It was not an attack on Ravi Shankar: Police

The Hindu Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder, Art of Living Foundation.

Karnataka Director General of Police Ajai Kumar Singh claimed on Monday that the firing incident at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's ashram in Bangalore on Sunday was not an attack on the spiritual guru.

"I won't call this an attack on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The incident happened five minutes after Sri Sri Ravi Shankar left," said Singh which addressing the media on Monday morning.

Singh added that he was not contradicting the claims made by Ravi Shankar's organisation the Art of Living that spiritual guru was the target of the firing. He said that he was juts report the facts.

"The bullet could have been aimed high that is why there were no casualties. The trajectory was not flat. It doesn't look like a country made gun. It's probably a factory made gun," said Singh

Singh added that there was a delay in filing the police complaint by the ashram as they were consulting with each other.

A disciple Vinay was injured and the gunman escaped after the firing at around 6 pm near the ashram at Kanakapura Road on the outskirts of Bangalore.

"The distance between the shooter and Vinay could have been at least 700 feet," said Karnataka DGP.

According to a press statement issued by the Art of Living International Centre, the gunman opened fire as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar left after delivering a discourse at his ashram.

"While leaving from public satsang (discourse) this evening in Bangalore, an unidentified gunman shot at Sri Sri's convoy. It hit one the devotee's thigh, causing a minor injury," the statement said.

Swami Sadyojatha, director of international affairs of the Art of Living Foundation, told CNN-IBN he was inside in the car when it was shot at but couldn’t comment who was to blame for the attack. Sadyojatha said the injured disciple, Vinay, was discharged from a hospital after treatment.

Source http://ibnlive.in.com/news/it-was-not-an-attack-on-ravi-shankar-police/116664-3.html?from=tn

CBSE Class X results declared

THE HINDU Girls in jubiliant mood as they celebrate their success in the CBSE class X examinations, in New Delhi

The CBSE announced results for the Class X board exam on Friday, grades for which were accorded for the first time, as 89.28 per cent candidates cleared the test.

Girls continued to outscore boys in the board exam which will be abolished from next year.

Under the new grading system, the CBSE has introduced a nine-point scale -- A1 (91-100 marks), A2 (81-90), B1 (71-80), B2 (61-70), C1 (51-60), C2 (41-50), D (33-40), E1 (21-32) and E2 (20 and below).

Those students who obtain qualifying grades D and above in all subjects will be awarded a qualifying certificate. CBSE has done away with the practice of declaring any candidate failed.

A total of 9.02,747 candidates had registered for the board exam held in March this year.

This year 89.28 per cent students have become eligible for qualifying certificate against 88.84 per cent of students clearing the test last year. While 90.68 per cent girls have become eligible for qualifying certificates, 88.30 per cent boys have cleared the test.

Chennai region has done better than other five regions with 96.18 per cent students becoming eligible for qualifying certificates.

Under the grading system, those students who secure D grade and above in all subjects excluding additional subjects will be eligible for admission into Class XI. Those who secure E1 and E2 grades will get five chances for improving their performance.

The board will award merit certificates to the candidates who obtain A1 in all the five subjects.

As per the region-wise performance, Chennai is followed by Ajmer with 93.51 per cent students becoming eligible for qualifying certificates. In Delhi, 89.04 per cent students became eligible for it.

Puducherry topped the list in the Chennai region, comprising seven states and three Union Territories, with a score of 99.50 per cent.

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas and government schools continued to outperform other schools. While 96.87 per cent students in the Kendriya Vidyalayas become eligible for qualifying certificates, 98.54 per cent students of Navodaya Vidyalayas achieved the feat. The percentage of students achieving success in government schools is 83.01.

While nearly 75,000 figured in compartmental category, 94,364 students got E1 and E2 degrees and will have to improve their performance.

Candidates not happy with their grades can apply for verification of grades in their respective regional offices within 21 days from declaration of results.

Students can get their results on their e-mail address by registering themselves on www.cbseresults.nic.in and www.cbse.nic.in.

