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9 killed as two IAF choppers collide mid-air

Jamnagar: Nine defence personnel, including five officers, were on Thursday killed when two MI-17 choppers of Indian Air Force collided mid-air just after take off from an air base in Jamnagar.

“Nine IAF personnel — five officers and four other ranks — have been killed in the crash near Sarmat firing range, 15 km from Jamnagar city,” an IAF spokesperson said in New Delhi.

The Russian-made choppers were on a training sortie and the crash occurred about 5 minutes after they took off at 12 noon from the Jamnagar air base, he said.

The choppers were flying very close to each other when their upper rotors came in contact causing the collision. The tail rotor of one of the choppers also snapped, eyewitnesses said

Asked why were the choppers flying so close to each other, the spokesperson said that the training mission involved such flying.

Indian Air Force officers, police officials and Jamnagar municipal corporation fire brigade reached the spot shortly after the crash. Fire brigade personnel doused the burning wreckage.

The spokesperson said that a court of inquiry has been ordered to determine the reasons behind the crash. The names of those killed have not been disclosed by IAF. — PTI

Build global governance structures, India urges NAM

TEHRAN: Pointing to deficits in global governance, India on Thursday called on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to "take the lead" in rectifying this and sought immediate steps to reduce tensions in global hotspots like West Asia and North Africa.

"The deficit in global governance is perhaps most stark in the sphere of international peace and security and in restoring just and fair economic mechanisms," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said while addressing the 16th NAM summit here.

"Our movement should take the lead in building global governance structures that are representative, credible and effective," he said, adding it was his "sincere hope" there can be agreement "on action to reform institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, the World Bank and the IMF".

"Existing problems cannot be solved effectively without a greater voice for developing countries on issues such as global trade, finance and investment," Manmohan Singh said.

On the situation in West Asia and North Africa, the Prime Minister said that while India supports popular aspirations for a democratic and pluralistic order, "such transformation cannot be prompted by external intervention, which exacerbate the suffering of ordinary citizens". — IANS

Coal block allocation issue rocks Parliament for 7th day
SP, Left plan dharna for normalcy in Parliament

NEW DELHI: The issue of the CAG report on coal block allocation rocked Parliament for the seventh successive day today with a determined BJP persisting with its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation but the government pushed through two bills in the Lok Sabha.

Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha after they assembled for the day, with BJP members storming the Well shouting slogans against the Prime Minister and the Congress.

In both Houses, members of NDA allies Shiv Sena and SAD were on their feet but they did not go into the Well while JD(U) members remained seated.

The slogan shouting by the BJP was countered by Congress members, who hailed the Prime Minister.

In the Rajya Sabha, Congress member from Jharkhand Pradip Balmuchu led the charge shouting slogans against the BJP and taunting the Opposition party for boycotting Parliament.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after the first adjournment with Speaker Meira Kumar taking up two legislations — Chemical Weapons Convention (Amendment) Bill, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Amendment) Bill.

In the din, the two Bills were passed by voice vote without any discussion after Minister of State for Chemicals Srikant Jena and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad moved them.

Meanwhile, with Parliament proceedings continuing to be disrupted over the coal block allocation issue, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today met leaders of CPI, CPI(M) and TDP and decided to hold a dharna tomorrow to demand restoration of normalcy in the House and a debate on the issue.

Other Opposition parties, even those from the BJP-led NDA like JD(U) and Akali Dal, do not favour disruption of proceedings and have been demanding debate on the CAG report into the coal block allocation and other issues.

Apart from Yadav, sources said the meeting was attended by CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia, CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta and TDP’s Nama Nageshwar Rao.

The leaders of these parties decided to hold a sit-in of their MPs inside the Parliament House complex tomorrow.

The sources said MPs of some other non-UPA parties are also likely to join the dharna and talks were on with them.

Yadav also sought an inquiry into the coal blocks allocation by a sitting Supreme Court judge. — PTI

Sonia attacks BJP, says debate in Parliament can solve any issue

Barmer (Rajasthan): UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday took head-on BJP's threat of taking the coal blocks allocation issue to the streets. She lashed out at the opposition party for disrupting Parliament over its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation and reiterated that deadlocks can be solved through debate only.

"Some people are playing politics and blocking Parliament, their attitude is doing damage to the legacy of our freedom fighters.

Debate in Parliament can solve any issue," said a combative Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Barmer district of Rajasthan.

Gandhi was in Barmer to inaugurate a Rs 688.65 crore lift drinking water project which aims to provide water from the Himalayas to people of 700 villages at their doorsteps in this Rajasthan district along the India-Pakistan border.

In a stern message to the BJP, Gandhi, without naming the opposition party, said it will not be allowed to continue with disrupting the Parliament.

"If they think only their wish will prevail, this will not do," she said.

Asking the BJP why it was shying away from a debate, she appealed to the party to join the debate in Parliament to resolve the logjam.

The BJP has been forcing adjournments of the both Houses in Parliament since last week over its demand.

It has also sought cancellation of coal block allotments on the basis of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report and inquiry by a special investigative team into the allocations. — IANS

India aims for whitewash against struggling Kiwis

Bangalore: Seeking to complete a whitewash, India would again rely on the guile and skill of their spinners when they take on a hapless New Zealand in the second and final cricket Test starting here on Friday.

A 2-0 triumph would go a long way in erasing the bitter memories of previous season during which India were routed 4-0 by both England and Australia when they toured there.

The Indians have bounced back in style this season by outplaying New Zealand inside four days in a lop-sided opening Test on the turning track of Hyderabad.

Thoroughly outplayed in Hyderabad, the Kiwis will be hoping to find a way to counter the Indian spinners in the match which was expected to be affected by the inclement weather prevailing here for the past few days.

Though Chinnaswamy curator Narayan Raju talked about a tinge of grass available on the pitch, the New Zealand think tank doesn’t hope for spin respite. They expect groundsmen to shave the pitch off and make sure it is dry.

The inability of the New Zealand batsmen to handle spin was exposed in Hyderabad where 18 of their 20 wickets fell to tweakers.

With off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin taking 12 wickets and left-armer Pragyan Ojha grabbing six, India underlined their supremacy on home soil by winning the first Test convincingly.

India will once again look towards the spin duo to sweep the short series against the struggling Black Caps.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is aware of the role the spin duo played in India’s victory in the last home Test series against the West Indies in November 2011 during which they shared 42 wickets in three matches. — PTI

Sania advances; Bhupathi-Bopanna out of US Open

New York: Sania Mirza entered the mixed doubles second round with a new partner, but the Mahesh Bhupahti-Rohan Bopanna combo made a shock first-round exit from the men's doubles event of the US Open here.

Sania ended her successful partnership with Bhupahti in the mixed doubles circuit after being "sacrificed" by the veteran in the infamous Olympic selection row in July.

And the Hyderabadi made a freash start with Englishman Colin Fleming when the duo defeated the British-American combination of Andrea Petkovic and Eric Butorac 6-2 7-6 (5).

Sania and Fleming will now be up against winners of the match between Americans Melanie Oudin and Jack Sock and the fifth-seeded Slovak-Serbian pair of Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic.

In men's doubles, Bhupathi and Bopanna, who have been dumped from the Indian Davis Cup team for revolting against the All India Tennis Assoiation before the Olympics, were shown the door in the first round itself.

The eighth-seeded Indian team was defeated 3-6 6-7 (4) by unseeded Australians Matthew Ebden and Bernard Tomic.

But Leander Paes sailed into the second round with Czech partner Radek Stepanek. The fifth-seeded team outplayed the unseeded German duo of Dustin Brown and Christopher Kas 6-3 6-3.