BP resumes drilling relief well in Gulf as step toward permanent seal

leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well appeared to be entering their final stages.

BP said it resumed drilling Monday on a relief well, as efforts to permanently seal the previously leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well appeared to be entering their final stages. Drilling on the relief well resumed at 2:40 p.m. ET after a massive sleeve protecting the well from sudden, large increases in pressure was successfully installed over the weekend. Installing the device "resulted in the necessary conditions to commence the finalization of the relief well," Thad Allen, the government's appointed national incident commander in charge of overseeing the oil spill response, said in a statement Monday. Allen said the relief well remains "the final step that will ensure the well is fully and finally killed."

Drilling had been stopped since August 10 when a tropical storm threatened conditions at the site, forcing the oil company to suspend operations. Since then, weather delays in the storm-prone Gulf as well as scientific and technical debate on how to proceed have extensively prolonged the timeline for definitively plugging the well. Before drilling resumed, the relief well had been at a measured depth of 17,909 feet and was less than 50 feet vertically and four feet horizontally from the original well. "Relief well operations will consist of drilling and ranging runs that will guide the rig's drill bit to intercept the well's annulus. Following the intercept, heavy drilling mud and cement will be pumped into the annular space to complete the isolation of the MC252 well," BP said. While BP successfully stopped the flow of oil on July 15 by embedding a cement plug near the top of the well, permanently sealing the well has been a process full of fits and starts.

Just last week, Allen laid out a possible timetable that pushed the "bottom kill" -- a process in which heavy mud and cement are pumped into the bottom part of the original well via the relief well -- into October. But with the new sleeve in place, the timetable is expected to be shortened "significantly," Allen. It could take about four days to finish drilling and intercept the original well. BP would then need a few more days after that to complete the bottom kill. Federal investigators and the Department of Justice are now poring over a device called a blowout preventer, a piece of equipment that failed on April 20 when BP's oil platform exploded, killing 11 people. The blowout preventer was designed to stop oil from spewing by sealing the well pipe. Instead, it failed, triggering the world's largest accidental oil spill and sending 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf.

Marriage between 1st cousins illegal, says HC

Marriage between 1st cousins illegal

The Bombay high court on Monday rejected one Harmant Singh's plea that his "wife" Hardeep, who is also his first cousin, be allowed to live with him. The Hindu Marriage Act disallows marriage between first cousins.  "If the request was to be considered, it would be putting a seal of approval on a relationship which isn't permitted in law," said a division bench of Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice U D Salvi. The judges allowed Hardeep to go with her parents. "She is an adult and free to take her own decisions," said the judges, adding that Hardeep could decide her plans in consultation with her parents. Harmant's lawyer made repeated pleas the court ask Hardeep with whom she wished to go. The judges, however, pointed out that "the law doesn't permit you and her to stay together."

Additional public prosecutor Ajay Gadkari told the court that in a habeas corpus proceeding the scope was limited to producing the person conerned before the court and that they had brought Hardeep from Amritsar. Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act bans, among other things, marriage between a brother and sister, uncle and niece, aunt and nephew, or children of brother and sister or of two brothers or of two sisters. The marriage is void, unless the custom of the community permits it. Harmant, who claimed to be a marine officer, said he had met Hardeep in Amritsar. They married at an Arya Samaj temple in Mumbai in January 2009. Nine months later, her family called her home on the pretext that her father was sick. Subsequently, he wasn't allowed to meet her. Harmant, admitted that she was his first cousin, and under the law the marriage was void. 

Venezuela plane crashes with 51 on board, 15 dead

A plane carrying 51 people crashed Monday in a steel mill yard in eastern Venezuela, killing 15 people on board, officials said.