Source http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/cbse-class-x-result-declared-28311.php?u=0938

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India angry over visa refusal, warns Canada of retaliation

In view of Canada denying visa to Indian army officers, the Home Ministry has written to the External Affairs Ministry, asking it to take up the issue strongly with the Canadian High Commission.

The Home Ministry wants the Canadian High Commission to apologise, withdraw the comments and take action against the officers responsible for such behaviour.

Canada denied visas to a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal, three serving Brigadiers, a retired Lt General and a former senior IB official on the grounds that their organisations have been engaging in violence.

A serving Intelligence Bureau officer, assigned to travel to Toronto in connection with the Prime Minister’s trip there next month, was also denied visa recently but was later allowed to travel after protest from India.

The denial of visas, over the last two years, has angered the Home Ministry which has warned that India would also “retaliate” by denying visas to Canadian officials who go to Afghanistan via this country.

Lt Gen (retd) A S Bahia, a decorated Indian military officer who is now a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal in Chandigarh, was refused visa in May this year, contending that he had served in a “sensitive location” of Jammu and Kashmir.

Bahia, who retired as the Quarter Master General (QMG) on April 30, 2006, told PTI over phone that he had brought the matter to the notice of appropriate authorities.

In another revelation, two Brigadiers were denied visas in 2008 and another in 2009. A retired Lt General R N Bhatia was also refused visa in 2008 on the similar grounds.

S S Sidhu, a retired IB officer, was denied visa on March 26 this year, with the Canadian High Commission saying that he belonged to the “inadmissible” category of persons.

The rejection letter said he could not be given visa as he had served in an organisation like IB and that led to apprehension that he could “engage in an act of espionage or subversion”, or “violence that would or might endanger the lives or safety of persons in Canada.”

Sidhu termed it as a “disgusting reply from a friendly country like Canada and an insult to India.”
He said he wanted to go to Canada just to see the new house of his daughter.

These revelations came four days after a case of denial of visa to a retired BSF constable came to light. He had been refused visa on similar grounds.

source http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-angry-over-visa-refusal-warns-Canada-of-retaliation/Article1-549106.aspx

ATM with Rs 16 lakh stolen as guards slept

In what could be a first crime of its kind in Karnataka, a gang disappeared with an HDFC bank ATM in Anekal in Bangalore district. Police limits in the wee hours of Tuesday, hoodwinking two security guards on duty.

The two security men, Nanjnjappa and Srinivasa, who were guarding the ATM, were fast asleep when the incident took place at Chandrapura Main Road between 1.30 am and 6 am.

They woke up to find the ATM machine missing and called up the police. The duo claims they heard no sound when the machine was stolen from the adjacent room.

Karthikeyan, the branch manager of the bank, lodged a complaint with the police. The complaint elaborates that Rs 16 lakh had been deposited in the account last Saturday.

"We are yet to ascertain how much of the money deposited by us was withdrawn by customers.

We will have a clearer picture of how much money was stolen once we get the copy of withdrawal receipts," Karthikeyan said in his complaint.

Police sources said they believed the theft had been committed by a gang of five to six people, who appear to have escaped with the ATM in a mini lorry.

"It is not easy to carry the machine that weighs over 400 kg. It is clear the men who committed the theft knew how the ATM worked.

The way they unplugged the machine's power socket indicates they possessed technical knowledge," said a source at the police station.

The thieves knew that cutting the power supply would halt the machine's functions. "This is why the alarm did not work.

The thieves also ensured that the power supply to the CCTV cameras was blocked, so we have no images to go by," said an officer at the Anekal Police Station.

While Karthikeyan could not be contacted despite repeated attempts, officers at the Anekal police station refused to be named or quoted in the case.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/news/cities/atm-with-rs-16-lakh-stolen-as-guards-slept-27880.php?cp

Boy from Madras zone tops IIT-JEE

A total of 13,104 candidates on Wednesday cleared the prestigious IIT-Joint Entrance Examination 2010 with Anumula Jithendar Reddy from Madras zone topping the test.

These students will be eligible for admission in 15 IITs, ISM Dhanbad and IT-BHU. There are 9,509 seats in these institutions. Over 4.5 lakh candidates had appeared in JEE-2010 which was conducted by seven of the IITs on April 11.

