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I-T dept names India’s 18 biggest tax defaulters, 11 from Gujarat

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 31 Maret 2015 | 22.14

NEW DELHI: The Income Tax department took to the strategy of 'naming and shaming' of some large tax defaulters as it published names of 18 entities who owe over Rs 500 crore tax to the exchequer.

"The step is aimed to publicize and put these names in public domain so that the common man can come forward to help the department in knowing the whereabouts of these.The step is to enhance public awareness against these entities who are acting against law. These names were earlier were put up the department's website earlier," a senior I-T officer said.

Goldsukh Trade India Limited (tax arrears Rs 75.47 crore) and Blue Information Technology Limited, Ahmedabad based company (tax arrears of Rs 75.11 crore), top the list. (Click here for the complete list)

Newspapers today carried the names of the tax defaulters and the data published was quoted to have been published by the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Administration) based in the national capital here.

Adopting an aggressive approach, government had for the first time gone public with names of 18 tax defaulters, including Goldsukh Trade and Somani Cements which, according to I-T, have turned wilful defaulters.

READ ALSO: Property tax defaulters feel the heat

In a bid to force them these entities paying their dues, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had asked the I-T department to post on its website, few days back, the names of 18 defaulters, of whom 11 are based in Gujarat.

"Defaulters are advised to pay tax arrears immediately," said the notice.

"This is the first time the department has put in public domain a list of those wilful tax defaulters who have a tax liability of Rs 10 crore and above," a senior tax official had said, adding that in many cases the assessees were not "traceable".

"The department, in the public notice, has provided the PAN number and the last known address of these defaulters for the public to know," the official added.

(With PTI inputs)

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How I was pulled into the world's largest party

BETTIAH: On Sunday, when the BJP pipped the Communist Party of China to second place with a claimed membership of 8.80 crore, it gave me a new, false and faceless identity: number 1087369859. A membership that I neither sought nor desired suddenly drenched me saffron. I was trap-hunted into the fold of the world's largest political party.

I was watching the Kiwi batsmen tied to their crease against the gentle outside-the-off-stump spin of Glen Maxwell in the World Cup final when I was drawn out of my crease, err room, by a phone call from an unknown number. The voice at the other end was breaking. My journalistic habit forced me outdoors to return the call that had been inaudible. It could be a call from a friend, relative, fellow journalist or even a source with a tip-off.

I could not get through in two attempts. Before I could try a third time, a 'doosra' — a text message — had me stumped: "Bhajpa me swagat. Kr.(kramank) 1087369859. Apna naam, pata, pin code (sambhav ho to email aur voter ID) 09242492424 par bhej kar prakriya purn karen (Welcome to BJP. No.1087369859. Send your name, address, pin code (if possible email and voter IS) to 09242492424 and complete the process."

Foxed, I responded with my 'man ki baat' text to the said number: "NO. Thank you. I do not wish to be a member." The BJP was not ready to give up its hunt. In fact, the party was casting its net even wider. Prompt came an automated response: "Thanks for the info. Please ask family members, relatives and friends to give a missed call to 18002662020 to join the BJP. Chalo chale Modi ke saath!"

READ ALSO: BJP becomes largest political party in the world

Make BJP diverse like India, Narendra Modi tells cadres

Infuriated that my neutrality as a journalist had been compromised by this poaching, I began to look for ways to get out of the trap. I made calls suspecting that perhaps others too had been somewhat similarly sucked into the BJP's embrace. "Mantu the chaiwala next to my office fiddled with my cell phone and I suddenly got a welcome to BJP message," a page maker with a vernacular daily told me. Sushil Kumar, a businessman, had heard similar tales in Patna.

(Even after the writer declined his involuntary 'membership' (centre), he got a message ignoring his refusal and asking him to encourage friends and kin to join the party.)

Clueless that I may have — perhaps among countless unsuspecting others — been added to make up the numbers, I began exploring a referral somewhere upstairs in the ruling party.

Late at night, Sushil Kumar Modi, the senior BJP leader in Bihar, returned my call. I had left a message for him on remembering that his voice-recorded message had implored me to join the BJP just a few days earlier. "I had seen this system to boost membership drive of parties on a visit to the United States in the early 90s," Modi said while admitting to the frailties of technology in such an exercise. "Unfortunately, technology like this is both deaf and dumb," he said, promising that he'll try to disrobe me of my saffron cloak.

Till that happens, I continue to be dumb-founded.

When asked to comment, BJP secretary Srikant Sharma said, "This is just the initial drive which will continue till April 30. In the next stage, verification of members will be done through door-to-door 'Jan Sampark' or public contact programme. In stage three, all new members who are not eligible or do not want to remain members will be weeded out. After that, training camps for active members will be conducted. This is a transparent system, which will reach the next stage only after verification."

Postscript: Sushil Modi kept his word. A call from his office on Monday afternoon was followed by another from BJP headquarters in New Delhi. Nikhil Singh, the caller, had retrieved my 'no thanks' message. "Your name is being removed now," he politely said, adding that all numbers added would be revisited after the conclusion of the membership drive to remove reluctant new members.

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Gujarat assembly passes controversial anti-terrorism and organized crime bill

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat assembly on Tuesday passed by a majority vote the controversial Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill (GCTOC) which allows police to intercept and record telephonic conversations and submit them in court as evidence.

The bill, which was earlier returned by the President thrice to the state government for reconsideration when Narendra Modi was CM, was passed by a majority vote amid stiff resistance from opposition Congress, which walked out of the House over its controversial provisions.

The state government re-introduced the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill in the assembly after renaming it. The bill, however, has retained the controversial provisions.

The contentious provisions of the bill include admissibility of evidence collected through telephonic interception and confession made before police officer as evidence in court.

The GUJCOC Bill, which was on the lines of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was rejected in 2004 and 2008 by then President AJP Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil respectively.

The bill is a modified version of the original 2003 Gujarat Control of Organized Crime (GUJCOC) Bill which was not cleared by the earlier NDA and UPA governments for last one decade. Now that Narendra Modi has become Prime Minister with full majority at the centre, the Patel government in Gujarat is hopeful of getting presidential assent shortly.

Rajanikant Patel, minister of state (MOS), home in his 'Statement of Objects and Reason's said, "organized crime has for quite some years now come up as a very serious threat to our society. With economic progress, Gujarat is facing threat of terrorism and economic offences. Gujarat has a 1600-km sea border and a 500-km land border with Pakistan. The state has witnessed several terrorist attacks."

"Considering all these facts, then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi introduced the bill but it was rejected by the then UPA government at the centre and now the chief minister Anandiben Patel wants to reintroduce again. Pakistan has become the epicentre of world terrorism that's why this act is necessary for Gujarat. The present laws are not enough to secure safety of six crore people of Gujarat. This law is for the safety of Gujarat and the country. The act is accordance with the constitution and have enough checks to prevent misuse by police," he said.

FILE: Next govt may now take a call on fate of GUJCOC Bill

Pota sounds benign compared to Modi's Gujcoc

He added that, "terrorism knows no national boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generation by contract killing, extortion, smuggling in contrabands, illegal trade in narcotics, kidnappings for ransom, collection of protection money economic offence such as running of the ponzi schemes or the multi-level marketing schemes with a view to defraud the people for obtaining the monetary benefits or large scale organized betting in any form, cyber crimes, etc. The illegal wealth and black money generated by organized crime is very huge and has serious adverse effect on economy.

It is noticed that the organized criminals syndicates make a common cause with terrorist gangs and foster macro-terrorism which extends beyond the national boundaries. There is reason to believe that organized criminal syndicates are operating in the state and thus, there is immediate need to curb their activities.''

Patel said that,"it is also noticed that the organized criminal syndicates make extensive use of wire and oral communications in their criminal activities. The interception of such communications to obtain evidence of the commission of crimes or to prevent the commission thereof is inevitable and an indispensable aid to law enforcement and administration of justice.''

Leader of opposition (LOP) Shankarsinh Vaghela while opposing the bill said that,"I know this will be passed by majority but we are against this bill. If this government is so concerned about the safety of Gujarat why they did not bring it while they were in power in Vajpayee's seven-year long government."

"This government has accepted in the bill that contract killing, land frauds etc., have increased in the state. BJP's corporators are involved in crimes like betting. BJP does not have monopoly over nationalism. Power worship comes first for them. Sajjad Lone who said that he feels happy when Indian soldiers are killed has been made minister from BJP quota in Jammu & Kashmir. Despite prohibition laws in place, state liquor comes in containers here, There are laws against betting but betting clubs are running in open across the state, there are laws preventing crime against women but why this government cannot prevent it? There are laws against murders why this government can not prevent murders? This law will help only BJP in settling their own score, not help securing safety of people," Vaghela said.

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ICC president Mustafa Kamal takes on Srinivasan for ceremony snub

Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 Maret 2015 | 22.14

MELBOURNE: The simmering row within the International Cricket Council took an ugly turn on Monday with its president Mustafa Kamal threatening to expose "mischievous" designs of some people who had denied him the "constitutional right" to hand over the World Cup trophy.

Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015

The World Cup trophy was handed over to Australian captain Michael Clarke by chairman N Srinivasan after the final, but Kamal claimed that the ICC's amendment of its rules in January 2015 mandated the president to give away trophies at global competitions.

