Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts.

Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.

He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.

"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.

About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said.

The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset."

Despite the catch, villagers remain wary because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people.

They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

Is Jaganmohan Reddy next in line to be arrested?

NEW DELHI: YSR Congress president and Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy could be next in the CBI net after suspected links to arrested Karnataka BJP leader and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, sources in the agency said.

The sources claimed CBI had been incriminating evidence against ex-AP CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy's son in the assets case that the agency was ordered to probe by the HC.

Jagan's arrest could come this week itself as the session of Parliament ends on September 8 and the CBI can avoid seeking permission of the Lok Sabha speaker to arrest him.

Jaganmohan Reddy accused the Congress of using CBI to victimize him, landing in the Capital on Monday to canvass support among political parties on a day the investigating agency arrested mining magnate Janardhana Reddy of Bellary.

Jagan denied any business links with the Reddy brothers of Karnataka who were ministers in the BS Yeddyurappa government till last month.

Jagan is facing a clutch of CBI cases on a high court order. He quit the party following a high-voltage rebellion and launched YSR Congress, winning the by-election to Lok Sabha seat of Kadapa.

He told reporters that he had come to meet political parties to apprise them of how Congress was using CBI to victimize him. He thanked BJP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj for backing him. Swaraj has accused the Centre of misusing CBI, saying Jagan was an honourable MP till he left the party.

The young MP met Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to apprise him about the CBI probe while he also met a few other leaders in Parliament. He is expected to meet more leaders to lobby support during his three-day stay.

Manmohan man of integrity, Sonia told US diplomats

NEW DELHI: Indicating how much Prime Minister Manmohan Singh valued the Indo-US nuclear deal, national security adviser Shivshankar Menon - then foreign secretary - told US diplomats that Singh is "sick" at the prospect of facing President George W Bush without moving on the nuclear deal.

In a 2008 US cable detailing the interaction ahead of a G-8 summit in July that year, Menon had said the government was focused on the nuclear deal and that the summit was helping turn the attention on resolving the issue.

Menon had said then foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee shortened his July 1-3 trip in Egypt to spend only one full working day in Cairo. He then revealed PM Singh was "sick" at the prospect of facing Bush.

The foreign secretary had thanked the US ambassador for American restraint "at this sensitive time", saying "what you have done is exactly right; I am impressed and grateful for the way you have maintained radio silence."

Menon had added that the one or two errant messages had only been instructive in showing how complicating our public involvement could be at a time of delicate internal negotiations. He had mused about how far the Indo-US ties has developed, saying "we've managed to come so far with the U.S.; we have not done anything like this with anyone else, ever."

In another 2007 US cable, also dealing with the nuclear deal, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had "reflected positively" on the Prime Minister, calling him "a man of integrity" that "can be hard to find" in politics.

In an interaction with US diplomats on the nuclear deal, Sonia had said "we all trust him" as he is "straight forward and frank." She was responding to the US delegation telling her that Singh's visit to the US had been well received.

Sonia and her advisers kept the focus of their meeting with on the expected timeline for passage of the civil nuclear agreement. "Gandhi was clearly interested in the Congressmen's suggestions of what the Indian government can do to ease the civil nuclear legislation's passage, which she appeared to view as the key to a broad bilateral relationship," the cable added.

D.Telekom could miss fee if AT&T deal fails: source

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Telekom AG could miss out on a multi-billion dollar break fee if regulatory hurdles cause the failure of its $39 billion deal to sell T-Mobile USA to AT&T , a person familiar with the matter said.

"There are a number of options under which the (break fee) contract will not come into effect," the person, who is familiar with the contract, told Reuters on Monday.

Deutsche Telekom declined comment.

The U.S. government last week sued to block AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile USA, a deal that would vault the combined company above Verizon Wireless as the No. 1 player in the United States.

As part of the AT&T deal, Deutsche Telekom had secured a break fee comprising $6 billion in cash and other assets should regulators reject the deal.

But the source said on Monday that AT&T will only have to pay that fee if certain conditions are met.

For instance, the acquisition has to receive regulatory approval within a certain timeframe, the source said. Otherwise, the contract is void.

Also, the value of T-Mobile USA may not fall below a certain level, the person said. That could happen, for instance, if regulators demand that parts of the company be sold as a condition for approval of the deal.

Shares of Deutsche Telekom fell 1.8 percent to 8.58 euros by 0920 GMT (5:20 a.m. ET). The stock has lost about 17 percent of its value over the past month.

AT&T's Frankfurt-listed shares were down 1.5 percent.

A German government official said on Thursday a deal for AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA could still be reached as the U.S. Department of Justice is holding talks with the two companies.

