LIVE! Mars' moon Phobos is beginning to fall apart

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Wed, 11 November 2015

Mars' moon Phobos is beginning to fall apart

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20:31 Mars' moon Phobos is beginning to fall apart

Numerous, mysterious, long, shallow grooves on Phobos -- the larger and closer of Mars' two moons -- have been known since 1976, when the two Viking orbiters flew near.

At first, scientists believed the grooves were associated with Phobos' large crater Stickney, which is half the size of Phobos itself.

It made sense to think that whatever struck Mars to make Stickney created the grooves as well.

More recently, scientists determined that the grooves don't radiate outward from the large crater, but instead from a focal point nearby. And this week there was more news about the grooves on Phobos.

Scientists announced that they are likely early signs of the structural failure that will ultimately destroy this moon of Mars.

In this scenario, the reason for Phobos ultimate destruction is the mutual gravity between it and Mars. Phobos is closer to its planet than any other moon in the solar system, orbiting just 3,700 miles (6,000 km) above the surface of Mars. Thats in contrast, for example, to our own moons quarter-million-mile distance from Earth.

Read more HERE

Uneasy calm prevailed Madikeri and elsewhere in Kodagu district where the BJP enforced a bandh today, a day after being rocked by violence over celebrations of the birth centenary of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan that claimed the life of a local VHP leader.

A youth who received gunshot wounds during the violent incidents yesterday was "very critical" at a private hospital in Mysuru, a senior police official said.

IGP (Southern Range) B K Singh, who had denied the shooting yesterday, confirmed that one person had suffered gunshot wounds, adding, he could not say who did it and only a probe would bring it out.

The Regional Commissioner in Mysuru would inquire into the entire circumstances leading to the violence yesterday, he said.

Meanwhile, the body of 60-year old Kuttappa, who died during the violence with the circumstances leading to his death not being clear, was buried at Madapura near Madikeri.

Lufthansa scrapped 930 more flights today, grounding 100,000 passengers after a court allowed cabin staff to press on with a strike that is shaping up to be the worst in the German airline's history.

The new flight cancellations in and out of Germany's biggest airport, Frankfurt, as well as hubs in Munich and Duesseldorf, come after four days of stoppages that had already forced the airline to cancel 2,800 flights, leaving 300,000 passengers stranded.

The industrial action over a dispute with the UFO flight attendants union regarding cost cuts began on Friday with a pause on Sunday, and is set to go on until Friday.

Lufthansa had sought to challenge the legality of the industrial action through court injunctions but lost a key bid after the labour court of Darmstadt, which has jurisdiction for Frankfurt and Munich airports, approved the strike.

The court dismissed the airline's argument that the union's reasons for striking were "too vague" and unjustified under German labour law.

The UFO union welcomed the ruling on its website, calling for the strike to continue from until Friday across all flights at Frankfurt, Munich and Duesseldorf airports.

Huffington Post reports: Columnist Hasan Suroor, a British journalist of Indian origin, has been arrested following a video sting operation by an anti-paedophile group.

A 65-year-old man has been charged with meeting a child following sexual grooming and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court today, Wednesday 12 November. Hasan Surour, of Sloane Avenue, Kensington and Chelsea, was arrested by British Transport Police officers at Deptford Bridge DLR station on Monday, 9 November, a spokesman for British Transport Police told HuffPost India.

He was arrested following a sting operation by an anti-paedophile vigilante group, Unknown TV.

Read more HERE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought to assuage protesting military veterans against "diluted" notification of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme saying any issue relating to it can be taken up with the judicial committee set up by government to make it "fool-proof."

"I would like (to see) that the inputs, if any, are given to the committee," Modi said while visiting military installations associated with the 1965 Indo-Pak war and interacting with the troops on the occasion of Diwali.

Several war veterans have returned their medals as part of their protest against "diluted" OROP.

He said his government was the first to have set up a committee along with the OROP notification to make the scheme "foolproof."

Modi also said that he wanted to see his "dream" of OROP implementation in a meaningful manner.

For the second successive year, Modi celebrated Diwal with troops.

High drama ensued at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday where two veterans tried to burn their medals in protest against the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme announced by the government.

Amid slogans against the government, the two veterans, who had also sat on a hunger strike, tried to burn their medals before the camera glare.