"I was supposed to give the trophy. It is my constitutional right. But very unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to do so. My rights were dishonoured. After I go back home, I will let the whole world know what's happening in ICC. I will let the whole world know about those guys who are doing these mischievous things," Kamal told Bangladeshi channels.

"I don't know why I was not allowed to present the trophy," he said.

According to the amendment to the memorandum and articles of association of the ICC which was unanimously approved by Full Council in January 2015, it appeared that the job of handing over of trophies at global events rests on the ICC president.

According to clause 3.3 (B): "With effect from the 2014 Conference Close Date, the president shall act solely as chairman at Conference and Special Meetings and be responsible for presenting trophies at global competitions and cricket events held under the aegis of the Council. For the avoidance of doubt, with effect from the 2014 Conference Close Date, the president will no longer act as chairman of the Executive Board or as chairman of any Committee or Sub-Committee."

The ICC president is, however, the ceremonial head while executive powers lie with the chairman. However till 1996, the World Cup has been handed by various people and not necessarily the head of ICC.

Kamal had made a stinging criticism about "umpiring bias" during Bangladesh's quarterfinal loss to India in the World Cup. In that match, India's Rohit Sharma was not given out to a Rubel Hossain delivery which apparently looked a "touch and go" decision.

Kamal insisted that he had not spoken against any country but said that he was denied the opportunity of presenting the World Cup trophy for "speaking the truth".

"I commented on poor umpiring and even the ICC issued a press release. I was the president, I am the president and I will remain the president. But I have been robbed of my constitutional rights to speak the truth, to speak for cricket and to stand for cricket," he said.

"I have spoken for ICC and I have not spoken against any country. But as a cricket lover I spoke. That is why I could not give away the trophy," he added.

Kamal had come close to questioning the integrity of the umpires by saying that the ICC should investigate the matter and questioned whether some decisions were "deliberate or not."

A day later, the ICC's chief executive, Dave Richardson, termed Kamal's criticism "unfortunate".

According to reliable sources in the ICC, it was learnt that at an ICC meeting in Melbourne on Saturday, Kamal was categorically told that he won't be allowed to hand over the trophy.

It is learnt that Srinivasan is extremely angry after Kamal voiced his concerns about "umpiring bias" in the India vs Bangladesh quarterfinal match. Kamal had accused India of flexing its muscles, which had led to umpiring bias.

Srinivasan reportedly wasn't one bit amused after hearing Kamal's comments on record. While the former BCCI president didn't say anything in public, he did express his displeasure to the board members.

Peeved at the developments, Kamal left the Melbourne Cricket Ground even before the final between Australia and New Zealand finished.

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AAP wants national Lokpal, sacks its own

NEW DELHI: In what is being seen as paving the way for the removal of dissident members Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha from the party, the national executive of Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday reconstituted two important decision making bodies.

Ironically for a party that had come into existence in the wake of the Lokpal agitation, one of the decisions was to recast its own Lokpal panel, replacing the current Lokpal, Admiral L Ramdas, with former IPS officer N Dilip Kumar.

READ ALSO:

RPI chief Ramdas Athawale invites AAP dissidents Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan to join his party

AAP's collective leadership 'falling apart': Ramdas

In another decision, Bhushan, who was ousted from the national council on Saturday, was also removed as the head of the party's national disciplinary committee.

While Ramdas claimed that the party had not communicated the decision to replace him, Yadav said the national executive had no powers to replace the Lokpal.

"Shocked to hear that a party built on the Lokpal movement has thrown out its own Lokpal. As per the party's constitution, the NE has no authority to appoint new Lokpal. Only the Lokpal can appoint their successor," he said.

However, a senior AAP member said that Ramdas' term had expired in 2013 and according to the party's constitution, "vacancy caused by the retirement/resignation/death of a party Lokpal/Lokayukta shall be filled by nomination by the remaining and outgoing members of the body. If such vacancy is not filled up within four weeks or it is not possible to fill up the vacancy within four weeks for any reason whatsoever, the vacancy shall be filled by nomination by the national executive". He added that Ramdas had been informed about the party's decision to find a replacement for him.

READ ALSO: AAP releases video of Kejriwal's speech at national council meet

A senior member said that after the ruckus on Saturday, the national executive on Sunday focused on streamlining the party's internal mechanism to address problems and complaints.

The party's three-member internal Lokpal panel will now comprise former CISF DG Rakesh Sinha and educationist S P Verma, apart from Kumar. The new national disciplinary committee will be headed by Dinesh Waghela, a senior party member who had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Ahmedabad. The other members are Pankaj Gupta, the party's national secretary and Ashish Khetan.

READ ALSO: AAP crisis — 'Horse-trading' sting turns a sticking point in talks

With Bhushan, Yadav, Jha and Kumar no longer part of any committee, they will be considered as 'ordinary' party members against whom the Delhi disciplinary committee can take action, However, a written complaint against the four will have to be submitted to the committee first. A decision on who will file this complaint and when, is expected to be taken soon.

Meanwhile, the NE also constituted a six-member committee to supervise preparations for the protest outside Parliament on April 22 against the Centre's ordinance on land acquisition. Its members are Ilyas Azmi, Prem Singh Pahari, Yogesh Dahiya, Somendra Dhaka, Gurnam Singh and Kiran Bissa.

READ ALSO: Rivals heap scorn on AAP for it's "immature politics"

Senior member Sanjay Singh will also head a committee that will ascertain the status of the organization in different states. The committee will prepare a report in 15 days on the organizational status in different states which will help the party decide the road ahead, including contesting elections.

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Germanwings plane crash: 40-minute countdown to horror

The co-pilot of the Germanwings airplane locked himself inside the cockpit and intentionally made the plane rapidly descend in order to destroy it, French investigators revealed.

Investigators say they have no reason to believe the incident was a terrorist act. But they are at a loss to explain why co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, 28, decided to take his own life and that of 149 other passengers and crew on-board Airbus A320 by crashing it into an Alpine ravine on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: DNA from 78 Germanwings crash victims found: Prosecutor

Jet crash tests Germany's faith in its precision

Here is what we do know about the aircraft's final moments according to Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin.

Both captain and co-pilot were behaving normally before the crash

The aircraft took off at 10.01 am, about 26 minutes late. The pair engaged in "normal" conversation for the first 20 minutes of the flight heading from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. But Lubitz's replies became "laconic" as they started readying what would have been the normal descent to the German airport.

"His responses become very brief. There is no proper exchange as such," Robin said.

The captain left the co-pilot alone

When they reached cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, Lubitz told the captain he could go to the toilet. The captain asked Lubitz to take over, and left the cockpit for around ten minutes, probably to use the bathroom.

Lubitz locked himself in the cockpit

Investigators said Lubitz purposefully locked the captain out and himself inside the cockpit, because this can only be done manually.

By doing so, he overrode the A320 Airbus' safety mechanism which allows emergency entry into the cockpit.

The descent begins

When Lubitz was left alone, he used the flight monitoring system to lower the plane.

The captain banged at the cockpit door

The black box recorder revealed that someone, likely the pilot, pounded on the cockpit door after Lubitz locked the door at about 10.35am.

There was no distress call

What concerned investigators before the black box was found was that no distress was sent out from the cockpit when the plane began plummeting. Pleas for response from the control tower were also ignored by Lubitz, and of course the captain who was locked outside at the time.

Lubitz remained silent during the descent

His breathing was calm as the plane's instrument alarms sounded and the captain pounded on the cockpit door.

"You don't get the impression that there was any particular panic, because the breathing is always the same. The breathing is not panting. It's a classic, human breathing," Robin said.

The captain is also ignored when he identifies himself through the intercom system.

Screaming could be heard as the plane neared impact

The 144 passengers only realised at the last moment what was happening, and screams were only heard in the last moments of the recording, before the impact.

"The victims realised just at the last moment," Robin said. "We can hear them screaming. Death was instant. It hit the mountain at 700km (430mph) an hour."

The plane crashes

The black box recorder picked up the sound of pounding during the final minutes as alarms sounded. Finally the sound of an impact is heard. The jet hit the mountainside at about 10.40am and the last sounds on the voice recorder are screams of the passengers.

READ ALSO: Alps crash captain shouted 'open the damn door'

Eyewitnesses saw aircraft skim mountain tops before it came down

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India to build two next-generation Awacs for Rs 5,113 crore

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 29 Maret 2015 | 22.14

NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday cleared the DRDO project to build advanced "eyes in the sky" or next-generation AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), which can detect incoming aerial threats like hostile fighters, drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away.

The Manohar Parrikar-led defence acquisitions council (DAC) approved the building of two Awacs, which will involve mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets, at a cost of Rs 5,113 crore.

The eventual plan is to induct eight such aircraft under the "Awacs-India" project since both China and Pakistan are well ahead of India in this critical area in modern-day warfare, as was reported by TOI earlier.

"It will take at least 5-7 years to build the first two Awacs . Six more Awacs will be ordered when the project is mid-way," said a source. The decision, incidentally, comes ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to France and Germany, which primarily house the European Airbus consortium, in early-April.

The DAC also approved the Army's Rs 1,605 crore acquisition of 30 weapon-locating radars from defence PSU Bharat Electronics and the Rs 710 crore order for 1,512 mine-ploughs for the T-90S main-battle tanks from Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.

