KOCHI: A threat of a bomb explosion or a possible suicide attack on an Air India flight from Mumbai sparked an alert here with authorities beefing up security at the international airport.

Airport Director A.K.C. Nair told PTI that they received information from Kolkata that there is a threat to the AI flight on the Mumbai-Kochi sector on October 25 and Ahmedabad-Mumbai sector tonight.

"There was a threat of bomb attack or bomb suicide attack," he said.

A high-level meeting was convened this morning by CISF DIG Anand Mohan, who arrived here from Chennai, to review the security at the airport.

The Director of Airports Authority of India, Kolkata, had received an anonymous call last night stating that AI flights on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Mumbai-Kochi sector will be 'sabotaged', airport sources said.

The information had been handed over to the police and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and as per their directions security has been tightened at the airport, the sources said.

A Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, Quick Response team, CISF and police are keeping a constant vigil at the airport.

Security at the airport perimeter entrance has also been further tightened. — PTI

New York doctor tests positive for Ebola

NEW YORK: A physician with Doctors Without Borders who returned to New York City after treating Ebola victims in West Africa tested positive for the virus, setting off fresh fears about the spread of the disease.

Dr. Craig Spencer, 33, is in isolation at Bellevue Hospital. Two friends and his fiancée have been quarantined. At a news conference, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to reassure the public that they are safe from Ebola.

“Being on the same subway car or living near someone with Ebola does not in itself put someone at risk,” De Blasio said.

The first confirmed case in America‘s largest city set off renewed fears about the spread of the virus, which has killed nearly 4,900 people, largely in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

There have been nine cases of Ebola seen in the United States since the beginning of August.

The US stock market reacted to the news and S&P futures fell 9 points or 0.45 percent. The dollar slipped against the euro and the US 10-year Treasury rose, lowering its yield to about 2.24 percent.

Spencer developed a fever and gastrointestinal symptoms after working for the humanitarian organization in Guinea, one of three West African nations hardest hit by Ebola.

He felt the first symptom about 10 am ET on Thursday when he developed a fever, city Health Commissioner Mary Travis Bassett said. People with Ebola only become contagious when they start feeling sick, she said.

He had been monitoring his temperature twice a day, she said.

A specially trained team wearing protective gear transported Spencer to Bellevue Hospital from his Manhattan apartment, the city said in a statement.

He came into close contact with two friends and his fiancée who have been placed in quarantine, she said. One of them is now in the hospital, she said.

A fourth person, a taxi driver, did not come into close contact and was not considered at risk, she said.

Spencer’s apartment in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood is sealed off, the health commissioner said.

His test will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation which should come within 24 hours, she said.

The commissioner said Spencer completed work in Guinea on Oct. 12 and left two days later. Spencer’s Facebook page, which included a photo of him clad in protective gear, said he stopped over in Brussels.

Spencer arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Oct. 17. After arriving home, he took a 4.8-km run, rode several subways, went bowling and may have eaten at a restaurant, the Health Commissioner said.

“He was not symptomatic. He had no fever” when he was out, she said.

The first person diagnosed with Ebola on U.S. soil flew from Liberia to Texas and later died in a Dallas hospital. Two nurses who treated him became infected with the virus and one took a commercial flight with a fever, prompting officials in several states to take steps to become better prepared to contain the virus.

Spencer has specialized in international emergency medicine at Columbia University-New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City since 2011.

Columbia in a statement said he has not been to work nor seen any patients since his return.

The virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person and is not airborne.

The US this week began requiring travelers coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to enter through one of five airports conducting increased screening for the virus. It also is directing those travelers to check in with health officials every day and report their temperatures and any Ebola symptoms for 21 days. — Reuters

SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced a slew of relief measures, including a special package of Rs 745-crore package, from his relief fund for the flood-affected people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Prime Minister said while Rs 570 crore would be provided by the Centre for renovation of houses, Rs 175 crore will be given for start of immediate renovation work of six major hospitals across the state.

Modi said the grant of money for renovation of the hospitals would also cover immediate procurement of new equipments and machines.

