produced content to its huge roster of user-generated videos, to give users of its Google TV platform something to watch.

Major Hollywood networks such as News Corp.'s Fox and The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC have blocked their content from being shown on Google TV because the sides have been unable to come to a licensing deal that the networks believes pays them fairly. Networks also don't want to jeopardize their lucrative relationship with pay TV distributors like Comcast Corp. and DirecTV.

Google is a platform that has been adopted by set-top box maker Logitech, which makes a device called a Logitech Revue that sells for $100.

Studies on Ocean to throw light on climate changes

Researchers are banking on studies in Indian sector of the Southern Ocean to analyse the climatic changes in Indian Peninsula, a scientist has said.

"There is major exchange of heat and salt between the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean. Hence, the Southern Ocean has a vital role in the climatic changes occurring in Indian Peninsula," N Anil Kumar, Coordinator (Southern Ocean Expedition), National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), said.

The Goa-based NCAOR is readying for its sixth expedition, with participation from a dozen leading research institutions in the country, to the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean to understand its complexity. The 45-day-long expedition will be held between January and March.

Anil Kumar said the Indian Ocean is peculiar because its northern part is land-locked and this may influence the exchange between Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean. "Very few studies are available in the Indian sector of Southern Ocean."

The series of expeditions to this part of the globe began with a pilot project by NCAOR in January-March 2004.

The senior scientist said investigations are in progress to understand carbon cycle in the sector. "Intensive and long-term studies are required to understand processes that are involved in carbon generation and utilisation so as to arrive at net carbon availability in the system."

He said the polar regions have been identified as the areas where signatures of global changes are more pronounced.

"Improved understanding of the links between Southern Ocean processes, global climate, bio-geochemical cycles and marine productivity will be critical for society to respond effectively to the challenges of climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and the sustainable use of marine resources," Anilkumar stated.

ICC in contact with Gaddafi's son on surrender

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today said his office is in indirect contact with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, on his possible surrender to face charges for crimes against humanity.

"Through intermediaries, we have informal contact with Saif," ICC's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement.

"The Office of the Prosecutor has made it clear that if he surrenders to the ICC, he has the right to be heard in court, he is innocent until proven guilty."

In June, The Hague-based ICC had issued arrest warrants against Gaddafi, his son and the country's intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Sanousi for their roles in attacks against protesters, hundreds of whom have been killed since the uprising began early this year against Gaddafi's regime as part of a wider pro- democracy movement across North Africa and the Middle East.

Moreno-Ocampo said his office is galvanising efforts to carry out the arrest warrants against al-Islam and Al Sanousi. A group of mercenaries is offering to move al-Islam to an African country.

His office is also exploring the possibility of intercepting any plane that might be transporting al- Islam in order to make the arrest.

"This is a legal process and if the judges decide that Saif is innocent, or has served his sentence, he can request the judges to send him to a different country as long as that country accepts him," Moreno-Ocampo added.

The prosecutor has said in the past that while Libya is not party to the 1998 Rome Statute, the treaty that had established the ICC, it has the primary responsibility to carry out the arrest warrants in compliance with relevant resolution of the Security Council.

The UN body had referred the crisis in Libya to ICC. Gaddafi was killed last week in his hometown of Sirte during the final days of the eight-month-long conflict.

Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) had on Sunday declared full liberation of the country, days after Gaddafi's death.

The North African nation now faces a host of challenges, including organising an electoral process, establishing public security and starting a reconciliation process.

People killed in fight between rival drug gangs in Mexico

Mexican authorities say at least 21 people have been killed in three shootouts between soldiers and gunmen and a fight between rival drug gangs.

At least 15 deaths occurred in three gunbattles in the western state of Michoacan yesterday, said the spokesman for state prosecutors, Jonathan Arredondo.

He said 10 gunmen were killed in a shootout with an army patrol that was attacked in the township of Patzcuaro, an area of Michoacan popular with tourists. Five other people died in two smaller confrontations in Michoacan, and one federal police officer was wounded.

Michoacan is the state where President Felipe Calderon launched his armed offensive against organised crime in 2006. The state holds gubernatorial elections November 13.

Much of the state's violence has been attributed to a pseudo-religious drug cartel known as La Familia and more recently to an offshoot gang, The Knights Templar.

In the northern state of Sinaloa, six people were killed Friday during a shootout between two groups of armed men on a highway in the town of Guamuchil, assistant state prosecutor Martin Robles said.