But the controversial Ravi Rishi-owned Vectra Group, which acted as the go-between in the supply of all-terrain heavy Tatra trucks to India, was "dropped" from the list of five vendors in contention to supply 220 truck-mounted lifting devices (TMLD) for Rs 24 crore.

While easing blacklisting norms from the earlier indiscriminate blanket bans, Parrikar had earlier made it clear that "a restricted no-objection certificate" had been issued to BEML to deal with the original Czech-owned Tatra company. The armed forces have inducted over 7,000 Tatra trucks through BEML tie-ups with other companies based in UK and elsewhere.

But the clear takeaway from the DAC was the Awacs project, where a single-vendor situation had emerged. "Airbus was the only aviation major ready for the design and development project. It will involve structural and electrical changes to the A-330 aircraft...the airframe will have to be cut to fit the radar dome on the top," said a source.

The "Awacs-India" project, with 80%:20% cost sharing between IAF and DRDO, is far more ambitious than the ongoing project to build three AEW&C (airborne early warning and control system) systems at a cost of Rs 2,275 crore. Under it, indigenous 240-degree coverage radars have been fitted on three smaller Brazilian Embraer-145 jets.

"The AEW&C project is running years behind schedule, with the completion date now pushed back to December 2015. But it will help in the larger Awacs project. Then, of course, the case for procurement of two more Israeli Phalcon Awacs after the induction of the three is now in the final stages," said the source.

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's 'Art of Living' gets ISIS threat letters

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian chapter of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living has received threatening letters from the Islamic State terror group, a close aide of the spiritual leader claimed on Saturday.

"Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is touring some countries in the far east and he landed in Malaysia yesterday and few days ago while he was in Cambodia, we received threat letters from ISIS, one was received by the hotel manager, one was received by the director of Art of Living and one by senior faculty and the content of the letter is very threatening saying if you go ahead with the programme there will be consequences," said Nakul, an aide of Ravi Shankar.

"The authorities have immediately notified the local authorities. We also contacted the Indian Embassy and we also conducted an investigation to find the source of the letter. We are going ahead," he said.

The Art of Living had a yoga programme in the morning which was attended by 10,000 people and there is a programme underway in Penang attended by 70,000 people which Sri Sri will be attending, he added.

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AAP crisis: How Kejriwal stumped his rivals at national council meeting

NEW DELHI: In a deft move that stumped his rivals, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal delivered a speech at the national council meeting that set the tone for explusion of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. He asked the members to choose between him and the duo. The message—and the outcome—was never in any doubt after that.

Sources said Kejriwal accused the two of working for the party's defeat, stopping people from donating funds to it and threatening to discredit and tarnish the party's image.

He is reported to have accused Bhushan and Yadav of backstabbing him. "Meri peeth mein chura bhonka in logon ne," he said, contrasting this with what he described as his blind faith in Bhushan by recalling the time when he had ended up in prison.

As it happened: AAP's national council meet

"In May, soon after the Lok Sabha elections, I was appearing in court for a defamation case. When the court asked me to furnish a bond, I looked at Prashant who silently shook his head. Without giving a second's thought to the repercussions, I refused to pay the bond. This is the kind of faith I had in him," he said in an emotional outburst. The AAP chief spent 15 days in prison and was able to get out only after he had paid the bail bond.

He added that some people worked to win while others worked to lose, and only those who are for winning should side with him. "Kuch haar ki rajneeti karte hain, kuch jeet ki. Jo jeet ki rajneeti karna chahte hain, woh hamare saath rahe," he reportedly said.


AAP leader Ashutosh meets Yogendra Yadav before AAP national executive meeting at Kapashera in New Delhi on Saturday. (TOI photo by Piyal Bhattacharjee)

READ ALSO

Brawl and bouncers: A blow-by-blow account of AAP's national council meeting

Yogendra Yadav & Prashant Bhushan thrown out of AAP panel

Hooliganism used to stifle dissent: Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav

Kejriwal's speech attacking the two rebel leaders was peppered with rhetoric like "Kyon sahi bol raha hoon na?" (Am I right?) which led to cheers and sloganeering in his favour as if it was a public meeting. Pandering to the crowd, Kejriwal said he was ready to resign and asked the members to choose between him and Bhushan-Yadav.

READ ALSO: Didn't expect this drama in AAP, Medha Patkar says

He narrated the story of two women who were fighting over a child. The women took the child to the King and asked him to decide who the mother was.

"The king thought over it and said the child should be cut into two and each woman should keep one half. Hearing this, the real mother said that the other woman could keep the child. "I have given my sweat and blood in creating this party and will not allow its break-up," he reportedly said.

In his 40-minute speech, Kejriwal played the emotional card well, saying it had become impossible for him to work for the party while Yadav and Bhushan remained members of the national executive. "Either you get rid of them or free me from all the four posts of the party," he was quoted as having said.

Special: AAP crisis

"Though Kejriwal showed his displeasure and initially wanted only Bhushan and Yadav to be removed (from the NE), when he left and the final proposal was drafted, the names of Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha were added," revealed another member, who said he had voted for the ouster of all four.

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Government to develop 700 islands for tourism, Bollywood

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Maret 2015 | 22.14

RELATED KEYWORDS: uninhabited-islands|Sagarmala-project|Nitin-gadkari|Narendra-Modi-government
Dipak K Dash, TNN | Mar 27, 2015, 06.17AM IST

Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari has said that uninhabited islands will be developed as a hub of tourist activity.

Page 1 of 4

NEW DELHI: Many of the over 700 uninhabited islands across India will be developed for tourism, filmmaking, entertainment activities, as honeymoon destinations, maritime security and also for generating non-conventional energy - both wind and solar.

This scheme will be part of the ambitious Sagarmala project. The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the concept note and institutional framework to implement this massive project that Narendra Modi government has revived. The Sagarmala concept was first mooted by Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his last tenure.

READ ALSO: India to develop two islands in Indian Ocean
"We have a total of 1,208 islands including the uninhabited ones and there are 185 lighthouses. These will be developed as hub of tourist activity. We will carry out a feasibility study," shipping minister Nitin Gadkari said.


However, sources said that before coming out with any such plan, the government would have to consider the environmental impact, rich and fragile ecology of those islands and in some cases the adverse impact on the vulnerable tribal populations living in the nearby islands.

Shipping ministry officials said the plan to develop these islands, particularly the uninhabited ones, came up keeping in mind the need to protect these islands from any unauthorized occupation and for security reasons. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested the shipping ministry to look into the concept of such "out islands" when he was taking a review meeting on infrastructure projects on December 19.

On Friday, Gadkari also said that at least 12 smart cities and several coastal economic zones (CEZs) will come up under the ambitious Sagarmala project. The smart cities will have affordable housing, wind and solar power and green industry. He added a national perspective plan (NPP) for the entire coastline will be prepared within six months to identify potential CEZs. Fund required in 2015-16 for implementation of projects in the initial phase of Sagarmala is pegged at Rs 692 crore.

While preparing the NPP, synergy and integration with planned industrial corridors, dedicated freight corridors, National Highway Development Programme, industrial clusters and SEZs would be ensured, Gadkari said.

Article continues

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22.14 | 0 komentar | Read More

IGI official suspended for 'harassing' woman

NEW DELHI: An immigration assistant at Indira Gandhi International Airport here has been suspended after a lady passenger from Bengaluru approached the Bureau of Immigration alleging that he had sexually harassed her by posing vulgar questions to her.

"Immigration assistant Vinod Kumar has been placed under suspension and departmental disciplinary proceedings initiated against him," a home ministry statement said on Friday. The ministry has also advised the 37-year-old woman, who was travelling from Bangalore to Hong Kong via Delhi when she was allegedly harassed by the Kumar, to register an FIR against him.

WATCH: Woman accuses Delhi airport official of sexually harassing her verbally
According to the complaint filed by the victim's father-in-law with the Bureau of Immigration, which comes under the foreigners division of the home ministry, she was subjected to a volley of offensive and inappropriate queries by Kumar after landing at IGI Airport on March 18. The officer, apart from asking her if she smokes or drinks, wanted to know if she "had fun with other men" when her husband was not around.

"Do you sleep with other men when your husband is at work?" he asked the lady. He allegedly also posed personal questions, including how many children she had and whether she left them with parents to "have fun" with other men.
"The allegations made by the lady are extremely serious. The home ministry has directed the immigration authorities to take strictest possible action if they are found to be true," said a home ministry officer.

The complaint from the lady's father-in-law also accused the immigration officer of making sexual advances at her. "Would you like to have a third child with me because my wife doesn't want another child...will you have fun with me?," he asked the "horrified" victim. Worse still, he is alleged to have repeatedly asked her if she had had surgery for birth control.

The women has alleged that the officer chased her on the travellator and kept asking her vulgar questions. But when she took out her phone and started talking to a friend, he instantly left.

The woman was quoted as saying that after she returned from Hong Kong with her husband on March 23, they complained to a senior officer at the Delhi airport. But all they got was an apology and the officer continued at his post. The woman's father-in-law then approached the Bureau of Immigration, after which the home ministry took note of the complaint and ensured that the officer was suspended without further delay and departmental proceedings initiated against him.

