LIVE! India to get its first US oil on Monday

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Sun, 01 October 2017

India to get its first US oil on Monday

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21:09 India to get its first US oil on Monday

India will tomorrow receive its first ever shipment of US crude oil when a very large crude carrier docks at Paradip port in Odisha.

Indian Oil Corp in early July booked the first US cargo, opening floodgates that saw other state-owned refiners including Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd rush to buy US crude oil.

"The ship carrying 1.6 million barrels of US crude will reach Paradip sometime around midnight tonight or early tomorrow morning," IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh told PTI.

The Indian government has encouraged state-controlled refiners to buy US and Canadian crude from the US Gulf coast as it looks at cheaper alternatives that have emerged due to global supply glut.

A US energy official had on Friday stated that IOC and BPCL have committed to buy eight shiploads of US oil by March 2018.

"We have booked a second cargo as well for delivery at Vadinar in Gujarat in about a month from now," Singh said. "We expect to buy one shipload of US crude every month through tenders."

While in the first purchase IOC is importing 1.6 million barrels of high sulphur crude Mars from the US and 400,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select oil, in the second it has bought 1.9 million barrels of US crude, half of it being shale oil, he said.

"We have bought 950,000 barrels of light sweet Eagle Ford shale oil and 950,000 barrels of heavy sour Mars crude in the second tender," he said.

India, the world's third-largest oil importer, joins Asian countries like South Korea, Japan and China to buy US crude after production cuts by oil cartel OPEC drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades with a high sulphur content.

Buying US crude has become attractive for Indian refiners after the differential between Brent (the benchmark crude or marker crude that serves as a reference price for buyers in western world) and Dubai (which serves as a benchmark for countries in the east) has narrowed.

Even after including the shipping cost, buying US crude is cost competitive to Indian refiners, an industry official said.

The IOC deal cames within weeks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June-end visit to the US when President Donald Trump talked of his country looking to export more energy products to India.

To encourage US crude purchases, the government has allowed refiners to use a foreign rather than an Indian-owned vessel for the purchase. Indian refiners typically have to use domestic vessels for their crude imports.

Defying the Spanish authorities, tens of thousands of Catalans turned out to vote on Sunday in a banned independence referendum, clashing with police officers sent from outside the region to shut down polling stations and confiscate ballots.

The police in some places used rubber bullets and truncheons to disperse voters, many of whom had spent the night inside polling stations to ensure that they would remain open.

20:19 Quake in Andaman Islands

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale hit the Andaman Islands today.

There was, however, no report of any casualty.

According to the National Centre for Seismology, the epicentre of the quake was in the Andaman Islands region and at a depth of 10-km.

The earthquake occurred at around 6.19 pm. "It's quite a normal phenomenon.

The earthquake was not so powerful as to issue a tsunami warning," an officer of the National Centre for Seismology told PTI.

Having assailed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the "mess" in the economy, BJP veteran leader Yashwant Sinha attacked the government on the Kashmir imbroglio, insisting "India has lost people of the valley emotionally".

In an interview to 'The Wire', the former Union minister answered questions from journalist Karan Thapar on him being criticised for an article he wrote in a leading English daily on the state of economy that left the BJP embarrassed.

Sinha termed as "exaggerated claims" the success of the various reforms and schemes undertaken by the government like the Mudra Bank.

"I am looking at the alienation of the masses of people in Jammu and Kashmir. That is something which bothers me the most We have lost the people emotionally You just have to visit the valley to realise that they have lost faith in us," Sinha said.

Sinha leads a civil society organisation -- Concerned Citizens Group -- which has visited the troubled Valley several times and interacted with various stakeholders to explore the possibility of finding a lasting solution to the

seven-decades-old problem.

The group comprises eminent people from different walks of life like Justice (retd) A P Shah, former Mumbai police commissioner J F Ribeira, Wajahat Habibullah, A S Dulat, Aruna Roy and Ramchandra Guha.

Sinha claimed he has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue 10 months ago and was "hurt" as it did not materialise.

"I am hurt. I am absolutely hurt. That you ask for time, ten months has gone byLet me tell you, ever since I have been in public life, no prime minister of India, starting with Rajiv Gandhi, has ever said no to a meeting I have sought no prime minister has said to Yashwant Sinha, I dont have time for you.

