UK's travel advisory to India after Leh cloudburst

London: Britain today revised its travel advisory to India due to the catastrophic flash floods in Leh and advised its citizens to avoid travelling to all rural areas in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Foreign Office said: "There have been flash floods in and around the Leh area of northern India. Initial reports indicate that many people have been killed or are missing. Communications networks have been seriously affected.



The Leh-Manali and Leh-Srinagar roads are currently closed and you should not attempt to drive them.

A rescue operation by Indian police and armed forces is underway. British nationals in the affected area should follow local advice".

Asking British citizens to monitor local and international weather updates for details of impending weather depressions which are common at this time of year, the revised advisory cautioned against all travel to rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir other than Ladakh; all travel in the immediate vicinity of the border with Pakistan, other than at Wagah; and all travel in Manipur.

It said: "We advise against all but essential travel to Srinagar and Imphal. If you do travel to these areas then you should only do so by air.

There is a high threat from terrorism throughout India. Recent attacks have targeted public places including those frequented by foreigners.

"There are increased indications that terrorists are planning attacks in New Delhi", it said and added that Commonwealth Games were due in New Delhi from 3 to 14 October

Mumbai port closed, vessel with 2600 tonnes of oil may sink

 Mumbai:  Six coastguard vessels and a helicopter with anti-pollution dispersal spray systems were pressed into service today to contain an oil spill caused due to a collision between two cargo ships off the Mumbai coast. ( See pictures ) 

Maritime traffic in the vicinity has been regulated, as MSC Chitra which was grounded yesterday, is capsizing and 200 containers have already fallen into the sea as the vessel is tilting at more than 70 degrees, and it is most likely that it will capsize. MSC Chitra has 2662 tons of fuel, 283 tons of diesel and 88 tons lube oil.

The Coastguards are trying to retrieve the cargo, but oil spillage is now at 15 tonnes.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Shipping has ordered investigation under the provisions of Merchant Shipping act.



Of the 37 crewmembers, 33 have been reportedly evacuated by the Coast Guard. But it is reported the remaining crewmembers and some salvage personnel are still on board to assess the situation.

After the collision, some containers from Chitra fell into the sea, raising fears of other ships crashing into them.

"Traffic at the Mumbai harbour is suspended as a precautionary measure as the 10 to 15 containers of vessel Chitra fell into the sea after the collision," a senior Indian Coastguard official said.

"The ships coming towards Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) might hit the containers in the water and may cause problem for the inbound ships, because of which we suspended the traffic", he added.

MSC Chitra, the outbound cargo vessel from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), collided with MV Khalijia-III five nautical miles from the shores at 9:50 am on Saturday when the latter was sailing towards the MPT, off Mumbai harbour, to take a berth.

No casualties were reported following the collision and 33 crew members were rescued. (With PTI inputs)

Jagan yatra launch huge hit

“My father has not left me orphaned. He has left me a huge family in you, the people of Andhra Pradesh”. These were the loaded words with which rebel Congress MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched his Odarpu Yatra (Consolation Tour) from the coastal Srikakulam district, bordering Orissa on Thursday. The
first-term MP will tour the entire district for the next three days to console and dole out cash to family members of all those who died of shock or committed suicide after the death of Late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy in a helicopter crash on September 2 last year.

Though it is supposed to be a tour to console grieving people, there no shortage of pomp and splendor. Massive arrangements were in place everywhere he travelled. He started the day by putting a giant garland on the statue of his father at Vijaya Vatika, a garden created to mark the conclusion of the late leader’s 1,140-km padayatra in 2003. He later cut a 61-kg cake, the weight corresponding to YSR’s 61st birth anniversary.

Reddy’s convoy consisting of hundreds of cars were greeted by hundreds of youths lining the streets, sitting on treetops and perching on rooftops for a glimpse of the MP.

If the turnout at the places he visited was any indicator, Reddy has proved to his detractors and the party high command that he is a crowd puller.

The party high command, which instructed him not to cross the ‘laxman rekha’ came up trumps too. For, not a single MLA, MP or MLC joined the yatra. Of course, it is an open secret that many of the ministers and legislators, who owe their positions to the late YSR, clandestinely helped the yatra by mobilising people and making arrangements.