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Pigeon with a chip lands in Gujarat, sparks security fear

NEW DELHI: This is one "kabootarbaazi" that has the Gujarat police, Coast Guard, forest department, forensic experts and now even the Union home ministry, scratching their heads. A pigeon lost at sea was spotted sipping water from a bowl at the under-construction Essar jetty at Salaya shore in Devbumi Dwarka, Gujarat, in the afternoon of March 20. The bird would have gone unnoticed but for its refusal to take flight when the Essar security guard tried to shoo him away. As the bewildered guard got hold of the daring bird, he spotted a chip tied to one of its claws and a ring with the number '28733' on the other claw. What is more, the bird had writings in Urdu/Arabic across its wings.

All hell broke loose thereafter. According to an intelligence report sent to the Centre by SP of Devbhumi Dwarka on March 24, the guard rushed with the 'intruder' bird and reported the matter to his superior. The 'winged suspect' was 'detained' for a day but his owner was nowhere to be found. Fearing that arrival of the "tagged" pigeon could pose a security threat, the Essar security personnel decided to alert Coast Guard officials at Vadinar and hand them the bird "for further investigation".

The Coast Guard, which leaves nothing to chance after a sea-borne infiltration in 2008 culminated in India's worst terror attack, spent a day wondering what to do with the "tagged and marked" intruder that its officers couldn't even interrogate. On March 23, the pigeon was remanded to police custody after the Coast Guard officials contacted the Vadinar Marine police station and asked it to join the multi-agency probe into its antecedents. The officer in charge of the Vadinar marine police station made a station diary entry No 12/2015 at 1215 hours on March 23 and opted for a "strip search" of the suspect. The forensic officer was called in and made to take out the ring and chip from the pigeon's feet. These items were sent to Forensic Science Laboratory, Gandhinagar for a closer examination.

The chip was found to have the writings 'Benjing Dual' inscribed on it. This was googled by the agencies who found that 'Benzing Dual' is a sensor chip used for racing pigeons. Further, the Urdu/Arabic writings in blue on the pigeon's wings was interpreted as "Rasul-ul-Allah' (messenger of Allah).

The Devbhumi Dwarka SP also informed the home ministry that the opinion of the forest officials was sought about the possible intentions of the pigeon. Their feedback was that such pigeons are mostly found in northern India and used for racing in foreign countries. The forest officials opined that the pigeon in question may have slipped out of captivity while on a ship in the deep sea and flown to the shores in search of drinking water.

Incidentally, the case does not rest there. As Gujarat has duly informed the Union home ministry, the findings so far are "primary information we have and further investigation is going on".

Unfortunately, the pigeon could not be contacted for its version!

READ THIS STORY IN HINDI: ...जब कबूतर ने उड़ाई गुजरात पुलिस की नींद

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World Cup 2015: Virat Kohli feels the heat for mistimed pull shot

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Maret 2015 | 22.14

SYDNEY: The summer that started with a bang ended with a whimper. On Thursday, the stage was set for Virat Kohli and the roar that greeted him as he walked out to bat could only be equated with the ovation that Sachin Tendulkar used to get in his prime.

READ ALSO:

India's title defence ends in heartbreak, Dhoni bats for under-fire Kohli

Six reasons why Team India is flying home

But a mistimed hook shot off a really fast one from Mitchell Johnson brought an end to his innings. The feeling around the SCG was that it was the end of the Indian chase.

READ ALSO: Australia beat India to set up final clash with New Zealand

The replay was played constantly, comparing it with Tendulkar's mistimed pull in the 2003 World Cup final when India failed in the chase of 359.

Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015

Kohli, after beginning the campaign with a century against Pakistan, didn't manage a single halfcentury in the rest of the tournament. There was a 44 not out against Ireland, but given the high standards that he sets for himself, Virat wouldn't be too happy with the output.

There were obvious questions about Kohli's lack of form at a very crucial stage of the tournament. Dhoni, who has been replaced by Kohli as the Test captain, stood by his ODI deputy.

"Let's not make too big a deal of it. We were chasing a big total and there were chances that had to be taken. If that had come off, you guys would have raved about it but today it didn't. It happens in cricket and we'll have to move on," Dhoni said.

Kohli has had his share of tough battles with the Aussies this summer, the Indian right-hander smashing four centuries in the Tests. He also got into verbal duels with them and on Thursday, it was quite clear that the Aussies had come out with a plan. Skipper Michael Clarke acknowledged that Kohli's was a crucial wicket but he was still respectful of the Indian right-hander.

"Mitchell Johnson is a great bowler and it needed a very good one from him to get Virat out. But I don't think there's any reason to question the class and temperament of Kohli," Clarke said. Despite reining in India's top player so easily, the Australian captain said that he is still extremely respectful of Virat the batsman.

Mitchell Johnson of Australia celebrates taking the wicket of Virat Kohli of India during the 2015 Cricket World Cup Semi Final match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground. (Getty Images)

"He is a very successful batsman in ODIs and has shown throughout the summer, in fact throughout his career, how good a player he is. He is part of a very good Indian batting unit and I am sure he will do well in the future," the Clarke added. Surely he would, but his fans would have to live with the pain that Kohli couldn't rise to the occasion when it really mattered in a World Cup semifinal on Thursday.

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NRIs in home run as economy surges

MUMBAI: The trend of Indians returning from abroad to work here has picked up pace with the recovery in the country's economy. Counter intuitively this is even as the monetary benefit that these executives could expect to earn has reduced over the last few years. The gap in premium between what the managers would have expected, say, three years back and now has nearly halved, say hiring experts. However, the reasons for the homing pigeons coming back to their lofts are quite similar — family matters and better job prospects.

Despite halving premiums, the trend is no longer restricted to largely IT as was seen earlier. Recruitment experts say it's a more broad-based trend now encompassing sectors like banking and finance, pharma, auto, textiles and food processing. "With the recovery of the Indian economy and increase in the number of Indian companies looking to expand globally, there is a definite rise in the number of Indian repatriates," said Moorthy K Uppaluri, CEO, Randstad India, a leading recruitment and staffing firm.

READ ALSO: Think of coming back to India — Vardhan to NRI youth

Should NRIs return to India?

The search for top talent coupled with high inflation in India has helped to reduce the difference in compensation between India and the western countries. "About a decade ago, the difference in the junior and middle levels was as much as 75%, and at the top management level it was about 50% to 60%. Today, the difference at the junior and middle levels is about 50%, and at the top it's just about 30% to 40%," said Uppaluri.

According to Nilay Khandelwal, regional director, Michael Page, a recruitment firm, the difference is thinning down on functions which have been in India for a longer time than others, such as analytics, risk, finance and operations in banking. "The gap has been reduced as the early movers had a better advantage than people moving at later stages. So, for example, a 40-50% premium in the past is now reduced to 20-30%," said Khandelwal.

Post the financial crisis of 2008, banks in India started grooming talent from within so that they don't have to rely on expats and returning Indians. In finance and operations, where the supply is greater than the demand, Khandelwal said the gap in premium salary (pre-2011 levels and now) for returning Indians has reduced. "So if a VP level in finance and operations was earlier coming at Rs 50 lakh, he/she today is ready to take up the assignment for between Rs 35-40 lakh," said Khandelwal.

Foreign banks in particular are witness to this reversal of brain drain. "We have seen a lot of interest across the developed markets from managers wanting to relocate to India, whether for personal or professional reasons. In the last 18 months, the trend of returning Indians has gathered momentum," said Anuranjita Kumar, chief HR officer, Citi South Asia. "The last time around when we witnessed such a trend was a decade ago between 2005-07 when Indian GDP growth was around 8% to 9%. However, following the subsequent uncertainty surrounding the global financial crisis and lower growth in India, the trend plateaued out," said Kumar.

At Citi, Indian managers based abroad with varied experience have indicated their interest to come back to India, given the positive market sentiment. As compared to the 9% growth in compensation in the Indian banking sector, developed markets offer around 2%. "More than compensation, the opportunity for these managers is in up-skilling themselves in a growing market like India," said Kumar.

With economic growth stalling in the West, leading to slower career growth opportunities, India is a market which appears to be more dynamic, offering better job prospects to NRIs. What's assisting the process is a change in the standard of living in India and its education system.

For Akash Kapoor (name changed on request), a senior management official working for a multinational bank, who returned to India after spending over a decade in London, adjusting to the improved quality of life which came at a more affordable rate was clearly a plus point. "The standard of living has risen here and international schooling is, in fact, better and more affordable," said Kapoor, who returned to India so that his children could reconnect with their roots.

While Kapoor declined to give a comparison of what he earned in pounds in London and now in India in rupee terms, he sees a lot of the other Indians settled abroad considering relocating to India with a number of jobs being offshored and roles being developed for the market here.

"NRIs are in demand as they have gained experience in developed markets. Generally, they are considered to have worked in a more professional environment, where ownership and decision-making has been encouraged. In addition to this, they have a good understanding of the cultural differences between India and other developed markets," said Khandelwal.

Employers value the international experience, but the skill set the person has acquired abroad should also be transferable to the Indian market. "If someone has built a career in finance and has no knowledge of the Indian accounting and tax regulations, it will make the job search more difficult," said Khandelwal.

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Germanwings captain tried to smash into cockpit with axe: German daily

BERLIN: The captain locked out of the cockpit of the Germanwings plane that crashed in the French Alps used an axe to try and force his way back in, German daily Bild said Friday, citing security sources.

Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz appeared to have deliberately flown the plane into the side of a remote mountain after locking the captain out of the cockpit, French officials have said, killing himself and all 149 others aboard on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: Co-pilot who crashed jet was 'very happy' with Germanwings job

Final minutes of doomed Germanwings flight

Who is Germanwings co-pilot who 'intentionally' set plane on descent?

The cockpit flight recorder showed that the captain repeatedly knocked and tried to get back in as the plane went into its fatal descent, French prosecutors said. However, Bild reported that the captain also tried using an axe to break down the cockpit's armoured door.

This could not be immediately confirmed, but a spokesman for Germanwings confirmed to AFP that an axe was on board the aircraft.

Such a tool is "part of the safety equipment of an A320," the spokesman told Bild.

READ ALSO: Airlines introduce two-person cockpit rule after Alps crash

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World Cup 2015: Australia beat India to set up final clash with New Zealand

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Maret 2015 | 22.14

SYDNEY: India's near flawless title defence came to an agonising end on Thursday as they succumbed to pressure against the clinical Australians, who decimated the defending champions by 95 runs to romp into the final and break a million Indian hearts.

Scorecard | Match in Pics | As it happened: India vs Australia

In an engrossing semifinal clash, four-time champions Australia rode on Steve Smith's classy 105 to post an imposing 328/7 before bundling out India for 233 in 46.5 overs to set up a summit clash with trans-Tasmanian rivals and co-hosts New Zealand in Melbourne on Sunday.

Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015

After a dream run which saw them win seven matches on the trot, India's quest for a second successive World Cup title was finally thwarted by the formidable Australians, who outplayed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's bravehearts in every department at the fully-packed Sydney Cricket Ground.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (65, 65 balls) stood tall amid a disappointing batting show as he waged a lone battle to take India past the 200-run mark and make a match of it despite the steep asking rate. At the top, Shikhar Dhawan was another notable performer with 45-run knock.

The Indians had themselves to blame for the loss as the bowling unit, which had performed admirably till now, failed to deliver when it mattered the most while the batting also crumbled under pressure.

The jubilant Aussies broke into wild celebrations after Mitchell Starc castled Umesh Yadav (0) to dismiss the last Indian batsman in the 47th over.

Home captain Michael Clarke was composed though as he shook hands with the Indians and acknowledged the Aussie supporters, who had interestingly been outnumbered by Indian fans.


Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stood tall amid a disappointing batting show. (AP Photo)

Set a record run chase, the first 300-plus score in a World Cup semifinal, the Indians started off with a flourish with Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (34, 48 balls) adding 76 runs for the first wicket in 12.5 overs.

But Dhawan's dismissal proved crucial as the runs dried up in the face of a determined effort by a fired up Australian pace battery.

Mitchell Johnson (2/50), Mitchell Starc (2/28) and Josh Hazlewood (1/41) put the fancied Indian line-up under immense pressure as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.

Despite the heartbreak, India put up a commendable effort in defending the title after a horror tour of Australia prior to the mega-event after which not many experts of the game had given the team a chance.

In a tough chase, Dhoni scored 65, providing brief entertainment but the match as a contest was well and truly over by then. An inspirational run-out from Glenn Maxwell ended his innings as Indian fans slowly trooped out of the SCG.

Once the opening stand of 76 was broken by Hazlewood, removing in-form Dhawan, the home team seized the control not letting their foot off the pedal as 'Men In Blue' never looked like being in the contest. Starc, Johnson and James Faulkner (3/59) all played their part to perfection.

It was one such day, when everything fell apart for India. They conceded the highest total by any team against them in this edition of the mega-event as well as the first ever 300 plus score in a knock-out match.

This was also the only time that Indian bowlers failed to take all 10 wickets of the opposition team and the defeat snapped Dhoni and Co's impressive winning run of 11 matches across two editions. And worst, they were all out for the first time also.

The second semifinal turned out to be complete contrast to the thriller that happened in Auckland, couple of days back.

Virat Kohli scored a single in the first 12 balls and the 13th one turned out to be a disaster as he failed to gauge the extra bounce off a Johnson delivery going for a pull which only ballooned in the air for Brad Haddin to complete a simple catch.

Rohit Sharma (34), who was getting into the groove, got one that was a few notches higher in speed than he thought it would be. Before he could bring his bat down properly, it cannoned into the stumps.

Suresh Raina (7) got one to rise off length as he fished it to Haddin behind stumps.

Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane (44) added 70 runs delaying the inevitable before Smith's smart thinking saw the end of Rahane. It was a delivery from Starc that pitched on length and moved a shade as the batsman apparently played and missed.

The bowler was going back to his run-up when Smith ran towards skipper Michael Clarke and insisted that he ask for DRS as he felt Rahane had nicked the ball. The snickometer showed that Smith was vindicated as it became 178 for five.

There was no hope after that and as one wicket fell after another as Aussie fans had the 'Goodbye' song from 'Remember the Titans' on their lips. The SCG that looked like a Sea of Blue turned into sunflower like yellow at the end of it all.

Earlier, Smith sent the Indian pacers on a leather hunt with a classy century as Australia scored a commanding 328/7 after opting to bat first.

Smith batted like a man possessed as the Indian attack looked pedestrian for the first time in front of the local boy whose 105 came off only 93 balls with 11 boundaries and two sixes.

Aaron Finch, who played the role of sheet anchor to perfection with a patient 81 off 111 balls that had seven fours and a six, added 182 off 31 overs for the second wicket with Smith.

Mitchell Johnson played a superb little cameo scoring 27 off 9 balls (4x4, 1x6) that helped the hosts cross the 320-run mark.

It was the first time that Indian pace attack was put to sword as the trio of Umesh Yadav (4/72 in 9 overs), Mohammed Shami (0/68 in 10 overs) and Mohit Sharma (2/75) were hammered into submission due to some poor planning as well execution.


Steve Smith sent the Indian pacers on a leather hunt with a classy century. (Reuters Photo)

However, it was R Ashwin, who walked away with the honours with fantastic figures of 1/42, which included the prized scalp of dangerous looking Glenn Maxwell (23, 14 balls) with a well thought out trap.

It was because of Ashwin that India could stop Australia from racing away to a total in the range of 350 which looked possible when Maxwell started tonking the seamers.

The Australian innings was all about Smith's approach and the manner in which he tackled the Indian bowling which has been a dominant force throughout the tournament.

So simple yet effective was Smith's approach at the crease that it never seemed he was scoring at a rate of more than run-a-ball yet he did it with elan. The 100 came off 89 balls.

The floodgates opened in the 10th over of the Australian innings bowled by Yadav where Smith smashed him for four boundaries. Yadav's first spell of five overs went for 39 with six boundaries and a six taken off his bowling.

It started with a cover drive and ended with a hat-trick of pull-shots as Yadav repeatedly erred in length, bowling too short.

With each and every shot, the common Australian sports anthem 'Come on Aussie Come on' sang by a motley bunch had more impact than the 'Jeetega bhai Jeetega' from the Indian fans.

The Australian innings started to gain momentum after that. While Finch worked out the singles and doubles with an occasional boundary, Smith pulled anything that was slightly short in length. The chip over mid-wicket off Ravindra Jadeja was sheer class.

Not for once did he look troubled by Indian bowlers as he reached from 86 to 100 with a two boundaries with a six in between.

The normally disciplined Indian pace attack bowled too short as seven out of 11 boundaries hit by Smith came off pull shots.

It was a short ball that finally ended a wonderful knock when Smith couldn't control the hook shot off Yadav's bowling to be holed out at deep square leg.

Once Smith departed, Maxwell teed off but it was Ashwin's clever bowling and good captaincy by Dhoni that brought about the maverick Aussie's downfall.

Ashwin flighted one and Maxwell wanted to muscle it over deep square leg boundary found the only fielder placed at that position.

Maxwell's departure saw a mini collapse as Australia slumped from 233 for two to 248 for five before Shane Watson (28) and James Faulkner (21) added 36 runs at a quick clip in only 4.2 overs as Australia posted a more than decent total in a crunch match.

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Twitterati targets Anushka over Virat's poor show in WC semis

MUMBAI: With Virat Kohli getting out after making just 1 run against Australia in the World Cup semi finals, Twitter community errupted with jokes and jibes against his girlfriend Anushka Sharma.

The 'NH10' actress was among the spectators to cheer for Kohli and the Indian team and looked disappointed when Kohli returned to pavilion early.

Anushka, 26, became the butt of all jokes and some nasty tweets soon after Virat got out.

"Feeling sorry for Anushka. Her boyfriend let her down big time! ??:"

"What did Anushka Sharma tell Virat Kohli before he went out to bat today? 'Virat, I want you here in 5 minutes.' :D #CWC15 #AUSvsIND," a user joked while another wrote, "True Love = Anushka Sharma traveling to Sydney to see Virat Kohli score 1 run. #CWC15."

But there were some sane voices too who countered the trolls for blaming the actress for Kohli's performance.

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Germanwings co-pilot 'deliberately crashed plane': French officials

PARIS: The chief Marseille prosecutor handling the investigation into the crash of a Germanwings jetliner said on Thursday that evidence from the cockpit voice recorder indicated that the co-pilot had deliberately locked the captain out of the cockpit and steered the plane into its fatal descent.

