0815 HRS

18th April, 2013

THE HEADLINES;

• Forensic experts probing Bangalore blast say, explosive device used in yesterday's blast was a pipe bomb.
• An all party meet to evolve a consensus on Land Acquisition Bill to take place today.
• Iraqi authorities execute 21 prisoners convicted on terrorism charges and having links to al-Qaeda.
• And in sports;Senior Asian Wrestling Championships featuring players from 19 countries, begin in New Delhi today.

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Forensic experts probing the Bangalore blast say that the explosive device used in yesterday's blast was a pipe bomb. Karnataka government's Forensic Science Laboratory personnel said that the pipe bomb was planted on a motorcycle having Tamil Nadu registration. The improvised explosive device exploded near the BJP office in Bangalore at around 10.25 am injuring 16 people. It was on the same day in 2010, that two explosions had rocked Chinnaswamy cricket stadium injuring 15 people. Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said, there was intelligence alert that Bangalore might be targeted on the third anniversary of the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts, but added that the alert was not specific. A National Investigation Agency team has joined the probe. An FIR has been registered at the Vyalikaval police station. More from our Correspondent:

The bomb blast did not cause any casualty as the bike in which the bomb was planted was shielded by police van, cars, trees and houses. The eyewitnesses say that the bike was thrown up several metres after the explosion. The vehicles parked near it caught fire. The houses damaged, glass panes shattered and the people in this thickly populated area were stunned by the loud sound caused by the explosion. A few of the injured persons admitted in the K C General hospital were treated and discharged yesterday. Sudhindra, AIR News, Bangalore.

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The government has convened an all party meeting in New Delhi today to evolve a consensus on the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011. The Bill seeks to address the problems of the industry regarding Acquisition of Land for setting of projects. The Bill provides for the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Settlement of displaced people and proposes to replace the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The first all party meet on the issue on the 9th of this month failed to iron out differences between the government and BJP, Samajwadi Party and the Left Front. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has been reaching out to leaders of various political parties to sort out areas of disagreement.

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has said, the government is exploring the possibilities of having a dedicated 24-hour FM news channel. Addressing a function to present the Akashvani Annual Awards in New Delhi last evening, he said required clearances have been taken for the auction of private FM channels. He asked the public broadcaster to leverage the unique opportunity provided by the telecom revolution that made access to All India Radio easy.

Almost everybody today carries a mobile, it has the ability to tune in and access radio services. There is a need to leverage this unique opportunity. I have been working with both CEO Prasar Bharti as well as Secretary I&B to explore the possibility of whether without expanding too much of resource we can have a dedicated 24 hour FM news channel.

Mr. Tewari recalled the significant contribution made by Radio and Doordarsan in the promotion of national integration. He called for creating a culture of gender equity as more young women from low and middle income groups are entering the country's workforce.

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In Karnataka, scrutiny of nomination papers will take place today. Nominations for the Assembly elections in the state ended yesterday. A total of 586 candidates filed their nomination papers on the last day yesterday. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is the 20th of this month. The state will go to polls on the 5th of next month.

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Former Karnataka Governor V.S.Ramadevi passed away in Bangalore yesterday following a massive cardiac arrest. She was 79. She also served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Chief Election Commissioner of India. Karnataka government has declared a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to the departed leader.

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In West Bengal, at least three persons were killed when a norwester hit Kolkata and adjoining areas last evening. Our correspondent reports that train services were also disrupted due to storm.

Train services were disrupted in almost all sections of Sealdah and Howrah divisions after trees fell on overheat wire. Flight operations at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport were also hit. Death reports have come in from Howrah and South 24 Pargana districts. Traffic movements were also disrupted in Kolkata last night as uprooted trees blocked roads at least 75 places. Arijit Chakraborty, AIR News, Kolkata.

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For news updates, follow us on Twitter @ airnewsalerts. For regional and national news of AIR download All India Radio News app on any android based mobile phone".

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Commerce Minister Anand Sharma will announce today the annual supplements to the Foreign Trade Policy, which is likely to include a much awaited incentive package for exporters. Sops including cash benefits for exporting specific products and targeting chosen markets and discount on interest rates are on the cards. New rules for Special Economic Zones including relaxation of the minimum area requirements could also be announced. We spoke to senior journalist Surojit Gupta of The Times of India on the expectations from the policy:

There are lot of expectations that the Commerce Ministry will announce a very forward looking Foreign Trade Policy. There will be simplification in rules, there will be emphasis on new market plus there will be incentives boost exports, which is the need of the hour, because that is very critical for up bridging the current account deficit. As all the policy makers have been saying boosting exports is the need of the hour. So, there will be efforts by the government to boost exports at a critical time and also ensure that it is sustained.