AT&T is expected to soon present a proposed solution to U.S. antitrust regulators to salvage the deal, people close to the matter said last week.

Tomato fight in Spain

Revellers on a truck throw tomatoes into the crowd during the annual "Tomatina" (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 31, 2011. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship. REUTERS/Heino Kalis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Train surfing’: Extreme stunts on moving Mumbai trains

Mumbai's suburban railways have become a deadly playground for teenagers performing near fatal stunts, officials have warned.

After a disturbing YouTube video was posted last week, commuters have been urged to notify conductors immediately of dangerous behaviour, and even pull emergency cords if needed.




The video shows two young men skidding along a station platform while holding onto a moving train, then hanging off the side as it thunders through the suburbs. They leap up to slap each passing steel pylon, as well as attempting to jump onto the carriage's roof.

"It is a dangerous and an insane act of rashness, which nobody should replicate -- nobody should praise or sensationalize the clip," Sharat Chandrayan, chief public relations officer for India's Western Railways, told The Times of India.

India's rail officials are warning that this growing trend of deadly stunts on moving trains must be stopped.

A spokesman for Central Railway, VA Malegaonkar, claimed the boys were risking their lives for a few moments of fame.

"I appeal to people to not replicate this act, as it is extremely risky," he said.

Often young men show off their stunts to impress commuters in the "ladies-only" train compartments.

Although train-hopping to dodge fares is common in India, reckless passengers can be fined Rs 500 or sent to prison for up to three months.

Lokpal Bill row: Team Anna says Congress divide has impacted talks; govt strikes back

New Delhi:  Ahead of a crucial and fourth round of talks with Anna Hazare's representatives, the government has indicated it's running out of patience with the activists. Last night, three of Anna's aides said negotiations were "back to Square One" after they met with Law Minister Salman Khursheed and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

"It seems those who were skeptical about us holding these talks have been proved right," said Mr Khursheed this morning to NDTV. "I'm willing to have talks with them. If they don't want it, why should they blame anyone else?" he asked.

74-year-old Anna is on the tenth day of his hunger strike against corruption. Doctors are worried about his health. The government has prepared an emergency evacuation plan for the activist, but say they will enforce this only upon the advice of Anna's doctors who are checking him every two hours.

Last night, Mr Khursheed said the talks with Prashant Bhushan Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi were "courteous and civil."   Team Anna did not offer this optimistic spin. They accused the government of retracting promises made in their first set of talks on Wednesday night - at that time, the activists said, the ministers appeared willing to meet them halfway. That cooperative spirit had evaporated by last night, according to Team Anna; its members were critical of the language and tone of the two ministers.

Mr Kejriwal said "We are victims of Congress politics." He said the ministers last night informed him that there's a divide within the Congress over whether to engage with the activists. Mr Kejriwal blamed senior ministers P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal for suggesting to the government that negotiations with Team Anna are not merited.  Mr Khursheed did not deny this. "My cabinet colleagues did not want me to hold talks. They were probably right. We hold talks and it leads to this," he said with some measure of bitterness.

The government and Anna are battling over whose legislation on a new important bill to tackle corruption should be considered by Parliament. The Lokpal Bill creates a new independent agency (Lokpal) to investigate charges of corruption among public servants.  The government's version has been introduced in Parliament; it is designed to under-achieve, says Team Anna. The activists have drafted their own version which they refer to as the Jan Lokpal Bill or People's Lokpal Bill. Team Anna wants the government to withdraw the Lokpal Bill and put the Jan Lokpal Bill to debate in Parliament. The government says that's not possible because it violates parliamentary processes. So it has offered to send the Jan Lokpal Bill to the same parliamentary committee that's received the government's Lokpal Bill.

At a meeting attended by the leaders of all political parties last evening, the Left and the BJP agreed that the government should bench its version of the bill and introduce a new draft that incorporates features from Anna's version as well as suggestions by other civil rights activists like Aruna Roy. However, different parties also emphasized that while it is critical to reach a truce so that Anna ends his fast, the government should ensure that parliamentary procedure is not subverted. This direction from the Opposition may have emboldened the government to take a firmer stand with Team Anna at last night's meeting.

What Team Anna wants is for their version to be introduced in Parliament within four days; and then put to vote and passed (with amendments, if needed) before this Parliament session concludes on September 8. Mr Khursheed denied that this had earlier been considered by the government. "Did we earlier say we would hand over Parliament to them and later we said no?" he asked. 

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/lokpal-bill-row-team-anna-says-congress-divide-has-impacted-talks-govt-strikes-back-128828&cp