"At this moment, in light of investigation, the interpretation we can give at this time is that the co-pilot through voluntary abstention refused to open the door of the cockpit to the commander, and activated the button that commands the loss of altitude," the prosecutor, Brice Robin, said.

READ ALSO: Who is Germanwings co-pilot who 'intentionally' set plane on descent?

He said it appeared that the co-pilot's intention had been "to destroy the aircraft." He said that the voice recorder showed that the co-pilot had been breathing until before the moment of impact, suggesting that he was conscious and deliberate in killing 144 passengers and five other crew members in the French Alps on Tuesday.

The inquiry had shown that the crash was intentional, he said, and he was considering changing his investigation from involuntary manslaughter to voluntary manslaughter.

He said there was no indication that this was a terrorist attack. He said that law enforcement officials were investigating the background of the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, who was 28 years old, and came from the German town of Montabaur.

READ ALSO: Germanwings pilot was locked out of cockpit before crash in France

Asked if the pilot had tried to commit suicide, he said, "I haven't used the word suicide," adding that it was "a legitimate question to ask."

The revelation that one of the pilots of the jetliner was locked out of the cockpit before it crashed raised new and troubling questions on Thursday, as search teams continued to scour the rugged terrain of the French Alps for clues that could shed light on what happened.

The flight, an Airbus A320 operated by the budget carrier Germanwings, was traveling to Dusseldorf, Germany, from Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday morning when it descended and slammed into the French Alps.


Debris from the plane. (AFP Photo)

The prosecutor said that the authorities had a full transcript of the final 30 minutes of the voice recorder.

"During the first 20 minutes, the pilots talk normally," he said, saying they spoke in a "cheerful" and "courteous" way. "There is nothing abnormal happening," he said.

The prosecutor said the transcript showed that the captain was preparing a briefing for landing in Dusseldorf. The co-pilot's answer, the prosecutor said, was "laconic."

The commanding pilot then asked the co-pilot to take over, and the noise of a seat backing up and a door closing could be heard.

"At this stage, the co-pilot is in control, alone," the prosecutor said. "It is when he is alone that the co-pilot manipulates the flight monitoring system to activate the decent of the plane." The prosecutor said that this action could only have been "voluntary."

"You can hear the commanding pilot ask for access to the cockpit several times," the prosecutor said. "He identifies himself, but the co-pilot does not provide any answer."

"You can hear human breathing in the cockpit up until the moment of impact," the prosecutor said. "The pilot was therefore alive."

Several other issues remained unclear on Thursday, including the identity of the captain and , why he had left the cockpit.


Debris from the plane. (AFP Photo)

Martin Riecken, a spokesman in Frankfurt for Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings said before the news conference in Marseille that "both pilots had been trained to Lufthansa standards."

Officials from Germanwings and Lufthansa were scheduled to hold a news conference in Cologne, Germany, at 2.30pm.

READ ALSO: Rescuers struggle to recover bodies in Germanwings French Alps crash

The prosecutor's comments raised the possibility of a a pilot suicide. The captain, who left the cockpit, would have had to follow a precise procedure to get back in. Assuming the cockpit door did not malfunction, analysts said, it was possible that the co-pilot could have activated a switch that would have denied the captain access to the controls for several minutes.

In 1999, after a Cairo-bound EgyptAir flight crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Mass., killing 217 people, investigators at the time said they suspected that the co-pilot might have attempted suicide. The United States National Transportation Safety Board, which was charged with the investigation, concluded that the crash had occurred because of the co-pilot's "manipulation of the airplane controls," although its report explicitly did not use the word suicide.

Stefan Schaffrath, an Airbus spokesman, said on Thursday that in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, Airbus had upgraded the reinforcements of cockpit doors on its planes in compliance with international regulations.

According to an Airbus video describing the operations of locking the cockpit door, it is locked by default when closed. But when a pilot wants to lock the cockpit door to bar access to someone outside, he or she can move the toggle to a position marked "locked," which illuminates a red light on a numeric code pad outside. That disables the door, keypad and the door buzzer for five minutes.

While these functions are disabled, the video shows, the only way to make contact with the crew is via an intercom. The doors can then only be opened if someone inside overrides the lock command by moving and holding the toggle switch to the "unlock" position.

If someone outside the cockpit suspects the pilot is incapacitated, that person would normally first try to establish contact via the intercom or by activating a buzzer. If those efforts were unsuccessful, the video shows, a crew member outside the cockpit would need to enter an emergency code on the keypad.

The code activates a loud buzzer and flashing light on the cockpit control panel, and it sets off a timer that unlocks the door 30 seconds later. The person outside has five seconds to enter before the door locks again.

As investigators continued to pore over the clues, relatives of the victims were expected to arrive on Thursday near the site of the crash, where a makeshift chapel has been set up, and where psychologists are available to provide support. Lufthansa was to operate two special flights for family members on Thursday from Barcelona and from Dusseldorf.

The victims of the crash included many Germans and Spaniards, including 16 high school students who were returning from an exchange program. Other victims included citizens of Britain, Colombia, Iran, Israel and the United States, among others.

A charter flight with 62 relatives and friends of victims landed in Marseille on Thursday after leaving Barcelona shortly after 10 a.m., Spanish television reported. Other relatives traveled by bus overnight from Barcelona, although their number was unconfirmed. All were expected to be driven to near the crash site, under the supervision of psychologists and other medical staff members.

The Spanish government announced Thursday morning that 50 victims were now believed to be Spaniards, down from 51 on Wednesday. One of the victims lived in Spain but did not have Spanish citizenship.

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'DK Ravi made 4 calls, not 44, to my wife'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Maret 2015 | 22.14

IAS officer's husband was with her when Ravi called. Hardly 4 calls, he claims in court

BENGALURU: The case filed by the husband of the woman IAS officer, whose name has been embroiled in the case of DK Ravi's death, seeking privacy from publication of their names in relation to the investigation has been adjourned till Thursday.

READ ALSO: CID deleted CCTV clip of DK Ravi, says father-in-law

The petitioner's advocate Sajan Poovayya was asked to submit written counter objections to the arguments by the government.

However, the brief arguments in the case on Tuesday were not without drama.

READ ALSO: Finally, Karnataka CM recommends CBI probe into IAS officer DK Ravi's death

During the argument, the petitioner's advocate said the state government's CID had spread the wrong information and media reports were quoting police officers.

Giving an example of the report that 44 calls were allegedly made by DK Ravi to the woman IAs officer, the advocate said, ""The reports said 44 calls were made in the last one hour. There were not even four calls. I (husband) was with her."


DK Ravi's mother Gowramma with cousin sister Prabha take part in a massive rally at Freedom park organised by Karnataka Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha in Bengaluru. (TOI Photo)

This statement was made when he was arguing against the government's plea to vacate the interim order passed on Sunday by the court which prevented chief minister Siddaramaiah from revealing the status report of the Ravi death investigation in the Assembly.

READ ALSO: IAS officer DK Ravi's death: 5 unanswered questions

Urgency of the govt

Later during the argument, the court said the government's application for vacation of the interim order would be decided once the petitioner filed the counter objections.

Additional advocate general Ponnanna countered this by saying there was urgency and cited the fact that the interim order was passed on a Sunday. "Why is Sunday being made an issue? I have the rights," senior advocate Poovayya intervened.

To this, Ponnanna said, "If they have urgency, we too have urgency. It is being projected as if the Assembly would have discussed not the issue but the petitioner's wife. That is not the case." Tempers were raised as Poovayya intervened and said that it was not for the executive or CID to decide what was the truth. He said that on Monday, the government in its objections had mentioned that the petitioner's wife and DK Ravi enjoyed "more than a cordial relationship" and said government was making such statements in court as if the case was decided.

"The legality of the relationship should be decided by the court after the trial and not by the CID or the executive," he said.

Desperate govt

Earlier, the additional advocate general had made a strong argument for the interim order issued by the court on Sunday to be vacated.

He then requested the court to transfer the documents submitted by the government in a sealed cover on Monday to the CBI. Since the case has been transferred to the CBI, he wanted the documents which are details of the investigation by the state CID to be given to the CBI.

Poovayya objected to this, saying the documents were photocopies or printouts and secondary in nature and the government was trying to make it look like the court was handing the papers to the CBI.

Poovayya said that the government can make an application for taking back the sealed covers and then giving it to the CBI themselves rather than use their case for the purpose.

The court said that since CBI was not a party in the case nor a necessary party, there was no need for the court to give them the documents. It said that if CBI requires them, it can make an application to the court.

The court said that the case has become academic and the petitioner's object has been served. Poovayya said that only one of his objects, that of preventing the tabling of the details in the house, was served but the other object of his petition was to get back the information that the government's CID has already released in the public domain.

The government has to prevent further publication, he said. Poovayya then told the court about the alleged 44 calls and said also disagreed with the court's observation that the interim order had become infructuous. "The information collected till now cannot be published by the executive. If the case has been handed over to the CBI, the government has nothing to do with the information collected so far," Poovayya said. The court said that a different agency would be conducting the inquiry and its order restraining the CID and police from publishing details would not hold.

On the other hand, the government too wanted the interim order vacated or modified to state that the CM was not prevented from making a statement in the assembly.

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World Cup fever: Planning to fall ill tomorrow?

