Fashion week in Delhi – Day 2

Big star cast helping its cause

Massive stage settings, rock concerts and music as a binding factor, Ajay Devgn-Salman Khan starrer "London Dreams", which releases on Oct 30, relies on the bond of friendship more than its rock background.

Produced and directed by Vipul Shah, the movie stars Asin Thottumkal in the female lead, while Akshay Kumar will be seen in a cameo. Rannvijay Singh and Om Puri too feature in the movie.

“’London Dreams' is a drama about two friends and their relationships, their roles, individuality and problems," Ajay told IANS.

Added Asin: "It is a musical with a lot of emotions and twists in the story. But it's something that heavily relies on music."

Shot extensively in Paris and London, the story revolves around childhood friends Arjun (Ajay) and Mannu (Salman) who have a music lineage in their family history.

Arjun dreams of being on stage as a performer to live up to his grandfather's unfulfilled ambitions while Mannu has little interest in the instruments of his father, a music teacher.

Arjun's determination takes him to London where he forms a band with Priya (Asin) and others. But his friend Mannu tries to make his livelihood as a wedding band performer in the village.

Arjun eventually invites Mannu to London to complete his band contrary to his own belief that the latter can create a competition.

But Mannu surprises him by turning out to be an entertainer. With his unique style, he becomes more popular with the audiences leaving Arjun envious. His insecurity increases when he realises Priya is smitten by Mannu.

The band embarks on a three-city tour where Arjun deceives Mannu into promiscuous sex and illicit drugs. As the tour concludes, the band heads to London to perform at Wembley Stadium where Mannu comes to senses and chooses the righteous path and supports his friend.

"London Dreams" has managed a good buzz, courtesy the big names associated with it.

She makes uncharacteristic effort to hide cracks in relationship

Rumours of trouble between Salman and Katrina are stronger than ever. More tongues wagged after Saturday’s incident, when Salman apparently did not include Katrina in his guest list for a bash at his residence.

This prompted Katrina to make an uncharacteristic effort to mend her strained relationship.

On Sunday (May 31), before flying off to Malaysia to shoot for a shampoo ad, Katrina spent considerable time with Salman on the sets of his movie “Wanted Dead or Alive” at the Film City in Mumbai.

She was with Sallu not just in his vanity van but also on the sets, in full public view. This behaviour is quite unlike her because normally she is not welcoming of even being photographed with Salman in public.

The couple even had dinner together along with other unit members, including Boney Kapoor, Vashu and Jackky Bhagnani and Arjun Kapoor.

Katrina was with Salman till pack up, after which he personally went to drop her till her car and she drove off to the airport.

It is up to us to read between the lines and decide whether all’s well between them or are they making an effort to paint a rosy picture to hide the cracks caused by the John-Katrina linkup, which has left Salman furious.

One thing is sure though, Katrina will have to continue making the effort and giving Sallu comfort. After all, she is likely to be working in Dostana 2 opposite Sallu’s two pet hates – John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan – and we don’t even want to think of how angry this will make him.

Banks, consumer help equity funds better benchmark in Oct

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - All but one of diversified stock funds posted negative returns in October, tracking the benchmark's worst performance in a year, but their exposure to financials and consumer goods softened the blow.

Around 320 such funds, which form the largest category of stock funds by number and assets under management, saw their unit values fall an average 4.5 percent in the month, data from global fund tracker Lipper, a Thomson Reuters company, showed.

But nearly 90 percent of such funds fell less than the benchmark stock index which fell 7.2 percent, its worst monthly fall in a year, as weak quarterly earnings from some large corporates dented investor sentiment.

"Mutual funds shifted to defensive sectors like consumer, healthcare and financials anticipating correction in equities, given higher index levels," said Chintamani Dagade, senior research analyst at Morningstar India.

Morningstar data showed such funds had around 5.76 percent of their assets in cash at September-end but Dagade said it is likely that they increased cash holdings in their portfolios during the last month.

Banking stocks fell 5.2 percent in the month helping limit the fall as stock funds had investments of more than 250 billion rupees or 14.3 percent of their overall assets in such companies at September-end, ICRA Online data showed.

Funds which invest in consumer goods clocked an impressive average return of 6.4 percent during the period, making them top gainers among equity funds, as the BSE FMCG index rose 9 percent.

Microsoft CEO eyes Yahoo partnership outside U.S.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Thursday the company could look to extend its search engine partnership with Yahoo outside the United States, if it gets regulatory approval.

Earlier this year Microsoft and Yahoo signed a 10-year Web search partnership to challenge Google Inc, a pact that U.S. and European antitrust regulators are evaluating.

"It's possible that we will extend that partnership (with Yahoo) outside the U.S.," Ballmer told reporters at a news conference. "We will have to wait and see if we can get approval and consummate that partnership inside the U.S. first."

Microsoft has said it believes the deal will close in early 2010, and that they can make significant progress on integration in one or two major markets next year.

DETROIT/PARIS (Reuters) - The global meltdown and resulting implosion in vehicle sales over the past year have pressured everyone in the automotive se

PARIS (Reuters) - From the Soviet-era production lines of Togliatti to the assembly plants of Antwerp or Sicily, politics is driving -- and more often obstructing -- the sorely needed restructuring of the global automobile industry.

Despite chronic production overcapacity, notably in Europe and the United States, politicians of all stripes are deeply reluctant to let a single manufacturer go to the wall.

As a result, alliances of car makers such as Renault-Nissan or Fiat-Chrysler are more likely than outright takeovers or failures. Consolidation is likely to be concentrated in the suppliers sector, where there is less national prestige at stake and less political sensitivity.

