Cyclone Phailin hit the Indian coast, a little south of Gopalpur in Odisha, between 8.30 to 9 pm today at a windspeed of 200 km per hour, Indian Meteorological Department officials said. 

Power was switched off in a dozen towns in coastal districts of Odisha since morning in view of Cyclone Phailin, which made landfall near Gopalpur in Ganjam district. 

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, who had filed his nomination to contest for the presidentship of the Mumbai Cricket Association at its biennial election on October 18, today suffered a huge setback as his application was rejected on the basis of the residential criteria. 

Broken glass pieces, wood shreds and asbestos sheets flew like killer projectiles in adjoining cities of Gopalpur and Berhampur, moments after severe cyclone Phailin slammed into Gopalpur beach. 

Cyclone Phailin, which made landfall with a wind-speed of 200 kmph near Gopalpur town in Odisha tonight, is likely to maintain the intensity of a very severe cyclonic storm for six hours, the IMD said.        

The CBI today questioned a 35-year-old woman, who has alleged that former Rajasthan former minister Babulal Nagar sexually assaulted her, and also inspected the politician's official residence.        

Surat police have arrested an aide of Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman Asaram, in connection with the sexual assault case registered against him.        

Indian Railways today said it had taken the required steps and put its machinery on stand-by to manage operations in the areas which are likely to be affected by Cyclone Phailin.        

Cyclone Phailin has made landfall in Gopalpur in Odisha, the Indian Meteorological Department has confirmed.

Four fishermen of a coastal village in Nagapattinam district were injured when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan fishermen off Kodiakarai coast today.     

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today said that soon after independence, Ram Manohar Lohia had warned Jawaharlal Nehru of the threat from China.

Fearing a backlash by followers of Asaram, Gujarat police officials are camping in Jodhpur and waiting for orders from their seniors to take the self-styled godman to Ahmedabad despite getting his transit remand.        

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed government agencies to extend all possible assistance to the states concerned in ensuring safety of people as Cyclone Phailin approaches the east coast.

Suspected Naxals axed to death a 45-year-old police constable and injured another police official in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh today, police said.        

India took the hardest hit during the recent financial market turmoil, but the country has also staged the "strongest recovery", Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said today. 

Political parties should be brought under the ambit of the Right to Information Act to ensure transparency in governance and strengthen the trust of the people in democracy, Union minister Shashi Tharoor said today. 

Keeping open the option of military action against banned militant groups, Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani today said any peace talks with them must be held within constitutional limits. 

Former Lok Sabha Speaker and senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi today met party president Uddhav Thackeray, a day after appearing to have indirectly criticised the latter's leadership style. 

The Chhattisgarh government has issued an alert to all its departments in view of Cyclone Phailin, which is likely to trigger heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the area between south Bastar and capital Raipur.     

The Election Commission has issued instructions for Chief Electoral Officers of states and Union Territories to introduce the 'None of the Above' option during polls to enable voters to exercise their right to not vote for any particular candidate while maintaining secrecy.       

Continuing his offensive against the Congress, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today alleged that the party was resorting to its "old policy of meddling" into the religious affairs of Sikhs. 

Their focus primarily on avoiding any loss of human life, authorities have evacuated more than 5.25 lakh people from the coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with Cyclone Phailin set to hit the eastern coastline.        

Upping the ante against the BJP, Congress today accused the opposition party of trying to grab power in the national capital after a hiatus of 15 years by misleading people on issues like power, water and governance.        

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker and his son have been booked on the charges of forgery and usurping property.        

The Supreme Court has been informed by the Centre that an income tax probe into the allegations against NHRC Chairman K G Balakrishnan and his relatives -- of having amassed disproportionate assets during his tenure as CJI -- has unearthed no incriminating evidence.        

Faced with the looming prospect of a debt default, President Barack Obama today appealed to Congress to pass the budget while pushing Republicans to agree to hike the borrowing limit to prevent an "economic shutdown".        

Joining the 'Rahul for PM' clamour in the Congress, Union Minister for Transport Road and Highways Oscar Fernandes today said that Rahul Gandhi had all the capabilities to become the prime minister.        

Six people have been killed in Odisha in cyclone-related incidents today.  

The latest from NDMA: West Bengal is on high alert ahead of Cyclone Phailin. Coastal districts of East Midnapore, 24 Parganas are expected to be affected.

Nearly 5 lakh people have been evacuated from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh.

This is the biggest deployment so far for the NDRF, 2300 personnel have been deployed in two states. 20 medical teams have been flown in. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation today questioned Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.   