So, what will be your excuse for bunking work on Thursday, when India takes on Australia in the semifinal? As many as 34% of 6,000 officegoers surveyed nationwide said they would call in sick, while 2% plan to go to the extent of saying their houses have been burgled.

READ ALSO:

Won't be easy but Australia will beat India: Brett Lee

Perfect time to beat Australia, says Virat Kohli

While most of India's matches in the Cricket World Cup have been during weekends, the India-Australia semifinal, billed as the "final before the final", is on Thursday, leaving countless fans anxious about how and where to watch it.

Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015

Perhaps anticipating a low turn-out at office, Nayantara Pani, business head of Bangalore-based PlayRight, said, "I've given leave to my staff. We're into sport communications and are sports enthusiasts. If there's a super important meeting, it'll be only after 4.30 pm."

An excited Pallavi Singh, 38, of Citibank, Gurgaon, said, "We've declared Thursday a no-meeting day to support our nation. Venue not fixed but (we'll be) with peers at hub or big screen at work. Bleed Blue! The game is on!"

Though almost 60% of respondents virtuously said they would report for work, may offices to are getting into the festive spirit. A Coca Cola spokesperson said, "Match days are usually relaxed in our office. We haven't granted leave to employees, but they're free to gather in the cafeteria or in their bosses' cabins to watch the match."

On the other hand, Shalini Pillai, head of people, performance and culture, KPMG in India, said its employees have been granted leave on Thursday. "It's time to celebrate India reaching the semi-final in the all important clash with Australia. KPMG supports Team India and wishes them all the best for this momentous match."

In Ludhiana, fans are prepping for a grand celebration with many residents having booked tractors to take their celebrations to the streets. On match day, many restaurants are offering heavy discounts and giving away freebies for each boundary hit or century scored.

Kochi teen Mark Anthony, whose 12th grade state board exams are going on, said, "My mom doesn't let me watch TV but my tuition teacher Varghese never misses an India match. And that gives me and friends some hope of catching a few overs with him."

In Chennai, Vasanth Raj, an auto consultant, said that he would go to work only after the game is over. "It's an important game for us and there's no way I am going to office. I've asked for half-a-day leave."

In Kolkata, MNC professionals, professors, cricket fans are planning to either reschedule their work or skip office altogether. Gourisankar Sa, a Bose Institute professor, said, "For me on Thursday, the World Cup match will top the priority. I have one class which I'll wrap up quickly and follow the match on internet in the laboratory. Somdutta Basu, an MNC employee, said, "Initially I had thought of taking leave, but then I decided to bunk work till the match is over citing official meetings etc."

ESPNcricinfo, which interviewed 6,000 respondents, said, "Cricket fans will not let work get in the way of them enjoying the much-awaited World Cup tournament. Sixty two per cent said they will miss work at some point. When it comes to what excuses they would use to skip work, the time-tested method of calling in sick appeals more to the younger fans; 75% fans over 30 are open to skipping work to watch a match."

(Inputs from Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kochi, Kolkata, Chandigarh)

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World Cup 2015: Spin or seam? India confident of passing Sydney test

SYDNEY: India will go into Thursday's World Cup semifinal against Australia in Sydney confident of success irrespective of whether the wicket took turn or assisted fast bowlers, opener Rohit Sharma said.

Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015

The wear and tear at the end of a long season was evident when the covers were removed at the Sydney Cricket ground on Wednesday, revealing a dry, brown pitch that would gladden India more than their rivals.

READ ALSO: India have mastered the art of pacing their innings

South African spinners Imran Tahir and JP Duminy shared seven wickets to bowl out Sri Lanka for 133 in the quarterfinal at the SCG last week, setting up a nine-wicket win for the Proteas.

But the bat dominated the ball in previous World Cup games at the venue, with Australia piling up 376 for nine against Sri Lanka and South Africa smashing 408 for five off the West Indies' attack.

READ ALSO: World Cup fever - Planning to fall ill tomorrow?

Australian coach Darren Lehmann predicted a high-scoring game, but Sharma said India were not sweating over the nature of the wicket.

"It does not worry us what sort of wicket we get because we are confident of doing well on any surface," said Sharma, who scored a century in the quarterfinal against Bangladesh in Melbourne.

"We have taken 70 wickets in seven matches, bowled out the opposition every time, so we know what we need to do.

"Our seamers have done well and so have the spinners. We are ready for anything that we get."

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have confounded critics by recovering from a winless bilateral tour of Australia before the World Cup to brush aside all-comers in the tournament.


Skipper MS Dhoni prepares to bat during a practice session in Sydney ahead of their World Cup semifinal against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. (AFP Photo)

Starting with two wins against Pakistan and South Africa, India won all six group matches to top Pool B and then downed spirited Bangladesh by 109 runs in the quarterfinals.

Besides bowling out their rivals in all games, India have piled up 300-plus scores every time they have batted first.

India have beaten Australia just once in 35 years in a one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the hosts have won all six semifinals they have contested since the inaugural event in 1975.

But Sharma, who hit a record one-day score of 264 against Sri Lanka last year, said the past will have no bearing on Thursday's result and insisted Australia were not unbeatable.

"Of course we can win, no question about it," he said. "Australia is a good batting side but they struggled against good quality bowling when they played New Zealand or Pakistan.

"They have also bowled well, but then we have batted well too."

Australia were shot out for 151 by New Zealand in Auckland and it was only a six-wicket haul by Mitchell Starc that saw the Black Caps lose nine wickets before surpassing the modest target.

Pakistan's left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz had the Australian batsmen hopping with short-pitched deliveries in the quarterfinal in Adelaide before the hosts won by six wickets.

Sharma, who had heated on-field exchanges with David Warner during the preceding tri-series, said he expected a fiery contest between two strong rivals.

"Look a bit of sledging is okay as long as boundaries are not crossed," he said. "The Indian team will not cross the line, but we will not back down either."

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Supreme Court strikes down Section 66A of IT Act which allowed arrests for objectionable content online

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Maret 2015 | 22.14

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Section 66A of Information Technology Act as unconstitutional and struck it down.

This section had been widely misused by police in various states to arrest innocent persons for posting critical comments about social and political issues and political leaders on social networking sites.

The court said such a law hit at the root of liberty and freedom of expression, two cardinal pillars of democracy.

READ ALSO: Section 66A of IT Act quashed: Full text of SC verdict

All you need to know about Section 66A of IT Act

Section 66A quashed: Key points of SC verdict

The court said such a law hit at the root of liberty and freedom of expression, the two cardinal pillars of democracy. The court said the section has to be erased from the law books as it has gone much beyond the reasonable restrictions put by the Constitution on freedom of speech. The Supreme Court said section 66A was vaguely worded and allowed its misuse by police.

The court, however, upheld the validity of section 69B and the 2011 guidelines for the implementation of the I-T Act that allowed the government to block websites if their content had the potential to create communal disturbance, social disorder or affect India's relationship with other countries.

However, the court watered down section 79 of the I-T Act making it further difficult for the police to harass innocent for their comments on social network sites.

READ ALSO: Centre defends Section 66A of IT Act

Sec 66A draconian, but is needed: Govt

Class 11 student sent to jail for Facebook post against UP minister Azam Khan

Blog: Repeal section 66A: Law that permits jailing school kid for Facebook post is objectionable and absurd

The SC delivered its judgment on a bunch of petitions filed in the light of misuse of the penal provision by government authorities against persons who allegedly uploaded offensive posts on social networking sites.

The petitioners, including NGOs, civil rights groups and a law student, had argued that Section 66A violated citizens' fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. The first petition was however filed by a law student Shreya Singhal.

The government had opposed the plea for quashing the provision saying it is meant to deter people from uploading grossly offensive material which can lead to lawlessness by inciting public anger and violence.

Justifying the retention of the provision, the Centre had told the apex court that the impact of the internet is much wider and restriction on this medium should be higher in comparison to print and TV.

It had said, unlike print and electronic media, the internet did not operate in an institutional form and there was need for some mechanism to put checks and balances.

The government had said the provision could not be quashed just because of its potential misuse. Posting pictures and comments on social networking sites which hurt religious sentiments could not be tolerated and people must be prosecuted, it said.

Read this in Hindi: सुप्रीम कोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला, सोशल मीडिया पोस्‍ट पर तुरंत नहीं होगी जेल

Former attorney general Soli J Sorabjee, who appeared for one of the petitioners, termed the judgment a 'glorious vindication' of right to free speech. He spoke to the TOI after SC bench of Justices J Chelameswar and R F Nariman struck down section 66A as unconstitutional. Sorabjee said: "The judgment is well researched, well reasoned and erudite in expression. It is a glorious vindication of freedom of expression."

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World Cup 2015: I'll sledge India if Warner won't, says Johnson

SYDNEY: Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson says he is considering taking on the role of Australia's Sledger-in-Chief for Thursday's World Cup semifinal against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015

Outspoken opener David Warner has been on his best behaviour at the World Cup after getting into hot water over a series of spats with the Indian side during the Test series over the New Year.

READ MORE: At SCG, Aussie XI vs 30,000 Indians!

The fiery exchanges continued into the Tri-series and Warner was fined for asking India's Rohit Sharma to "speak English" during a slanging match in a one-dayer at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in January.