However, others stopped them, with Maj Gen Satbir Singh, (Retd) asking them not to burn the medals.

While officially, the protesting veterans had denied that that they will be burning medals on Wednesday, the media was tipped off in the morning itself.

Later, the veterans, numbering around 50, marched towards Rashtrapati Bhavan in protest but were stopped by the Delhi Police at Rail Bhavan.

18:01 Girish Karnad apologises for Tipu controversy

Under severe attack for his remarks that Bengaluru International airport should have been named after 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan rather than the city founder Kempegowda, Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad on Wednesday offered his apology.

As he remained in the eye of a storm, the noted playwright and actor sought to end the controversy, saying, "If anybody has been hurt by my remarks, I apologise... what will I gain by doing it (by giving such comments)."

He said he had only expressed his view and there was no ulterior motive, as his remarks drew strong criticism and protests from different quarters.

In a controversial remark, Karnad had said that it would have been "apt" had the Bengaluru International Airport at Devanahalli near Bengaluru been named after Tipu Sultan rather than Kempegowda, a feudatory ruler under the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire who founded Bengaluru in 1537.

"It is true that Kempegowda was great, he founded Bengaluru. But he was not a freedom fighter, so naming Bengaluru airport after Tipu Sultan would have been apt," Karnad had said.

In another controversial remark at the same function, Karnad had said that Tipu Sultan would have enjoyed the same status as of Maratha king Chhatrapathi Shivaji, if he was a Hindu and not a Muslim.

BJP, JDS and various Kannada outfits slammed Karnad's remarks on naming the international airport after Kempegowda.

As the voice of dissent got shriller within BJP after its drubbing in the Bihar assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday said it was natural that the reaction would be strong as the saffron outfit had made a high-profile campaign in the state.

"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction," Kumar said, reacting to the strongly-worded statement of BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha raising a banner of revolt against the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"BJP had created a hype over Bihar elections and made its campaign high-profile in tune with it. So, the reaction would also be of that proportion," Kumar said.

He was speaking to mediapersons outside Raj Bhawan after meeting Governor Ram Nath Kovind to extend Diwali greetings.

After criticising BJP through the party's mouthpiece, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today said encouraged by his party's performance in Bihar it may contest the Assembly polls in other states as well to "fill the vacuum of Hindutva thought."

Shiv Sena, which is part of BJP-led NDA, had contested the elections in Bihar independently, though without success.

Addressing a press meet at Kalyan after the election of Shiv Sena nominee Rajendra Devlekar as the Mayor of Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation, Thackeray said earlier the party was not serious about contesting polls outside Maharashtra but now it had realised that it could enter other states as well on the plank of "Hindutva."

"Now we have realised that we should move out to spread the message and fill the vacuum of Hindutva thought in the country," Thackeray said.

"I did not visit Bihar but our leaders including Sanjay Raut campaigned there and we could manage more than two lakh votes. To fill the vacuum of Hindutva thought in the country, henceforth if there is a demand by the party workers we will contest the coming Assembly elections in other states too," the Sena president said.

Expressing concern over the obstruction of essential supplies to Nepal, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has called on "all sides" to lift the blockade at the Indo-Nepal border immediately invoking the landlocked country's right of free transit.

"The Secretary-General indeed reiterates his concern over the obstruction of essential supplies on the Nepal-India border. Acute shortages in fuel supplies continue to impede planned deliveries to earthquake-affected villages in Nepal," Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters yesterday.

He said humanitarian organisations urgently require fuel to maintain operations and deliver food, warm clothing and shelter materials to high altitude areas that will soon be cut off by harsh winter weather.

"The Secretary-General underlines Nepal's right of free transit, as a landlocked nation as well as for humanitarian reasons, and calls on all sides to lift the obstructions without further delay," he said.

India yesterday said Nepal's "internal factors" were responsible for the blockade on the border.

AAP leader Mayank Gandhi, who has had a fallout with Arvind Kejriwal, today resigned from its National Executive citing "losing interest" in politics, a month after the party's Maharashtra unit was dissolved.

The Maharashtra unit of AAP was disbanded following its "reluctance" to act against Gandhi, the organisation's best known face in Maharashtra, who had said that Kejriwal is "hell bent on destroying" the organisation.