Why did the German government commit billions of taxpayers' euros in an election year to rescue stricken car maker Opel while simultaneously refusing to spend less than half as much to save twice as many jobs at fallen retailer Arcandor?

The answer is that heavily unionised workers in the auto sector wield political clout out of proportion to their numbers. Since the industry controls the fate of towns or regions, politicians are deeply reluctant to see car factories close.

Reuters Summit - Slowdown pressures entire auto sector

DETROIT/PARIS (Reuters) - The global meltdown and resulting implosion in vehicle sales over the past year have pressured everyone in the automotive sector, creating opportunities for some players while leaving others subject to bankruptcy, consolidation or concessions.

The heads of auto suppliers Valeo SA and Dura Automotive Systems Inc said at the Reuters Auto Summit in Paris and Detroit on Tuesday that their companies intend to buy assets in the sector's continuing consolidation.

Meanwhile, pressures faced by factory workers on both sides of the Atlantic were on display as the United Auto Workers rejected concessions for Ford Motor Co, while those in Europe agreed to cuts for General Motors Co's Opel unit.

Valeo CEO Jacques Aschenbroich said the French supplier was looking at acquisitions in safety and comfort, vision and energy savings, saying the global economic crisis would lead to consolidation in the parts sector.

"After every crisis, there's a wave of consolidations.

There are more OEMs today than a few years ago," he said in Paris, referring to major automakers. "Of course, we want to be an actor of this consolidation in the years to come."

Financial results will be better than previously expected by the end of 2009 due to car scrapping programs implemented across Europe, Aschenbroich added.

Auto sales in Europe and the North America have been hurt in the past year as customers tightened purse strings amid a weak economy. The economic meltdown came on the heels of already-weakening vehicle demand amid record-high gasoline

Food price index rises 13.39 pct yr/yr Oct 24

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's food price index was up 13.39 percent in the 12 months to Oct. 24, while the fuel index was down 6.2 percent, the government said on Thursday.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry said it will release monthly data for all commodities for October on Nov. 12.

On Wednesday, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and a close aide to the prime minister, said food price inflation was a concern but it should moderate by the end of this year.

Late last month, India's central bank raised the WPI inflation projection to 6.5 percent with an upside bias by end-March 2010, from 5.0 percent earlier.

The wholesale price index is more closely watched than the consumer price index, which is published monthly, because it covers a higher number of products and is released weekly.

JMM announces first list for Jharkhand Assembly polls

The JMM on Saturday night announced its first list of candidates for the five-phase Assembly elections in Jharkhand beginning November 25.

JMM president Shibu Soren's son Hemant Soren is among the 32 candidates whose name figured in the first list, a party release said.

Former deputy chief minister Sudhir Mahato and former Lok Sabha member Suraj Mandal are the other senior leaders who were allotted tickets.

The JMM had already taken a decision to contest alone in all the 81 constituencies.

Deriba Merga, Mary Keitany win Delhi half marathon

Ethiopian Deriba Merga won the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in men's category while Kenya's Mary Keitany won the women's category.

The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon began with almost 30,000 participants. The open category of the main event was the half-marathon of 21.097 km. The other three categories were the Great Delhi Run (7 km), senior citizen's run (4.3 km) and wheelchair Event (3.5 km).

While more than 8,500 participants took part in the half marathon, altogether 30,000 runners took part in the event, of which the Great Delhi Run drew the maximum number of participants, both professional runners as well as people from every walk of life.

The event in its fifth edition has grown in popularity and size, now offering a whopping $210,000 in prize money.

The world's richest half-marathon saw male and female winner get $25,000 each. The top 10 finishers will also get handsome cash rewards.

The Indian winners get $4,000 each, with top 10 finishers winning separate purses.

Shah Rukh Khan and Rahul Bose were among the famous people who were present at the marathon.

International stars at the marathon included Ethiopians Deriba Merga, Deriba Alemu and Aselefech Mergia and Wilson Kipsang, Mary Keitany, the world half-marathon champion, of Kenya.

Deriba Merga, Mary Keitany win Delhi half marathon

Ethiopian Deriba Merga won the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in men's category while Kenya's Mary Keitany won the women's category.

The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon began with almost 30,000 participants. The open category of the main event was the half-marathon of 21.097 km. The other three categories were the Great Delhi Run (7 km), senior citizen's run (4.3 km) and wheelchair Event (3.5 km).

While more than 8,500 participants took part in the half marathon, altogether 30,000 runners took part in the event, of which the Great Delhi Run drew the maximum number of participants, both professional runners as well as people from every walk of life.

The event in its fifth edition has grown in popularity and size, now offering a whopping $210,000 in prize money.

The world's richest half-marathon saw male and female winner get $25,000 each. The top 10 finishers will also get handsome cash rewards.

The Indian winners get $4,000 each, with top 10 finishers winning separate purses.

Shah Rukh Khan and Rahul Bose were among the famous people who were present at the marathon.

International stars at the marathon included Ethiopians Deriba Merga, Deriba Alemu and Aselefech Mergia and Wilson Kipsang, Mary Keitany, the world half-marathon champion, of Kenya.

Indian Oil fire rages on, 2 more bodies found

Two more bodies were spotted at the burning IOC fuel depot in Jaipur on Sunday, pushing the toll to 10, even as the fire died out in six of the 11 storage tanks but spread to the roof of a nearby private building.

The unidentified charred bodies were sighted in the wee hours near one of the blazing tanks, but it was not possible to reach there because of the heat, Inspector General of Police B.L. Soni said.