READ MORE: Virat Kohli seeks SCG inspiration for semifinal

"I heard Davy said he wasn't going to get involved in all that stuff," paceman Johnson told Fox TV on Tuesday.

"Someone's got to do it and I might put my hand up. It's part of the game and what happened the other day with Shane (Watson) and Wahab (Riaz) was exceptional.

"I thought it was great entertainment and I think you're going to see more entertainment in this game."

Watson had the last laugh on Pakistan paceman Wahab after their compelling duel in the quarterfinals last week when he helped steer Australia to victory. Both players were later fined.

Johnson has some history with India in the sledging stakes and made them pay for having the temerity to lampoon him after he went wicket-less in the first innings of the second test at the Gabba last December.

The 33-year-old slugged 88 off 93 balls to help rescue Australia's first innings and then took three wickets in a dazzling spell of bowling and finished with figures of 4-61 as Australia won the match by four wickets.

"I love it. The more that comes my way, the better," he said at the time.

As well as Warner, Indians Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli were fined for clashes during the Test series.

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Germanwings plane crashes in France, up to 150 feared dead

PARIS: An Airbus A320 plane crashed on Tuesday in the southern French Alps, police and aviation officials said. This after the pilot of the Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf sent out a distress signal minutes before crashing into a 9,000ft mountain in the French Alps today, Independent reported.

All 142 passengers and six crew aboard the German Airbus A320 are believed to have died in the crash about 100 miles north of Nice.

Flight 4U 9525 vanished from radar screens at about 10.47 am local time, 46 minutes after take-off from Barcelona. French officials said that debris had been found on the 2,961m-high Estrop massif near the small town of Barcelonnette in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence.
No survivors are expected in the plane crash, French President Hollande said.

The French interior ministry said some debris has been found, AFP reported.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead.

"The cause is at present unknown," he told reporters.

A spokesman for the DGAC aviation authority said the airplane crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.

Lufthansa's Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash.

The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.

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Australia, India brace for World Cup verbal onslaught

Written By Unknown on Senin, 23 Maret 2015 | 22.14

SYDNEY: Rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India and Michael Clarke of Australia may have their hands full trying to keep frayed tempers in check during a potentially explosive World Cup semifinal on Thursday.

Full coverage: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

The two teams have shared a tumultuous relationship both on and off the field in recent years and another flare-up cannot be ruled out in front of a packed Sydney Cricket Ground.

It was at the same venue in 2008 where the infamous 'Monkeygate' incident involving Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds and Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh took place and almost saw a Test series being called off.

Harbhajan was suspended for three matches for allegedly calling Symonds a "monkey", but the ban was overturned when India threatened to walk out of the tour, claiming the off-spinner was wrongly accused.

The bad blood continued during India's Test and one-day series in Australia prior to the World Cup when heated on-field exchanges led to several players being penalised.

Three Indian players, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, and Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc were charged for a breach of the International Cricket Council's Code of Conduct.

Australian opener David Warner was the worst offender, having been reported both in the Test and one-day series, and was publicly told off by Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland to "stop looking for trouble."

Warner risks missing the World Cup final should Australia qualify if he is found guilty of a third breach of the Code of Conduct on Thursday.

Australian all-rounder James Faulkner predicted that the sledging will be fast and furious at the SCG.

"There are going to be words said and it's going to be a really tough contest," Faulkner told reporters on Monday.

"I think there is always sledging in the game. If there is not, you've got problems. It's the nature of the game. It's a semi-final. Cut throat. Neither team will be backing down."

Australian teammate Glenn Maxwell is certain that Warner, who squared up to Rohit Sharma during the Test series telling the batsman "to speak English", will not get into trouble again.

"He is fine," the all-rounder said. "He does not say much -- any more." Allrounder Shane Watson will be another one under the radar of Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle, who fined him 15 percent of his match fees for a heated exchange with Pakistan's Wahab Riaz during tense moments of Friday's quarter-final in Adelaide.

ICC chief executive David Richardson said before the tournament that match referees would come down hard on misbehaviour on the field and repeat offenders will be hit with bans.

But Maxwell is confident the involvement of Australian players in the Indian Premier League will help to keep the lid on -- even though that was not seen in the preceding bilateral matches.

The belligerent batsman, who has turned out for Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, said the glitzy Twenty20 tournament helped him get closer to Indian players.

"Personally, I get along with them really well," he said. "Playing in the IPL, you get to know a lot of them, spend time with them, go to dinners with them and you start to develop real friendships and you stay in touch with them as well.

"It makes it hard when you play against them because you've got to still have that fine line of keeping it competitive on the field but they're also your mates.

"So you've got to continue trying to play as if you're playing your worst enemy every time."

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World Cup 2015: Things to know for New Zealand-South Africa semifinal

AUCKLAND: New Zealand and South Africa meet in the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup on Tuesday, with both teams bidding to reach the final for the first time. Here are some things to watch for:

Full coverage: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

CAPTAINS FANTASTIC

New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and South Africa's AB de Villiers are not only the official captains but also the star players for their respective sides, and their performances on Tuesday will go a long way to deciding the game.

De Villiers has made 417 runs across six games at a strike-rate of 144 runs per 100 balls. While McCullum has scored fewer runs - 269 from seven innings - he has done so at the extraordinary strike-rate of 185.51.

McCullum expects a close game on Tuesday, which would come as a contrast to the lopsided quarterfinals and the general theme of all New Zealand's games thus far, with the exception of a nerve-fraying one-wicket win against Australia.

"Both teams are playing aggressively, playing an entertaining style of cricket and both teams are trying to win key moments rather than not lose them," McCullum said. "Tomorrow will be a great spectacle and I expect the team that is able to handle the crunch situations the best will come out on top.

"I expect the margin won't be far between both teams. We'll have one team that's never made it to the final celebrating and the others will take it in their stride."

Taking a loss in stride is hard to imagine for South Africa given its long history of disappointing defeats at World Cups.

"We have been through a lot of hardship in the past with our World Cup game but we feel very fresh and are very excited for tomorrow," de Villiers said.

"We have been working toward a game like tomorrow for a few years. We are just going to play a good game of cricket. If we do that, we will come out on top."

PROTEA'S WORLD CUP WOES

South Africa's history at World Cups is one of misfortune, miscalculation and form implosions.

In 1992 it faced England in a rain-affected semifinal: South Africa needed 22 runs from 13 balls when it began to rain but when its target was recalculated under the Duckworth-Lewis system, it faced the impossible task of 22 runs from one ball.

In 1996, as one of the favorites, it was eliminated in the quarterfinals. In the 1999 semifinal against Australia, South Africa needed only one run from the last four balls of the match to win but a mix-up and run-out ended the game as a tie and Australia advanced with a better record in the preceding stage.

As tournament host in 2003, it failed to progress beyond the group stage when it bungled a run chase in a rain-affected match, leading to the resignation of captain Shaun Pollock. In 2007 it crashed out in the semifinals after being dismissed by Australia for 149 - its lowest World Cup score.

And in 2011, in a match in which de Villiers was a key figure, it was beaten by New Zealand in an acrimonious quarterfinal. Asked Monday what he remembered of that game, de Villiers simply said "we lost."

"It wasn't a great game for us as a team," he said. "But I knew that I could walk off that field knowing that I had given it my best shot.

"There are no regrets about that game. I felt in great form. I batted well. I don't have any grudges about what happened in the past."

South Africa fans may not feel the same.

FICKLE WEATHER

Auckland's weather is notoriously changeable and unpredictable and forecasts for Tuesday, and for the reserve day on Wednesday, have fluctuated in recent days. On Sunday, the chance of rain at Eden Park was rated at about 20 percent but by Monday that had grown to 60 percent and the official forecast was for scattered showers on match-day.

The forecast for the reserve day is more favorable with warm temperatures and no mention of rain.

World Cup rules specify that every attempt must be made to complete at least a 20 overs contest if a match in the tournament knockout rounds is affected by rain. The regulations allow for a game that has begun on a scheduled match day to be completed on the reserve day.

If no play is possible on either day, the team that was ranked highest after pool play will progress to the next round.

That means that New Zealand, who were unbeaten and finished atop Pool A, holds will advance if weather prevents the semifinal being completed.

NZ SELECTION DILEMMA

The loss of seamer Adam Milne to a heel injury has given New Zealand a selection dilemma that will be resolve after a look at the Eden Park pitch on the morning of the game.

Inexperienced fast bowler Matt Henry was called into the broader squad on Monday as a potential like-for-like replacement. He has played only eight one-day internationals and was not included in the initial tournament squad.

His pace and wicket-taking ability make him an attractive selection option due to his likeness to Milne and the team's understandable desire to stick with a winning formula. He has 21 wickets from his eight matches to date, with a best return of 5-30 against Pakistan.

Fast and bouncy Mitchell McClenaghan took Milne's place when he was ruled out of New Zealand's final pool match against Bangladesh with a shoulder injury, but recorded unflattering figures of 0-68 from eight overs, which will count against his chances.

The 36-year-old Kyle Mills lacks a yard of pace but brings the experience of 170 one-day internationals. He offers controlled line and length but New Zealand does not often use him as a third seamer. He usually opens the bowling and New Zealand might be reluctant to hand him that role if it means breaking the new ball partnership between Trent Boult and Tim Southee.

There is also the left-field possibility of choosing Nathan McCullum as a second spinner.

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