All six dead were taken to a funeral home, and gunmen later burst into the facility and carried away three bodies. The other three victims were apparently passers-by caught in the crossfire, Robles said.

Sinaloa is considered the home of the drug cartel of the same name.

Bosnia: Terrorist attack outside of US Embassy

A man opened fire with an automatic weapon on Saturday in what authorities called a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Bosnia.

A policeman and the gunman were wounded, but the embassy said none of its employees was hurt.

Sarajevo Mayor Alija Behmen said the gunman "got off a tram with a Kalashnikov and started shooting at the American Embassy." Witnesses told Bosnian television that the man urged pedestrians to move away, saying he was targeting only the embassy.

He wore a beard and was dressed in an outfit with short pants that reveal his ankles typical for followers of the conservative Wahhabi branch of Islam.

One police officer guarding the building was wounded before police surrounded the gunman. After a 30-minute standoff, the sound of a single shot echoed and AP video showed the shooter slump to the ground.

Police arrested the wounded man who one of Bosnia's three presidents said is a foreigner and took him away in an ambulance as pedestrians cowered behind buildings and vehicles.

Hospital spokeswoman Biljana Jandric told The Associated Press the gunman had a minor wound to his leg, and would spend the night at the hospital before being released into police custody.

Bosnian TV identified the shooter as Mevlid Jasarevic, from Novi Pazar, Serbia. It said he is a Wahhabi follower. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic confirmed his identity.

The Wahhabis are an extremely conservative branch which is rooted in Saudi Arabia and linked to religious militants in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Team Anna meeting underway, rejig possible

Amid indications that Team Anna is going for a complete rejig, the core group is meeting here in Ghaziabad on Saturday at the office of Arvind Kejriwal-headed Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF).

The meeting is likely to discuss the crisis facing the team after it enmeshed in a series of controversies involving key members like Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi as well as the resignation of two prominent activists Rajinder Singh and PV Rajagopal, who cited the political turn taken by Hazare's anti-corruption movement as the reason for leaving the movement.

The meeting will also discuss the future course of action by the team amidst a renewed attack on Hazare by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who alleged that the Gandhian's anti-corruption agitation was part of an over-all plan of RSS-BJP to divert attention from right-wing terror.

Anna Hazare -- who is on a vow of silence since October 16 won’t attend the meeting -- will remain in touch on phone through his personal secretary. Besides Hazare, prominent member Justice Santosh Hegde, Medha Patkar and Kumar Vishwas are also not attending the Core Committee meeting. Hegde cited a “prior commitment” in Mumbai for not attending the meet.

Earlier yesterday, Kumar Vishwas, a prominent member shot off a letter to Hazare demanding suspension of the core committee and sought its expansion to make it more representative.

"Such attacks (against Team Anna members) and the subsequent clarifications will strengthen the conspiracy to divert the attention from the key issues...I request you to give greater representation to the Core Committee consisting of limited members and turn it into a hard-core committee comprising of 121 crore people.

“I once again urge you to suspend the present core committee and create a new system to enable us to see a corruption-free new India," Vishwas said in his letter to the Gandhian.

He said the leaders of the ruling party were targeting Hazare and each member of the core committee and trying to tarnish their public image and credibility.

Sushil wins Rs 5 cr on KBC-5

Sushil Kumar, the first person to win Rs 5 crore on KBC till date, remembers how he didn't have TV when KBC started and used to sneak into his neighbour's house to catch the show.

27-year-old Sushil Kumar from Motihari district of Bihar is the first claimant of Rs 5 crore prize money on the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. The humble guy, who worked as a computer operator in government's Mahatma Gandhi Scheme before he appeared on the show, admits that he had never imagined he would reach the final question on KBC.

"I used to test my knowledge by mock-playing KBC while watching it on TV and would usually answer questions till around Rs 25 lakhs to maximum Rs 50 lakhs on my own merit. So when on the show, I assumed to win not beyond that amount", says Sushil.

Like most television viewers, even Sushil Kumar has been an avid fan of Kaun Banega Crorepati since 11 years. "In fact when KBC started, I didn't have TV at my home so I would often watch the show at my neighbour's house. The city roads used to literally go blank when KBC was aired on TV".

Since Sushil never imagined he would win this kind of amount, he is still clueless on what he would be doing with the entire prize money. "I have no idea. The only thing I am certain about is that I will quit my current job and relocate to Delhi where I shall pursue my studies for IAS".