The number of candidates who appeared in JEE-2010 is nearly 18.3 per cent more than that in the previous year. Reddy, who appeared in JEE from IIT Madras Zone, topped this year's All India list of successful candidates, the IITs said in a release.

The test was conducted in seven zones. The IIT Bombay zone produced maximum number of successful candidates with 3145 students figuring in the merit list followed by IIT Madras (2619), IIT Delhi (2264), IIT Kharagpur (1481), IIT

Kanpur (1341), IIT Roorkee (1305) and IIT Guwahati (521).

While 1.13 lakh girls appeared in the test, 1476 qualified. Aakanksha Tushar Sarda emerged the topper among girls with an All India Rank of 18.

About 554 candidates in Hindi medium have qualified for the entrance test which is a three fold rise over last year's 184.

India disappointed over 26/11 mastermind Saeed's release

India on Tuesday voiced disappointment over the release from house arrest of Hafiz Saeed, one of the masterminds of the Mumbai carnage, by the Pakistan Supreme Court and asked Islamabad to take meaningful action against such elements.

"There is a sense of disappointment. Everybody in India feels this disappointment," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters here.

"We regard Saeed as one of the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks. He has openly declared jihad against India," Rao said.

Rao was reacting to the Pakistan Supreme Court dismissing appeals by the federal and Punjab governments against Saeed's release from house arrest. The Supreme Court maintained that there was no solid proof of Saeed's involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

"Enough evidence has been given by India," Rao said while referring to detailed evidence against the anti-India ideologue provided to Pakistan during the Feb 25 foreign secretary-level talks.

"We hope Pakistan will be sensitive to our concerns and take meaningful action against such elements," she said.

Pune blast: Bhatkal sent to judicial custody

Abdul Samad Bhatkal, who was arrested on Monday from Mangalore airport on suspicion that he is a prime suspect in the February 13 Pune blast, was on Tuesday remanded to judicial custody till June 1.

Bhatkal was produced in the Mazgaon Sessions Court this afternoon, which sent him to judicial custody.

Home Minister P Chidambaram had earlier in the day confirmed the arrest, saying: "ATS Maharashtra along with Pune police were able to identify the prime suspect in the German Bakery Blast (case). Central agencies traced the suspect. He was apprehended on Monday."

Samad hails from Bhatkal in Uttarkannada district in Karnataka.

Manmohan Singh's Press meet: blow by blow

Manmohan Singh held his first formal press meet on Indian soil as prime minister during the second term of the UPA government at Vigyan Bhawan here on Monday. Here is what the PM said on various questions put to him.

On inflation and economy: The PM promises that inflation will be contained to six per cent by December, and that there will be 8.5% economic growth this fiscal. "It's not fair to say we have a weakened economy. There has been a crisis for the past 1.5 years, mostly due to drought and inflation. I expect the economy will grow by 8.5%."

On Raja and corruption: The PM admits corruption is a problem but refused to act on allegations unless investigation is complete and evidence is found.

On Naxals: The PM says Naxalism remains the biggest internal threat to the country, but remains silent on how to tackle the menace.

On Pakistan: The PM may have drawn flak for the post-26/11 diplomacy with Pakistan, but insists on reducing the 'trust deficit' with the neighbouring country as the way forward.

On dissent: The PM admits differences of opinions within the Cabinet. It is healthy if ministers express their differences freely, but not in public.

"I am pleased to tell you that the Cabinet in the last six years met almost every week. So ministers had plenty of opportunities to express their views. And I agree that these views should be first heard within the Cabinet. That's the right thing."

On Rahul Gandhi: The PM says Rahul Gandhi is qualified enough to be a good minister. He's willing to make way for Rahul if the party asks him to but he has a task at hand and is not thinking of retiring now.

On relations with Sonia: The PM says there is no mistrust between him and the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. "There is no mistrust between Sonia and me. There is no gap in thinking. There is no gap between me and the Congress president when it comes to doing things our government should be doing."