"And this is my own prime minister who has treated me like this. So if somebody rings me and says please come talk to mesorry, the time has passed I have been treated shabbily," he said.

Sinha also took on Jaitley for suggesting that his shifting from the finance to external affairs ministry when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister was a "demotion".

"How can (Jaitley) say that shifting from the ministry of finance to external affairs was a demotion for me? If Mr. Jaitley with the same stroke wants to say that Sushma Swaraj, the external affairs minister of today, is handling a totally insignificant portfolio, nobody is going to believe it."

Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity suspectedly by Islamic militants for 18 months in Yemen, today said he would go to the strife-torn country again for service, if God wishes him to do so.

"Certainly I will go there if God wishes me to do so. I am sure He (Jesus) would clear the way for me to do so", the priest told reporters in Kochi in response to a question.

Uzhunnalil said he still had no idea about the militant outfit which abducted him from the charity home run by the Missionaries of Charity in Yemen in 2016.

"I don't know whether they belong to ISIS or any other group. They did not harm me in captivity or pointed guns at me. They gave me food. They gave me medicines when I fell sick," he said.

Earlier, Uzhunnalil arrived in Kochi from Bengaluru and met Church leaders, priests and his relatives.

In the evening, he met priests and church goers at the Bishop's house at Pala in Kottayam district before proceeding to Ramapuram to meet his neighbours and brothers.

The 59-year-old Catholic priest had returned to Delhi on September 28 after rest and recuperation in Vatican City.

Upon his arrival in the national capital, Uzhunnalil had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and thanked them for their support.

Uzhunnalil belongs to the Congregation of Salesians of Don Bosco and was abducted reportedly during a terrorist attack in Aden and taken to an undisclosed place.

18:52 Knife attack at French train station; 2 dead

Two people have died in a knife attack at the main train station in the southern French city of Marseille today.

The attacker has been shot dead by security forces.

Local prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said the knifeman had been shot by soldiers, while Marseille police urged people in the city to avoid the area around Saint-Charles station.

Further details are awaited.

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on Sunday attacked Rahul Gandhi for questioning the "Gujarat development model" and accused the Congress of meting out injustice to the state as he virtually launched the campaign for the crucial assembly polls from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's native place.

Shah paid tributes to Patel at his ancestral home in Karamsad along with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel before launching the 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' (march for honour) to highlight the state's achievements during the two decades of BJP rule.

The then chief minister Narendra Modi had taken out a yatra with the same name before the 2002 Gujarat assembly elections. The road show, being held in run up to assembly elections due in December this year, will cover central Gujarat in its first leg.

Addressing the gathering, Shah accused the Congress of inflicting "injustice" on Gujarat, generation after generation, and said that in the upcoming Assembly election, the people of the state will make fun of those who "mock

Gujarat's development".

"The BJP today launches Gujarat Gaurav Yatra from the same land of Sardar Patel from where he raised the voice of the farmers and started the work to unify the country," he said.

Referring to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's recent campaign tour to Saurashtra, Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi comes here and seeks answer from us as to what has the BJP done in the state.

"We are seeking an answer from you for injustices that the three generations of your rule inflicted on us," the BJP president said.

While the first generation of Congress "insulted" Sardar Patel by not giving him his due recognition and Bharat Ratna, former Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did injustice to Morarji Desai, Shah alleged.

"The third generation of (Congress leaders) Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have done injustice to Narendra Modi, and Gujarat seeks answer for that," he said.

Shah also enumerated various achievements of the BJP-led governments in the state. He compared the situation in Gujarat in 1995, when the BJP wrested power from the Congress, and what the state had achieved till 2017 on yardsticks such as power generation, farm production, education, police, road infrastructure, among others.

"When Narendra Modi was the chief minister, he created a Gujarat development model which has today become a model for the entire country. This model is Gujarat's pride," he said. -- PTI

The Indian Air Force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at its frontline base in Ambala for deployment of the first squadron of the Rafale jets which will give India greater "potency" over Pakistan as these will be

capable of carrying nuclear weapons and other missiles.