His knowledge of competitive exams helped him considerably in playing the game so well. "KBC has a balanced mix of questions on current affairs and general knowledge. So I used to keep myself updated with magazine and newspapers". It's certainly not an accidental win for Sushil Kumar who had two lifelines ('phone a friend' and 'double dip') unused at the 5 crore question. "Though I had a fair idea of the answer to the final question (since I had read about it while preparing for my exams), when it's a question of Rs 5 crores, you start doubting yourself. So I used both my lifelines and came clear", smiles Sushil.

Ask him what was his reaction on winning and Sushil says, "I was so excited that I started shouting and my happiness knew no bounds. In fact I was so overwhelmed at that moment that I can't clearly remember what I did".

Like any other contestant, Sushil holds host Amitabh Bachchan in high regards. "Anyone who has keenly followed KBC would vouch for the fact that Amitabh Bachchan treats every contestant with the same respect and dignity, irrespective of their social or economical backgrounds. He inspires and encourages everyone without any kind of discrimination. He treated me with the same level of love and respect and when I won 5 crores, he hugged me like an elder brother".

Finally does he see the attitude of society changing towards him with his historic win? "I am sensing that. People who never used to give me a second glance are now claiming, back in my hometown, that they are my best friends. They are giving interviews in newspapers of how well they know me. Certainly life has changed", says Sushil who is having the last laugh.

Floods inch closer to heart of Thailand's capital

Clambering aboard bamboo rafts and army trucks, residents living on the heavily inundated outskirts of Bangkok fled waterlogged homes Thursday as floodwaters inched closer to the heart of the threatened Thai capital and foreign governments urged their citizens to avoid all but essential travel.

Most of the city remained dry and most of its more than 9 million residents were staying put to protect their homes. Still, uncertainty over Bangkok's fate and the start of a government-declared five-day holiday fueled an exodus of thousands of people fearing the worst who took to clogged highways and air terminals to get out of town.

Tears welling in her eyes, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra acknowledged her government could not control the approaching deluge.

"What we're doing today is resisting the force of nature," Yingluck told reporters. She said the water bearing down on Bangkok was so massive that "we cannot resist all of it."

The floods, the heaviest in Thailand in more than half a century, have drenched a third of the country's provinces and killed close to 400 people. For weeks, they have crept down from the central plains, flowing south toward the Gulf of Thailand. Bangkok is in the way, and today it is literally surrounded by behemoth pools of water flowing around and through it via a complex network of canals and rivers.

By Thursday, flooding had inundated seven of Bangkok's 50 districts, most on the northern outskirts. There, roads have turned into rivers and homes and businesses are swamped. On a flooded key east-west artery, police were turning back small cars, telling them the road had become impassable.

The government has expressed deep concern over higher-than-normal tides expected through the weekend. Yingluck has warned the entire city could flood if the Chao Phraya river, which snakes its way through the heart of the metropolis, crests above flood barriers lining its banks.

The river has overflowed already, sending ankle-high water lapping at the white exterior walls of Bangkok's gilded Grand Palace, a highly treasured complex that once housed the kingdom's monarchy and is a major tourist attraction.

The water has receded with the tides, slightly flooding the area in the morning and evening, but leaving it bone dry in the afternoon.

After visiting the Grand Palace on Thursday, American tourist Kathy Kiernan said she wasn't too concerned about flooding in the capital.

"We were a little worried when we got in to see sandbags around our hotel," said the 47-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah. "But so far it's pretty normal. Everything looks fine, though we know anything can happen."

Though floods a day earlier swept through Bangkok's Don Muang airport and shut it down, the city's main international airport is operating as usual.

Several foreign governments issued advisories urging their citizens against all but essential travel to Bangkok. Britain's Foreign Office said "flooding is likely to disrupt transport, close tourist attractions and may affect electricity and water supplies."

The U.S. Embassy cautioned Americans that ground travel around Thailand was difficult and the situation should be monitored closely.

Buses, planes and trains at the city's transportation hubs were filling up, as many decided to wait out the floods in their home towns or in unaffected beach resorts to Bangkok's south and east.

As fears of urban disaster set in, emergency preparations continued.

Websites posted instructions on the proper way to stack sandbags. Many residents fortified vulnerable areas of their houses with bricks, gypsum board and plastic sheets. Walls of sandbags or cinderblocks covered the entrances of many buildings.

