NEW DELHI: National passenger carrier Air India on Friday said it will operate a special aircraft service to Iraq to bring back the 46 stranded Indian nurses.

"Our flight will take off 6.00 pm IST here and will land at Erbil (airport) by 8.20 pm Iraq time. The flight will load passengers and take off from there by 9.30 pm (Iraq time) and head towards Kochi," a senior Air India officer with the operations arm based in New Delhi told IANS.

According to the official, a Boeing 777 LR (long range) aircraft will be operated on the service. The aircraft can accommodate more than 300 passengers.

"There will be 12 Air India cockpit and cabin crew on board. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials will also be on board," the official said, adding that the aircraft is expected to reach Kochi airport by 5.40 am IST on Saturday.

The development comes after the Sunni insurgents in Iraq agreed to free all 46 Indian nurses. 

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also confirmed the development to IANS from New Delhi. Erbil is the capital of Kurdistan in Iraq.

The 46 nurses who were kidnapped by the Sunni insurgents were put on a bus from Tikrit Thursday afternoon and driven to Mosul. They were further taken from Mosul to Erbil, 60 km away.

Their shifting caused panic, with some reports suggesting that the nurses would be forced by the Sunni insurgents to work in hospitals controlled by them in Mosul, their stronghold.

But the situation changed dramatically Friday morning when the militants, after serving breakfast, allowed them to speak over the telephone to their families in Kerala.

It was the first definitive indication that the nurses were set to taste freedom. — IANS

Modi flags off Katra-Udhampur train

Katra (J&K): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today declared that the Centre wants to win the hearts of people of Jammu and Kashmir through development as he flagged off the train linking Katra — the base camp for pilgrims headed to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine nestled in Trikuta hills.

Suggesting that the train be named 'Shree Shakti Express', Modi, who is on his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir after assuming power, said the state has gone through many "problems and difficulties" and the country wants it to be "prosperous and peaceful". 'Shree' is one of the names of Goddess Durga.

The train connectivity to Katra is part of the ambitious Kashmir rail link project that will connect the Valley with the rest of the country. The last link between Katra and Banihal pass is expected to be completed by 2018.

The 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra line, commissioned after prolonged delays, has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,132.75 crore.

The train will traverse through seven tunnels and over 30 small and large bridges. There will be a small station — Chakrakhwal — between Udhampur and Katra.

Trains will be able to reach Katra directly as the 53-km Jammu-Udhampur rail line is already operational. This would enable lakhs of pilgrims headed to the revered Vaishno Devi shrine to travel directly to the base camp at Katra.

"I congratulate the crores of devotees of Mata Vaishno Devi, who want to come here for pilgrimage from all across the country," Modi said while dedicating the train to the nation.

The Prime Minister said the new rail link will speed up the process of development in the state.

"The journey started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be continued ... our priority is to win the hearts of every citizen of this state through development," Modi said.

Modi said the train is a gift not just for people of Jammu and Kashmir but for the whole of India. At the function at Katra railway station, where Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was among others present, the Prime Minister refrained from touching upon any political issue facing the state.

The Prime Minister also allayed the fears of the people of Jammu, who feel that the direct rail link to Katra will have negative impact on the development of their city, saying the "development of Jammu will not be stalled". Modi said the government will further enhance the rail connectivity in the state and that the Banihal rail line will be linked to the rest of the country directly.

Omar also raised the need for a Banihal link in his speech and demanded an an upgrade for the railway station in Jammu city.

The Prime Minister said with the inauguration of the railway link and the hydel power project in Uri in the evening, "Jammu and Kashmir's development will get both speed and energy." He said the Railways is an environment-friendly mode of transport and it will be spread in Jammu and Kashmir.

Stressing that the Himalayan states have similar problems and opportunities, he said there is a need for a "common model" of development for them.

Modi said he had come to the Mata Vasihno Devi shrine during his election campaign and "today we begin our development journey from here." He said six trains would be running from Katra station to different destinations in the country and three sets of local trains would also be running from Jammu to the station.

The Railways is considering extending the Jammu Mail and the Sampark Kranti Express up to Katra, besides introducing new trains, including the Katra-Kalka Express and the New Delhi-Katra AC Express.