The fire spread to the roof of the building which houses a private electronic and instrument company called Genus Overseas Ltd, 200 metres from the IOC complex wall, at about 0700 hours, chief fire officer Ishwar Lal Jat said. Firemen present there could extinguish the flames within two hours, he said.

However, there were no casualties as no one was present in the building.

The roof was continuously being cooled but due to high temperature and wind direction, the flames spread, Jat said. Fire died out in six of the 11 storage tanks since Saturday while it continued to blaze in five tanks which included that of petrol and kerosene, he said.

It will possibly take about one more day for the fire to die out in the burning tanks, he said. With the tracing of the two bodies, the official toll in IOC fire has risen to 10, the IGP said.

Five bodies were identified and the rest were being kept in SMS hospital mortuary, the police officer said.

The bodies were handed over to relatives after completing necessary formalities, he added.

The 34 injured people were being treated at a number of hospitals in the state capital, Soni said.

When asked whether any police case has been registered in connection with the fire and related deaths, the IGP said no IOC official came to lodge a complaint

The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of C

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna held talks with his counterparts, Yang Jiechi of China and Sergei Lavrov of Russia, on a wide range of regional and international issues in this Indian IT hub.


A joint declaration said the three ministers discussed ways to expand their trilateral cooperation on issues like international terrorism, the global financial crisis, climate change, energy security and the reform of international bodies.


The resurgence of Taliban-led violence in Afghanistan figured prominently in the discussions.


This was the ninth trilateral meeting between Foreign Ministers of the three emerging economies that hold the key to an emerging international order.


"We discussed trilateral action against terrorism and transnational crime," Krishna said at a joint press interaction with his counterparts from Russia and China.


Krishna said the three Foreign Ministers identified "common approaches" in addressing a host of regional and international issues.


Yang described the meeting as a "very productive one" and underlined that it marked a "new progress" in trilateral cooperation. He emphasised that the three countries shared "similar approaches" on regional and international issues.


Yang also called for greater democracy in international relations and underlined the need for creating "a more just and equitable international order".


Lavrov emphasised the need for enhanced cooperation in combating rising terrorism in Afghanistan and the common stake of the three countries in the restoration of peace and stability in the violence-torn country.

Chennai: The Indian government is ready to release Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) to Sri Lanka if needed for the rehabilitation of Tamils affected by the

Attari (Amritsar): The BSF on Saturday gifted sweets and fruits to
at the international border here as a gesture of goodwill on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights. BSF Commandant S H Dhillon handed over seven boxes of traditional Indian sweets and a big basket of fruits to the Wing Commander of Pakistan Rangers Mohhammad Akbar Ali Bhatt at the joint check post at Attari Border. The BSF presented the sweets and fruits to their Pakistan counterparts in colourful paper wraps.
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Both Indian and Pakistani soldiers mixed with one another, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries on the occasion. Indian troops also handed over sweets to their Pakistani counterparts in Poonch, defence sources said here. A column of troops led by Colonle JP Yadav handed over eight boxes of sweets and dry fruits to Pakistani side represented by Colonel Asad at Chakan-da-Bagh crossing point along Line of Control this morning, they said. Asad, while exchanging greetings to his Indian counterpart prayed for peace between the two neighbouring countries. Bureau Report

India may release Rs 5 bn to Sri Lanka'

Chennai: The Indian government is ready to release Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) to Sri Lanka if needed for the rehabilitation of Tamils affected by the internal strife there, union Home Minister P Chidambaram said here on Sunday. "The Indian government has already announced financial assistance of Rs.500 crore for the rehabilitation of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. We are ready to sanction a similar amount if needed," he told reporters.
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Chidambaram met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at his residence Sunday and discussed the report submitted by MPs of the ruling alliance after their visit to Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camps. According to Chidambaram, the union cabinet will discuss the suggestions made by the Karunanidhi government. He said around 5,000 Tamils have been sent back to their original places of residence after the trip of the Indian MPs

No need of cricketing ties with India: Alam

Karachi: National coach Intikhab Alam accused the Indian media of triggering and fanning the match-fixing debate here and said the Pakistan Cricket Board should decide whether there is any need to restore cricketing ties with a neighbour which is "hell bent" on damaging them."The Indian media should be ashamed of itself for creating these stories about our team being involved in match-fixing in the Champions Trophy," a furious Alam said in an interview."All this stuff about our team being involved in match-fixing started because of a report in some Indian newspapers and since then they have carried out a relentless campaign to defame us," he said."Maybe it is time we also reviewed our cricket relations with India and decided whether we really need to play them when they are hell bent on trying to damage us," said Alam, who had coached the Punjab Ranji team in India.Alam was shocked that a parliamentarian like Jamshed Dasti, who heads the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, made a noise on the basis of the reports in India."The truth is that it is hard for the Indians to digest the fact that this year in two major tournaments their team, whom they tagged as favourites, was eliminated in the first round and our team not only won the Twenty20 World Cup but also reached the semifinal of the Champions Trophy," he said.
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"It is hard for them to accept that we did much better than their team in the Twenty20 World Cup and Champions Trophy," he said.Alam said it was shameful that although the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit had expressed no concerns whatsoever, the Indian media was creating all sorts of stories."They even came up this story that myself and Younus Khan have been sacked. I don't know from where they got this story. It is laughable because our board has full confidence in me and the captain," he said.Alam also hit out at Jamshed Dasti stating he should be very careful while giving statements on cricket matters.