Flood extensively damages crops in Haryana, Punjab

Freshly sown paddy crop in thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land has been destroyed in nearly four days of flood fury in some districts of Haryana and Punjab - the states that are the biggest food grain contributors to the national kitty. Eleven deaths have been reported so far -- six in

Punjab and five in Haryana -- with 4-5 people missing after being washed away in both states. Heavy rain followed by breaches in rivers and irrigation canals in some areas of both states caused flooding since Tuesday.

The worst affected districts in Haryana are Ambala, Kurukshetra and Kaithal while in Punjab, Patiala and Sangrur districts have been affected.

The army has been called in flood-affected areas of the Kurukshetra, Ambala and Kaithal districts in Haryana. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) volunteers and boats are also assisting in rescue and relief operations.

About 100,000 acres of agriculture land in nearly 250 villages in these districts has been affected by flood water. Areas where paddy and maize crops are grown have been affected due to stagnant flood water.

Due to the breach in the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal and heavy rains, Thanesar, Pehowa and Shahabad tehsils and Ismailabad and Babain sub-tehsils have been affected by the floods in Kurukshetra district.

The breach in the Ghaggar river, which flows through Haryana and Punjab and is in spate, and the Hansi-Butana canal near the Haryana-Punjab border near Tatiana village in Kaithal district has led to flooding of several new villages.

"Our houses are under 3-4 feet of water. The authorities are not providing any help but only asking us to leave the flooded areas. We cannot leave our homes, families and livestock like this," said farmer Swarn Singh who lives near the flood-affected Tatiana village.

Additional Principal Secretary (to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda), Anuradha Gupta, who visited the flood-affected areas Thursday, said: "Army and other authorities are trying to plug the breach in the canals."

Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Aggarwal ordered that all schools in the district be shut till Friday.

The state government has cancelled the leave of all government employees in Ambala, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts and recalled them on duty to deal with the situation.

The state government and district authorities are facing criticism for not carrying out flood protection work in time to prevent flooding and also lacking in response after flooding took place.

Water and power supply has not been restored to most areas of the affected districts in Haryana even after four days.

Heavy rainfall and breaches washed away the National Highway (NH-65) between Ambala and Hisar cities in Haryana Thursday.

A state government spokesman said the NH-65 had been damaged at the 20-km point from Ambala near Naggal village.

Haryana's Director General of Police (DGP) Ranjeev Dalal Thursday appealed to people not to take the highway to and from Hisar.

Dalal said those wishing to go to Hisar (from Ambala) should go via Karnal, Nissing and Kaithal road.

The repair work had been entrusted to the army and the movement of vehicles on this road would be restored Friday evening, he added.

Train traffic on the busy Ambala-Delhi section has also been disrupted with the tracks sinking near Shahbad town, 65 km from here. Some trains on the affected route were diverted through Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

District authorities in Mansa, Sangrur, Ferozepur and Moga district have been put on high alert with rivers flowing at higher water levels.

Nearly 150 villages have been affected by flooding in Punjab's Patiala and Sangrur districts.

Standing paddy crop has been damaged extensively in parts of Punjab also.

'Headley disclosures tie LeT to Pakistani Intelligence'

Indian investigators' interrogation of Pakistani American David Coleman Headley has yielded key disclosures linking terrorists behind the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks to Pakistani intelligence, according to a US terrorism research group. Headley, who in March pleaded guilty to 12 federal terrorism
charges including providing material support to the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), also disclosed the names of the terrorist handlers who orchestrated the attacks from Pakistan, said Washington-based Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).

Headley reportedly told investigators from India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) that LeT worked hand-in-glove with rogue elements tied to Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, leader of Jamaat ud-Dawa (JuD), the Pakistan-based Islamic charity that serves as a front for the LeT, has also been identified by Headley as the "mastermind" of the Mumbai attacks, IPT said.

The close ties between the Pakistani terrorist group and the ISI have been detailed in the 11th dossier of evidence documenting Headley's confessions related to the attacks, the research group said.

India has submitted 10 other dossiers to Pakistan in the past citing evidence tying members of the LeT and the Pakistani military and intelligence services to the Mumbai attacks.