The Prime Minister told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that he was "seriously considering" a demand made by people whose houses were damaged by the flood waters if the money for their renovation could be directly sent to their bank accounts.

Briefing reporters about the Prime Minister's visit, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami said Modi also announced free replacement of books and notebooks to all the children upto primary and upper primary schools.

Goswami said the package announced by the Prime Minister today was not linked to the memorandum submitted by the state government seeking a special package of Rs 44,000 crore for rehabilitation of flood victims.

Appropriate funds will be released after examination of the memorandum by the central government, he added.

According to a press release issued by the Home Secretary, the Prime Minister has stated that good governance, quick restoration of public infrastructure, revival of economic activity and creation of a conducive environment for bringing tourists to the state is the key to bring back normalcy.

The Prime Minister said his visit to Srinagar on the occassion of Deepawali will send out a signal that every thing is fine in the Valley and this will help promote tourism.

The Prime Minister, who arrived here from Siachen, was briefed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah about the status of relief and rehabilitation operations in the state and sought liberal financial assistance from the Centre to rebuild the devastated areas.

Omar had yesterday expressed the hope the Prime Minister would accept the state government's demand for a Rs 44,000- crore package for relief to the flood-hit people.

After taking stock of the situation at the airport here, Modi said whatever the state government had earlier stated was being verified by the Centre.

He later flew in a helicopter to the Raj Bhawan and held interactions with delegations of political parties, business community and civil society.

This is Modi's second visit to J&K after the recent floods. During his first visit on September seven after the natural calamity struck the state, the Prime Minister had announced a Rs 1,000-crore special assistance package for rehabilitation of the victims. — PTI

SRINAGAR: The ruling National Conference and its coalition partner Congress have described the assistance of Rs 745 crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reconstruction of houses and hospitals damaged in the recent floods in the state as “big let-down” and a “joke.”

Minutes after the Prime Minister left the Valley after a four-hour stay, political parties reacted to his announcement, with the National Conference spokesman terming it a “big let-down.” He said the people had high expectations that Modi would made a significant announcement. But the package announced “doesn’t go far enough.”

Former Chief Minister and leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad termed the announcement a “joke on the people of the state.”

In comparison to what the state government had recommended and the magnitude of the disaster, “this is just playing a joke on the people of the state, or rather this is insulting to all those who have suffered human and collateral losses.”

In Delhi, senior Congress leader P.C. Chacko described the package as “paltry” and one aimed at helping the BJP in the coming Assembly elections. “Modi is visiting the state now because it is going to the polls. The whole country knows that the PM’s visit is not to help Kashmir, but to help his party. Playing politics with a natural calamity-affected state is a very unfair,” Chacko said.

The BJP rejected the charges and said the visit would act as a balm on the wounds of the affected people. “The visit has no connection with votes. The PM is not BJP’s PM … he is the PM of the entire nation, of every citizen. He is the PM of everyone from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he hoped that that there would be some clarity on whether this money was just one instalment of the full package.

“We had hoped that we would get some indication with regard to the acceptance of the package that the state government has asked for. But that was not forthcoming,” he said.

Abdullah said his every effort was focused on ensuring that no one was without shelter before the onset of winter and that was why the package submitted by the state assumed significance. The Omar Abdullah-led Cabinet had sought a Rs 44,000-crore package for relief and rehabilitation.

PDP, the main Opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, said this may not be the final package because the devastation was enormous. “We believe that this is only an instalment coming to the Kashmir Valley,” party spokesperson Nayeem Akhtar said.

CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami termed the package an “insult” and accused the Centre of playing with the sentiments of the people. — PTI

JAMMU: Pakistan Rangers opened fire on border out posts in Jammu last night but the Indian forces showed restraint and did not retaliate.

Throughout Diwali on Thursday, Pakistan Rangers violated ceasefire several times and resorted to firing on border out posts (BoPs) along the International Border (IB) in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Pakistan Rangers resorted to small-arms firing on BoPs along IB in Jammu frontier till 2010 hours yesterday," BSF spokesman said today.