Met department's latest bulletin: Cyclone Phailin is 90 km off the coast of Gopalur in Odisha. It may hit with a wind speed of 200 to 220 kmph. Current observations of wind in Gopalur is 150 kmph. US forecasters have been over estimating the strength of the cyclone.   

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today returned home after a four-day visit during which he attended the East Asia and ASEAN summits in Brunei and paid a bilateral visit to Indonesia. The visits paved the way for expansion of trade ties with the countries of the region even as India announced the setting up of a separate mission for ASEAN with a full time ambassador.

With Cyclone Phailin hours away from hitting the coast of Odisha, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth today took stock of the preparedness of various central agencies assigned to provide relief to those affected and restore normalcy in the aftermath.   

Top officials from the ministries of home, defence, petroleum, telecom, health, food, railways,drinking water and sanitation participated in the meeting, which will now be a daily affair to ensure "proper coordination", official sources said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said the army, navy and NDRF teams are in place to tackle with Cyclone Phailin.

Talking about relief and rescue preparations, he said, "Drinking water is being available. Boats are also being arranged as part of the contingency plan. We have a contingency plan in case communication fails, hand radio, wireless facilities are in place. Doctors and veterinary doctors are in place. There is no need to fear. We are prepared to handle the situation. Srikakulam, Vizianagram, Vishakhapatnam are the places we're concerned about. Temporary structures will be affected," he said. 

Meteorologists warned that Cyclone Phailin may be worst than Hurricane Katrina that cause massive destruction in the United States in 2005.

"Phailin is already worse than what the IMD is forecasting. A recent satellite estimate put Phailin's current intensity on par with 2005's Hurricane Katrina in the United States," said Eric Holthaus, meteorologist for Quartz, a US-based online magazine which covers global economy-related issues. 

Image: Men inspect damage to a beach club destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in Sea Bright, New Jersey in 2005.

President Pranab Mukherjee has cut short his West Bengal visit as a precautionary measure because of uncertain weather ahead of the cyclone. He is returning to Delhi this evening.

Shashidhar Reddy, vice-chairman of the NDMA said, "The wind speed of Cyclone Phailin continues to be over 220 kmph. 4.4 lakh people have been evacuated from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh so far."

23 disaster relief team have been deployed in Odisha and five more are on stand by.   

NDMA is getting geared up ahead of the cyclone. Maximum damage will be caused in the Ganjam district of Odisha. 40 per cent of all relief operations will be held there.

The cyclone is now 180 km off the Odisha coast.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi tweets: Asked our state disaster management team to be ready to extend every possible help to authorities in the wake of cyclone on eastern coast. 

Amitabh Bachchan tweets on Cyclone Phailin: @SrBachchan: The fury of the God's in cyclone #Phailin !! Be careful, beware and be protected .. and be in prayer !!

CNN-IBN reports: 18 fishermen are stranded 4 km away from Paradip coast in Odisha as they run out of fuel. The government says it cannot rescue them because of the weather condition.

"All trains cancelled on Howrah-Visakhapatnam route due to Cyclone Phailin. Trains likely to be cancelled tomorrow also," J P Mishra, CPRO, East Coast Railways told NDTV.

YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who was admitted to a hospital on October 9 after being forcibly evicted by police from the site of hisfast to protest bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, was today discharged.   

Jagan left for home from the Nizam's Institute of MedicalSciences in Hyderabad this morning following improvement in his health condition. He was, however, advised rest for a fewdays, sources said.

The deep depression that had formed over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a super cyclone. It is moving towards the Odisha and Andhra coast at the speed of over 200 km per hour, reports downtoearth.org.in.

Ahead of the cyclone, all flights to Bhubaneswar have been cancelled indefinitely. The impact of the storm will stay for 24 hours, according to the IMD. 

The Met department has said that Phailin is a very severe cyclonic storm and will remain that when it makes landfall this evening. It is currently 200 km southeast of Gopalpur, Odisha. It will remain a very severe storm even after 6 hours of making landfall.

CNN-IBN reports: One person has died in Bhubaneswar after a tree fell on him during heavy rains as cyclone Phailin approaches the Odisha coast. In Gopalpur, where Phailin is expected to make landfall by 5:30 pm, high tides are being seen in the sea.

With landfall in less than nine hours, final preparations are underway for Cyclone Phailin, which is now officially the strongest storm ever measured in the Indian Ocean, reports Quartz. 

The storm has strengthened at one of the fastest rates ever recorded, going from a tropical storm to a category 4 cyclone in only 24 hours.

Read the full report here

An explosion has taken place in the hotel in Mulund, Mumbai. The police say that the case appears to be that of a cylinder blast, reports CNN-IBN.

More details are awaited.