Residents stocking up on necessities have raided supermarket shelves, setting off a cycle of panic buying, and stores have posted notices that flooding has disrupted supply chains and left them unable to restock some items. But food was nevertheless plentiful, as most of the city's thousands of restaurants, bars and street-side food stalls were operating full-swing.

Nuntaporn Khorcharoen, whose home is adjacent to the heavily inundated Bang Phlat district, said her family had stocked up and was staying put.

"My father is adamant we have to stay to oversee the situation," the 30-year-old said. "He said even without electricity, we will still have something to live on."

Rajiv killers' pleas adjourned till Nov 29

The Madras High Court adjourned till Nov 29 the hearing on the petitions by the three men convicted for assassinating former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination to commute their death sentences even as the central government contended that the trio be hanged.

Murugan alias Sriharan, T. Suthendraraja alias Santhan and A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu had filed their plea to commute their death sentences. The case came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices C. Nagappan and M. Satyanarayanan.

On Aug 30, the court stayed the Sep 9 hanging of the three convicts, adjourned the hearing for eight weeks and issued notice to the central and state governments.

President Pratibha Patil Aug 11 rejected the mercy petitions of the three who are linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and sentenced to death for their involvement in Gandhi's May 21, 1991 assassination.

The central government contended in the high court that the three convicts should be hanged as the president had rejected their clemency petitions.

It contended that once the clemency petition is rejected by the president the proper course is to execute the sentence.

A petition for transfer of the case to the Supreme Court is pending with the latter.

Gandhi, who was the prime minister 1984-89, was killed by suicide bomber Dhanu at an election rally in Sriperumbudur near here. Fourteen others also lost their lives in the blast.

The Tamil Nadu assembly Aug 30 moved a resolution asking the president to review her decision rejecting the three mens' mercy plea and commute the death sentence to life imprisonment.

World's largest gold coin unveiled in Australia

Australia's Perth Mint unveiled on Thursday what it says is the world's largest gold bullion coin, weighing more than a tonne and worth Aus$53.5 million (US$55 million).

Embossed on one side with a leaping kangaroo and on the other with the profile of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, the coin was revealed in time to mark this week's Commonwealth summit to be opened by the monarch.

With a denomination of Aus$1 million, the coin was "the pinnacle of ingenuity and innovation", Perth Mint chief executive Ed Harbuz said.

"To cast and handcraft a coin of this size and weight was an incredible challenge -- one which few other mints would even consider," he added.

The massive coin weighs some 1,012 kilograms and is 99.99 percent pure gold. It is close to 80 centimetres wide and is more than 12 centimetres thick.

It took the historic mint some 18 months to produce the golden disc which will now go on public exhibition.

The Perth Mint opened in 1899 after the discovery of gold in Western Australia and it became the nation's third branch of Britain's Royal Mint. Ownership was transferred to the Western Australian government in 1970.

Microsoft world's best company to work for: Study

Software giant Microsoft has topped a list of the world's best multinational companies to work for, where all the top-ten positions have been bagged by American firms.

Internet giant Google has been ranked at the fourth place in the list of compiled by human resources consultancy 'Great Place to Work Institute'.

Microsoft is followed by software developer SAS and network storage provider NetApp at the second and third ranks, respectively, while logistics major FedEx Express is ranked fifth on the list of '25 best multinational workplaces'.

While there are no Asian companies on the list, all the top-ten positions have been bagged by the US firms. Also, 18 out of the total 25 firms on the list are from the world's biggest economy.

The inaugural rankings were based on opinion surveys of more than 2.5 million employees across the world about their workplace culture.

Others in the top-10 include IT company Cisco (sixth), hospitality giant Marriott (seventh), food and beverage service provider McDonald's (eighth), personal and household goods makers Kimberly-Clark (ninth) and SC Johnson (10th).

The HR consultancy that prepared the list said that the rankings recognize those global companies that have demonstrated "a truly serious commitment to creating workplaces that foster trust, pride and camaraderie amongst their employees."

The list also included UK-based Diageo (11th), American Express (12th), Medtronic (13th), Intel (14th), Hilti (15th), 3M (16th), (17th), National Instruments (18th), Mars (19th), Accenture (20th), Roche (21st), Novo Nordisk (22nd), The Coca-Cola Company (23rd), Atento (24th) and Quintiles (25th).