On his wife and Sonia: On whose advice is more suitable to him - between Sonia Gandhi and his wife Gursharan Kaur - he said both their suggestions play important roles in his life. "I am privileged to get constant advice from both Sonia Gandhi and my wife. Both of them deal with different subjects."

On his authority in the party: The party is not undermining me, says the PM, adding his legacy is for historians to judge.

On Kashmir: The PM expresses his willingness to invite all militant groups in Kashmir for dialogue, but only after they abjure violence.

"We are willing to discuss all the outstanding issues and the only condition is that the Pakistan's territory should not be used for spreading terror in India and against India. I would like to reiterate to all non-political mainstream outfits in J&K that our government is ready for a dialogue after they shed the path of violence."

On the nuke deal: "India must have a comprehensive compensation arrangement. I'm sure the Opposition will agree to our view," says the PM.

On tragedies: Manmohan Singh takes the final responsibility for the Dantewada massacre and the Mangalore air crash.

On caste Census: The PM offers the assurance that the government is trying to take into account the views of all sections.

"We shall take into account the views expressed in Parliament by various sections and I will ask the Cabinet to consider them. The process is on."

On Telangana: Commenting on demands for new states, the PM says the proposal for Telangana is being studied by a committee.

"There is no agreement as of now on creation of new states. There was a proposal for a Telengana state, that matter has been referred to a committee."

On water disputes: Manmohan says the Centre is not a mute spectator to the ongoing water disputes between states. "There are various tribunal and committees and we want to solve the problems amicably."

On misuse of the CBI: Singh says the CBI is an autonomous body and his government does not interfere in its functioning.

On IPL: Singh says the Finance Minister is probing the IPL-3 scandal and that appropriate action will be taken, if any wrongdoing is revealed.

Girls outperform boys in CBSE XII results

Students rejoice after results of the Class XII CBSE examinations were declared in Chennai on Wednesday.

Students of Tamil Nadu have sailed through the Class XII Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examination easily, with the State recording a pass percentage of 97.11 – the highest among the four southern States. In the Chennai region, which comprise Southern and Western States, Goa topped with a pass percentage of 98.23 per cent.

The results of the All India Senior School Certificate Examination of the CBSE held in March 2010 were declared for the Ajmer, Chennai and Panchkula regions on Wednesday. About 6,065 students from 98 schools in Tamil Nadu took the examination. The pass percentage last year was 95.02.

As in previous years, girls have outperformed boys, though the difference was a marginal 0.69 percentage point.

Some school principals said that it was difficult to access the website of CBSE as a result of the heavy traffic and power failures, which made the process of getting the school results cumbersome.

As CBSE does not award individual ranks, many curious parents and teachers were eager to know how other children and schools fared.

Mridhulaa Natarajmurthy of PSBB, Nungambakkam, who scored 486 marks in the Commerce group, has set her eyes on becoming a chartered accountant. “I got a lot of help from my father,” said Mridulaa, who plans to do B.Com by correspondence.

In Science, Swathi Prushti and R. Gayathri of DAV Girls Senior Secondary School, Gopalapuram scored 490/500.

“I scored 99 in Maths, Physics and Chemistry,” said Gayathri, who wants to take up engineering.

Many school heads said students belonging to Commerce group fared better than those in Science group. Teachers of PSBB, Nungambakkam said one of its students received a centum in computer science. Two students with learning disability of Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya Senior Secondary School secured over 60 and 80 per cent in science and commerce groups respectively and two students of P.S. Senior Secondary School from Biology group got 486 marks.

The Chennai region of Kendriya Vidyalaya, which controls schools in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Lakshadweep, witnessed an increase of 3.3 percentage points over last year's pass percentage of 94.18.

Many school also pointed out that the less than expected scores in English has reduced the overall percentage. Sashikala Sriram, principal, Bala Vidya Mandir, said it probably could be because literature is more textual and correction is more subjective in languages. “But, I am happy 11 students of my school secured 95 in English,” she said.

Hours after the results were announced, anxious parents and students started visiting or calling the regional office of CBSE to know the process of recounting the marks.