The government has already sanctioned Rs 220 crore to set up 14 shelters, hangers and maintenance facilities at the 78-year-old base for the Rafale jets whose delivery is scheduled to begin from September, 2019, a senior IAF official said.

"We are creating infrastructure keeping in mind infrastructure requirement for the Rafale jets for next 40-50 years," the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to media.

The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. Currently, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.

Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh, who passed away two weeks ago, was the first commander of the Ambala base in independent India.

Several teams from French defence major Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, have already visited the Ambala air force base and finalised the requirement for the first squadron of combat jets.

The IAF is also carrying out infrastructure upgrade at its Hasimara base in West Bengal which will house the second squadron of the Rafale jets, the official said.

In September last year, India had signed a Euro 7.87 billion (approx Rs 59,000 crore) deal with the French government for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. Eighteen Rafale jets will be deployed in Ambala while an equal number of the new generation jet will be stationed in Hasimara.

"We are planning to put in place all required infrastructure for Rafale squadron by end of next year," said the IAF official.

The Ambala as well as Hasimara stations will also have simulator-based training facilities for the air crew of Rafale jets. The IAF has already selected a batch of pilots to fly the jets and they are being given training by Dassault Aviation in France.

The Rafale squadron to be deployed in Ambala will be known as Golden Arrows which was originally based in Bhatinda and was disbanded two years ago.

The Rafale combat jets will come with various India-specific modifications including Israeli helmet mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10 hour flight data recording and infra-red search and tracking systems among others.

The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF, which is currently down to 34 squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 44, includes its Beyond Visual Range Meteor air-to-air missile with a range of 150 KM.

Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within India's territorial boundary. -- PTI

China on Sunday opened a 409-km new expressway costing about USD 5.8 billion linking Tibet's provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi, which is close to Arunachal Pradesh border.

The 409-km toll-free expressway has linked the two major cities which are also tourist attractions in Tibet, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The expressway cuts Lhasa-Nyingchi travel time from eight to five hours at a speed limit of 80 km per hour.

The construction cost 38 billion yuan (USD 5.8 billion), according to the local government.

Most of the expressways in Tibet are also compatible for military equipment, providing advantage for the Chinese military to move its troops and weaponry faster.

The massive infrastructure development in Tibet also prompted India to ramp up infrastructure on its side.

Heavy trucks are temporarily banned from using the Lhasa- Nyingchi expressway, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control. While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers the Aksai Chin area, which was occupied by China during the 1962 war.

The number of pending cases in the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts has gone down in the past three years but the pendency has seen an upward swing in the lower judiciary, says law ministry data.

According to figures compiled by the ministry, the apex court had 62,791 pending cases at the end of 2014. The figures went down to 59,272 in December, 2015. But at the end of 2016, the pendency in the Supreme Court went up to 62,537.

The ministry said according to latest data provided by the SC, as on July 17, 2017, the pending cases have been pegged at 58,438. These include 48,772 civil and 9,666 criminal cases.

Similar is the case with the 24 high courts of the country where pending cases were pegged at 41.52 lakh at the end of 2014. In December, 2015, the pendency went down to 38.70 lakh. But at the end of 2016, the cases went up to 40.15 lakh, but were less than the pendency in 2014.

But in the subordinate courts -- considered the backbone of the country's justice delivery system -- the pendency of cases has gone up in the last three years.

While the pending cases in 2014 were recorded at 2.64 crore, they went up to 2.70 crore in 2015. In December, 2016, the pending cases went up to 2.74 crore.

The high courts have a shortage of 413 judges as on September 1. While the approved strength is 1,079, these are working with 666 judges.

The lower courts with an approved strength of nearly 20,000 judicial officers is short of 4,937 judicial officers. -- PTI

He is back to hosting Bigg Boss, a reality show which often creates controversies -- and superstar Salman Khan says people who have misbehaved on the platform have rarely got work afterwards.

Salman, who has lost his cool on some occasions on the show, believes there is a certain responsibility on the celebrities to maintain their dignity inside the house.

In an interview with PTI, Salman says, "When you become a celebrity, you have a responsibility. So you don't want to go down that way. If you react to a common man (in a bad way) being a celebrity, people will say 'Look at him, this is not good.'

