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26 killed in Mexico pipeline fire

A big fire erupted at a natural gas pipeline distribution center near Mexico’s border with the United States on Tuesday, killing 26 maintenance workers and forcing evacuations of people in nearby ranches and homes. Mexico’s state owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, initially reported 10 deaths at the facility near the city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas. Later, the death toll was raised to 26, including a man who was run over when he rushed onto a highway running away from the facility. Pemex said at a news conference on Tuesday night that the fire was extinguished in 90 minutes and the pipeline was shut off. The pipeline carries natural gas from wells in the Burgos basin. The company’s director general, Juan Jose Suarez, said four of those killed were Pemex employees and the rest were employed by contractors. He told reporters in Reynosa that 46 other workers were injured, including two hospitalized in serious condition. Suarez said they haven’t found any evidence showing it was an attack. Company executives said there was a gas leak, followed by an explosion, but the precise cause had not been determined. Civil protection officials evacuated ranches and homes within three miles (five kilometers) of the gas facility, which is about 12 miles southwest of Reynosa. Authorities didn’t say how many people were evacuated, but the area is sparsely populated, Tamaulipas state’s civil protection director Pedro Benavides told a Televisa station. 

Jayalalithaa seeks early hearing on Katchatheevu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister moved the Supreme Court to expedite the hearing of a writ petition filed by her in 2008 to declare as unconstitutional the 1974 and 1976 agreements between New Delhi and Colombo on ceding of Katchatheevu, an island off the Rameswaram coast, to Sri Lanka. The court had in January 2009 issued notice to the Centre seeking its response to the petition, which highlighted the sufferings of fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who inadvertently strayed into the island. In her petition, Ms. Jayalalithaa said because of the hostile attitude of the Sri Lankan Navy, fishermen feared to go fishing as they were either killed or taken into custody if they entered Katchatheevu. She said Katchatheevu was historically part of the Ramnad Raja’s zamindari and later became part of the Madras Presidency. The island had always been of strategic importance and special significance for fishing operations in the area. In or around 1921, Sri Lanka started claiming territorial rights over the island without any justification and notwithstanding such claims it continued to be part of India. The Tamil Nadu government in September 2011 filed an application to implead itself in the case bringing on record the resolution passed by the State Assembly on June 9, 2011 to retrieve Katchatheevu. It referred to a Supreme Court judgment in the 1960 Berubari case in which it was held that cessation of the territory of India to a foreign country should be made with the approval of both Houses of Parliament by way of a constitutional amendment. However, in respect of Katchatheevu, the island was ceded to Sri Lanka without the approval of Parliament. It said the revenue records of Tamil Nadu had recognised Katchatheevu to be part of India. She said she had written letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, bringing to his notice the double standards adopted by the Sri Lanka government.

Agni 4 test flight today

The stage is set, probably for the final developmental test-flight of one of India's longest range missiles the nuclear weapons capable Agni 4 from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast on Wednesday. The trial was planned for Tuesday, but recent heavy rains caused a delay in carrying out checks to various sub-subsystems of the 4,000 km range surface-to-surface missile. This will be the third trial of Agni-IV, with the first one ending in failure and the second hitting the target on bang. Hectic preparations are on at the Wheeler Island for the launch by missile technologists of the DRDO. Two naval ships are anchored near the target point in the Indian Ocean to record the terminal event. Agni 4  is expected to be inducted into the Services early next year after the completion of the developmental trials. The two stage solid fuel propelled missile is lighter than Agni-III because of the composite rocket motor casings. It is designed to carry a payload of 1,000 kg. Its re-entry vehicle is equipped with heat shield to enable the payload withstand searing temperatures of more than 3,000 degrees Celsius. The missile’s advanced ring-laser gyro based INS ensures a high degree of accuracy. The Agni 4 trial will be followed by Agni-III's test-firing by the personnel of Strategic Forces Command on September 21. DRDO scientists are also planning to shortly conduct the first trial of the subsonic cruise missile, Nirbhay. The terrain-hugging missile, with a range of 1,000 km, could be launched from multiple platforms. A top DRDO official said the advantage with the “fast-reaction” Nirbhay was that it would be difficult for enemy radars to detect it. 