Last year around 4,000 applications each were received for Class X and XII. Candidates who wish to apply for verification of marks must apply within 21 days from the date of declaration of results. “Unless there is a variation of 10 marks, I would not recommend my students to go for recounting. The percentage of error is very less, as the paper goes through six to seven stages,” says G. Neelakantan, Principal, Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya Senior Secondary School.

CBSE Class 12 exams results out, drop in pass percentage

The overall pass percentage of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 board exams saw a drop of 1.13 percent. The board results were declared Friday in Delhi, Guwahati and Allahabad.

The overall pass percentage was 79.87 percent compared to 81 percent last year, a CBSE spokesperson said.

The pass percentage for girls was 85.28 percent, compared to 75.90 percent for boys.

The results, which were uploaded on the board's website www.cbse.nic.in, were declared for the three zones at 8 am. In Ajmer, Chennai and Panchkula regions, the results were declared on Wednesday.

The overall pass percentage was the highest in Chennai - 92.12 percent.

The pass percentage for regular students was 81.95 percent while it was 41.99 percent for those who studied through correspondence.

This year, 699,129 students - 408,367 boys and 290,762 girls - took the Class 12 board exams in the country and abroad.

Cyclone Laila hits south east India

Tidal waves as high as three metres struck the coast and torrential rain fooded buildings [AFP]

Cyclone Laila has struck south east India displacing tens of thousands of people and damaging infrastructure.

The cyclone brought winds of 110 km per hour to the coastal Andhra Pradesh state on Thursday, after preceeding heavy rains and gales killed 15 people on Wednesday, officials said.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclone was weakening later on Thursday, after it had hit the town of Bapatla, about 400 kms southeast of Hyderabad, the state capital.

Some 40,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas. There were no immidiate reports of deaths

Electrical instalations and power pylons were downed by the cyclone and flights were cancelled in the region.

Tidal waves

Tidal waves as high as three metres struck the coast and torrential rain fooded buildings.

"After landfall in coastal Andhra Pradesh, the cyclone track shows that it will move along coastal Andhra and re-emerge in the north of the bay," Ajit Tyagi, the IMD director general, said from the capital New Delhi.

Heavy rains are predicted to continue into Friday.

Armed forces have been brought in to assist with the evacuation of residents threatened by the cyclone.

The Bay of Bengal region suffers regular cyclones, usually between April and November.

Cyclone Aila hit southern Bangladesh last May, killing 300 people and making about 200,000 people homeless, many of whom remain in temporary shelters.

Cyclone Laila expected to hit south India soon

A cyclonic storm is heading towards the coastal areas of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state, officials say.

Cyclone Laila is expected to hit the state from the Bay of Bengal in a few hours. More than 50,000 people have been evacuated to safer places.

Heavy rains and strong winds have killed up to 15 people, uprooted trees and flattened homes. At least 55 fishermen are reported missing.

Laila is the worst storm in 14 years and has been classified as "severe".

The cyclone is expected to hit the coast with wind speeds of 115km/h (71mph) to 125km/h (78mph) on Thursday afternoon and forecasters have warned of a sea surge.

All along the coast, strong winds have uprooted trees, power lines and billboards.

At least six districts have been hit by power outages leaving hundreds of villages in darkness for more than 10 hours.

Coastal areas in the north of the state of Tamil Nadu ave also been experiencing heavy rains since Tuesday night.

The army and navy are on high alert and Andhra Pradesh officials say boats have been requisitioned from the neighbouring state of Orissa.

Fishing vessels have been ordered to stay in port, the state's Chief Minister K Rosaiah said.

"We are fully geared to face this natural calamity," he said.

The chief minister directed his cabinet colleagues to rush to coastal districts to oversee relief and rehabilitation work.

Andhra Pradesh saw its worst cyclone in 1977 in which more than 10,000 people were killed.

Govt evacuates people as cyclone Laila strengthens

Two dead as ‘Laila’ batters north coastal Tamil Nadu

The inundated Raj Bhavan Road in Chennai, due to heavy rain caused by 'Laila' cyclone on Wednesday.