"If a common man does the same to a celebrity, people don't enjoy that either. If it is all fun and games, then good. But you need to take care of your image as well."

The 51-year-old actor says he is aware that some people on the show come to revive their career but only those who show class inside the house go a long way.

"Most of the people who have not been very well behaved in the Bigg Boss house have got no work at all. But people who have shown maturity, dignity, class, poise and some substance, they have always got work," he adds.

Last year, Salman threw out Swami Om from the house, a contestant who broke several rules, and the actor says only in times of crisis he gets involved otherwise he does not interfere when it comes to selecting candidates.

"In the last season, I asked one (contestant) to leave the house and the team supported me on that decision. But I don't take part in the phase of choosing contestants. If some characters go way off in the house, then that decision is mutual. It's not good for the show."

Due to the crass behaviour of the inmates and the voyeuristic format, Salman says the team is aware there are people who still do not like the show.

"We try to convert all those people who don't like the show to like it. It's very tough. It has been a few seasons and they're still not liking it.

"But I don't follow (criticism), it doesn't bother me. Even right now they might be writing really nasty things about me but I don't get bothered because I am not reading it."

This is his eighth season with the reality series but Salman believes not only him, but anyone can host the show as it is more about the contestants.

"Anybody can host this show. Because it's not about the host, it's the contestants. They give you the material to react on. It's the team that finds these interesting contestants and it's all about them."

Image: Salman Khan with Jamie Lever, Johnny Lever's daughter at the launch the show. Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

Rahul Gandhi may take over as the Congress president shortly after Diwali, Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot said today, stressing that the time had come for the party vice president to lead from the front.

The Gandhi confidant also said the last names of leaders should not be treated as a disqualification in politics. It was the performance of a leader that ultimately decided his worth, as a surname could only take him so far, he said.

Pilot added that Gandhi's elevation had been in the pipeline for long.

Organisational elections of the Congress are underway and the new president could take over shortly after Diwali. It is something that has been in the pipeline for a long time," Pilot told PTI in an interview.

The Congress leader said the general sentiment in the party was that the time had come for Gandhi to take charge and lead from the front, while favouring a balanced approach of a mix of the young and the old in the party.

"To my mind, there is a general sentiment in the party that he should take over as the party president, Pilot said.

He pointed out that Gandhi had been handling "a lot of work" as the vice president but the party believed "this (Gandhis elevation) should happen in due course and the time has come for it to happen".

Asked if Gandhis sister Priyanka Vadra should also enter active politics, the former minister said, Though she belongs to the Congress party, whether she should join active politics or not is her personal decision".

On the issue of dynastic politics and accusations that the Congress promoted dynasties, Pilot said belonging to a political family might help someone initially but it could not guarantee progress unless backed by performance.

"Belonging to a family that has been in politics should not be treated as a disqualification," he said.

Ultimately, he said, success depended on performance.

"If you perform and win the hearts of people through work, delivery and performance, then it will decide. The mere last name will only take you so far, said Pilot, the son of late Union minister and Congress heavyweight Rajesh Pilot.

A 23-year-old Navy sailor today died of a gunshot injury from his weapon on board a ship under the Southern Naval Command, and an inquiry is on into the incident, a defence spokesman said.

The sailor, Raxit Kumar Parmar, a native of Kheda district of Gujarat, was on sentry duty on board INS Jamuna when the incident occurred at about 7.30 am.

He sustained serious injuries due to a gunshot fired from the weapon he was carrying, the spokesman said.

The injured sailor was immediately rushed to the naval hospital INHS Sanjivani, where he breathed his last at 9.40 am.

A case of unnatural death has been registered with the police and a board of inquiry has been instituted to determine the circumstances which led to his death, the spokesman said.

The sailor is survived by his parents and a brother who have been informed of his demise.

Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar's son-in-law Zubair Khan, who will be seen in Bigg Boss as contestant, said he has no connection with the gangster.

Zubair, who was a film producer, said the fact that he is related to Dawood has had adverse effects on his career and he wants to change the perception through Bigg Boss.

"Since 2011 all the buyers, investors and others backed out (from his film projects) as they got to know that I am related to Dawood Ibrahim.