Mumbai to host 2011 Cricket WC Final

New Delhi: Mumbai has been formally announced as the host for the final match of 2011 World Cup while one semi-final match will be played at Mohali.It has also been decided to award a quarter-final match to Ahmedabad while Kolkata will organise four World Cup matches including a game involving India.
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In a statement released by BCCI, it stated that as many as 29 matches will take place in India while the remaining matches will be divided between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Video Local Organising Committee of the ICC CWC 2011 met in Mumbai today to finalise the venue-based distribution of matches.The 29 matches that are to be played in India during the ICC CWC 2011 will be as follows:Mumbai - Final + 2 gamesMohali - Semi Final + 2 gamesAhmedabad - Quarter Final + 2 gamesDelhi - 1 India game + 3 gamesChennai - 1 India game + 3 gamesBangalore - 1 India game + 3 gamesNagpur - 1 India game + 3 gamesKolkata - 1 India game + 3 games

'Suspected cricketers' asked to stay back in Bangalore

Bangalore: The two Jammu and Kashmir cricketers, who were detained after explosives detectors found traces of RDX in their kit bag, prompting the nervous organisers of the Champions League to delay the start of the quarterfinal league matches, were asked to stay back in Bangalore until the police got the final forensic examination report. Bangalore police on Sunday informed that the cricketers can leave Bangalore if and only the forensic report clears them of the charge. Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said that they are expecting to get the final forensic report by tomorrow. Earlier on Saturday, the arrest of Parvez Rassol, an Under-22 J&K cricketer, threw the police into a tizzy with two League A matches of the high-profile tournament being scheduled in the Chinnaswamy stadium where the player was staying. "Though we have not found any explosives in the bag, we suspect that some residue of the explosive may be in the bag which may have been used in the past for carrying explosives or transporting them elsewhere," Bidari said. "We have seized the bag and detained the owner, Parvez Rassol, a first year BA student from Bij Bahara in Anantnag district of J&K for questioning," he said. Sources said the state police have already sent a request to its counterparts in J&K to do a background check on the player. Meanwhile, a Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association official said that nothing has been found from the two cricketers picked up by the police for questioning. "Our boys had gone to play some matches in Cuttack and from there they went to Bangalore yesterday. After landing in Bangalore, they got accommodation through Karnataka Association in the stadium itself and before entering the stadium they were checked (this morning)," Saleem Khan, secretary of JKCA said.

BRING HOME THE MOVIES

If you are a movie buff living in a reasonably big house, with a strong desire to splurge this Diwali, read on. But if you would rather sweat it out by driving to the nearest multiplex and queue up for the latest Hollywood flick, this might not be your idea of entertainment.To start with, let’s make it clear that home theatre bliss does not end with the five speakers that you have propped up around your large LCD monitor. It means recreating the cinema experience in its entirety, though at a much smaller scale, within your home. And this means you should be prepared to spare a room in your house and have at least Rs 2 lakh to spend for the venture. Once done, however, you will find that the effort has been worth every penny. Here is how:
CHOOSE THE ROOMA room that is 10X20 feet is a good size for setting up a home theatre to seat up to six persons. Ideally, the length of the room should be double the width for good viewing. But since you are most likely to pick from one of the rooms available in the house, a good consultant can work around most dimensions.

ISRO eyes more satellite launches from Europe, US

Indian Space Research Organisation has reached an understanding with Arianespace under which the European space consortium would scout for small satellites in Europe to be launched by ISRO.
ISRO is a long-time customer of the European aerospace giant, which has launched 12 Indian satellites from 1988 to 2007. Another heavy Indian satellite in the present series is expected to be launched by Arianespace, but the date has not yet been finalised, ISRO Chairman, G Madhavan Nair said.
Asked if the association with Arianespace would come to an end after the next launch, he said, "No, actually, we are trying to develop it further. They are good for heavy-lift launches. Whenever we have payloads of more than four tonnes, we may have to depend on them".
At the same time, Nair said ISRO is trying to make use of Arianespace to get launch opportunities from Europe.

Pak withdraws spl concession to US officials at intl airport

Pakistan government has withdrawn a special concession whereby US officials and diplomats were allowed to travel without their baggage being checked at the international airport here in the wake of several incidents of American personnel being detained with unlicensed weapons.
The concession was offered to US officials and diplomats by former President Pervez Musharraf after the 9/11 terror attacks.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued orders for withdrawing the facility at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport from October 15.
Under the concession, US officials and their vehicles "enjoyed unchecked arrivals and departures" and their luggage was not scrutinised at the airport, 'The News' daily reported on Wednesday.
The decision to withdraw the concession was made by the Defence Ministry, which controls the CAA

Suicide bomber kills 10 in Pakistan - officials

A suicide car bomber set off his explosives outside a police station in the northwestern Pakistani town of Kohat on Thursday killing 10 people, police and military officials said.
"Some school children are among the dead," a policeman at the scene said.

Gunmen, bomber hit 4 sites in Pakistan; 41 dead

Suspected Taliban militants on Friday unleashed a fresh wave of terror in Pakistan storming three security facilities in Lahore in near-simultaneous attacks and carried out a suicide bombing at a police station in northwestern Kohat city, leaving at least 41 people dead.
At least 20 people - 16 security personnel and four civilians -- were killed in attacks on an office of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and two police training facilities in Lahore by three groups of terrorists between 9.15 am and 9.40 am local time, police said.
Ten of the attackers were gunned down by security forces or blew themselves up. Nearly 40 people were injured in all the attacks.
In Kohat, 11 people died when the suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the police station in Kohat.
Witnesses said the bomber slammed his vehicle into the outer wall of the police station, causing a massive blast.