Government authorities began evacuating people on Wednesday while oil firms and ports stepped up their vigil for cyclone Laila which is expected to slam the east coast with gusts of up to 155 km (97 miles) an hour. ( Watch )

The weather office said the cyclone was gaining momentum and was likely to strike coastal areas of rice-growing Andhra Pradesh state early on Thursday, putting two oil refineries, India's biggest gas field and coal ports on alert.

The weather office has said the cyclone is unlikely to have an impact on the monsoon rains, vital for India's trillion- dollar economy which has been hit by high food prices, partly because of last year's poor rains. The government has faced street protests over high prices.

"Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon," the weather office said in its latest five-day forecast. Heavy rains and lightning have already killed 10 people in the state, prompting authorities to block public access to popular beaches and dispatch relief and rescue teams to vulnerable areas.

"Sea condition will be high to phenomenal along and off Andhra Pradesh coast and very rough along and off north Tamil Nadu coast," the weather office said in its latest forecast.

The state's relief minister, Dharmana Prasada Rao, said disaster management teams had been called in and some 50,000 people moved to safety. Ships would take precautions during the storm, said Pranav Choudhary, chief financial officer at the Gangavaram Port, a coal importing hub in Andhra Pradesh. A spokesman for Reliance Industries which operates India's biggest gas field off the Andhra Pradesh coast, said the company was monitoring the situation.

Reliance's gas field has a capacity to pump 80 million cubic metres of natural gas, or about half of India's total output. State-run refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, which runs a 150,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Andhra Pradesh, and Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd, which can process 210,000 bpd from two plants in Tamil Nadu, are also on alert.

Local officials said heavy rainfall would help the rice crop that will be sown next month as rains would boost soil moisture and facilitate ploughing. "Due to pre-monsoon rains, summer planning has started. If the state receives rain, the ploughing will further pick up," said Babaji Giri, director of the agriculture department in the eastern state of Orissa.

The cyclone is forecast to move towards Orissa after striking Andhra Pradesh, but it is likely to weaken by the time it reaches the Paradip port, a hub for iron ore exports. G.K. Biswal, deputy conservator of Paradip port, said port authorities were on alert although they do not expect any disruption.

Cylone `Laila' to cause heavy rains

Cyclone Laila looms large, heads for Andhra coast

Cyclone Laila, this year's first cyclone in the making, gathered strength on Tuesday, but Chennai is likely to escape the full fury of the storm, as officials of the Indian Meteorological Department have forecast it would cross the coast between Ongole and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh by Thursday. The Met office has issued a cyclone warning to ports and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.

Squally weather with wind speeds of 50 to 60 km per hour, and scattered rainfall over Chennai, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram and Thiruvalluvar districts are expected on Wednesday. Against initial expectations of a north-westerly movement towards Andhra Pradesh, the system, which developed from a depression to a cyclone, moved in a westerly direction almost heading towards Chennai on Tuesday. The city was enveloped by clouds, and although day temperature touched 36 degree Celsius, the cloud cover kept radiation at bay, much to the relief of Chennaiites. Light rains in the evening came as a bonus.

Met officials were surprised at the speed with which the cyclone moved on Tuesday. "Normally systems move at a speed of 10 km per hour, but Laila moved at more than 20 km per hour," said regional meteorological centre deputy director general YEA Raj. "At 6.30pm on Tuesday, the system was located 400 km east of Chennai and is expected to move in a westerly, north-westerly and then northerly direction," he added.

The spatial extent of the system was another reason for its wide reach. With a north-south boundary of over 600km, and a radius of 350km, Laila's arms spanned a wider area, resulting in a one-degree drop in the city temperature on Tuesday.

The direction the cyclone takes is likely to have an impact on Chennai's temperature. Last year, two cyclonic systems had moved in a northerly direction, and temperatures rose considerably in the city. When Cyclone Bijli' arrived on April 14, temperature rose to 37.9 degrees Celsius from 34.8 degrees the previous day. When Aila, the second cyclone arrived on May 23, day temperature rose to 40.3 degrees Celsius, a six-degree rise over the previous day. It hovered around 40 degrees in the following days. "If Cyclone Laila moves in a northerly direction, as shown by dynamical and numerical forecast, Chennai will once again experience hot days, probably two or three degrees than normal," added Raj.

