Three militants, three soldiers killed in Kashmir

      Kangan: Three militants and three soldiers were killed in a fierce gunbattle in a village in Kashmir, said officials on Wednesday. The night-long gunbattle in a village in Kangan region, about 30 kilometres northeast of Srinagar, took place just couple of hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kashmiri separatists began talks to revive a faltering peace process. Officials said they have launched a joint operation at village Hayan following a tip off that militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were taking refuge in a house in the village. Army and police launched a joint operation and said they were trying to seal the village, when militants opened a fire and hurled hand grenades at them. Three militants were killed in the retaliatory fire by security forces. Two soldiers and a policeman were also killed in the gunbattle, said Brigadier Jahangeer, Commandant, Rashtriya Rifles. "Though at that time we were not sure as to which group they were from, we have found out now that they are from the LeT. We have lost three brave soldiers in this operation," he said. Rising violence in Jammu and Kashmir, especially this week's massacre of Hindus in state's Jammu region has overshadowed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's talks with the leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. Thirty-five Hindus were killed this week by militants in Jammu's Doda and Udhampur district. Pakistan has condemned the recent militant attacks. Director General of Pakistan Foreign Ministry's South Asia Division, Syed Ibne Abbas, who is currently in India to hold talks on opening more crossings on the disputed Kashmir border, said such incidents should not affect the ongoing peace process between the two countries.

Voting for final phase ends in Bengal (Go To Top)

      Kolkata: Voting for the fourth and the final phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal ended today with nearly 76 percent polling recorded across the 57 constituencies in the State. Polling was conducted in Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad. Chief Electoral Officer Debasis Sen said that polling in these three constituencies was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported. Deputy Election Commissioner Anant Kumar visited several booths in Burdwan district, where elections were held for 26 seats and expressed satisfaction with the arrangements put in place for the smooth conduct of the electoral process. Paramilitary force was pressed into service and extra vigil mounted along the state's border with Jharkhand and Bangladesh to thwart any attempt at influencing the polling through bogus voting. Officials said the voter turnout at Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad was 78, 82 and 75 percent respectively. Two hundred and eighty eight candidates were in the fray for the final phase today, the prominent players being, Industries Minister Nirupam Sen, Power Minister Mrinal Banerjee, Minister for Animal Resources Anisur Rahaman and the leader of the Congress in the state legislature Atish Sinha.

70 pc vote in final phase in Kerala (Go To Top)

      Thiruvanathapuram: Seventy percent polling was recorded in the third and final phase of Assembly elections in Kerala. Kannur and Kasaragod, both considered politically sensitive districts witnessed peaceful polling in the 15 assembly seats amidst tight security. Ten constituencies in Kannur and five seats in Kasaragod went to the polls today. Officials said the deployment of over 13, 000 security personnel in all the sensitive 2,346 polling booths ensured a smooth conduct of the electoral process. In Kannur, all the 1,500 booths were declared sensitive with more than 200 of these in the supersensitive category, and paramilitary and state police personnel were deployed to ensure smooth conduct of polls in the region. Police officials further said that security forces deployed in the two districts were also kept on "high alert" to prevent any possible post-poll violence. Both the districts have been the traditional strongholds of the Left parties and have witnessed a spate of violence between the Left and the BJP and the RSS.

Pondicherry goes to polls (Go To Top)

      Pondicherry/Budhni: Voting is taking place in three Assembly constituencies of the Union Territory of Pondicherry amidst tight security. The constituencies are Mahe, Palloor and Yanam. A total of 45,708 electorates will decide the fate of 19 candidates in fray for the first phase of polling. Mahe and Palloor constituencies have four contestants each, 11 concanidates are contesting in Yanam. Some prominent candidates are Health Minister of Pondicherry E. Valsaraj (Congress) is pitted against his immediate Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate T. Ashok Kumar in Mahe constituency. The other contestants in the constituency are K. Vijayan (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and V. Balan (Bharatiya Janata party). The second phase of polling in 27 constituencies will take place on May 8. Pondicherry has a 30-member Assembly. The AIADMK has tied up with the Puducherry Munetra Congress, the MDMK and the Dalit Panthers. The AIADMK is contesting 16 seats, the PMC nine, JD(S) one, MDMK two and the DPI two seats. The Congress is in an alliance with the DMK. The Congress is contesting 16 seats, DMK 11 seats, the PMK two seats and CPI one seat.