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A plane carrying 51 people crashed Monday in a steel mill yard in eastern Venezuela, killing 15 people on board, officials said. Workers at the state-run Sidor steel foundry pulled people from the smoking wreckage of the plane owned by Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, and officials said 36 passengers and crew survived. Foundry worker Frank Oliveros, 44, said he saw a huge billow of smoke after the crash, then saw the wreckage and joined dozens of fellow employees and firefighters who rushed to the scene. "I don't remember names ... faces," Oliveros told The Associated Press by telephone. "Our only interest was getting all the people out of there alive." The partially scorched fuselage of French-built ATR 42 rested among barrels and shipping containers. Fifteen people were killed after the crash about six miles (10 kilometers) from the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz, Bolivar state Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez told reporters. Forensic experts have yet to identify six of the bodies, he said.

"A miracle occurred today," said Rangel Gomez, referring to the number of survivors. The bodies of all the victims have been located, but authorities have not yet identified them all, Rangel Gomez said. It was unclear what caused the crash. The plane, a twin-engine turboprop, was carrying 47 passengers and four crew members, Rangel Gomez said. Only one of the crew members survived, he said. He said that Conviasa Flight 2350 had taken off from Margarita Island -- a Caribbean island that is one of Venezuela's top tourist destinations -- and crashed shortly before reaching its destination, the airport of Puerto Ordaz. The state airline, Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios Aeros SA, began operations in 2004. It says it serves destinations in Venezuela, the Caribbean, Argentina, Iran and Syria. In a statement, President Hugo Chavez lamented the crash and sent his condolences to relatives of the victims. "All Venezuelans are mourning, full of sorrow and tears as a result of this tragedy," Chavez wrote. Chavez praised rescue teams and Sidor workers for saving injured passengers. The socialist leader said the government is investigating to "clarify the causes of this very lamentable incident."

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Cuba to cut one million public sector jobs

The country's economy and employs about 85% of the official workforce, which is put at 5.1 million people.

Cuba has announced radical plans to lay off huge numbers of state employees, to help revive the communist country's struggling economy. The Cuban labour federation said more than a million workers would lose their jobs - half of them by March next year. Those laid off will be encouraged to become self-employed or join new private enterprises, on which some of the current restrictions will be eased. Analysts say it is biggest private sector shift since the 1959 revolution. Cuba's communist government currently controls almost all aspects of the country's economy and employs about 85% of the official workforce, which is put at 5.1 million people. As many as one-in-five of all workers could lose their jobs. 

"Our state cannot and should not continue maintaining companies, productive entities, services and budgeted sectors with bloated payrolls and losses that hurt the economy," the labour federation said in a statement. "Job options will be increased and broadened with new forms of non-state employment, among them leasing land, co-operatives, and self-employment, absorbing hundreds of thousands of workers in the coming years," the statement added.

Cuba's government employs about 85% of the country's 5.1 million workers

Koran burning 'would be disaster' NY imam warns

Feisal Abdul Rauf says the proposed Islamic centre will promote inter-faith understanding

The New York imam leading efforts to build an Islamic centre near the World Trade Center site says plans by a small US church to burn Korans would have sparked "a disaster". Feisal Abdul Rauf told ABC News that the event - now called off - would have "strengthened radicals". Rallies for and against the proposed centre marred the 9/11 commemorations. Meanwhile, two people died in eastern Afghanistan as protests sparked by the threatened book burning continued. Security forces opened fire when some demonstrators tried to storm the district governor's office in Baraki Barak, in Logar province, on Sunday.  Protests have erupted across the Muslim world since Florida Pastor Terry Jones announced plans to burn Korans outside his church to mark the 9/11 attacks. Mr Jones said he cancelled the event because those behind the Islamic centre near Ground Zero had agreed to relocate it - a claim denied by Mr Rauf.

"How can you equate the burning of any person's scripture with an attempt to build inter-faith dialogue?" Mr Rauf told ABC. "This is a house with multi-faith partners, intended to work together towards building peace." He said burning the Koran would have sparked "a disaster" in the Muslim world. "It would have strengthened the radicals. It would have enhanced the possibility of terrorist acts against America and American interests," he said. The group led by Mr Rauf hopes to turn an abandoned building into a community centre and prayer space. Supporters say it will include facilities for all religions and be a place for reconciliation between faiths. But critics say the centre is an insult to those killed in the 2001 attacks. Mr Rauf said the intense debate over the New York centre had stoked anti-Muslim feeling across the US. He said he believed fear of Islam was possibly greater now than just after the 9/11 attacks.