"People were scared of me. This (show) is an opportunity for me to change the perspective of lot of people in the film industry," Zubair told PTI.

He said he wants to fight against the antisocial elements and is not scared of anyone.

"Since the day I got married I have taken panga (risk). I have been getting threatening calls since then. I don't care. I feel there is one life and death. Change is constant and death is permanent, I know death will come some day, so it is better to fight and then die.

"I don't want to be a coward. My fight is against illegal elements of the society. It's a cause."

The season 11 of the Salman Khan-hosted popular reality TV show will see Zubair as a 'common contestant'.

Asked if he fears being judged by other contestants, Zubair said, "I have made a name for myself. It is not fair (to connect me with Dawood). I have nothing to do with Dawood Ibrahim or anybody."

When the makers of Bigg Boss approached him first, he thought it was a prank.

"I initially felt it was a hoax call. I was told that a lot of people recommended my name for Bigg Boss and I am a good person. They convinced me that the call was real... I thought about it and said yes," he said.

Zubair said he wanted to connect with his children through the show.

"My agenda to do the show is my kids. I have been away from them... I am not allowed to meet them," he said.

Zubair has been in the entertainment industry for the past 15 years and said he wants to expose the darker side of the movie business.

"I will also raise a lot of industry issues, like the dirty politics in Bollywood. Everyone talks to Dawood bhai, whosoever has problems talks to him, it's just that they don't open up about it," he said.

By participating in Bigg Boss, which airs on Colors Channel from tonight, Zubair wants to give a fresh start to his life.

"After 12 years of marriage I want to start it all over again," he said. -- PTI

15:54 Jet fuel price hiked, LPG to now cost more

Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel price was today hiked by a steep 6 per cent on firming international rates, the third straight increase in rates since August.

Aviation turbine fuel will now cost Rs 53,045 per kilolitre in Delhi, Rs 3,025 per kl more than Rs 50,020 previously, according to a price hike notification by Indian Oil Corp, the nation's biggest fuel retailer.

This the third consecutive monthly hike in ATF price, the last being by 4 per cent (Rs 1,910 per kl) on September 1.

Also, cooking gas (LPG) price was hiked by Rs 1.50 per cylinder in line with the government decision to raise rates every month to eliminate subsidies by March.

A subsidised 14.2-kg LPG cylinder will from today cost Rs 488.68 in Delhi as against Rs 487.18 previously, IOC said.

The hike comes on back of over Rs 7 per cylinder increase effected from September 1.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had on July 31 told the Lok Sabha that the government had asked state-run oil firms to raise subsidised cooking gas prices by up to Rs 4 per cylinder every month to eliminate all the subsidies by March next year.

Rates were, however, raised by Rs 2.31 per cylinder on August 1 and the oil companies effected a large hike on September 1 to equalise that, sources said.

Since the implementation of the policy of monthly increases from July last year, subsidised LPG rates have gone up by over Rs 69.50 per cylinder. A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder was priced at Rs 419.18 in June 2016.

The government had previously asked IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) to raise rates of subsidised domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) by Rs 2 per 14.2-kg cylinder per month (excluding VAT).

The quantum has now been doubled so as to bring down the subsidy to nil.

Every household is entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates in a year. Any requirement beyond that is to be purchased at market price.

The price of non-subsidised LPG or market priced cooking gas has also been hiked by Rs 1.50 to Rs 599 per bottle.

Rates at the last revision on September 1 were hiked by Rs 73.5 to Rs 597.50 per bottle.

15:07 Mumbai: Local train derails near CSMT

The front coach of a Mumbai suburban train derailed today near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station.

Nobody was injured in the incident, officials said.

The front coach of the train derailed two minutes after the train left platform 5 of the station.

There were 60 passengers in the carriage, a senior official said.

The Down services from CSMT have been suspended. Some of the Down slow and fast trains have been cancelled as well, The Times of India reported.

Restrictions continued in parts of the city for the third consecutive day today in view of the tenth day of Muharram, an official said.

Restrictions are in place in 13 police station areas of the city, Srinagar District Magistrate (deputy commissioner) Syed Abid Rashid Shah told PTI.