However, Wednesday is likely to be pleasant, with isolated to heavy rainfall likely over north coastal districts including Chennai.

Tropical cyclone could hit India and Bangladesh

Meteorologists are warning a tropical cyclone could hit the east coast of India and Bangladesh putting thousands of homes and scores of lives at risk.

Officials have issued a cyclone alert at ports in the eastern state of Orissa and begun preparations for mass evacuations amid fears of flooding.

Authorities in Bangladesh have also warned fishing boats to stay close to shore and not to venture into deep water.

Early monsoon rains increase the prospect of better rice, corn and soybean crops but cyclones are a regular hazard through the summer months.

India is battered regularly during the stormy season in the Bay of Bengal between April and November.

Last year, 169 people were killed by Tropical Cyclone Aila. Millions more living in India and Bangladesh had their lives disrupted.

And last month, a nor'wester – large storm systems that develop in the Bay of Bengal during the summer – struck the states of Bihar and West Bengal, killing 137 people and leaving thousands of people homeless.

The latest cyclone, named Laila, is gusting at up to 40mph but is still some 400 miles east of Chennai.

Forecasts suggest it could reach speeds of 120mph and – if it continues on course – hit land on Thursday in Andhra Pradesh, home to steel plants and oil refineries and ports.

"The system is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and move initially in a north-westerly direction towards Andhra Pradesh coast," said a statement issued by the The India Meteorological Department.

Amnesty back in Valley, separatists protest: They are Indians

A two-member team of Amnesty International (AI) landed in Srinagar for a first-ever visit on Monday, with the freedom to “go anywhere” and “meet anyone” to assess the human rights situation in Kashmir.

The visit by the high-profile international human rights group has come after years of persuasion and lobbying with the Indian government, but the hardline faction of the Hurriyat questioned its credibility, saying the team comprised “Indians” whose report would be “dictated” by the Union Home Ministry.

“The team landed in Srinagar today,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express. “They are free to go anywhere in Kashmir and meet anyone.”

In Srinagar, the AI officials, Bikramjeet Batra and Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, are expected to focus on the preventive detention of political prisoners and the laws that allow such detention. They are likely to meet some youth who have been released after being arrested under the Public Safety Act.

The officials met the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) on Monday, and also went to the residence of separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah.

They plan to meet separatist leaders and the government officials tomorrow.

Hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani told The Indian Express that AI should have sent a “non-partisan” team to the Valley. “The (Amnesty) team comprises Indians and they have come after permission from the Indian Home Ministry. We don’t trust them. Indians, no matter whether they are in the Intelligence Bureau, Amnesty or the UN, give priority to their national interest,” Geelani said.

“The report of Amnesty International would be a Home Ministry dictation,” Geelani said. “We will put forward our point of view (to them). But in the end you will see what report they (Amnesty) prepare. That would be a dictation of the Home Ministry.”

Sheila Dikshit sends Afzal Guru's file to Lt Governor

A day after she refuted a newspaper report saying the Delhi government has received a reminder from the home ministry about its comments on the Afzal Guru mercy petition, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Tuesday that she had forwarded the file to Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna.

"I have sent the file," Dikshit told reporters.

A senior Delhi government official said Guru's file was sent to Khanna. The file will then be sent to the union home ministry.

Afzal Guru, a resident of Sopore in the Kashmir Valley, was found guilty of plotting the Dec 13, 2001, parliament attack and was sentenced to death by a trial court in December 2002. The Delhi High Court confirmed the death penalty in October 2003.

The Supreme Court in August 2005 upheld the capital punishment given to Guru for his role in the terror attack. Guru's wife, Tabassum, filed a mercy petition to the president after the apex court verdict.

As per the laid down procedure, the president sought the home ministry's views on the mercy petition in 2005.

The procedure on mercy petition also requires the home ministry to seek comments of the state government in whose jurisdiction the crime, for which the death penalty is awarded to the convict, has been committed.