Indian MIG-29K Naval fighters undergo tests on Russian carrier

Four MiG-29K ship-borne fighters developed for the Indian Navy have been successfully flight tested onboard a Russian aircraft carrier.
"During the tests on September 28-29, the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB (trainer) fighters conducted several landings and take offs on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in the Barents Sea," the MiG Corporation said.
Admiral Kuznetsov is the only aircraft carrier in service with the Russian Navy.
The flight tests were carried out prior to the delivery of these fighters to India. Though, the retrofit of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov is delayed, the delivery of MiG-29K and their trainer version is on schedule.
The deck landing and take-off, the most crucial element of the carrier borne fighters' flight, were performed by the MiG Corporation's team of test pilots in the presence of the Indian naval officials on board Russia's carrier.

India, Russia to launch fifth generation fighter jets

India and Russia will launch the joint fifth generation fighters by year end and have agreed to collaborate to develop heavy lift cargo helicopters and futuristic infantry combat vehicles.
The path for more hi-tech defence collaboration between Moscow and New Delhi was paved with the signing of the joint defence protocol by Defence Minister AK Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov.
The protocol extends military interaction between the two countries till 2020 and this is expected to make the path clear for inking more major defence joint ventures during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in early December.
The protocol was signed here at the end of 9th session of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on military-technical cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) after assurances
from Moscow that all pending issues like the delivery of aircraft carrier Gorshkov and nuclear submarine Nerpa would be resolved at the earliest.

Lankan Prez says de-mining needs to be done carefully

Colombo: Describing as challenging the task of removing mines for speedy resettlement of Tamil refugees, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday said these explosives would have to be cleared from the North, which was once held by the LTTE, without leaving any margin for error.
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"The speedy resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) once affected by (LTTE) terrorism is engaging our utmost attention. It is a significantly more difficult task than most would imagine," Rajapaksa said, addressing the 8th Ministerial Meeting of Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) here. Rajapaksa had also assured an Indian MPs' delegation, which left the Island nation yesterday after a five-day visit, that 58,000 of the 2.53 lakh internally displaced Tamils would be sent home from the camps in the next fortnight and the rest in a phased manner He told the ACD meeting that the process of de-mining would have to be carried out with "great care and attention." For the government, the key objective that the internally displaced are able to depart from the temporary facilities, where they are at present accommodated, to their homes, "at the earliest possible opportunity," Rajapaksa said. "But resettlement has to be approached with care. Large areas where people lived or used for economic activity, such as agriculture, have been extensively mined by the terrorists," he said. "Those mines have to be removed, but de-mining takes time as it has to be done with great care and attention, leaving no margin for error." On the progress towards peace since the defeat of the LTTE in May, Rajapaksa referred to the recent local body elections in North. "Democracy in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka was severely damaged by terrorism. I am proud to state that my Government has re-introduced to those parts of our country, this fundamental entitlement. We have had elections in both the North and the East," he said. "Former militants entered the democratic process, choosing the ballot over the bullet, and now serve in the legislatures at both provincial and national levels," he said. Rajapaksa said the Sri Lankan government was now engaged in rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed by terrorism and stimulating economic development. "We are also continuing to ensure the further strengthening of the human rights." "At the same time, we believe that our defeat of terrorism could be an encouraging example, to the rest of the international community. While we had the political support of many friendly nations, success came mainly through our own effort," he told the foreign delegates.