Islamic centres in California and Texas have been vandalised and the site of a planned mosque in Tennessee has been set on fire. "How else would you describe the fact that mosques around the country are now being attacked?" Feisal Abdul Rauf told ABC. "We are Americans, too," he said. "We are doctors. We are investment bankers. We are taxi drivers. We are store keepers. We are lawyers. We are... part of the fabric of America."

Nigerian officials search for more than 680 prison escapees

The group freed 721 inmates, said Emmanuel Ojukwu, a police spokesman.

Authorities were searching for more than 680 inmates Wednesday who escaped after gunmen attacked a prison in northern Nigeria, police said. The prison was attacked by suspected members of an Islamist sect called Boko Haram on Tuesday. One police officer was killed and two prison officials were injured, police said. The group freed 721 inmates, said Emmanuel Ojukwu, a police spokesman. Police captured 35 of the escapees and were searching for the others, Ojukwu said. About 200 members of the Boko Haram sect attacked the prison, triggering a massive gunbattle, according to authorities.

Police suspect the prison was attacked because it was holding 80 members of the sect. Boko Haram has been at odds with Nigerian officials because the group wants the government to impose Islamic law, known as sharia, in the entire Muslim-dominated northern half of Nigeria.

Iran Officials Ready to Release Jailed American on $500,000 Bail

May 20: Detained U.S. hikers (L-R) Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal during a meeting with their mothers in Tehran.

A senior Iranian prosecutor said Sunday that authorities will release a jailed American woman on $500,000 bail because of health problems, another sudden about-face by Iran in a case that has added to tension with the United States. The news came during a weekend of start-and-stop announcements about the release of Sarah Shourd, who was detained with two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, along the Iran-Iraq border on July 31, 2009, and accused of spying. The woman's Iranian lawyer met with the three Americans in Tehran's Evin prison on Sunday and said that he is hopeful Shourd will be released in the next two or three days. Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said the conditions of her bail do not bar her from leaving the country, though her case will still go to trial along with those of the other two Americans, who must remain in custody.  "Based on reports and the approval of the relevant judge about the sickness of Ms. Shourd, her detention was converted to $500,000 bail, and if the bail is deposited, she can be released," the official IRNA news agency quoted Dowlatabadi as saying. 

Shourd's mother has said she has been denied treatment for serious health problems, including a breast lump and precancerous cervical cells. Her mother in Oakland, California, could not be reached for comment early Sunday. The Americans' lawyer, Masoud Shafiei, met with them in the prosecutor's office at the prison and said he provided a final letter of defense in their case. He said it was the first meeting he was allowed with them in person since he was hired by their families to represent them in late 2009. "All of the three were fine and I was with them for about three hours," Shafiei told The Associated Press. He added that he was hopeful "Shourd will go home within the next two to three days." Shafiei later told AP Television News that Shourd "was naturally very happy and even the two male prisoners were glad about Sarah's freedom, but Sarah had expected all three of them to be released." Shafiei said he has been in contact with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran to make arrangements for the $500,000 bail payment for Shourd. The Swiss Embassy represents U.S. interests in Iran because the two countries do not have direct diplomatic relations.

It was not immediately clear whether such a bail payment would violate U.S. trade sanctions or whether a special waiver would be required. Shourd, who has been held in solitary confinement, was to have been released Saturday as an act of clemency to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan after the intervention of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But the judiciary abruptly halted that planned release, indicating such a decision would have to first go through the courts. Iran has accused the three Americans of illegally crossing the border and spying in a case that has deepened tensions with Washington -- which has led the push for tougher sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Their families say the Americans were hiking in Iraq's scenic north and that if they crossed the border, they did so unwittingly. The prosecutor said the two other Americans would remain in custody. He said the prosecution's case against the three is nearly complete and there was enough evidence for a judge to issue indictments for all three on charges of spying. "The three are still suspects and though the accusations have not been proven yet, they had equipment and documents and received training that shows they had not come to Iraq and Iran for entertainment," Dowlatabadi was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency. He did not elaborate. The prosecutor rejected any link between the decision to grant Shourd bail and the return to Iran in July of nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri. Iran had accused the U.S. of abducting Amiri, while Washington said he was a willing defector who later changed his mind.