He said curbs under Section 144 of CrPc were imposed in the police station areas of Karan Nagar, Shaheed Gunj, Batamaloo, Shergari, Maisuma, Kothibagh, Kralkhud, Ram Munshi Bagh, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Khanyar, M R Gunj and Safakadal.

The district magistrates aid the restrictions continued for the third day in view of apprehensions of breach of peace as the Shia community is likely to organise processions on 10th Muharram today.

"There are apprehensions that miscreants may disturb the procession and create law and order problems which may result in breach of peace and public tranquillity and may cause loss of life and property," he said.

The traditional Muharram procession used to pass through these areas, but have been banned since eruption of militancy in 1990 as authorities maintain that the religious gathering has been used for propagating separatist politics.

However, life elsewhere in the valley remained normal. -- PTI

New parents Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu have named their baby girl Inaaya Naumi Kemmu.

The 34-year-old actor and Soha, 38, welcomed their first child on September 29.

Kemmu took to Twitter today to reveal the name of their daughter.

"We have named our daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. Little Inaaya is happy and healthy and she thanks all of you for your love and blessings," wrote the actor.

He had announced the arrival of his little one, who was born on the ninth day of Navatri festival, on the microblogging site.

"We are over the moon to share we have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl on this auspicious day. Thank you for the love and blessings," he had written.

The couple got engaged in July 2014 in Paris and tied the knot in Mumbai on January 25, 2015.

Soha announced her pregnancy in April 2017.

On the work front, Soha was last seen in the film "31st October". Kunal will be seen next in "Golmaal Again" scheduled to release on Diwali. -- PTI

14:27 Scope for reducing GST slabs, hints Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hinted that there is scope for lesser slabs under the Goods and Services Tax once there is revenue buoyancy.

"We have almost by the day, space and scope for improvement. We have space for improvement and need for improvement to reduce compliance burden as far as small taxpayers are concerned," he said at an event in Faridabad.

"We have space for improvement, eventually once we become revenue neutral, to think in terms of bigger reforms such as lesser slabs, but for that we have to become revenue neutral...," he added.

Currently, GST has four slabs, with rates ranging from 0 to 28 per cent.

The All India Radio is planning to launch new services for several countries, including Japan, Germany and some in the Commonwealth of Independent States, with an aim to supplement the government's diplomatic efforts and outreach programmes to the Indian diaspora, an official said.

Canada, South Africa and Maldives are also among the countries the All India Radio plans to reach to, External Services Division Director Amlanjyoti Mazumdar told PTI.

Currently, the External Services Division of the AIR covers around 150 countries with programmes in 27 languages -- 14 of them targeting neighbouring countries and nations in Southeast Asia. The ESD plans to expand its global presence now, targeting nations hitherto uncovered by the AIR.

"The ESD has proposed to introduce new services for some countries like Japan, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Maldives and some of the Commonwealth of Independent States countries," Mazumdar said.

The Commonwealth of Independent States is a loose grouping of nine member States and two associate members. It was formed during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The AIR proposal was taken up for discussion during an advisory committee meeting on external broadcast recently.

Mazumdar said these services will aid the government's efforts to further accelerate engagement with global audience and assist diplomatic outreach.

Referring to Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recent visit to India, he said the countries are expanding engagements in number of sectors, hence, the need for a Japanese AIR service.

He said Pakistan has increased its presence in African countries through its new radio services, and India cannot work in "silos".

The ESD aims to keep the listeners in touch with the ethos of India, its point of view on various issues, highlight trade opportunities in the country, besides projecting it as an education, healthcare and tourist destination, he said.

"The foreign radio service also plays important role in public diplomacy, especially in the countries which have a large Indian diaspora.

"Indians today live in almost every country and are interested in knowing what the country of their birth holds for them," he said.

The programme menu of the ESD comprises news bulletins, commentaries on current affairs and a review of the Indian press. It also includes informative talks, interviews, documentaries, features, Indian music of all genres and plays. -- PTI

14:04

UPDATE: Narayan Rane's new party will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh

13:32 Narayan Rane floats new party

Former Congress leader Narayan Rane has floated a new party.

His new outfit will support the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.