Protest turns violent, Chennai police chief shifted

Chennai witnessed yet another anti-U.S. protest that turned violent, city Police Commissioner J.K. Tripathy was transferred. The transfer came days after the U.S. mission in the city was attacked by a large crowd of Muslims protesting against the controversial film Innocence of Muslims. The protesters almost entered the consulate after breaching the security cordon with ease. S. George, Additional Director General of Police, a 1984 IPS officer, was named successor to Tripathy, who has been shifted as ADGP.  Tripathy held the post of Commissioner since May last year. The stretch of Anna Salai from the Mount Road Dargah to Spencer Plaza, was a scene of violence, as the police resorted to lathi- charge to control members of various Islamic organisations who had hurled stones at the police. On the fifth day of the protest against the American film, over 5,000 people belonging to nearly 25 Islamic organisations gathered near Holy Dargah Hazrath Syed Moosa Sha Khaderi, popularly called Mount Road Dargah, around 3.30 p.m. They shouted slogans against U.S. President Barack Obama; flung footwear at his pictures and burnt his effigies and the American flag. Over the last few days, Muslim outfits held such protests. Mohammed Munir, vice-president, India Thowheed Jamaath, said Tuesday’s protest was to show the collective strength of Muslims. The government also effected changes in respect of a couple of other police officers. T.K. Rajendran, ADGP Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, was made ADGP (Law and Order). Satish Kumar Dogra, now ADGPIG, would be the new Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

Non bailable warrant against Udayakumar

The Judicial Magistrate Court at Valliyoor on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant against Anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Struggle Committee member S. P. Udayakumar after he failed to appear before the court in a case filed against him in connection with the ongoing protest. Since the launch of agitation against the project by Dr. Udayakumar from Idinthakarai, the police had registered a few hundreds of cases against the leaders and articipants. The police also registered a case against Meera Udayakumar in March after she called on her husband at the protest venue defying prohibitory orders clamped under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Subsequently, summonses were served on her and her husband recently, asking them to appear before the trial court at Valliyoor on Tuesday. Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and former Chief Minister of Kerala V. S. Achuthanandan, who was on his way to Idinthakarai to address anti-nuclear power protesters, returned to Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday after he was being stopped on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border by police personnel from Kanyakumari district. Later, speaking to presspersons, Mr. Achuthanandan said he was not going there to create any untoward scene. He also expressed his disappointment that he could not meet Dr. Udayakumar.

Kasab Sends Mercy Petition to President

The 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict Ajmal Kasab has sent his mercy petition to President Pranab Mukherjee. Kasab's mercy plea has been filed through the Arthur road jailor to the President's office. Kasab has been sentenced to death in the 26/11 case.   If executed, Kasab will be the 52nd person to be hanged in India since independence. Kasab has ahead of him people like Mohammed Afzal Guru, the terrorist condemned to the gallows for his involvement in the December 2001 Parliament attack case, awaiting the President's decision on his mercy petition. On August 29, the Supreme Court had confirmed the death penalty awarded to the LeT operative by the trial court and later upheld by the Bombay High Court. A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and CK Prasad had dismissed the 25-year-old's plea challenging his conviction and death sentence in the 26/11 case.

UPA confident of Trinamool support

A day ahead of the Trinamool Congress meeting in Kolkata, a newly-energised United Progressive Alliance appeared confident that the 19 MP-strong party would not pull out from the government. The worst the Congress anticipates, a party functionary said, is that West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee may withdraw her six Ministers at the Centre. He, however, added that talks were on with the Trinamool to avert that as well. Unlike last year, when Ms. Banerjee’s threat to leave the UPA forced the government to suspend its plans to allow FDI in multibrand retail, this time, the Manmohan Singh government is in no mood for compromise. Neither is the Congress. For, even as Finance Minister Chidambaram told a group of journalists on Monday that there would be no roll back on any of the recent economic decisions, Congress functionaries, too, endorsed the government’s tough line. The only point on which the Congress differs with its government is on limiting the number of LPG cylinders to six per household at the current price. Congress sources said the government had been told that the figure of six needs to be increased to eight to 10. Indeed, on Monday, the Sheila Dikshit government showed the way by announcing that in Delhi, each household would be entitled to nine subsidised LPG cylinders annually.

