Funeral of Indian communist leader Jyoti Basu begins

The funeral ceremony for India's veteran communist leader Jyoti Basu has began in the eastern city of Calcutta.

Mr Basu's body has been taken in a convoy from the Peace Haven mortuary to the headquarters of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM).

Mr Basu died at the age of 95 on Sunday after a long illness. Tributes have been pouring in from around the world.

He was chief minister of West Bengal state from 1977 to 2000 and led the CPM party.

Mr Basu was credited with restoring stability to the state, and bringing in land reforms.

In 1996 he was offered the post of prime minister in a national left-of-centre coalition, but his party chose to support the government from outside the coalition.

Mr Basu described his party's decision not to join the coalition as a "historic blunder."

Tributes

Mr Basu's body will be kept at the party headquarters for an hour to allow party leaders to pay their last respects to their leader.

Later, it will be taken to the state secretariat at Writers' Buildings and the Bengal legislative assembly, where Mr Basu spent much of his six decade-long political career.
The body will be kept at the assembly for five hours.

Senior Indian politicians - including the leader of the governing Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, and Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani - and Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be in Calcutta to pay tributes to Mr Basu.

Later in the day, his body will be taken to the Citizens' Park near the Victoria Memorial monument and then handed over to the government-run SSKM hospital.

There will be no cremation - Mr Basu's body will be donated to medical research in accordance with his wishes.

On Monday, tens of thousands of people filed past his body at the Peace Haven mortuary to pay tribute to him.

Mr Basu was India's most respected communist leader.

"He was one of independent India's most able administrators and politicians. I often turned to him for his sagacious advice... which was statesmanlike, always pragmatic and based on unshakeable values," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.

"His death ends a chapter in the country's politics," former PM and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Behari Vajpayee said.

Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina described Mr Basu as "a great leader not only of India but also of South Asia".

The communist leader leaves behind a controversial legacy.

Though he undertook crucial land reforms in West Bengal state and empowered the peasantry, the state slid into industrial stagnation and the period of his rule was characterised by radical trade union activity.

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IPL 3 auction in Mumbai today

Mumbai, Jan 19 (ANI): At the third Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Mumbai on Tuesday, the franchisees will chose around 12 players from a list of 66 players, who have volunteered to play in IPL 3.

A lot of players are deliberate to participate in IPL 3 that includes players who have walked out of Indian Cricket League.

IPL Chief Operating Officer, Sundar Raman, said, "Well there are a lot of buy-outs which are still in progress. I expect no more than 12 slots at the maximum to be available unless there are a few last moment surprises."

A buy-out would mean paying a contracted player his dues before the expiry of the contract in order to free him of his obligations towards the team.

The bought players would be contracted for only one season, specifically till December 31,2010.

Sundar Raman further said, "In the first year we devised a three-year contract. We had said that at the end of three years, with the addition of franchises, the entire process would change. The changes will be effected after this season of IPL."

"Some of the Pakistani players are interesting and of course, the Australian players add to the excitement. I would like to see a lot of them playing the IPL this season," added Raman.

The list of players to be auctioned includes 11 each from Pakistan, Australia and South Africa, nine from Sri Lanka, eight each from England and West Indies, four from New Zealand and one each from Bangladesh, Canada, Zimbabwe and Holland.

The returnees from the rival Indian Cricket League, including New Zealand pacer Shane Bond and Australian Damien Martyn have also made the cut in the final list.

Pakistan skipper Mohammed Yousuf and dope-tainted pacer Mohammed Asif will be omitted from IPL 3.

Shahid Afridi, who had played for Deccan Chargers in the first season, and Sohail Tanvir, who had played for Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition, would also be left out. (ANI)

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India''s eye in the sky to be major attraction at RD parade

By Praful Kumar Singh

New Delhi, Jan 19 (ANI): The Indian Air Force''s eye in the sky, AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform fitted on IL-76 aircraft, will be a major attraction for the Republic Day parade 2010.

AWACS enable the IAF to project itself as a formidable force and this sophisticated platform adds a new dimension to the Air Force''s capability to guard the Indian skies.

Air Vice-Marshal M. Matheswaran, Assistant Chief of Air Staff, said that a total of 28 aircrafts flying at heights varying from 60 metres to 500 metres above ground level will take part in the Republic Day fly past.

He further said that AWACS, which is a dynamic asset in the air and can be mobilised in a quick time to counter an emerging threat and tilt the balance in India''s favour, will be showcased for the first time to the nation and will be major attraction at the Republic Day parade.

India is planning to induct two more AWACS by the year-end. The AWACS are operating from the Agra airbase under the Central Air Command. First AWACS was inducted on May 28, 2009, in the IAF.

Air Vice-Marshal Matheswaran said: "The second AWACS will indicted in April followed by third one in September."

India''s most potent force multiplier, AWACS, is capable of tracking down incoming missiles. The all weather system is capable of engaging 60 targets simultaneously and has a range of 400 km.

It has radar that can help detect cruise missiles or aircrafts at ranges much beyond the capabilities of present systems. It can also collate information about troop movements and missile launches on ground and even intercept highly secured communication networks of the enemy.

The IAF AWACS would help pilots find hitherto unconceivable space and room for tactical manoeuvres in the air under controlled directions that would give them an edge over their adversaries at all times.

Replying to question on fog being an hindrance to the IAF''s fly past on Republic Day parade, Air Vice-Marshal Matheswaran said: "If weather permits then only we can go ahead with the fly past on the Republic Day."

He added that weather at this time of the year is same and he himself has led an IAF contingent on the Republic Day. (ANI)

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Rupees 120 billion paid by Government of India to bail out oil companies

New Delhi, Jan. 19 (ANI):Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Tuesday disclosed that the Finance Ministry has granted 120 billion rupees to compensate losses incurred by government-run oil companies.

"Finance Ministry will pay for the losses incurred for Kerosene and LPG. Total of 210 billion rupees was required for recovering the losses. We have already got 120 billion rupees, now we will see how it (the remaining amount) will be recovered. The problem has been solved to some extent," Deora said.

Petroleum and natural gas secretary, R S Pandey said that the amount would be paid only for LPG and kerosene.

"120 billion rupees have been accounted for, while marketing companies are doing these assessments, and then again finance ministry will be talked to. This is for only LPG and kerosene," Pandey said.

The government has been issuing bonds to cover losses by state oil marketing companies like Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd, which are required to sell fuel at lower than market price, to control inflation and help the poor.

In the fiscal year ending March 2009, the oil subsidy was 758.5 billion rupees as high global crude prices had inflated state-run oil firms'' losses.

The oil bonds have swelled debt for the Union Government, which is struggling with 16-year high fiscal deficit and record market borrowing of 4.51 trillion rupees for the fiscal year upto March 2010. (ANI)

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British victims of Mumbai attacks to be compensated

London, January 19 (PTI) UK citizens who were victimised in the 26/11 Mumbai terror massacre in 2008 will be given compensation following the announcement of a new scheme by the British government.

Current policy allows compensation to British victims who are killed or injured in terrorist incidents that occur in the UK.

The new scheme will not be retrospective but officials said British victims of terrorism in overseas since 2002 would be eligible for compensation.

The announcement of the new Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme in British Parliament yesterday follows a drive launched by a UK victim, William Pyke, who was caught between the crossfire in Mumbai, and left paralysed for life.

Pyke, 29, campaigned for the law to be changed after discovering there was no provision for UK citizens injured in terror attacks outside the country.

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