There is also a possibility of launching a new train between Varanasi and Katra, a railway official said, adding the purpose is to connect two holy places by train. An estimated 10 million devotees visit the shrine every year.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) has been stationed at vulnerable locations all along the track in protected bunkers to maintain round-the-clock vigil.

Katra station is equipped with modern facilities, including tourist guide counter, cloak room, waiting hall, VIP lounge, escalators and lifts and parking spaces.

The train connectivity to Katra is part of the ambitious Kashmir rail link project marking region's rail connectivity with the rest of the country.

The Prime Minister will fly to Srinagar where he will address a 'Sainik Sammelan', official sources said. He may touch upon India's ties with neighbouring Pakistan at this event.

After his lunch with Governor N N Vohra, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the second phase of 240 MW Uri Hydel project which has been built by the state-run National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC). — PTI

KATRA: Ahead of the Rail Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hinted at an increased role of the private sector in the development of the Railways.

"We want railway stations to have better facilities than airports. This is our dream and it is not a difficult thing to do, and this is economically viable too. I have discussed it in detail with my railway friends. You will see a change in near future.

"In that, private parties would also be ready to invest because this is a good project economically and will benefit everyone. This would be a win-win situation project and we want to move ahead in this direction in the coming days," he said.

The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the Katra rail line project in Jammu.

Modi said the railway stations in metros and important cities such as Jammu would be priority for the government with regard to the development of railway stations.

He said the Railway Ministry has been given a detailed outline of the project.

Railways Minister Sadananda Gowda will present his maiden Rail Budget on July 8 in Parliament. The government has already hiked the fares for passenger travel and freight transportation. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Carrying on with its probe into allegations of over Rs 360 crore bribe paid in the purchase of VVIP helicopters, the CBI on Friday recorded statement of Goa Governor BV Wanchoo as a "witness".

His questioning comes a week after former West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan was quizzed by the CBI after which he demitted his office.

CBI team quizzed Wanchoo in Panaji and recorded his statement for its probe into allegations of bribery in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland firm.

The sources said the need to record statements of Wanchoo and Narayanan was felt as both had participated in the meeting in 2005 that allowed key changes in the technical specifications of the chopper.

The CBI had registered a case against former IAF chief SP Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen in the case.

The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he had reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter so that AgustaWestland was included in the bids. Tyagi has refuted the allegation against him.

The CBI has alleged reduction of the service ceiling — maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally — allowed the UK-based firm to get into the fray as, otherwise, its helicopters were not even qualified for submission of bids.

The CBI claims the parameters regarding the height at which the helicopter can fly as well as the flight evaluation were changed in a manner that enabled AgustaWestland to clinch the deal vis-à-vis its competitor Sikorsky. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Blaming hoarders for the rise in food inflation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said there is "no panic situation" and asked the states to take measures to crackdown on hoarding and black marketing to rein in prices.

"When production of food items is higher than last year and still prices rise, then it means that intermediaries are keeping the stock somewhere," Jaitley said at a conference on food inflation.

He said the test of the good governance is how to de-hoard the stock kept by intermediaries into the market to rein in prices. "This is the biggest challenge." Stating that prices of some food items increase every year during the July-December period due to hoarding, Jaitley said: "There are reports of below-normal monsoon this year.

Hoarders are taking advantage of the situation." "Prices of some items had touched Rs 70-100 per kg last year. Prices are still lower this year. There is no panic situation," he said.

The Minister asked the state governments to assess the problem as action taken after price rise creates panic in the market.

Noting that prices of crude oil have increased due to tension in Iraq, Jaitley said there are, however, indications of softening of prices.

He was addressing the Conference of State Food and Consumer Affairs Ministers to discuss measures to check food inflation. The meeting was also attended by Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

Jaitley also mentioned that prices of onion, potato, rice, pulses and milk have increased because of different reasons.

Inflation rose to five-month high to 6.01 per cent in May due to rise in prices of essential items like vegetables, fruits and cereals.

In order to check prices during the coming festival season, Jaitley urged the states to assess the supply-demand situation and take effective measures in advance to boost supply.

He also asked the state governments to set an example of good governance as there is no reason for price rise when production is at a record level and supplies are adequate.

Emphasising on the need for coordinated efforts to control prices, Jaitley said both the Centre and states should prepare a joint-action plan in this regard.

