1400 HRS.    

7^th November, 2013

 THE HEADLINES,

• ISRO performs first orbit raising manoeuvre of the Mars Orbiter.

• India and US undertake joint Naval exercise, 'Malabar 2013', in Bay of Bengal.

• Six major world powers to begin fresh round of talks with Iran over its nuclear program in Geneva today.

• Sensex climbs over 200 points in afternoon trade; Rupee drops 19 paise to 62 rupees 58 paise against the dollar.

• On Day 2 of the Kolkata Cricket test, replying to West Indies' score of 234, India were 229 for 6 in the first innings at tea.

• Indian Men lose to Pakistan, 4-5 in their round-robin match of Asian Champions Trophy Hockey in Japan.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO today performed the first orbit raising manoeuvre of the Mars Orbiter spacecraft, which was launched on Tuesday. An ISRO spokesman said, a series of five orbit raising operations are scheduled on the Mars mission starting today. The second and third such operations will be performed tomorrow and on Saturday to raise the mission apogee to 40,000 km and 71,650 km. The fourth and fifth operations will be performed to raise the apogee of one lakh km and 1.92 lakh km on November 11th and 16th. After the successful completion of these operations, the mission is expected to take on the crucial event of the trans-Mars injection around 12.42 AM on December 1st.  ISRO’s PSLV C 25 successfully injected the 1,350-kg Mars orbiter ’Mangalyaan’ into Earth's orbit some 44 minutes after its launch from Sriharikota on Tuesday.

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Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that the UPA government has laid special emphasis on education and the last 9 years have witnessed unprecedented expansion of the education system at all levels. Addressing the conference of Directors of National Institutes of Technologies (NITs) in New Delhi  today, Dr. Singh said that during the 11th Plan, 65 new Central Institutions were established and enrollment in higher education grew from about 166 lakh to about 260 lakh. He said the growth of enrollment in Engineering saw a phenomenal 25 percent increase during the Plan. The Prime Minister said that during the 12th Plan, the government is focussing on expansion, equity and excellence with a greater emphasis on quality of higher education, while consolidating the gains of the 11th Plan.  He also asked the Directors of NITs to address the massive challenges that lie ahead in Science and Technology education in the country.

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Electioneering has picked up for the first phase of Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, in which 18 constituencies will go to the polls on Monday. Star campaigners of both BJP and Congress are touring the state to canvass support for their candidates. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi are addressing election meetings in tribal Bastar region today. Our correspondent has filed this report.

"Colour and glamour of electioneering is now becoming visible in Chhattisgarh. National leaders of both the BJP and the Congress have flown down today to canvass support for their respective party candidates. Both the mainstream political parties are in a scramble to win over the confidence of tribals. The twelve assembly segments of Bastar will play a decisive role in the formation of the government in the state. For the Congress, its president Sonia Gandhi and actor turned politician Raj Babbar addressed public meeting while BJP pitched in its Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi, party president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Sushma Swaraj. Vikalp Shukla AIR News, Raipur."

In Madhya Pradesh, 720 nominations were filed in the state for the upcoming state assembly polls till yesterday. The process of filing of nomination papers has picked up, as nomination closes tomorrow. Our correspondent reports that 414 nominations were filed yesterday.

"The ruling BJP is yet to declare its 12 candidates while Congress has to announce its 13 candidates. BJP has declared 218 candidates for the 230 member state assembly so far while Congress has declared 217 candidates. Both the parties are facing tough challenge from dissidents over ticket distribution. Rebel candidates of both the parties have filed their nomination papers as independent or as candidate of other parties at several places. Meanwhile the election commission has ordered the transfer of three collectors and a divisional commissioner on the grounds that their relatives are contesting polls. Shariq Noor, AIR News, Bhopal."

In Mizoram, the stage is all set for the battle of political power for the forthcoming Assembly elections, where three forces, the ruling Congress, three-party combine the Mizoram Democratic Alliance and Zoram Nationalist Party will fight for the hot seat. The upcoming polls to the 40 member Mizoram Assembly are slated for the 25th of this month. Our correspondent reports 94 out of the 1,126 polling stations are critical.

"Security has been beefed up in these critical areas and those bordering with Myanmar, Bangladesh and neighbouring states of Assam, Manipur and Tripura. Quick Response Teams and Flying Squads have been deployed with Executive Magistrates in these areas. Security Forces in coordination with Assam Rifles  have been instructed to keep strict vigil along the 64 Km long un-fenced border at the tr-junction of Mizoram,Tripura and Bangladesh in Mamit District of Mizoram. According to Election Commission sources, alternative communication network for interior villages where mobile network is not reachable would be arranged. Nando Singh, AIR News, Aizawl."

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India-US naval exercise named, 'Malabar 2013', is underway in the Bay of Bengal. It is the latest in a continuing series of exercises conducted to advance multinational maritime relationships and mutual security issues. An official release said, the exercise features both ashore and at-sea training. While ashore training includes subject matter expert and professional exchanges, at-sea portions are conducted in the Bay of Bengal. They are designed to advance participating nations' coordination and capacity to plan and execute tactical operations in a multi national environment. Participation from the US Navy includes the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Mc Campbell  and P3C. Indian Navy participations include indigenously built Frigate Shivalik, Guided Missile Destroyer Ranvijay and TU-142M Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft.