Only those companies were considered for the list which have have at least 5,000 employees worldwide and a minimum of 40 per cent (or 5,000 members) of their global workforce were outside of the company's home country, among other conditions.

Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable missile

Pakistan's military says it has test-fired a medium-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

An Army statement says the missile was fired on Friday.

It says the missile, named Hatf-7, has been developed in Pakistan and has a range of 440 miles (700 kilometres) that can hit targets in India.

Pakistan routinely tests such missiles which are mainly designed to match those of nuclear-armed neighbouring archrival India.

The two countries have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

The test of the "indigenously developed multi-tube" cruise missile system was successful, said a statement issued by the military.

The test was witnessed by Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee Khalid Shameem Wyne.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani congratulated the scientists and engineers on their achievement. The military statement said a special feature of today's test was the "validation of a new multi-tube missile launch vehicle".

Apart from Gen Wyne, those who witnessed the launch included Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lt Gen (Retd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai; Commander Army Strategic Force Command, Lt Gen Tariq Nadeem Gilani; and Chairman National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) Muhammad Irfan Burney.

US met Haqqani representative at ISI insistence'

The US held a meeting with a Haqqani network representative at the insistence of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, but this was not a negotiation, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told lawmakers.

"The ISI asked us to meet with a representative of the Haqqani Network. There was such a meeting. It was not a negotiation... There was no follow-up meeting," Hillary said in response to a question at a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan and Pakistan convened by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs yesterday.

"This was done in part because I think the Pakistanis hope to be able to move the Haqqani Network towards some kind of peace negotiation... And the answer was an attack on our embassy," Hillary said in response to a question from Congressman Steve Chabot.

Hillary emphasised the negotiations that would be part of any Afghan-led peace process would have to include the Quetta Shura which is still led by Mullah Omar.

"I think everyone agrees that the Haqqani Network has safe havens inside Pakistan, that those safe havens give them a place to plan and direct operations that kill Afghans and Americans," she said.

Hillary said there was a major military operation that was held in Afghanistan just in the past week that rounded up and eliminated more than a hundred Haqqani Network operatives.

“We are taking action to target the Haqqani leadership on both sides of the border. We're increasing our international efforts to squeeze them operationally and financially.”

"We are already working with the Pakistanis to target those who are behind a lot of the attacks against Afghans and Americans," she said.

"I made it very clear to the Pakistanis that the attack on our embassy was an outrage, and the attack on our forward operating base that injured 77 of our soldiers was a similar outrage.”

"And it was in both instances terrible, but the fact is we avoided having dozens and dozens of wounded or killed," she said.

In her remarks, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, questioned the Obama Administration's decision to both hold talks and go for crackdown on the Haqqani network.

"On the one hand, the US is negotiating with the Haqqani network, and yet on the other, we're attempting to destroy the network.”

"There have been some unwelcome developments since the President's announcement four months ago such as the multiple, high profile assassination of major leaders in Afghanistan," she said.

Explosives found under the bridge on Advani’s yatra route

In a security scare, explosives were found under a bridge on the route that was to be taken by senior BJP leader LK Advani in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu on Friday.

As per initial reports, two explosives in the form of pipe bombs were found hidden under a bridge in Tirumangalam, near to the spot where Advani was scheduled to address a rally.

The security personal recovered the explosives just 20 minutes before Advani was to pass through the route. Following the recovery, the yatra route was altered so as to avoid the stretch.

The police have cordoned off the entire area and are conducting combing operations.

As per reports, Advani was informed about the recovery of explosives but he chose to carry on with the yatra.

Nayef named Saudi crown prince

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has appointed Interior Minister Prince Nayef as the new crown prince, the Royal Court said in a statement issued on Friday, signalling an orderly process of future succession in the world's largest oil exporter.

"We chose His Royal Highness Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz as crown prince," said the statement, read on state television and carried on the kingdom's news agency SPA soon after midnight.

It said Nayef, who is in his 70s, was appointed after King Abdullah took his choice to a royal family body called the Allegiance Council, set up in 2006 to make the process of succession in the conservative Islamic nation smoother and more orderly.

It was the first time the council had been involved in the appointment of a new crown prince, a move that analysts had said would help to regulate an opaque system of succession.

Crown Prince Sultan died of colon cancer in New York almost a week ago. He was also the kingdom's defence and aviation minister for nearly five decades. No replacements for these positions have yet been appointed.