The Finance Minister highlighted measures taken by the Centre in the last few weeks including additional allocation of 5 million tonnes of rice for poor and imposition of minimum export price on onion and potato. — PTI

BRASILIA (Brazil): Hosts Brazil face their stiffest test so far at the World Cup finals when they take on South American rivals Colombia in the last eight in Fortaleza on Friday after European heavyweights Germany and France clash in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil scraped past Chile via a penalty shootout to reach the quarter-finals, while Colombia, with five-goal tournament top scorer James Rodriguez in their ranks, have won all four of their games scoring 11 goals and conceding just two.

Germany are expected to see off France and set up a semi-final against Brazil or Colombia in Belo Horizonte on July 8 despite question marks over their form and seven of their players suffering mild flu symptoms.

France coach Didier Deschamps has sought to play down the significance of painful semi-final defeats to the Germans in 1982 and 1986 as Les Bleus, who have netted 10 goals in their four games, look to continue their fine scoring form. — Reuters

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil): Former Brazil coach Dunga has revealed lessons from Brazil's storied football past convinced him to leave Neymar out of the Selecao's 2010 World Cup squad.

Neymar had already earned a reputation as a precocious talent — reportedly attracting a 35 million-euro bid from Chelsea — but Dunga insists the then 18-year-old was not ready to play in football's premier tournament, reports Xinhua.

"I wasn't right and I wasn't wrong," Dunga said in an interview with Brazilian television station Sportv."

"He was a player who the previous December had been a reserve for Santos. He started to play as a starter for them in January and our last match before the World Cup squad was announced in March."

After cementing his place in Santos' first team in January 2010, Neymar scored 14 goals in 19 matches in the Sao Paulo state championship. In April, he netted five times in the team's 8-1 defeat of Guarani in the Brazilian Cup.

Such form prompted former Selecao greats like Pele, Romario and Zico to publicly call for the teenager's inclusion in Brazil's squad. But Dunga had other ideas.

"The story that we have often seen in Brazil is that players with only a handful of matches have never really lived up to expectations in the World Cup," said Dunga, who is currently working as a television commentator.

"In 1966, we had players who in 1970 were much better, but in 1966 they didn't have experience. And Brazil performed badly in 1966."

"We took our decision (in 2010) based on that and the team that we had built. Now we're seeing a different Neymar. He is the biggest name in the Brazilian team and this is his moment. He is playing in Europe and Brazil is expecting big things of him in the hope that he can help the team win the World Cup."

Dunga was sacked after Brazil's quarter-final exit from the 2010 tournament.

Neymar won his first Brazil cap under Mano Menezes less than a month later, scoring in the team's 2-0 friendly victory over the US. — IANS

BRASILIA (Brazil): Argentina will once again turn to Lionel Messi for inspiration when they tackle star-studded Belgium here tomorrow in a World Cup quarter-final haunted by ghosts of yesteryear.

Victory would take Argentina into the last four — where either Holland or Costa Rica will await — for only the second time since they last won the tournament in 1986, beating Belgium in the semi-finals en route.

But despite results living up to expectations — Argentina have won all four of their games to date — performances have not, and the team's dependence on Messi has been cited as the key factor.

With four goals in three matches, the Barcelona megastar was his side's saviour in the group phase, while in the 1-0 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the last 16 he seemed the only player capable of making a difference.

Diego Maradona was scathing of the team's performance, warning coach Alejandro Sabella that he is destined for "catastrophe" if he cannot alleviate some of the burden on the team's outstanding player.

Argentina's assault on the World Cup was supposed to be spearheaded by their 'Fantastic Four' attackers, but Messi is the only one who has lived up to his billing so far.

Sergio Aguero is a serious doubt for the Belgium game due to a muscle injury, Gonzalo Higuain is still waiting for his first goal, and despite scoring the winner against the Swiss, Angel Di Maria has delighted and exasperated in equal measure.

Facing accusations that his side are overly reliant on their number 10, Sabella said that "Argentina have always had a dependence on Messi".

It is likely to be no different against Belgium and Messi's task will be rendered doubly difficult by the fact that the opposition goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois of Atletico Madrid, has kept him at bay for seven games in succession.

The Messi-Courtois duel is one of many subplots in a game that carries strong echoes of the last World Cup encounter between the teams in Mexico City, which Argentina won 2-0 thanks to a glorious Maradona brace.

Then, as now, Argentina were dependent on the brilliance of one prodigiously gifted player, whereas Belgium's success was built upon the emergence of an exceptionally talented generation of players.