Lahore under attack: Pak Taliban attack 3 police centres, 26 killed

Lahore: Within days of attacking the Pak Army HQ in Rawalpindi, terrorists struck again on Thursday in the eastern city of Lahore. Armed terrorists attacked three areas in the city early morning – Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building, Elite Force Headquarters, Manawan Training Centre. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have suggested that Civil Lines police station has also come under attack. Pak Taliban has claimed responsibility for such audacious attacks. FIA building Militants entered a building housing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a premier law enforcement organisation that deals with matters ranging from immigration to terrorism, at around 9:30 am and took some hostages. However, SSP Operations has claimed that the building is now cleared of militants.
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According to Pakistani official, seven people have been killed when a team of gunmen attacked the federal law enforcement building on Temple Road. Senior official Sajjad Bhutta said that the attack lasted about 1 1/2 hours and was over by 11 am. He said the dead included one terrorist, two children and four government employees. Senior police official Chaudhry Shafiq says the dead terrorist wore a suicide jacket laden with explosives. One attacker has been reportedly taken into custody from FIA building. Two bodies were recovered near the gate of the FIA building, SP Civil Lines Haider Ismail told reporters. He said a suicide jacket and grenades were recovered from the spot. The dead terrorist was also carrying packets of dates and dry fruits. Security officials said this indicated he probably planned to take hostages and hole up in the building. The terrorist were eliminated after Elite Force and Rangers personnel entered the FIA building. Guards deployed at the gate stopped the attacker before he could enter the FIA office. Security forces evacuated the office and nearby buildings and launched a search for three more terrorists believed to be in the area, said SP (Investigation) Haider Ashraf. The FIA office that was attacked this morning is located next to another building of the same agency that was targeted by a suicide car bomber in March last year. In that attack, 24 people were killed and scores injured. Elite Force Headquarters The Army commandos gunned down all five terrorists involved in the attack on Elite Force Headquarters on Bedian Road, Lt Gen Shafqat Ahmad told reporters. The headquarters is about 6 km from the airport. Earlier, witnesses had said around 10 terrorists lobbed several grenades and then opened fire before entering the centre.
According to TV news channels, the terrorists scaled the back wall of the elite police commando training centre. Seven security personnel were also killed in the attack. "They (terrorists) all seem to be young boys aged between 18 and 20. Three of them wearing suicide jackets blew themselves up," Ahmad said. Lahore Police Commissioner Khusro Pervez said the terrorists were heavily-armed and carried explosives. He said Army commandos were called in to end the terrorist siege at Bedian Road. Television footage showed helicopters in the air over one of the police facilities and paramilitary forces with rifles and bulletproof vests taking cover behind trees outside a wall surrounding the compound. Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) personnel were the first one to enter the compound to assist the injured. As per their report, the injured officials revealed that there were four women in police uniforms in the group of 8-10 terrorists. However, this claim was denied by Army and police officials. Scores of policemen surrounded the training centre. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the site to take the dead and injured to nearby hospitals. However, media has been asked to vacate the area as explosions could still be heard from the compound. Officials said a large parade was to be held at the centre today. Police Training Centre Even as the security personnel were taking stock of the situation, another group of ultras stormed the Police Training Centre at Manawan on the outskirts of the city. Unconfirmed reports also claimed that three explosions were heard at Manawan. According to reports, a group of four terrorists, each wearing a suicide jacket laden with explosives, carried out the attack on the Manawan centre. Reports said several police recruits had been taken hostage at the Manawan centre. Meanwhile, Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore said one of the terrorists wearing a suicide jacket blew up when he was shot by policemen and the other three, who were clad in black, blew themselves up. SSP (Operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmad said seven policemen and four terrorists were killed at the Manawan facility. Terrorists had in March this year stormed the police training centre at Manawan, which is located close to the other training facility attacked this morning. Civil Lines police station Witnesses have claimed to have heard gunfire near Civil Lines police station. Notably, the police station is near Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) building. ‘Situation under control’ Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has confirmed that FIA building is now cleared of the militants. However, he said the situation was under control. “It’s a guerrilla war. Our forces are alert and they have given stiff resistance.” "The perpetrators are carrying out an agenda. The handlers behind the attacks do not want peace," he said. He said all the four provinces have been put on red alert and security has been beefed up at all the key installations. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the bloodshed that has engulfed the nation over the past 11 days would not deter the government from its mission to eliminate the violent extremists, according to a statement on the state-run news agency. There were no security lapses on our part, Pak govt insisted, hinting they had prior information regarding the attack. Today's attack was also part of a new trend of terrorists storming the facilities of security agencies. Last week, a group of terrorists attempted to storm the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Nine attackers and 14 security personnel and civilian employees of the armed forces died in the assault.