United States President Barack Obama and the Republican party leadership have decided to continue talks to find any possible deal to re-open government and raise the debt ceiling, but there was no immediate resolution in site to end the current impasse.

The White House described a telephonic conversation between Obama and John Boehner, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, as good and constructive.

"Two of them agreed that all sides need to keep talking on the issues here that are confronting us that have led to a shutdown of a government and to the situation that has put us on the precipice of potential default or at least reaching that line beyond which the United States government does not have borrowing authority," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said yesterday.

He, however, said there has not been any change in the position of the US president.

The Prime Minister's Office spoke to the Ministry of Defence and the NDMA expressing concern about the cyclone.   

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today concluded his four-day visit to Brunei and Indonesia and left for home.

The flight route of the PM's return journey has changed to avoid turbulence due to Cyclone Phalin which is expected to hit the east cost by this evening.

The meteorological department has termed Phalin as a severe super cyclone. It is hurtling towards coastal Odisha and Andhra Pradesh at wind speeds averaging 200 km per hour and is expected to hit the states around 6 pm. 

As a campaign for Saudi women to defy the driving ban in their country heats up, one of the country's leading female bloggers was detained in Riyadh on Thursday after a woman she was with did just that.

 

Eman al-Nafjan, who tweets as Saudiwoman and has been one of the leading voices urging Saudi women to get behind the wheel on October 26, was in a car that was stopped by police in Riyadh, the capital, as she filmed another woman driving. Al-Nafjan, who has been calling on Saudi women to upload videos of themselves driving in different parts of the kingdom, spoke exclusively with CNN on Friday about what happened.

 

"Yesterday, I kept getting called by women I know who wanted me to film them driving," she said, explaining how she spent most of the day filming and uploading information about those excursions online.

 

Read the exclusive CNN report here

Hillary Clinton has called for a "sensible adult conversation" to be held in a transparent way, about the boundaries of state surveillance highlighted by the leaking of secret NSA files by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.

 

In a boost to British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, who is planning to start conversations within government about the oversight of Britain's intelligence agencies, the former US secretary of state said it would be wrong to shut down a debate.

 

Clinton, who is seen as a frontrunner for the 2016 US presidential election said at Chatham House in London: "This is a very important question. On the intelligence issue, we are democracies thank goodness, both the US and the UK. "We need to have a sensible adult conversation about what is necessary to be done, and how to do it, in a way that is as transparent as it can be, with as much oversight and citizens' understanding as there can be."

 

Read more on The Guardian

A fire has broken out at a hospital in southern Japan, killing 10 people. Another eight people were injured in the fire, which started on the ground floor of the four-storey orthopedic hospital while patients were sleeping.

 

Fukuoka police said eight of the dead were patients, and the remaining two were hospital staff. Several of those injured were in serious condition. Akiharu Otsu, a Fukuoka city fire department official, told journalists the fire had been extinguished only after burning down most of the building.

 

Read more on The Guardian

Rebel forces in Syria killed as many as 190 civilians and seized more than 200 hostages during a military offensive in August, Human Rights Watch says.

 

A report by the US-based group says the deaths occurred in villages inhabited predominantly by members of President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect near the coastal city of Latakia. It said the findings "strongly suggest" crimes against humanity were committed.

 

The group has previously documented atrocities by pro-government forces. The report calls on the UN to impose an arms embargo on all groups where there is credible evidence of their involvement in war crimes.

 

Read more on BBC

A boat with more than 200 migrants on board has capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa and a rescue operation is under way, officials say. Italian and Maltese ships - backed by helicopters - were scrambled to the scene and are searching in darkness.

 

At least 120 people are said to have been saved, but dozens of bodies have been reportedly spotted in the water. Last week more than 300 people drowned when a boat carrying African migrants sank off Lampedusa.

 

Read more on BBC

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation employees in Seemaandhra region called off their indefinite strike late tonight.        

 

The RTC staff had been on strike for last 60 days demanding the Centre to withdraw the proposed bifurcation of the state. Bus services would resume in all the 13 districts of Seemaandhra region from tomorrow, Transport Minister Botsa Satyanarayana said.        

 

Satyanarayana held marathon talks with RTC employees unions for about seven hours this evening to end the deadlock as the corporation has suffered steep losses.        

 

"The unions agreed to call off their indefinite strike with immediate effect. We have promised to positively look into all the demands that they have raised," Botsa told reporters here.        

 

The RTC will immediately pay a festival advance of Rs 28,000 each to all regular employees and Rs 17,000 each to the contract workers. He said the demand for merger of RTC with the state government would also be looked into. A committee has been constituted to study the proposal.  

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