BSF said the firing along the border by Pakistani troops was intended to provoke BSF.

"BSF troops guarding the borderline maintained restraint and did not retaliate," the spokesman said. "There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing." Yesterday, Pakistani troops also resorted to firing on two border outposts (BoPs) in Arnia sector in Jammu district and in Ramgarh sector of Samba district. The ceasefire violations yesterday came 72 hours after the last instance of firing from across the border in Pargwal sector of Jammu district.

Ceasefire violations by Pakistan since the beginning of this month have left 10 persons dead and over 95 injured, including 13 security personnel.

Around 30,000 people have fled their homes to avoid the shelling, leaving 113 hamlets deserted in the border areas. — PTI

GREATER NOIDA: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that India wants peace with China but that cannot come at the cost of honour.

“Humlog shanti chahte hai samman ki saath. Asamman ke saath shanti nahi ho sakti (We want peace with honour. Peace cannot come at the cost of honour,” he said, referring to the recent border row with China.

“Pride is the ultimate accomplishment of a human being, of mine and yours,” he said, addressing the 53rd raising day function of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Greater Noida, which guards the Sino-Indian border.

Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that New Delhi wants to maintain peaceful relations with all its neighbouring countries and wanted to resolve border issues peacefully.

“Our Prime Minister has told the Chinese President and requested him that if there is a dispute we should talk,” he said.

The Home Minister said China often raises question over the border and even had raised objections when India wanted to improve border infrastructure within its own territory.

Referring to Pakistan, the Home Minister said the neighbouring country should stop firing on border posts and civilian areas.

He said Pakistan had fired upon the civilian areas along the border in Jammu and Kashmir just a day before Deepavali.

“When we get to know about ceasefire violations done by Pakistan or there is some dispute in the context of India-China border, we feel hurt and we feel angered.

“Pakistan fired on civilians even on the eve of Deepavali festival and they did not even spare our festival. Pakistan should be wary of this. I want to tell Pakistan to stop this continuous violation of ceasefire,” he said. — PTI

SHANGHAI: Australia, Indonesia and South Korea skipped the launch of a China-backed Asian infrastructure bank on Friday as the US said it had concerns about the new rival to Western-dominated multilateral lenders.

China's proposed $50 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is seen as a challenge to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, both multilateral lenders that count Washington and its allies as their biggest financial backers.

China, which is keen to extend its influence in the region, has limited voting power over these existing banks despite being the world's second-largest economy.

The AIIB, launched in Beijing at a ceremony attended by Chinese finance minister Lou Jiwei and delegates from 21 countries including India, Thailand and Malaysia, aims to give project loans to developing nations. China is set to be its largest shareholder with a stake of up to 50%.

Indonesia, where President Xi Jinping first spoke of the AIIB during an October visit last year, was not present and neither were South Korea and Australia, according to a pool report.

Media reports said US Secretary of State John Kerry put pressure on Australia to stay out of the bank.

However, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "Secretary Kerry has made clear directly to the Chinese as well as to other partners that we welcome the idea of an infrastructure bank for Asia but we strongly urge that it meet international standards of governance and transparency.

"We have concerns about the ambiguous nature of the AIIB proposal as it currently stands, that we have also expressed publicly."

The Australian Financial Review said on Friday that Kerry had personally asked Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to keep Australia out of the AIIB.

"Australia has been under pressure from the US for some time to not become a founding member of the bank and it is understood Mr Kerry put the case directly to the prime minister when the pair met in Jakarta on Monday ­following the inauguration of Indonesian President Joko Widodo," the paper said.

South Korea, one of Washington's strongest diplomatic allies in Asia, has yet to say it will formally participate in the bank.

"We have continued to demand rationality in areas such as governance and safeguard issues, and there's no reason (for Korea) not to join it," South Korean Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said in Beijing on Thursday.