The former Maharashtra chief minister was booted out of the Shiv Sena by its chief Bal Thackeray in 2005 for accusing the Sena founder of "blind love for his son", a reference to Uddhav Thackeray who now heads the Shiv Sena.

The leader, who has some influence in the Konkan region that has been a bastion of the Sena, had then joined the Congress which governed Maharashtra uninterrupted from 1999 to 2014.

Last week, he quit the Congress accusing the party for reneging on its promise to make him the chief minister four times.

12:57 President Kovind inaugurates Shirdi airport

President Ram Nath Kovind today inaugurated the newly-built airport at Shirdi in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district.

Airport sources said the president's aircraft touched down from New Delhi at the Shirdi airport at 10.30 am.

Kovind dedicated the Shirdi airport to the people.

Commercial flight operations are scheduled to commence later today with a flight to Mumbai being operated by Alliance Air, the sources said.

The airport secured the aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for commercial operations last month.

Located at 238 km from Mumbai, the country's financial hub, Shirdi has the famous shrine of Sai Baba and is one of the prominent pilgrimage centres in the country.

According to an estimate, about 60,000 pilgrims visit Shirdi everyday, out of which the airport authorities plan to tap at least 10-12 per cent.

This is the centenary year of the death of Sai Baba.

The aerodrome is owned and developed by Maharashtra Airport Development Company, a special purpose vehicle to develop airports in the state.

The trials of flights from the airport had been conducted recently.

Constructed at an investment of around Rs 350 crore, including Rs 50 crore from the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, the airport, with a 2,500 m-long runway, is capable of handling single narrow-body aircraft, such as Airbus A320 and Boeing 737s.

The 2,750 sqm terminal building has been designed to handle a total of 300 passengers, including the arriving ones.

Once the new airport operations start, the travel time to Shirdi from Mumbai is expected to reduce to 40 minutes as against five hours by road at present.

Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/Twitter

A 30-year-old woman has been arrested in the United States for allegedly leaving her four young children home alone with access to a gun while she travelled to Germany for an 11-day vacation.

Erin Lee Macke of Iowa left two 12-year-olds, a seven- year-old, and a six year-old at home, while she was away.

Police say she made no arrangement for child care and left a firearm so the children would have access to it, New York Daily News reported.

She was arrested by Johnston police on Thursady.

According to a statement, police were called to Macke's home on September 21 following a report that children had been left without adult supervision.

When cops arrived, they found Macke's children home alone.

The Iowa Department of Human Services came to get the children, while police called Macke and ordered her to return home from Germany.

Police said Macke was arrested on four counts of child endangerment and one count of making a firearm available to a person under the age of 21.

After sharing the dais at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of DMK's mouthpiece Murasoli, actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth again came together for the inauguration of actor Sivaji Ganesan's memorial in Chennai today.

Amid speculations over their entry into politics, Rajinikanth at the event said that "fame and money" alone were not enough in politics.

"If you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame, and money are not enough. It is something else that is needed.... There is something bigger that transforms an actor into a politician," the Tamil superstar said.

"May be Kamal Haasan knows what it is. If I had asked him two months ago, may be he would have told me. Now, when I ask him, he says come with me, and I'll tell you", the actor added.

At the start of the event, the two actors were seen sharing a comfortable camaraderie, belying the intense speculation over their respective political debuts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted President Ram Nath Kovind on his birthday today.

Kovind was born in 1945 in Kanpur.

"Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation," the prime minister tweeted.

Modi said since his tenure began in July, the president had endeared himself to the people of India through his simple and compassionate nature.

"I have always found Rashtrapati ji to be sensitive towards the aspirations of 125 crore Indians, especially the poor and marginalised," he added. -- PTI

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Actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth at the inauguration of actor Sivaji Ganesan's memorial. Photograph: ANI

10:50 Retired Assam soldier asked to prove he's Indian citizen

After 30 years of service in Army, a retired soldier has been asked to prove that he is an Indian citizen and not an 'illegal Bangladeshi migrant'.

Assam-Foreigners' Tribunal has served a notice to Mohd Azmal Hoque, who retired in 2016 as a junior commissioned officer, asking him to prove citizenship, ANI reported.

The notice, which has put Hoque in the 'doubtful-voter' category, has asked him to prove that he is an Indian citizen by appearing in the local tribunal and furnishing relevant documents, said a report in DNA.