While the Belgian side of 1986 boasted the razor-sharp creative instincts of Enzo Scifo, the current team can call upon Eden Hazard, but the 23-year-old is yet to fully catch fire in Brazil.

Although he came up with crucial and timely assists in the group-phase wins over Algeria and Russia, the Chelsea winger is yet to score.

However, coach Marc Wilmots is adamant that Belgium do not have dependency issues of their own.

"When the opponent lets him, he's dangerous, but it's the same thing with (Dries) Mertens and (Kevin) De Bruyne," he said.

"Eden might be picked out by the international press as the star of the squad, but what I see is that Belgium are a block who don't depend on the performances of a single player." Wilmots has vowed to exploit a "lack of balance" in Argentina's team and he has been aided by the news that captain Vincent Kompany should be fit to start despite an ongoing groin problem.

With Aguero unlikely to recover in time, Ezequiel Lavezzi is expected to continue in attack for Argentina at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium.

Marcos Rojo's suspension, meanwhile, means that unheralded left-back Jose Maria Basanta will be tasked with shackling the dangerous Mertens on Argentina's left flank.

"Rojo is very good, but we have faith in Basanta too," said Sabella. — AFP

SALVADOR: The irresistible fairytale of Costa Rica faces a day of reckoning against Louis van Gaal's hard, calculating Dutch side tomorrow in the Brazil World Cup's most unlikely quarter-final.

Few believed that Costa Rica, a small Central American country with an undistinguished footballing record, would still be standing, especially after a group including Italy, England and Uruguay.

Yet "Los Ticos" shocked Uruguay and Italy to top a group bracketing three World Cup winners, before battling past Greece on penalties after playing an hour with only 10 men.

Despite the talents of Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz in attack, it has been more a case of grit and organisation than Latin flair with Jorge Luis Pinto's side conceding only two goals so far and scoring five.

Costa Rica have already outdone their best World Cup performance, reaching the last 16 in 1990, much to the jubilation of fans back home whose celebrations have stretched long into the night.

Whether the parties continue depends on the Netherlands, whose hard-nosed approach and late comebacks have already dashed the dreams of millions of fans in Chile and Mexico.

The 2010 finalists began the World Cup with a heady 5-1 rout of reigning champions Spain, and then came from behind to beat Australia 3-2.

Objections surfaced over their counter-attacking style after the 2-0 win against Chile, which was achieved with two late goals and with veteran forward Dirk Kuyt playing left-back.

And much sympathy for the Oranje evaporated when Arjen Robben, after earning the injury-time penalty that sank Mexico 2-1, admitted diving during the last-16 tie.

After a furore over those comments Robben will not expect any favours from Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov, who is yet to give a penalty in his eight-game World Cup career.

But the Bayern Munich flyer's duel against Keylor Navas, one of the World Cup's goalkeeping heroes whose one-handed penalty stop denied Greece, will be closely watched.

Navas, who is expected to recover from a shoulder injury, can also expect a work-out from Robin van Persie with emerging PSV Eindhoven star Memphis Depay likely to figure later on.

In a blow to the Dutch, midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong is out with a groin injury, meaning a reshuffle for the Manchester United-bound Van Gaal.

But the coach has shown cool tactical nous and opportunism, first by redeploying Kuyt and also using the World Cup's first cooling break to switch tactics against Mexico.

Costa Rica have problems in defence with centre-back Oscar Duarte — who scored a brilliant header against Uruguay — suspended and the left-sided Roy Miller an injury concern.

Up front, expect another starring role from Campbell, 22, whose eye-catching tournament could prompt Arsenal to recall him after loan spells at Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos.

Playing behind Campbell will be the assured Ruiz, 28, completing an attacking duo which has yielded three of Costa Rica's goals so far.

The Fulham forward said Costa Rica were capable of shocking the Dutch -- a seismic upset for the World Cup, but one which would find favour with neutrals and romantics.

"Saturday's game is like a final for us, but we don't want to stop there," said Ruiz.

"Holland is a great team, but I have to be honest and say that we have a good chance of beating them. But we have to take care of a lot of details if we want to win." The eventual winner at Salvador's Fonte Nova Arena will play either Argentina or Belgium for a place in the July 13 final in Rio de Janeiro. — AFP