At stake is the stability of a key US ally, whose ruling al-Saud family wields great influence over Sunni Muslims through its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.

Just over a century ago, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud recaptured the family's historical stronghold of Riyadh from a rival clan, setting his family on a path of conquest from the Red Sea to the Gulf that eventually made the sleepy oasis town the capital of the world's foremost oil power.

As interior minister since 1975, a post to which he was reappointed in the Royal Court statement, Nayef has developed a reputation as a conservative with close ties to the Saudi religious establishment.

Nayef is sometimes portrayed as putting the brakes on the King Abdullah's cautious reforms which aim to reconcile the kingdom's conservative Islamic traditions with a youthful, increasingly outward looking population in the Middle East's largest economy.

Some 60 percent of Saudis are under the age of 30 and Internet penetration is 44 percent, according to internetworldstats.com.

India's richest getting poorer, says Forbes

India's richest are getting poorer, according to Forbes, as falling stock prices, corruption scandals in Asia's third-largest economy and a global slowdown wiped 20 percent off the total value of the country's 100 wealthiest in the last year.

Mukesh Ambani, head of Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company, retained the top spot with a value of USD 22.6 billion, despite seeing his net worth drop by USD 4.4 billion.

In the same period, Ambani completed construction of a 27-storey house in Mumbai, costing an estimated USD 1 billion.

The biggest loser in the list was Ambani's younger brother, Anil, whose net worth stood at USD 5.9 billion, down from USD 13.3 billion. His Reliance Group companies have been some of the worst performers on the Mumbai bourse this year.

A major drag for Ambani has been telecom firm Reliance Communications, which has USD 7.5 billion in debt and has so far failed in efforts to ease debt and raise money.

The combined wealth of India's richest 100 people fell to USD 241 billion in 2011, according to the Forbes India Rich List, which includes 57 dollar billionaires, a dozen less than a year earlier.

"This has been a turbulent year for India's richest," Naazneen Karmali, India Editor of Forbes Asia, said in a statement.

"Despite the economy growing at close to 8 percent, a spate of corruption scandals and rising inflation have taken a toll."

The world's second-fastest growing major economy after China grew only 7.7 percent in the three months to June, its weakest in 18 months, and Mumbai's benchmark stock index is down 16 percent since January.

India has raised its interest rates 13 times in 19 months, hurting demand for big-ticket items and making it more expensive for businesses to raise capital.

Of the 85 alumni from last year's list, 66 saw their worth drop this year. A net worth of USD 370 million was enough to make the 2011 list, down from USD 500 million a year ago.

Mukesh Ambani lead a top ten dominated by industrial tycoons, including ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal, who came in second with a net worth of USD 19.2 billion.

Energy and metal barons Shashi and Ravi Ruia lie fourth with a combined worth of USD 10.2 billion.

Kumar Birla, head of the fabrics-to-cement Aditya Birla conglomerate, Adi Godrej of the Godrej Group and construction tycoon Pallonji Mistry -- the largest individual shareholder of the Tata Group and father-in-law to Noel Tata, touted as a likely successor to Ratan Tata -- are also in the top ten.

Many of those companies are benefiting from India's plans to spend USD 1 trillion in the five years to 2017 to overhaul its creaking infrastructure, seen as a barrier to continued economic growth.

Only one name from India's showpiece IT sector made the top ten: Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro, India's No. 3 software services provider, ranked third with a net worth of USD 13 billion.

Savitri Jindal, head of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, was India's richest woman, sitting fifth on the list with a net worth of USD 9.5 billion. Jindal was one of only five women on the list of one hundred.

A USD 39 billion telecom scandal, likely India's largest ever graft scam, made its mark on the list, with two accused in the case, Vinod Goenka and Shahid Balwa, falling out of the top 100. Both deny any wrongdoing.

Debutants on the annual list include Kapil Bhatia and his son Rahul, founders of budget airline IndiGo, and V.G. Siddhartha, whose coffee shop chain Cafe Coffee Day gave him a net worth of USD 595 million.

India's biggest gainer in percentage terms was Brijmohan Lall Munjal, head of two-wheeler HeroMoto Corp, whose net worth rose to USD 2.7 billion in the year his firm ended a 26-year partnership with Japan's Honda Motor.

India's auto industry has seen car sales declining on high interest rates while families of four continue to buy two-wheelers, most of which can be bought without relying on loans.