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Iraq has executed 21 prisoners convicted on terrorism charges and links to al-Qaeda. The Justice Ministry said, the prisoners were executed by hanging in Baghdad yesterday. All the convicts were Iraqi al-Qaeda operatives involved in bombings, car bomb attacks and assassinations. The hangings brought the number of prisoners executed in Iraq so far this year to 50. Amnesty International said, Iraq ranked fourth among the top five executioners in the world in 2011, after China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US.

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There is Good news for those Indian workers in Saudi Arabia who have been affected by the Nitaqat Programme. Leading Indian companies in Saudi Arabia have offered placement to Indian workers affected by the Nitaqat programme. Our correspondent has filed this report:

Under the Nitaqat program it is mandatory for any foreign company in Saudi Arabia to have one Saudi national for every 10 foreign workers. The Saudi Government has identified the companies in three categories for this purpose. The Red category includes those which have not implemented Nitaqat program, Yellow for those which have made some efforts and Green for those who have achieved the mandatory requirement. Only Green category will be allowed to grant work visas and hire foreign workers. While making the people aware of the initiative by TCIL Indian Embassy in Riyadh has urged other companies in green category to come forward with such placement offers to Indians in red category companies. Atul Tiwary, AIR News.

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India and China will hold their first-ever dialogue on Afghanistan in Beijing today aiming to cooperate to deal with the impact of US troops' pullout from the war-torn country by 2014 amid fears of return of Taliban and al-Qaeda. The Indian side at the talks will be led by YK Sinha, Additional Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, and the Chinese side by his counterpart. The dialogue between the two countries signifies China's interest in seeking convergence with India on the emerging grim situation in Afghanistan even as it held similar talks with Russia and its close ally Pakistan.

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Law enforcement agencies in the United States appear to be close to a breakthrough in investigation into the Boston marathon bombings. Media reports say, investigators have identified the suspect after sifting through hundreds of hours of video footage and thousands of leads from eyewitnesses. There have been conflicting reports about how close authorities are to making arrests. Reports say that the authorities have an image of the suspect carrying a bag at one of the blast sites.

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The Senior Asian Wrestling Championships begin in New Delhi today. Indian fans would be deprived of watching their Olympic medal winning grapplers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt in action as the two have not yet recovered from their respective injuries. At the K D Jadhav Wrestling Stadium, the Indian contingent will be led by Narsingh Yadav in the five-day championship. The Indian eves will be spearheaded by Geeta Phogat (59 kg). Sharing the burden of expectations from local fans would be her younger sister Babita, who will be competing in the 55 kg category.

The championship was last hosted by India in 2010. This time, a total of 236 grapplers from 19 countries will be seen in action. Asian powerhouses such as China, Japan and Kazakhstan, besides the hosts, will be fielding wrestlers in every weight category.

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In the IPL encounter played at Jaipur last night, Rajasthan Royals recorded a convincing 87-run win over Mumbai Indians. After riding on Ajinkya Rahane's unbeaten 54-ball 68 to post a formidable 179 for three, Rajasthan bowled out Mumbai for 92 in 18.2 overs.

In the earlier match played at Pune, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Pune Warriors by 11 runs. Warriors were bowled out for 108 in 19 overs while chasing a mediocre target of 120 runs.

In today's encounter, Delhi Daredevils will take on Chennai Super Kings in Delhi at 8 PM.

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NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

The front pages of most newspapers this morning have prominently covered the news about the Bengaluru bomb blast. "Terror strikes Bengaluru again, bike bomb goes off near BJP Headquarter" headlines Hindustan Times while The Times of India says "Ahead of polls, blast near Karnataka BJP HQ injures 16".

The Indian Express writes that the NIA has claimed to have cracked the February 21 twin blasts in Hyderabad, identifying Indian Mujahideen leader Yasin Bhatkal as one of the persons who planted the bombs.

The Asian Age reports that the Supreme Court has granted Sanjay Dutt an additional four weeks to surrender in order to undergo his 42 month imprisonment in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Hindustan Times reports that stung by the spot-fixing scandal that enveloped Pakistan during their 2010 England tour, the country's cricket board is planning to send a vigilance official with the squad for the Champions Trophy to be played in England in June.

The Hindu writes that a framework for comprehensive immigration reform proposed by a group of influential US senators has sent shockwaves through the Indian business community as it includes measures to significantly hike the employer fees payable for H-1B visa applications.

The Indian Express says that the third ball of Morne Morkel's first over in Tuesday's Delhi-Bangalore was bowled at a speed of 173.9 kmph - far quicker that the fastest recorded delivery in cricket, Shoaib Akhtar's 161.3 kmph rocket during the 2003 World Cup.

And finally, The Times of India says researchers at the University of Illinois claim to have developed the world's most powerful micro batteries that are only a few millimetres in size, yet they pack such a punch that they can jump start a dead car and recharge your phone in the blink of an eye