De allocation could tell on GDP growth, warns Moily

Claiming that nothing was amiss in coal blocks allocation, Union Power Minister Veerappa Moily assailed the BJP for stalling Parliament on the issue. Coal blocks were allocated to the private sector after taking into consideration its massive contribution in power generation and after a process of competitive bidding, he said. Any action now could affect the economy. The ratio of power to GDP growth of a country is 1:1.5. If you want 9 per cent GDP growth, you ought to produce 8 per cent of power and if you aspire for 10 per cent GDP growth, your power production should be at 9 per cent. Moily warned that the Opposition move to sabotage the development plan could set the country’s growth back by decades. We spent 60 years to be able to grow at 9 per cent annually. Maybe we would need another 80 years to come back if this kind of sabotage develops, he told in Shillong. Slamming the BJP, he said it will face the music like they did in 1982 by winning only two Parliament seats. If they cannot be responsible as a constructive Opposition, they have no business to be in power again. On the private sector contribution to power production, he said it went up from a mere 20 per cent during the 10th Plan period to a “massive 55 per cent” by the end of the 11th Plan. The 54,000 MW produced during the 11th Plan was comparable to the generation of the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Plans put together. 

Bail to Nupur Talwar

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the trial court to release Dr. Nupur Talwar on bail on September 25 in the case of the murder of her teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj. A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and J.S. Khehar disposed of Nupur’s appeal against the order of the Allahabad High Court, which dismissed her bail plea on May 31. She has been in jail from April 30. Aarushi, 14, was found dead in her bedroom at the Talwars’ residence at Noida on the intervening night of May 16-17, 2008. The body of Hemraj was found on the terrace on May 17. At the last hearing on August 13, the Bench asked the CBI to complete recording the evidence of 13 crucial witnesses by September 17. During the resumed hearing, Additional Solicitor General Siddarth Luthra, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation, said nine of them had been examined, one witness was dropped and two others a maid and a guard were not traceable. He opposed bail to Nupur, stating the trial would be completed by December end. Her counsel, K.V. Viswanathan, however, said there was no allegation that she attempted to influence witnesses. He pointed out that she was never an accused during the course of investigation and that she had cooperated with the CBI. Refuting the CBI’s statement, counsel said it would take at least 90 more weeks to complete the trial. In its order, the Bench said made it clear to the trial court that it should complete examination of the remaining witnesses by September 24. Whether or not the job was over, it should release Nupur on bail the next day.

CBI grilling in coal scam

Two weeks after it filed a first set of five FIRs in the coal case, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday questioned Arvind Jayaswal, Director of the Nagpur-based AMR Iron and Steel Pvt. Ltd, whose company is alleged to have given false information and concealed crucial facts to get the Bander coal block in Maharashtra allotted in 2009. CBI sources said Mr. Jayaswal was asked about his alleged meeting with the then Minister of State for Coal in September 2008 to claim that his company was not part of the Jayaswal Group, but its equity was held by the Lokmat Group, Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd and IL&FS. The company had also allegedly admitted before the Minister to having got five blocks earlier, though this information was not disclosed while filing the application for the said block. The sources said Jayaswal was confronted with papers showing how his firm concealed and misrepresented equity participation of IL&FS and the Lokmat Group to get the coal block allotted. During the eight-hour questioning, CBI sleuths asked him about the role of government officials who allegedly helped the firm get the coal block. Arvind’s two brothers Manoj and Ramesh who are Directors in the firm, have also been named in the FIR, apart from Devendra Darda, son of Congress MP Vijay Darda. They are likely to be called for investigation in the next few days, the sources said. According to the FIR, the preliminary enquiry has revealed that AMR Iron and Steel Pvt. Ltd. Misrepresented or concealed facts in the application form to qualify for allotment and obtain wrongful gains or undue benefits in connivance with unknown public servants. The CBI is inquiring into the alleged role of Coal Ministry officials who wilfully did not make all these necessary investigations.