Digvijay Singh: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is BJP’s Plan C

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, Thursday, claimed that after Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare, ‘Art of Living’ founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar would start a ‘campaign’ soon.

Digvijay tweeted: “Plan A - Baba Ramdev. Crashed. Plan B- Anna. ? Plan C - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar soon to start his campaign.”

Later talking to reporters Digvijay said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was trying to bring in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in their campaign against the government, while urging the spiritual guru not to get involved in this.

Singh said that the RSS had earlier brought in yoga guru Baba Ramdev and social activist Anna Hazare in the campaign.

"First they brought Baba Ramdev, and when he was exposed they came with Anna. We have heard now they are trying to bring Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji," he said.

“I have always been saying from day one that all these are over all plans of the RSS, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine. They want to divert the attention of the people of the country. From the issue of involvement of Sangh activists in terror act in Malegaon, Ajmer dargah, Hyderabad, Samjhauta express, so it’s overall plan to divert attention from corruption done by BJP members,” he added.

He further said that UPA government has taken all positive steps against issues of corruption under the leadership of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to check corruption.

“Right to Information Act was brought by us, Money Laundering Act was done by us…have taken action against corrupt people,” he added.

Further criticising the BJP, Singh asked: “Why BJP did not register the case against Bangaru Laxman under the prevention of corruption act when he was caught taking money on tape.”

“Why BJP MP was not sent to jail when caught on TV or camera taking bribe. Why case was not registered against Jaya Jaitley when she was caught on tape striking a deal with arms dealer in Defence Minister’s house. BJP record on charges of corruption has been pathetic,” he added.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has responded to Digvijay’s ‘plan’ tweet by saying that his comment is not worth responding too and that he doesn’t fear any one and will continue to raise his voice against the malice of corruption.

The Bangalore-based spiritual guru also advised Digvijay to enroll for the ‘Art of Living’ course.

The BJP also responded to Digvijay’s comment. Party spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said that the BJP must thank Digvijay for working to ensure the downfall of the Congress.

GoM meet Finance Minister for Air India's troubled today

The group of ministers (GoM) led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee looking into Air India's troubled financial situation will meet Friday, officials said.

According to an Air India official, the GoM would primarily look into the airline's performance as well as consider granting an additional equity to the flag carrier.

The official did not divulge details of the equity to be granted but said the grant would be substantial. The meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday, a civil aviation ministry said.

"The GoM would also consider our proposal of converting some of our short-term loans into long-term loans, thereby allowing us to save Rs.900-1,000 crore in interest payments per annum," the airline official said.

The GoM would also discuss the airline's order of 27 Boeing Dreamliners it placed in 2005-06.

Recently, Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said the government was not considering selling its stake in Air India.

"My first priority as a civil aviation minister is to bring Air India in no-profit, no-loss (situation)," he had said.

The last GoM meeting took place Aug 18 when the airline's credit limit by the state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) was extended by two-three months.

Earlier, the OMCs had put the flag carrier on a cash and carry basis -- which meant that the airline would have to pay every time it bought fuel from these companies.

Currently, the airline owes Rs.2,300 crore to the OMCs, from whom it buys Rs.17 crore worth fuel daily.

The GoM was formed to look into the airline's turnaround and financial restructuring plan, which is currently being reviewed by a sub-committee of secretaries.

According to official figures, Air India's cumulative losses amounted to Rs.22,165 crore, apart from a Rs.22,000 crore debt burden to buy new aircraft. The debt-ridden carrier has to pay almost Rs.3,200 crore in interest to its lenders.

Sensex zooms over 600 points amid global rally

The BSE benchmark Sensex shot up by over 619 points in the opening trade Friday on brisk buying by foreign funds, triggered by easing euro-zone debt crisis and indications by the RBI that it may pause rate hikes.

The 30-share index, which had gained over 500 points in the last three sessions, skyrocketed by 619.30, or 3.58 percent to 17,908.13 in the first five minutes of trading.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also surged, up 197.90 points, or 3.80 percent to 5,399.70, led by metal, banking, auto and IT sector.

The brokers said foreign funds turned net buyers, supported by a global equities rally following steps by European Union leaders to resolve the debt crisis in the euro region, especially, Greece.

Further, they said RBI's indication earlier this week that it may pause further rate hikes, fuelled the uptrend.

Meanwhile, in Asia, the Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up by 1.82 percent and the Japan's Nikkei rose by 1.19 percent in the morning trade Friday.