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Kuwait Prime Minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah is arriving in New Delhi this evening on a 4-day state visit. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and captains of industry. During his stay, he will call on the President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Mohammed Hamid Ansari. He will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh tomorrow. He will attend a business luncheon meeting jointly organised by the three business chambers, FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM.

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The officials from six major world powers known as P5+1, the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany will begin a fresh round of talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear program in Geneva today. The 2-day long talks are aimed at easing international concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. The nuclear inspectors from IAEA are also holding parallel talks with Iranian representatives on technical aspects including the military dimensions of its nuclear programme.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that efforts are on to hold the Israel-Palestine peace talks despite the roadblocks. On his fifth trip to the region after assuming office, Kerry told reporters in Bethlehem yesterday that despite the difficulties, both leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, are also determined to bring lasting peace to the region. He met twice with Israeli Prime Minister in Jerusalem and once with the Palestinian President in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. John Kerry announced that the US would give an additional 75 million dollars in aid to create Palestinian jobs and help them improve roads, schools and other infrastructure.

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Tajikistan's President Imomali Rakhmon has won another seven-year term in office. Electoral officials say, he secured 83.6 per cent of the vote in yesterday's elections. The turnout was nearly 87 per cent. The President faced five challengers but the only genuine opposition candidate was barred from standing. The authoritarian leader has been in office for more than 20 years in the impoverished former Soviet republic.

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Authorities in the Philippines are bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Haiyan, which is expected to strike central parts of the country tomorrow. Haiyan, a category five storm, is moving towards the South East Asian nation with winds of up to 278 kilometres per hour. Some schools have already been closed and evacuations are under way in some areas. Ferry operations have been suspended and fishing boats ordered back to port.

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Recovering smartly from initial losses, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange had surged 213 points, or 1 percent, to 21,108 in afternoon trade, a short while ago. Earlier in the morning, the Sensex had fallen 15 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 20,879, on mild selling by funds, amid weak Asian markets. The 30-share Sensex had lost nearly 345 points in the previous two trading sessions. Stock indices in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea had declined between 0.1 percent and 0.8 percent, today, ahead of  key US economic data and the European Central Bank's policy meeting. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended 0.8 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.

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The rupee dropped further by 19 paise to 62 rupees 58 paise against the dollar in late morning trade today. This follows persistent demand for the US currency from banks and importers despite its weakness overseas. The Indian unit resumed slightly higher at 62 rupees 35 paise, as against the last closing level of 62 rupees 39 paise.

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Higher reaches of the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir received fresh snowfall today, even as the minimum temperature in other parts of the Valley remained several degrees above the freezing point. The mercury in Srinagar settled at a temperature of 6.7 degrees Celsius, over three notches above the normal during this part of the season. MeT official said rain also lashed other parts of the Valley following which the mercury remained several degrees above the freezing point. The summer capital of the state received a rainfall of 3.1 mm. Kargil, in Ladakh region, was the coldest recorded place in the state with a minimum of minus 2 degrees Celsius, while the mercury settled at a low of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius in nearby Leh town.

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In Sports: Replying to West Indies' first innings score of 234, hosts India were 243 for 6 in the post-tea session, on day 2 of the first cricket test at Kolkata, when reports last came in. Sachin Tendulkar, who is playing his penultimate test, was out at the score of 10. Spinner Shane Shillingford claimed the wicket of Sachin, taking the perfect revenge, as the Master Blaster, in his first over yesterday, sent Shillingford packing leg before. Besides Sachin, Shillingford also took the wickets of both the openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, and Virat Kohli. Earlier, India resumed their first innings at the overnight score of 37 for no loss.

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The Indian Men's team today lost to Pakistan, 4-5 in their fourth round-robin match of the 3rd Asian Champions Trophy at Kakamigahara, Japan. This was the Indian Men's third defeat in four matches and they are virtually out of the race for a finals berth. Before Pakistan, India had lost to China and hosts Japan, while they had defeated Oman, 3-0 on Tuesday. On the other hand, for Pakistan, this was their fourth consecutive win and they have made it to the finals, which will take place on Sunday. India will play their final round-robin match against Malaysia tomorrow. Meanwhile, in the Women's section, India will take on Japan in their final round-robin match today. The match will be played at 3 PM Indian Time. This match will be a dress rehearsal, as both the teams have already made it to the finals, which is slated for Saturday.

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Russia today launched a rocket carrying Russian, Japanese and US astronauts and an Olympic torch for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. In a statement, Russian space agency said, the Soyuz-FG rocket and Soyuz-TMA capsule, emblazoned with the symbols of the Sochi Games and the Olympic rings, blasted off for the International Space Station, ISS at 0414 GMT.