Zeenews Bureau Lahore: Within days of attacking the Pak Army HQ in Rawalpindi, terrorists struck again on Thursday in the eastern city of Lahore. Armed terrorists attacked three areas in the city early morning – Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building, Elite Force Headquarters, Manawan Training Centre. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have suggested that Civil Lines police station has also come under attack. Pak Taliban has claimed responsibility for such audacious attacks. FIA building Militants entered a building housing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a premier law enforcement organisation that deals with matters ranging from immigration to terrorism, at around 9:30 am and took some hostages. However, SSP Operations has claimed that the building is now cleared of militants.
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According to Pakistani official, seven people have been killed when a team of gunmen attacked the federal law enforcement building on Temple Road. Senior official Sajjad Bhutta said that the attack lasted about 1 1/2 hours and was over by 11 am. He said the dead included one terrorist, two children and four government employees. Senior police official Chaudhry Shafiq says the dead terrorist wore a suicide jacket laden with explosives. One attacker has been reportedly taken into custody from FIA building. Two bodies were recovered near the gate of the FIA building, SP Civil Lines Haider Ismail told reporters. He said a suicide jacket and grenades were recovered from the spot. The dead terrorist was also carrying packets of dates and dry fruits. Security officials said this indicated he probably planned to take hostages and hole up in the building. The terrorist were eliminated after Elite Force and Rangers personnel entered the FIA building. Guards deployed at the gate stopped the attacker before he could enter the FIA office. Security forces evacuated the office and nearby buildings and launched a search for three more terrorists believed to be in the area, said SP (Investigation) Haider Ashraf. The FIA office that was attacked this morning is located next to another building of the same agency that was targeted by a suicide car bomber in March last year. In that attack, 24 people were killed and scores injured. Elite Force Headquarters The Army commandos gunned down all five terrorists involved in the attack on Elite Force Headquarters on Bedian Road, Lt Gen Shafqat Ahmad told reporters. The headquarters is about 6 km from the airport. Earlier, witnesses had said around 10 terrorists lobbed several grenades and then opened fire before entering the centre. According to TV news channels, the terrorists scaled the back wall of the elite police commando training centre. Seven security personnel were also killed in the attack. "They (terrorists) all seem to be young boys aged between 18 and 20. Three of them wearing suicide jackets blew themselves up," Ahmad said. Lahore Police Commissioner Khusro Pervez said the terrorists were heavily-armed and carried explosives. He said Army commandos were called in to end the terrorist siege at Bedian Road. Television footage showed helicopters in the air over one of the police facilities and paramilitary forces with rifles and bulletproof vests taking cover behind trees outside a wall surrounding the compound. Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) personnel were the first one to enter the compound to assist the injured. As per their report, the injured officials revealed that there were four women in police uniforms in the group of 8-10 terrorists. However, this claim was denied by Army and police officials. Scores of policemen surrounded the training centre. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the site to take the dead and injured to nearby hospitals. However, media has been asked to vacate the area as explosions could still be heard from the compound. Officials said a large parade was to be held at the centre today. Police Training Centre Even as the security personnel were taking stock of the situation, another group of ultras stormed the Police Training Centre at Manawan on the outskirts of the city. Unconfirmed reports also claimed that three explosions were heard at Manawan. According to reports, a group of four terrorists, each wearing a suicide jacket laden with explosives, carried out the attack on the Manawan centre. Reports said several police recruits had been taken hostage at the Manawan centre. Meanwhile, Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore said one of the terrorists wearing a suicide jacket blew up when he was shot by policemen and the other three, who were clad in black, blew themselves up. SSP (Operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmad said seven policemen and four terrorists were killed at the Manawan facility. Terrorists had in March this year stormed the police training centre at Manawan, which is located close to the other training facility attacked this morning. Civil Lines police station Witnesses have claimed to have heard gunfire near Civil Lines police station. Notably, the police station is near Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) building. ‘Situation under control’ Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has confirmed that FIA building is now cleared of the militants. However, he said the situation was under control. “It’s a guerrilla war. Our forces are alert and they have given stiff resistance.” "The perpetrators are carrying out an agenda. The handlers behind the attacks do not want peace," he said. He said all the four provinces have been put on red alert and security has been beefed up at all the key installations. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the bloodshed that has engulfed the nation over the past 11 days would not deter the government from its mission to eliminate the violent extremists, according to a statement on the state-run news agency. There were no security lapses on our part, Pak govt insisted, hinting they had prior information regarding the attack. Today's attack was also part of a new trend of terrorists storming the facilities of security agencies. Last week, a group of terrorists attempted to storm the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Nine attackers and 14 security personnel and civilian employees of the armed forces died in the assault.