The dossier details LeT operative Headley's meetings with his handlers in Pakistan, including JuD's Hafiz Saeed, retired Pakistani major Sajid Mir and ISI officials in the Pakistani cities of Muzzaffarabad and Lahore in the months leading up to the Mumbai attacks.

Islamabad has denied that Hafiz Saeed and the JuD were involved, but recently recognised JuD as a terrorist group.

The admission came close on the heels of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram's visit to Islamabad to meet with his counterpart Rehman Malik and hand him the dossier of evidence with Headley's confessions, IPT said.

The recognition of JuD as a terrorist group is also part of larger Pakistani crackdown on 17 terrorist groups, including the LeT and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), following the recent attack on a mosque in Lahore that killed at least 45 people, it said.

Hurriyat activist held for trying to foment trouble in valley

Police today arrested Shabir Ahmed Wani, one of the two activists of hardline Hurriyat Conference, allegedly involved in a conspiracy to engineer violence in Kashmir Valley and get at least 10 to 15 people killed in a procession. Police swooped down at a place on Narbal-Magam road and arrested Shabir
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* Lashkar may have instigated Kashmir violence: IB intercepts
* Militants open fire in Sopore, curfew continues in Valley

Ahmed Wani, district President of Hurriyat conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, after his conversation with another activist Ghulam Ahmed Dar was intercepted.

The two were allegedly discussing ways to foment trouble during a procession which was taken out in Budgam district of central Kashmir, official sources said.

Wani was booked under various provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code and may be charged under the stringent Public Safety Act, under which he can be detained for two years, they said, adding hunt was on to nab Dar, who had gone into hiding immediately after the conversation was made public.

Involvement of hardline separatists in engineering some of the violence in the Kashmir Valley was indicated by the intercepted conversation between the two of them during which they discussed killing of at least 15 people in a procession near Srinagar on July 7.A large procession had started in Budgam district on the outskirts of Srinagar in the evening and two senior office-bearers of the hardline Hurriyat faction discussed how to utilise it to create casualties, according to the transcript of the conversation available with the Union Home Ministry.

According to the transcript, one of the office-bearers, Dar, was heard telling Wani, another office-bearer, that a procession of nearly 20,000 people had started from Magam and was going towards Budgam and that at least 10 to 15 people should be "martyred" as the crowd moved.

However, the police had dispersed the procession with a mild cane charge and no no untoward incident had taken place.

Time magazine apologises to Indian-Americans for racial article

WASHINGTON: 'Time' magazine has apologised to Indian-Americans following the publication of a column by journalist Joel Stein which offended and outraged the large community, especially those in New Jersey.

"We sincerely regret that any of our readers were upset by Joel Stein's recent humour column 'My Own Private India.' It was in no way intended to cause offence," the Time magazine said after large number of Indian-Americans demanded an apology from the magazine and the columnist.

"I truly feel stomach-sick that I hurt so many people," responded Stein, who in his column 'My Own Private India' gave his own impression of how his home town of Edison in New Jersey has changed over the years with the desi influx.

Nearly one in every five resident of this New Jersey city are Indian Americans; thus making it one of the few such cities in the United States.

"For a while, we assumed all Indians were geniuses. Then, in the 1980s, the doctors and engineers brought over their merchant cousins, and we were no longer so sure about the genius thing. In the 1990s, the not-as-brilliant merchants brought their even-less-bright cousins, and we started to understand why India is so damn poor," Stein wrote in the issue dated July 5.

"Eventually, there were enough Indians in Edison to change the culture. At which point my townsfolk started calling the new Edisonians 'dot heads'. One kid I knew in high school drove down an Indian-dense street yelling for its residents to 'go home to India'," Stein wrote.

"Sometime after I left, the town became a maze of charmless Indian strip malls and housing developments. Whenever I go back, I feel what people in Arizona talk about: a sense of loss and anomie and disbelief that anyone can eat food that spicy," he wrote.

The article outraged many Indian-Americans. "...I always thought it was hilarious when I'd get the crap kicked out of me by kids like Stein who would yell 'go back to India, dothead!' I was always ROTFLMAO when people would assume that I wasn't American. He really captured the brilliant humour in that one too!" wrote Kal Penn, the popular Indian-American actor.