Through an open letter published in his blog, that he addressed to "Arvind and my other friends", Gandhi said that he has been "losing interest in politics for some time".

"I think that it is unfair to continue to be a member of NE (national executive) with this mindset. You are requested to please accept my resignation from the NE with immediate effect. Hope that you will find some capable representatives from Maharashtra," he said.

Gandhi had taken on Kejriwal through his blogs when the Delhi chief minister was locked in a bitter feud with now expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.

Indian and Pakistani forces at the border exchanged sweets at Attari on the occasion of Diwali.

BSF Amritsar sector Commandant Bipul Bir Gusain handed a basket full of sweets to Pakistan Ranger Wing Commander Lt Col Bilal Ahmed at the zero line, officials said.

On the occasion, pleasantries were also exchanged as the troops hugged each other and wished Diwali greetings.

The exchange of sweets between troops of the two countries assume significance in the wake of strained ties between India and Pakistan of late.

Earlier, no ceremonial exchange of sweets and gifts had taken place between BSF and Pakistan Rangers during the Independence day celebrations on both the sides.

Aung San Suu Kyi called for "national reconciliation" talks with Myanmar's president and the nation's powerful army chief today as her pro-democracy party stood poised for a landslide election victory.

Power beckons for her National League for Democracy (NLD) party after it took nearly 90 percent of the seats declared so far.

Although poll officials are yet to announce the NLD as winners, Myanmar's balance of power, dominated for half a century by the army and its allies, appears set to be redrawn.

But Suu Kyi's supporters remain anxious at how the army will respond to a mauling at the polls, with memories still keen of the 1990 election -- won by the NLD but then swatted away by the army.

"Citizens have expressed their will in the election," she said in letters addressed to President Thein Sein, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing as well as influential parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann.

"I would like to invite you to discuss national reconciliation next week at a time of your convenience."

The letters, shared by the NLD on Facebook, come as her democracy movement continued its blitz of ruling party bases following Sunday's poll.

Amid rumblings in the Bharatiya Janata Party over Bihar poll rout and attack on its leadership by party veterans, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday strongly defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah, saying they cannot be held responsible for the defeat.

Gadkari, a former BJP President, also demanded stringent action against those making "irresponsible" statements against Modi and Shah, who are facing flak from within the BJP and also allies for the NDA's massive defeat in the key Hindi heartland state.

"Modi and Shah alone can't be held responsible for the party's poor show in Bihar. It is a collective responsibility of all party office bearers and leaders," he said.

"I have told party chief Shah to initiate stringent action against those making irresponsible statements and causing damage to the party's image," Gadkari said.

He said when the party faces defeat, everyone talks of a review but when it wins, no one demands analysis.

On BJP veterans L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha and Shanta Kumar issuing a statement demanding a thorough review of the reasons for the Bihar rout, an act seen as a revolt against the leadership of Modi and Shah, Gadkari said "We will talk to Advaniji on the issue."

Pakistan's veteran batsman Younis Khan has announced his retirement from one-day international cricket, saying the first day-night game against England in Abu Dhabi today will be his last match.

In a statement issued to the media Younis said that it was never easy for a cricketer to decide when to retire.

"I am fortunate that I have been able to decide myself when to retire in T20 internationals and ODIs," Younis said.

The national selectors had, in a surprise move, recalled Younis for the four-match ODI series against England after ignoring him for this format since the World Cup early this year in Australia and New Zealand.

The 37-year-old will be appearing in his 265th one-day international today, nearly 16 years after making his debut against Sri Lanka in Karachi in February 2000.

Going into his last match, Younis has scored 7,240 runs with seven hundreds and 48 half-centuries in one dayers.

The Enforcement Directorate has recorded the statement of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in a matter of alleged irregularities in the sale of shares of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd to a Mauritius-based company.

"We recorded Khan's statement yesterday in connection with the violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act," ED sources in Mumbai said.

The case, dating back to 2008-09, pertains to the share sale of KRSPL, owned by Khan's Red Chillies along with Juhi Chawla and her husband, to a Mauritius-based company owned by Chawla's husband Jay Mehta.

ED is probing allegations that shares sold to the Jay Mehta-owned Sea Island Investments were undervalued by eight to nine times.

Khan had faced ED once in 2011 when he was questioned about alleged foreign exchange violation of around Rs 100 crore.