Modi thanks PM for Birthday greetings

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are among the leaders who sent their good wishes to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on his 63rd birthday on Monday. However, within hours of his writing on Twitter that he was extremely thankful to Dr. Singh for his greetings, Mr. Modi attacked the Prime Minister for betraying the people of the country. He said the Prime Minister betrayed youth to whom he had promised jobs and provided none; betrayed the common masses to whom he had promised he would contain inflation but did nothing, and betrayed the women whom he assured that price rise would be controlled and instead helped it rise further. Modi began the day, visiting his mother, who stays with his brother in Ahmedabad, and later offered prayers at the Amba Mata temple at Ambaji before launching his Vikas Yatra and addressing addressed a youth convention in Rajkot. BJP national president Nitin Gadkari was present at Ambaji and greeted him. On the occasion, Modi raised the age limit for State government jobs from 25 to 28, and to 30 in cases where it was 28 now. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, socially and educationally backward classes and women would enjoy an additional benefit of five years in age limit. Modi raised the age limit within minutes of the State Congress announced its poll promise to increase it to 35 for government jobs. Modi asked the people whether they were happy with the progress Gujarat had achieved in his regime. cricketer and BJP leader Navjyot Singh Siddhu was present at the youth convention. Senior BJP leaders L. K. Advani, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj sent birthday greetings to Modi.

4 awards for Apollo Hospitals

The Apollo Hospitals Group has bagged the Asian Hospital Management Awards 2012 in four categories. It received awards for customer service, corporate social responsibility, cost reduction and patient safety. The Apollo Hospital in Delhi received an award for its Community Outreach programme, while the one in Kolkata received recognition for its Increased productivity through reduction of length of stay. The awards were given in 11 categories, for which 363 entries from 89 hospitals in 12 countries were received. Ms. Sangita Reddy, Executive Director, Operations, described it as a proud moment for all at the Apollo Hospitals Group.

Kabul suicide bomber kills 9 in revenge for anti Islam film

A suicide bomber driving a small sedan rammed into a mini bus believed to be carrying foreign aviation workers near Kabul airport, killing nine people. The explosion took place on Tuesday on a large avenue northwest of the city centre near Kabul International Airport. The director for Kabul police says at least eight men believed to be foreign nationals working for an aviation company at the airport were killed. He said their Afghan driver was also killed. An AP reporter on the scene saw at least six bodies next to the destroyed mini van, which was tossed about 50 meters by the explosion. A spokesman for an Afghan militant Islamist group said they carried out the suicide attack in reprisal for an anti Islam film that ridicules Prophet Muhammad.

HC confirms death for convicts in BPO murder case

  The Bombay High Court upheld the death sentence of two people in the 2007 rape and murder case of a Pune BPO employee Jyotikumari Chaudhari. Chaudhari, 22, was raped and killed in November 2007 by her office cab driver Purshottam Borate and a friend of his, Pradip Kokatewhile they picked her up for a late night shift. Her body was found at Wadgaon, off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, on the outskirts of Pune a day later. The men worked for a logistics company which used to supply vehicles to the call centre. Purushottam Dasharath Borate, 31, and his friend Pradeep Yashwant Kakade, 26 - both residents of Gahunje in Maval tehsil of Pune district - had filed appeals challenging their conviction. According to the prosecution case, the duo hatched a conspiracy and abducted, gang-raped and brutally killed a BPO employee working with Wipro BPO Company at Hinjewadi in Pune. Borate was the driver of the car that picked up the victim, working in night shift, from her residence around 10.15pm on November 1, 2007. However, instead of dropping her at the office, the duo took her to a secluded place near their native village and raped her. They then slashed her wrist with a blade, strangulated her using her own dupatta, and thereafter smashed her head with a stone in order to make it difficult to identify her. Next day, a local spotted the blood-soaked body and informed the police, who arrested the duo two days later. On March 20, 2012, sessions judge AM Badar convicted the accused and handed down two counts each of death sentence and life imprisonment for conspiracy, murder, gang-rape and kidnapping. 