PM condoles Galbraith's demise (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condoled the passing way of Professor John Kenneth Galbraith, saying India has lost a dear and trusted friend and the world a profound teacher, thinker, philosopher, diplomat and a man of peace. In a condolence message to Professor Galbraith's son, Dr James Galbraith, the Prime Minister said: " I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing away of Professor Galbraith. In his passing away, India has lost a dear and trusted friend, the discipline of economics has lost a most lucid interpreter, the people of America have lost a great liberal and a voice of reason and his admirers around the world have lost a profound teacher, thinker, philosopher, diplomat and a man of peace." "Professor Galbraith shaped our thinking about post-War world and the dynamics of modern capitalism. His deep insights into the working of an industrial society, the monetary system and the world economy gave us reasons to be optimistic about our future. His wry wit, sarcasm and evocative language brought to life the dry discipline of economics, educating and entertaining millions of students of the dismal science." "I had the good fortune of meeting your father on several occasions and each time was struck by his deep affection for the people of India and his sincere commitment to good relations between India and the United States. During his tenure as US ambassador in New Delhi, he laid the foundation of an enduring friendship between our two countries on which we are now attempting to build a new edifice defined by trust and mutual benefit. More than an Ambassador, he was a friend of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He continued to maintain a friendly relationship with Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi." "Generations of Indians have admired his wisdom and humour and thanked him for his friendship." the Prime Minster said.

Kingfisher Airlines to fly down JLo (Go To Top)

       Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines today announced plans to bring down renowned singer-cum-actress Jennifer Lopez to India, as part of its first anniversary celebrations this month. Lopez will be performing for the first time in India and her concert will take place at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai. Her visit is part of a world tour following the release of her latest album, Rebirth that debuted at Number Two on the Billboard 200. So far, the album has spawned the hit "Get Right" and has sold four million copies worldwide. The concert is being organized and produced by DNA Networks, the international event management company, on May 21, 2006. Tickets for the concert are priced at Rs.2, 000/- and Rs.1200/-. Tickets will go on sale from May 12, 2006. Details of ticket outlets can be accessed on www.dnanetworks.com.

     Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said: "Ever since its launch on May 9, 2005, Kingfisher Airlines has been blazing new trails and has consistently raised the bar both in terms of service and product offering. We have endeavoured to ensure that the whole experience of flying is fun." Kingfisher Airlines has recently introduced Kingfisher First, a premium service featuring the plushest Sleeperette seats in the Indian skies with a 48 inch pitch, a 125 degree recline, adjustable headrests and fully extendable footrests. In-flight entertainment has been taken to a new level with the latest audio and video on demand system that is available on Kingfisher First. Air Travellers can now watch the biggest show in the Indian skies with the latest Hollywood and Hindi blockbusters, music videos and concerts, engaging video games and lots more. All these are available on extra-wide personalized video screens with the comfort of noise-cancelling stereo headphones. Kingfisher First also features an exclusive three-course menu complete with a Kingfisher sparkling welcome drink, signature dessert and coffee freshly brewed on board, world-class service experience at the hands of a superbly trained and hand-picked cabin crew. Other services available on-board are an international-class welcome pack, spectacle cleaning services, stain removers, laptop and mobile phone chargers in each seat and lot more.

113 killed in Armenian jet crash (Go To Top)

       Moscow: At least 113 people, most of them Armenians, have been killed after their plane crashed off the southern Russian coast on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry told local news agencies that there was no sign of any survivors and that rescue workers have so far retrieved floating baggage, life jackets, body parts, pieces of the shattered plane and a patch of oil on the Black Sea coast. They said that the plane had taken off from the Armenian capital of Yerevan and was about to land before it crashed. Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said the plane was an Airbus 320 and it had vanished from radar screens 2:15 a.m. EDT near Sochi, a Russian holiday resort near the Georgian border. The plane had attempted an emergency landing at the airport, and had crashed into the sea at a very steep angle. Its fuselage was lying on the seabed at a depth of 300 yards. The plane was carrying at least five children and eight crewmembers.

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