Lahore under attack: Pak Taliban attack 3 police centres, 26 killed

Lahore: Within days of attacking the Pak Army HQ in Rawalpindi, terrorists struck again on Thursday in the eastern city of Lahore. Armed terrorists attacked three areas in the city early morning – Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building, Elite Force Headquarters, Manawan Training Centre. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have suggested that Civil Lines police station has also come under attack. Pak Taliban has claimed responsibility for such audacious attacks. FIA building Militants entered a building housing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a premier law enforcement organisation that deals with matters ranging from immigration to terrorism, at around 9:30 am and took some hostages. However, SSP Operations has claimed that the building is now cleared of militants.
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According to Pakistani official, seven people have been killed when a team of gunmen attacked the federal law enforcement building on Temple Road. Senior official Sajjad Bhutta said that the attack lasted about 1 1/2 hours and was over by 11 am. He said the dead included one terrorist, two children and four government employees. Senior police official Chaudhry Shafiq says the dead terrorist wore a suicide jacket laden with explosives. One attacker has been reportedly taken into custody from FIA building. Two bodies were recovered near the gate of the FIA building, SP Civil Lines Haider Ismail told reporters. He said a suicide jacket and grenades were recovered from the spot. The dead terrorist was also carrying packets of dates and dry fruits. Security officials said this indicated he probably planned to take hostages and hole up in the building. The terrorist were eliminated after Elite Force and Rangers personnel entered the FIA building. Guards deployed at the gate stopped the attacker before he could enter the FIA office. Security forces evacuated the office and nearby buildings and launched a search for three more terrorists believed to be in the area, said SP (Investigation) Haider Ashraf. The FIA office that was attacked this morning is located next to another building of the same agency that was targeted by a suicide car bomber in March last year. In that attack, 24 people were killed and scores injured. Elite Force Headquarters The Army commandos gunned down all five terrorists involved in the attack on Elite Force Headquarters on Bedian Road, Lt Gen Shafqat Ahmad told reporters. The headquarters is about 6 km from the airport. Earlier, witnesses had said around 10 terrorists lobbed several grenades and then opened fire before entering the centre.
According to TV news channels, the terrorists scaled the back wall of the elite police commando training centre. Seven security personnel were also killed in the attack. "They (terrorists) all seem to be young boys aged between 18 and 20. Three of them wearing suicide jackets blew themselves up," Ahmad said. Lahore Police Commissioner Khusro Pervez said the terrorists were heavily-armed and carried explosives. He said Army commandos were called in to end the terrorist siege at Bedian Road. Television footage showed helicopters in the air over one of the police facilities and paramilitary forces with rifles and bulletproof vests taking cover behind trees outside a wall surrounding the compound. Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) personnel were the first one to enter the compound to assist the injured. As per their report, the injured officials revealed that there were four women in police uniforms in the group of 8-10 terrorists. However, this claim was denied by Army and police officials. Scores of policemen surrounded the training centre. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the site to take the dead and injured to nearby hospitals. However, media has been asked to vacate the area as explosions could still be heard from the compound. Officials said a large parade was to be held at the centre today. Police Training Centre Even as the security personnel were taking stock of the situation, another group of ultras stormed the Police Training Centre at Manawan on the outskirts of the city. Unconfirmed reports also claimed that three explosions were heard at Manawan. According to reports, a group of four terrorists, each wearing a suicide jacket laden with explosives, carried out the attack on the Manawan centre. Reports said several police recruits had been taken hostage at the Manawan centre. Meanwhile, Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore said one of the terrorists wearing a suicide jacket blew up when he was shot by policemen and the other three, who were clad in black, blew themselves up. SSP (Operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmad said seven policemen and four terrorists were killed at the Manawan facility. Terrorists had in March this year stormed the police training centre at Manawan, which is located close to the other training facility attacked this morning. Civil Lines police station Witnesses have claimed to have heard gunfire near Civil Lines police station. Notably, the police station is near Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) building. ‘Situation under control’ Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has confirmed that FIA building is now cleared of the militants. However, he said the situation was under control. “It’s a guerrilla war. Our forces are alert and they have given stiff resistance.” "The perpetrators are carrying out an agenda. The handlers behind the attacks do not want peace," he said. He said all the four provinces have been put on red alert and security has been beefed up at all the key installations. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the bloodshed that has engulfed the nation over the past 11 days would not deter the government from its mission to eliminate the violent extremists, according to a statement on the state-run news agency. There were no security lapses on our part, Pak govt insisted, hinting they had prior information regarding the attack. Today's attack was also part of a new trend of terrorists storming the facilities of security agencies. Last week, a group of terrorists attempted to storm the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Nine attackers and 14 security personnel and civilian employees of the armed forces died in the assault.
Zeenews Bureau Lahore: Within days of attacking the Pak Army HQ in Rawalpindi, terrorists struck again on Thursday in the eastern city of Lahore. Armed terrorists attacked three areas in the city early morning – Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building, Elite Force Headquarters, Manawan Training Centre. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have suggested that Civil Lines police station has also come under attack. Pak Taliban has claimed responsibility for such audacious attacks. FIA building Militants entered a building housing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a premier law enforcement organisation that deals with matters ranging from immigration to terrorism, at around 9:30 am and took some hostages. However, SSP Operations has claimed that the building is now cleared of militants.
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According to Pakistani official, seven people have been killed when a team of gunmen attacked the federal law enforcement building on Temple Road. Senior official Sajjad Bhutta said that the attack lasted about 1 1/2 hours and was over by 11 am. He said the dead included one terrorist, two children and four government employees. Senior police official Chaudhry Shafiq says the dead terrorist wore a suicide jacket laden with explosives. One attacker has been reportedly taken into custody from FIA building. Two bodies were recovered near the gate of the FIA building, SP Civil Lines Haider Ismail told reporters. He said a suicide jacket and grenades were recovered from the spot. The dead terrorist was also carrying packets of dates and dry fruits. Security officials said this indicated he probably planned to take hostages and hole up in the building. The terrorist were eliminated after Elite Force and Rangers personnel entered the FIA building. Guards deployed at the gate stopped the attacker before he could enter the FIA office. Security forces evacuated the office and nearby buildings and launched a search for three more terrorists believed to be in the area, said SP (Investigation) Haider Ashraf. The FIA office that was attacked this morning is located next to another building of the same agency that was targeted by a suicide car bomber in March last year. In that attack, 24 people were killed and scores injured. Elite Force Headquarters The Army commandos gunned down all five terrorists involved in the attack on Elite Force Headquarters on Bedian Road, Lt Gen Shafqat Ahmad told reporters. The headquarters is about 6 km from the airport. Earlier, witnesses had said around 10 terrorists lobbed several grenades and then opened fire before entering the centre. According to TV news channels, the terrorists scaled the back wall of the elite police commando training centre. Seven security personnel were also killed in the attack. "They (terrorists) all seem to be young boys aged between 18 and 20. Three of them wearing suicide jackets blew themselves up," Ahmad said. Lahore Police Commissioner Khusro Pervez said the terrorists were heavily-armed and carried explosives. He said Army commandos were called in to end the terrorist siege at Bedian Road. Television footage showed helicopters in the air over one of the police facilities and paramilitary forces with rifles and bulletproof vests taking cover behind trees outside a wall surrounding the compound. Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) personnel were the first one to enter the compound to assist the injured. As per their report, the injured officials revealed that there were four women in police uniforms in the group of 8-10 terrorists. However, this claim was denied by Army and police officials. Scores of policemen surrounded the training centre. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the site to take the dead and injured to nearby hospitals. However, media has been asked to vacate the area as explosions could still be heard from the compound. Officials said a large parade was to be held at the centre today. Police Training Centre Even as the security personnel were taking stock of the situation, another group of ultras stormed the Police Training Centre at Manawan on the outskirts of the city. Unconfirmed reports also claimed that three explosions were heard at Manawan. According to reports, a group of four terrorists, each wearing a suicide jacket laden with explosives, carried out the attack on the Manawan centre. Reports said several police recruits had been taken hostage at the Manawan centre. Meanwhile, Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore said one of the terrorists wearing a suicide jacket blew up when he was shot by policemen and the other three, who were clad in black, blew themselves up. SSP (Operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmad said seven policemen and four terrorists were killed at the Manawan facility. Terrorists had in March this year stormed the police training centre at Manawan, which is located close to the other training facility attacked this morning. Civil Lines police station Witnesses have claimed to have heard gunfire near Civil Lines police station. Notably, the police station is near Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) building. ‘Situation under control’ Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has confirmed that FIA building is now cleared of the militants. However, he said the situation was under control. “It’s a guerrilla war. Our forces are alert and they have given stiff resistance.” "The perpetrators are carrying out an agenda. The handlers behind the attacks do not want peace," he said. He said all the four provinces have been put on red alert and security has been beefed up at all the key installations. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the bloodshed that has engulfed the nation over the past 11 days would not deter the government from its mission to eliminate the violent extremists, according to a statement on the state-run news agency. There were no security lapses on our part, Pak govt insisted, hinting they had prior information regarding the attack. Today's attack was also part of a new trend of terrorists storming the facilities of security agencies. Last week, a group of terrorists attempted to storm the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Nine attackers and 14 security personnel and civilian employees of the armed forces died in the assault.