At the time of incorporation in 2008, Red Chillies had 9,900 shares of KRSPL. The valuation report, made by ED's external agency last year, said that when the equity shares of KRSPL were issued to Sea Island Investments, the fair value per equity share of KRSPL should have been between Rs 70-86. However, the shares were issued at a value of Rs 10 each.

As many as 19 persons had been killed in the last two days in various rain-related incidents including floods in Tamil Nadu, the government said today and announced a total relief of Rs 76 lakh to their families.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa condoled the death of the 19 persons, most of them from Cuddalore district, and announced a relief of Rs four lakh each to the next of kin of the victims.

"I have directed to pay a sum of Rs four lakh each to the families of persons who died in these unfortunate incidents from the Disaster Relief Fund," she said in a statement.

The maximum casualty of 16 persons was reported from Cuddalore, with 15 of them drowning in flood waters and one killed in wall collapse.

Jayalalithaa expressed her sympathies with the bereaved family members.

Meanwhile, one person, identified as Palaniappan (65) was killed in Tiruchengode in Namakkal district in a wall-collapse incident in the wee hours of today.

After Bangladesh handed over frontline ULFA leader Anup Chetia to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to premier Sheikh Hasina thanking her for assistance in the fight against terrorism.

"PM @narendramodi spoke to Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. He wished PM Hasina on Diwali & thanked her for the help in fighting terrorism," the Prime Minister's office said in a tweet.

Chetia, the founder general secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), wanted for killings, abductions, bank robberies and extortion activities, was a fugitive for over two decades and was handed over to India by Bangladesh today following personal intervention by Modi.

13:43 PM Modi celebrates Diwali with troops

For the second successive year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with troops on Wednesday, saying the world looks at India with respect because of their valour and "character", in comments that come against the backdrop of protests by several veterans over OROP.

He visited the Dograi War Memorial in Khasa in Amritsar and placed wreath at the venue of one of the toughest battles fought and won by Indian forces on September 22, 1965.

Addressing the troops, he said, "I have come to celebrate Diwali wity you. I am happy to get this opportunity."

Hailing the soldiers, the Prime Minister said, "It is because of your valour, dedication and dreams that the whole world looks at India with respect. It is not only because of the uniform but character of the armed forces."

He said India holds its head high in the comity of nations because the generations of leaders in the armed forces nurtured the forces.

"I congratulate those who have provided leadership over several years to the armed forces," Modi said.

13:31 Netanyahu to visit India soon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would "soon" head to India, in a visit that will make him the second Israeli premier to travel to the country.

In 2003, then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India.

During his visit to Israel last month, President Pranab Mukherjee had invited Netanyahu to India.

Netanyahu's reference to his proposed India visit came while answering a question at the Centre for American Progress about his plans for Israel.

"There are three things other countries want from Israel... first, Israeli technology, second, Israeli technology and third, Israeli technology. Whether it is India, which I will be soon going to visit, or any other country," Netanyahu said.

He said he plans to make Israel a technological powerhouse.

Netanyahu said Israel has the capacity to shape the future. Countries across the globe are interested in seeking Israeli technology, he said.

13:31 Strong 6.9-magnitude quake hits Chile: USGS

A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Chile late yesterday but there was no immediate tsunami alert or reports of injuries or damage, US seismologists said.

The epicentre of the quake was near the coast, about 93 kilometres northwest of Coquimbo, said the US Geological Survey (USGS). It initially gave the magnitude as 6.6.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat from the quake, which struck at 8:54 pm (0154 GMT Wednesday) at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Chile's National Emergency Office said there were no reports of harm to people or any disruption to basic services or infrastructure.

The quake was felt in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo, in particular in the city of La Serena.

Images on Chilean television showed empty streets in La Serena. No damage to buildings or houses were reported and traffic remained normal.

Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, did not die due to poisoning by polonium or any other radioactive substance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States has concluded.

The FBI report sent to the Delhi Police says no radioactive substance has been found in her body. It is being examined by a special investigation team.

Sunanda, 51, was found dead at the luxurious Leela Hotel in Delhi in January 2014. For a year, her death was considered a case of suicide, but earlier this year the Delhi Police claimed that she was poisoned and registered a murder case against unknown persons.