Indian-Americans also launched an online petition demanding Time and CNN to remove the article from their online edition.

"Such prestigious magazine like Time should not have allowed such an article to be published in the first place. We respectfully request Time magazine to remove the article from the web and have Mr. Joel Stein write an apology letter that shows some remorse," the petition said.

Regretting that his article hurt the feelings of so many Indian Americans, Stein wrote: "I was trying to explain how, as someone who believes that immigration has enriched American life and my hometown in particular, I was shocked that I could feel a tiny bit uncomfortable with my changing town when I went to visit it. If we could understand that reaction, we'd be better equipped to debate people on the other side of the immigration issue."

Blast hits Pakistan's tribal area, several killed

ISLAMABAD: A large explosion ripped through a village in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan where the Pakistani army has fought the Taliban, killing several people Friday, an official said.

Dozens more were wounded in the blast, whose exact cause was unclear, said Noor Mohammad, an official in the Mohmand tribal region. A prison and some government offices also were near the blast scene in Yakaghund village.

Mohmand is one of several areas in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt where Taliban and al-Qaida are believed to be hiding. The Pakistani army has carried out operations in Mohmand, but it has been unable to extirpate the militants.

Many of the victims Friday were transported to a hospital in Peshawar, the main city in Pakistan's northwest, Mohammad said. Police were investigating whether a suicide bomber was involved.

Kat's Hindi challenge, anyone?

Well, the critics could pan her as much as they like for her Hindi accent topped with a Brit twang, but the lovely Katrina Kaif seems quite unperturbed by all of it.

Firstly, if Raajneeti is anything to go by, her Hindi is getting better. We mean she had more than just mushy dialogues, and songs to lip sync on. In the movie, she had reams of heavy-duty speeches to deliver. Secondly, she has another quality that many shudh Hindi speaking hotties can’t beat her at. It’s her impeccable memory. “What makes it all easy is that I have a very good memory. So, no matter what lines you give me or how long it is, even if runs into three-four pages, it’s never a challenge to memorise it. I only need to work on the accent, and you have to remember that Hindi is not my first language,” explains Katz. So, we would assume that a movie like Raajneeti would have been a super challenge for this beauty. We’re wrong, dearies, and Katz sweetly corrects, “The good thing is that with a movie like Raajneeti you have to concentrate only on the scenes you are doing, and you don’t spend time doing rehearsals on songs and dance. Although, I love doing song and dance numbers, for this role I really understood the emotions of the character.” Here’s a warning people... this gal remembers every word written and said about her. So watch what you say...

Being a gay icon is flattering: Imran

mran Khan in a freewheeling chat with TOI talks about men applying make-up in Bollywood, his love for food and more

Next time? Noida!
Imran Khan had a problem on his hands when he came to Delhi recently. He’d posted online that he was going to be in the capital at an event in Vasant Kunj, and that everyone could come and meet him, Sonam Kapoor and Punit Malhotra, his co-star and director from I Hate Luv Storys. He got a reply from someone saying, ‘But I’m in Noida - what do I do?’

In between getting his make-up and hair done, Imran promised that next time, people, he will come to Noida. But since he was stuck in a hotel room with his stylist putting pancake on his face, we were able to pin him down for a chat with her help. Here are some excerpts:

Doesn’t make-up make you uncomfortable?
Discomfort, no - it’s standard part of the thing. I like to keep it as minimal as possible because you can tell when people are wearing make-up on screen.

Even the male actors?
No, but at one time they did because at the time the way the lights were, the film was, the lens was, you needed to cover up a lot more.

And any lip gloss?
No. My lips are too pink already. People see lip gloss on me as it is, so imagine what’d happen if I actually did wear it!

You’ve said you have a near perfect body in IHLS.
No, I don’t. It’s as near as I can get it. When I say near perfect, that’s what I mean - as near to perfect as I could get it at the time. Maybe in two years, I’ll do even better.

Do you work out a lot?
I change depending on what I’m doing. Right now I’m not working out at all. As a result of that, I’ve lost a bit of weight. I lose weight if I don’t work out, I have to do that to maintain size. If I don’t work out, I remain very, very thin.