The report quotes Hoque as saying that he missed the first date on September 11 as the notice landed at his doorstep later. He now has to depose on October 13.

A report by CNN News 18 says that Hoque is not the first in his family to be subjected to this ordeal. In 2012, his wife Mamtaj Begum was summoned by the tribunal to prove her citizenship.

'I have served the Indian Army for 30 years. In 2012, I got a notice saying I was a doubtful foreigner, but I submitted all documents in the tribunal court which had declared me an Indian citizen. Why do I have to be humiliated so many times?' Hoque was quoted as saying in the report.

Meanwhile, Assam director general of police told ANI that they're looking at why the notice was served to Hoque. -- Agencies

Image for representation only.

Heavy and continuous rains in Chennai have delayed 10 fights, while two flights were diverted to Hyderabad.

More details awaited. -- ANI

Representative image

09:58 Dalit youth beaten up for sporting moustache

A Dalit youth was beaten up by few upper caste people allegedly for sporting a moustache in Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

Three persons from the Darbar community allegedly abused and assaulted Piyush Parmar, aged 24, on September 25, because the members from the dominant community did not like the idea of a Dalit youth sporting a moustache.

The police has lodged a complaint under the atrocities act against the trio from the same village, identified as Mayursinh Vaghela, Rahul Vikramsinh Serathia and Ajitsinh Vaghela, on September 26.

The case is being probed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

According to the FIR, Parmar, who works with a private firm in Gandhinagar, and his cousin Digant Maheria, were returning to their home after enjoying garba at their village when some people started hurling casteist abuses at them.

"As it was dark, we could not see them. When we went near the place from where the voice was coming, we found three members of the Darbar community there. Just to avoid any scuffle, we ignored them. They followed us to our house and started abusing us again. They first assaulted my cousin Digant and then started beating me, repeatedly asking me how you can sport a moustache despite coming from a lower caste community," Parmar said. -- ANI

Indian origin Vatican priest, Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from the Islamic State captivity, finally arrived in his hometown, Kochi, on Sunday morning.

Upon his arrival, Father Tom thanked the Almighty and expressed his happiness.

"How can one feel upon reaching home? I am happy. And thankful to the Almighty. God bless all," he said.

Father Tom arrived in Bengaluru on September 29.

"I thank the Almighty. I thank everybody," Father Tom told the media.

Earlier, Father Tom, upon his return to New Delhi, informed that his captors did not harm him physically.

While addressing a press conference in the national capital, Father Tom had said, "God has a mission for all of us and my mission is to be present for the old and the dying. I have prayed for those who kept me (captive). They gave me food and didn't harm me physically. Initially they asked who'll help me out from this situation -- the government or Church? After some time they stopped asking me."

Father Tom also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.Father Uzhunnalil was rescued on September 12.

He was reportedly kidnapped on March 4, 2016 by the Islamic State in Yemen, when they attacked a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity, killing sixteen people, including four nuns. -- ANI

The Mumbai Police, who were probing an ornament theft case at the Mumbai stampede site on Sunday, have informed that the ornaments from dead bodies were removed by the ward boys of the King Edward Memorial Hospital and have been returned to the families of deceased.

The Mumbai Police said, "The ornaments from the dead bodies were removed by the ward boys of the KEM hospital and handed over to the police with their belongings to the Dadar Police Station. We have sent policemen to victim's place and handed over the ornaments to them."

The police further informed that few deceased people's belongings are in the police station and their relatives have been contacted and intimated about it.

'The missing material includes -- Jyotiba Shankar Chavan's black bag containing a cheque book and cash Rs 1,250, Alex Corea's Nokia mobile, Rs 9,610, Sumalatha Shetty's bangle, wrist watch, ear rings, silver anklet, three rings and Sujata Alva's earring, ring and nose ring,' the Mumbai Police Statement read.

Earlier, a visual had emerged showing some people allegedly stealing ornaments from a victim of the stampede, Sumalatha Shetty, at the Elphinstone Road railway station, which prompted the Mumbai Police to launch a probe.

Her ornaments have been returned to their respective families. -- ANI

Photograph: PTI Photo

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