The Seoul-based Joong Ang Daily quoted a South Korean diplomatic source as saying: "While Korea has been dropped from the list of founding members of the AIIB this time around, it is still in a deep dilemma on what sort of strategic choices it has to make as China challenges the US-led international order."

The AIIB is expected to begin operations in 2015 with senior Chinese banker Jin Liqun, ex-chairman of investment bank China International Capital Corp, expected to take a leading role.

Last month, China's finance ministry said Australia and South Korea had expressed interest in the AIIB.

On Thursday, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) chief said he doesn't welcome a China-backed rival bank that will have a virtually identical aim.

"I understand it, but I don't welcome it," said bank president Takehiko Nakao. "I'm not so concerned."

The ADB, created in 1966, offers grants and below-market interest rates on loans to lower to middle-income countries. At the end of 2013, its financing operations amounted to $21.02 billion.

China has a 6% stake in the ADB, and the major shareholdings are held by the United States and Japan. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: The Islamic State has fast become one of the world's wealthiest terror groups, generating tens of millions of dollars a month from black market oil sales, ransoms and extortion, officials said Thursday.

It earns $1 million a day alone by selling crude oil from fields captured when the group swept across Iraq and Syria earlier this year, said David Cohen, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Because the group, also known as ISIS, or ISIL, has "amassed wealth at an unprecedented pace" from different sources than most terror groups, it presents a particular challenge to the US working to choke off money flows.

"We have no silver bullet, no secret weapon to empty ISIL's coffers overnight. This will be a sustained fight, and we are in the early stages," Cohen said, outlining what he called a three-pronged effort.

IS is now "considered the world's wealthiest and most financially sophisticated terrorist organization," said Marwan Muasher, Vice-President at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Unlike al Qaeda, IS does not attract most of its funds from deep-pocketed rich donors, often in Gulf countries, or from state sponsors.

Yet "with the important exception of some state-sponsored terrorist organisations, ISIL is probably the best-funded terrorist organisation we have confronted," Cohen said, warning its revenue sources were "deep and diverse".

Oil sales alone from captured refineries are allowing the militants to produce some 50,000 barrels a day sold "at substantially discounted prices to a variety of middlemen, including from Turkey," who then resell it.

Oil has also been sold to Kurds in Iraq, and Cohen said the administration was looking carefully at the middlemen involved in the smuggling.

"At some point there is someone in that chain of transactions who is involved in the legitimate or quasi-legitimate economy. They have a bank account. Their trucks may be insured," he said.

Even Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, which is fighting IS as well as the moderate US-backed opposition, was buying oil from the militants, which in a bizarre twist comes from fields and refineries once under Syrian control.

The group has also pocketed about $20 million this year from kidnappings, particularly of journalists and European hostages.

And it demands money from local businesses in cities and towns through "a sophisticated extortion racket," plunders antiquities and sells off women and girls as sex slaves. 

US air strikes have begun impeding the militants' ability to produce oil, and Turkish and Kurdish authorities have pledged to stop smuggling on their territory.

Cohen vowed the US would hit hard against those found buying illegal oil.

Sanctions would follow, he said, and it would not just be a question of cutting them off from the US banking system.

"We can also make it very difficult for them to find a bank anywhere that will touch their money or process their transactions," Cohen said.

Washington is also working with its allies to adopt the hard line taken by the US, and refuse to pay ransoms to free kidnap victims.

Much of the US focus has been on Gulf countries, which in the past have come under fire for allowing the financing of terror groups.

Significant progress has been made in countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Cohen said, both nations he has visited in the push against IS.

But in Qatar and Kuwait, seen in the past as "permissive jurisdictions for terrorist financing ... there is more work to be done."

Despite the group's wealth, however, it still does not have enough money to pay for basic services to Iraqis in territory it has captured, and could face local opposition, Cohen said.

"A terrorist organization's financial strength turns on its ability to continue to tap into funding streams, its ability to use the funds that it has, and also its expenses," he told reporters later at the White House.

Iraq had earmarked some $2 billion for the local services in the provinces now under IS's control. The militants have nowhere near enough funds to meet the shortfall, Cohen said. — AFP