Lucky!
Not for guys. IHLS, I think, involved doing the toughest workout that I think I’ve done in my life. That was because of two things - one, a scene where I wake up in the morning without a shirt, and the other, a song where my shirt is open and flying back, and I’m singing to the heavens. I wanted to look as near to perfect as I could for those scenes.

If you were a girl, you’d have been exhausted and grumpy all the time ...
I was. I was a very, very grumpy person at that time. I’m big on food ... and at the time, because I was eating utterly tasteless steamed food, I was a very, very grumpy person.

What sort of food are you big on?
Anything. Everything. Absolutely everything. I go nuts on Indian food when I’m in Delhi.

Have you ever gotten mobbed in Delhi?
No, I’m pretty careful with that. It’s gotten a bit hairy at times while shooting, but you have security so they can keep it under control.

You can’t just walk into any place and get something you want?
Nope.

Except a five star ...
Yeah, you have to be smart about it. If it’s a short way, and if you quickly walk through it, by the time people register that it’s you, you’re already gone. You gauge situations, take calculated risks.

It’s never happened that you walked through a street and no one recognised you ...
No, that you really can’t. For a short while, you can avoid being recognised. It’s a strange thing, like a star aura you can turn on and turn off. I can turn it off and for a long time, people will not notice that I’m there. Or you can actually turn it on and - I can walk into a room and people by themselves just turn around and look. It’s a weird thing, if there is such a thing.

Anything you miss because of all this visibility?
I can’t browse anywhere.

Not even in Mumbai, which is supposed to be less star-struck than Delhi?
There’s a limit na. I can’t spend an hour browsing somewhere. I can’t just walk into a place not knowing what I want and just look at stuff. Everything needs to be a tactical mission - I need to know what I want, so I’ll pull up, I know where my entry point is, my exit point, and my car will be ready and I’ll get into it and be gone.

When we asked Sonam about you ragging her about appearing in those ‘deadly numbers’, she was very surprised, and said that Avantika (Imran’s fiancé) is a pretty cool dresser. Have they met?
Yeah, of course they’ve met. Avantika was there during the shoot in New Zealand.

You like to have her come along when you’re shooting?
Yeah, otherwise it gets very lonely.

Co-actors, directors - they’re not company?
How much company... At some point, you want someone from home - friends, family. If you’re a heroine, you get your mummy along, I can’t do that because it would be weird.

Does your mum also think it’d be weird?
Yeah, it’d be pretty weird.

You’re not very big on talking about Avantika now, are you?
I feel there’s not much left to talk about. It was such a grand topic during the promotions of Jaane Tu ... that now I don’t know what’s left to say. People say, so you’re very open about your relationship. Yes, I am. Ab kya?

But why did you decide to talk about it right from the beginning?
It’s easier than hiding it. Really, if you’re trying to lie or hide something, everyone knows what’s actually going on.

Isn’t she bugged that the whole country knows?
Umm ... er ... she’s never brought that up. I don’t think it bothers her, I’d imagine she’d have told me if it did. Some things you just take as it is. It’s not like we’re hiding from our families.

How did she take the gay icon thing? How did you take the gay icon thing?
It’s flattering, but it’s not a big deal. As an actor, you want people to like you. It’s not like, oh my God, suddenly I have gay fans. That means I have fans, no? It doesn’t make me uncomfortable or anything.

Like having a votebank - and you couldn’t care less who it is ...
It’s not that you couldn’t care less, you just don’t differentiate. When you have fans, you respect and appreciate them, but you don’t differentiate. It’s not like arrey, now I have fans in China, now I’ve arrived!
But it must be a little different having gay fans and being a huge hit in China. Yeah, I think it translates into more tickets sold (laughs).

It was that one particular photo that did it, right?
Yeah, the one with me lying on my stomach. The entire idea with this photoshoot was to push that look a bit, because that ties into what my character and the film is.

How does it tie in with a sarcastic cynic who doesn’t believe in love?
It’s the sexy look. He’s a womaniser, a player. He’s the guy who believes in sex, not love.

You play a womaniser? Was it aspirational for you - I’d like to play a womaniser someday?
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it might be aspirational for a lot of guys, a lot of guys are gonna watch it and - in the first half - go ‘yes, that’s the way it is!’ It’s probably not a good thing to be in real life, though.