Her viscera samples were sent to the FBI lab in Washington in February this year after a panel of doctors from Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences concluded that the poison could not be detected in Indian labs. The police has not named any suspects in the case but has questioned Tharoor multiple times.

12:15 India, China taking advantage of US: Trump

Terming China as "number-one abuser", leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has alleged that the Communist nation, along with India, is taking advantage of the US through its economic policies.

Trump said China was becoming a "major force" and is now creating problems both economically and through its behaviour in the South China Sea.

"If you look at the way China and India and almost everybody takes advantage of the US -- China in particular, because they're so good. It's the number-one abuser of this country," Trump said during the fourth debate of the party.

"China is a problem, both economically in what they are doing in the South China Sea, I mean, they are becoming a very, very major force," Trump said.

He said that it was through "currency manipulation" that does not even find a mention in almost 6,000-page (TPP) agreement that the countries were taking advantage of the US.

While several other Republican candidates joined Trump on the China issue, there were no takers for his allegations against India, which was mentioned only once in the debate.

"We lose a fortune on trade. The US loses with everybody. We are losing now over $500 billion in terms of imbalance with China, $75 billion a year imbalance with Japan," Trump said.

12:10 UK PM Cameron greets Indian diaspora on Diwali

Describing Diwali as a "great moment" in Britain's national calendar, Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday greeted the Indian diaspora and lauded the community for their "incredible" contribution to the UK.

In his "Shubh Diwali!" message, Cameron also praised the active role played by the Indian diaspora in British life after he hosted his annual Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street this afternoon.

"To everyone celebrating, let me wish you a happy and peaceful Diwali and a prosperous New Year," he said.

"Families are coming together, lights are being strung up, the food is going in the oven - Diwali is upon us once again. As the celebrations get underway, from London to Leicester, Glasgow to Gwent, Bristol to Birmingham, I want to send out my very best wishes to everyone celebrating the Festival of Lights," Cameron said in his Diwali message.

Describing Diwali as a "a great moment in our national calendar and an opportunity to shine a light on the communities who do so much to make Britain great", Cameron said, "in every walk of life, in every corner of our country you can see the immense contribution of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists."

"Whether it is treating patients in our National Health Service (NHS), teaching children in our schools, building the businesses that boost our economy, keeping our streets safe in the police and armed forces - all the while helping to make Britain what we are so proud to be: the greatest multi-racial democracy on earth," he said.

"Day in day out, these communities put into practice the very best of British values like generosity, responsibility, enterprise, family. Nowhere are those values more evident than in people's religious beliefs," Cameron said.

12:09 Punjab: Sikh hardliners in preventive custody

The leaders of some Sikh outfits and hardline groups were taken into preventive custody early Wednesday in apprehension of breach of peace after a call that the newly-appointed jathedars would address the community from the Akal Takht.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) President Simranjit Singh Mann and United Akali Dal leader Bhai Mokham Singh, the key organisers of Tuesday's 'Sarbat Khalsa' a grand assembly of Sikhs, were taken into preventive custody by the police.

Police said that the security in Amritsar, especially in and around the Golden Temple complex, had been strengthened.

"Mann and Bhai Mokham Singh have been taken into preventive custody," Amritsar Police Commissioner, J S Aulakh said.

He said that "the situation in Amritsar was "peaceful and under control."

There were reports that some more Sikh leaders including Amrik Singh Ajnala of Damdami Taksal, who was appointed as Head Priest of the Takht Keshgarh Sahib in the over seven-hour long congregation, had been rounded up by the police.

Notably, several Sikh outfits and hardline groups on Tuesday convened what they called 'Sarbat Khalsa' in Amritsar and appointed Jagtar Singh Hawara, the convict in Beant Singh assassination case, as Jathedar of Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.

12:02 H-1B visa reform bill introduced in US Senate

Two US Senators have introduced a bipartisan legislation in the Senate seeking reform of H-1B visa programme and modify wage requirements while also calling for a sense of urgency against the "abuse of the system" over a scheme they claim has gotten away from its original intent.

The bill has been introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley, Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, and Dick Durbin, Assistant Democratic Leader. It is cosponsored by Senators Bill Nelson, Richard Blumenthal, and Sherrod Brown.