Modi says Rahul can contest elections in Italy

  Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today lashed out at Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, saying that the young leader was an international leader who could contest election in Italy. Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had described Modi as a regional leader, and termed Rahul a national leader. Saying that he is happy being a regional leader, Modi said he did not consider Rahul as a national leader. The Gujarat Chief Minister also criticized the Manmohan Singh-led UPA 2 Government for not fulfilling promises made in its election manifesto in 2004.  

Expedition 32 crew lands safely as Sunita takes over command

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over the command of the International Space Station, becoming the second woman in history to do so, even as a three-member crew of the Expedition 32 returned safely to earth, wrapping up a mission lasting more than four months. The three-man crew onboard a Russian-made Soyuz capsule touched down successfully in central Kazakhstan steppe this morning after spending 123 days at the Space Station. Just after the Soyuz spacecraft separated from the space station yesterday, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams took over command of Expedition 33 at the station from Commander Gennady Padalka, becoming the second woman in history to do so. Williams will be sharing the Space Station with veteran Russia cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide until mid-October, when three more astronauts, including NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, will arrive and round out the full crew of Expedition 33. Flight Engineer Joe Acaba of NASA, Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin of the Russian Federal Space Agency, landed north of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan this morning. They arrived at the station on May 17 and spent 125 days in space, 123 of which were aboard the orbiting laboratory. The trio are expected to have a difficult time readjusting to life on earth, especially Mr Revin and Mr Acaba, who are coming off their first long-term stay aboard the orbiting international space lab, NASA sources

Congress has forgotten Bofors lesson, says BJP

The Opposition has taken strong exception to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s remark that people would soon forget the coal scam like the Bofors case, with the BJP pointing to the Congress’ massive loss in the general election after that episode. In Pune Shinde said that earlier the Bofors was a talking point... people forgot about it. Now it is coal… this too will be forgotten. Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav asked his old friend to concentrate on the working of the Home Ministry rather than making reckless comments.

Nupur Talwar Gets Bail in Aarushi Murder Case

Aarushi Murder Case, Nupur Talwar Bail: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to murdered teenager Aarushi Talwar's mother Nupur. The court has said that she should be released by September 25th. Nupur's lawyers argued that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was dragging its feet in the case and it would take two years for the case to be decided. The lawyers argued that important material and critical witnesses had been presented and questioned, so there was no chance of Talwars influencing any one. She has been in judicial custody for four months for her alleged role in the double murder of her daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.

School student dies after taking de worming tablet

A Government programme in which students are given de-worming tables went awry here on Saturday. Khusbhoo, a fifth standard student of the Marwawri Hindi Vidyalaya school died soon after she took the tablet. An enquiry has been ordered. The autopsy suggested that the death was due to asphyxia. The girl was the eldest of four children of Beni Mandal and Mamata who migrated to the city from Bihar. The girl was normal when she left home in the morning. Her younger sister, Madhuri and brother Shankar are in fourth and third classes respectively in the same school. The albendazole 400 mg tablet was given to about 140 students after the interval at 10 a.m. The student complained of pain in the throat to her teacher Rama Devi. Within minutes, she struggled for breath. The school staff rushed her to a nearby urban health centre. As her condition deteriorated, she was taken to the government hospital at Pan Bazar before being rushed to the Gandhi Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Initially, the body was handed over to the parents, they took it to home. Advised by the neighbours, they later approached the Ramgopalpet police who registered a case of suspicious death under Section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code and got the autopsy done at the Gandhi Hospital morgue. The Medical and Health Department officials present during the post-mortem said no traces of the tablet were found in the girl’s body. However, the forensic experts are yet to finalise the cause of death and submit a report. The government announced Rs. 1.5 lakh compensation and a house to the victim’s family.