"The H-1B visa programme was never meant to replace qualified American workers, but it was instead intended as a means to fill gaps in highly specialized areas of employment that cannot be filled by Americans," Grassley said.

"The abuse of the system is real, and media reports are validating what we have argued against for years, including the fact that Americans are training their replacements."

There is a sense of urgency for Americans who are losing their jobs to lesser skilled workers who are coming in at lower wages on a visa program that has gotten away from its original intent, he said.

Seeking to augment telecommunication, Direct-To-Home and radio navigation services, India's latest communication satellite GSAT-15 was successfully launched by European Ariane rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana in the early hours of Wednesday.

The satellite with a lift-off mass of 3,164 kg was injected into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) about 43 minutes after a perfect lift-off of Ariane 5 at 3:04 AM (IST) on flight VA-227.

After a flight of 43 minutes and 24 seconds, GSAT-15 separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 35,819 km, ISRO said.

GSAT-15 was hurtled into the orbit very close to the intended one after its co-passenger Arabsat-6B (BADR-7) was injected into the space.

A high power satellite, GSAT-15 is being inducted into the INSAT/GSAT system. GSAT-15 carries a total of 24 communication transponders in Ku-band as well as a GPS-Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.

Providing replacement for the Ku-band capacity of INSAT-3A and INSAT-4B satellites, GSAT-15 will augment and support the existing DTH and VSAT services in the country. The GAGAN payload will meet the in-orbit redundancy requirement for Safety of Life (SOL) operations benefiting the civil aviation services and other users of augmented GPS-based systems in the country.

11:53 Anup Chetia handed over to India by Bangladesh

Bangladesh on Wednesday handed over United Liberation Front of Assam leader Anup Chetia to India.

Chetia, who was in Bangladesh since his arrest by the neighbouring country's police in 1997, was handed over to India at the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and through active involvement of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

The development follows on the heels of the deportation to India of underworld don Chhota Rajan, one of country's most-wanted criminals, who was on the run for 27 years.

Chetia, a founding member of ULFA and its general secretary, is wanted for murder, abductions and extortion in India.

He had sought political asylum in Bangladesh thrice in 2005, 2008 and in 2011 after Bangladesh police arrested him in December 1997 and was subsequently handed seven years of jail terms by two courts for cross-border intrusion, carrying fake passports and illegally keeping foreign currencies.

Despite the expiry of his term, Chetia was in jail under a 2003 High Court directive asking authorities to keep him in safe custody until a decision was taken on his asylum plea.

The US envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region today urged Burundi's government and the opposition to start internationally mediated talks without pre-conditions in order to end the country's political crisis.

Tom Perriello told reporters in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, that the international community is keenly watching events in Burundi, where a series of extrajudicial killings has raised concern.

A regional bloc nominated Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to mediate the crisis but the talks have not started. Perriello is visiting Burundi to express Washington's "grave concerns" over the deteriorating political situation in Burundi, which has been hit by violence since April following the president's controversial decision to seek a third term in

office.

Yet again, the Nordic countries have dominated a list of the world's most desirable places to live.

But before the rest of us get too jealous, the experts warn that the Nordics shouldn't sit back and relax just yet.

The UK-based Legatum Institute has just released its annual Prosperity Index, which ranks 142 countries across 89 variables under eight sub-indexes: the economy; entrepreneurship and opportunity; governance; education; health; safety and security; personal freedom; and social capital.

00:35 This group says it downed Russian plane

Governments and intelligence experts increasingly believe what brought down Metrojet Flight 9268 over Egypt was no accident.

ISIS affiliate Al Wilayat Sinai has claimed responsibility for the crash, which killed 224 people.

ISIS in Sinai is very different from ISIS, the terror group that currently occupies large parts of Iraq and Syria. It is a mostly local group of jihadists that feed off long-standing grievances that the population of the Sinai peninsula has with the Egyptian state.

The group has contact with and has pledged allegiance to ISIS's main group, which has its capital in Raqqa, Syria.

But ISIS in Sinai operates largely autonomously, according to various media reports.

00:28 Top headlines of the last hour

Advani, other BJP veterans raise banner of revolt against Modi, Shah

Defiant K M Mani resigns from Kerala cabinet

BJP defends Modi, Shah from attack by party veterans

'Tipu would have enjoyed status of Shivaji if he was Hindu,' says Karnad

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