In the past, Ahmadinejad has suggested the three Americans could be traded for Iranians claimed to be held by the U.S. The judiciary appeared to be using the issue of Shourd's release to flex its muscles in an internal political tussle with President Ahmadinejad. On Friday, the Foreign Ministry had announced that plans for her release on Saturday were the result of Ahmadinejad's personal intervention and reflected the "special viewpoint of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the dignity of women." Hours later, judiciary officials said the release was off -- an embarrassing rebuke to Ahmadinejad. On Saturday, Dowlatabadi emphasized that any announcement about the American's release "would only come through the judiciary system." The mixed signals point to one of the main fissures in Iran's conservative leadership: Ahmadinejad and his allies against conservative rivals in the powerful judiciary overseen by Iran's supreme leader. At times, Iran has also sought to exploit the propaganda value of holding the three Americans. In May, for example, Iran allowed the mothers of the three detainees to visit them, releasing them temporarily from Tehran's Evin prison for an emotional reunion at a hotel. The elaborate event received extensive coverage on the government's main English-language broadcast arm. In the past year, Iranian authorities have allowed bail or converted jail sentences to fines for two other high-profile detainees.

In May, French academic Clotilde Reiss was freed after her 10-year sentence on espionage-related charges was commuted to a fine equivalent to $300,000. Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari of Newsweek was freed on $300,000 bail in October 2009 after nearly four months detention following the crackdown after the country's disputed presidential election. He was later sentenced in absentia to more than 13 years in prison and 50 lashes.

On 9/11, US stands divided at Ground Zero

who joined the anti-mosque crowd of about 1,500 after attending the Ground Zero

First came the tears, the solemn bugle call and the recital of the names of the dead. Then came the chants, speeches and angry shouts. It was a September 11 anniversary unlike any other. For the first time, politics and rage were an overt part of New York's commemoration of the anniversary of the attacks, an occasion marked in the past only by rituals of sorrow. A morning ceremony on Saturday in which relatives of the victims placed flowers in a reflecting pool and read the names of their loved ones gave way to an afternoon of protests and counter-demonstrations over a proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero. Some called the rallies a disgraceful intrusion. Indeed, some of the people attending the protests came from far away, and appeared to be drawn only by a deep-rooted dislike of Muslims or passion for liberal causes.

But the throngs included an ample number of 9/11 mourners, too, who joined the anti-mosque crowd of about 1,500 after attending the Ground Zero memorial ceremony. "A lot of people say it's a day of solemn remembrance. But for us, every day is a solemn day," said Al Santora, who lost his firefighter son, Christopher, in the attacks, and attended the rally with his wife, four daughters and four grandchildren. For a few hours on Saturday morning, the political and cultural furore over whether the proposed Islamic center and mosque belongs so close to the trade center site mostly gave way to the somber anniversary ceremony and pleas from elected officials for religious tolerance. At the other September 11 attack sites, as at Ground Zero, elected leaders sought to remind Americans of the acts of heroism that marked a Tuesday in 2001 and the national show of unity that followed. President Barack Obama, appealing to an unsettled nation from the Pentagon, declared that the United States could not "sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind walls of suspicion and mistrust." "As Americans we are not - and never will be - at war with Islam," the president said. "It was not a religion that attacked us that September day - it was al- Qaida, a sorry band of men which perverts religion."

In Shanksville, Pensylvania, first lady Michelle Obama and her predecessor, Laura Bush, spoke at a public event together. At the rural field where the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93 lost their lives, Obama said, "A scar in the earth has healed," and Bush said "Americans have no division" on this day. Near the World Trade Center site, a memorial to the 2,752 who died there played out mostly as it had each year since 2001. Bells were tolled to mark the times of impact of the two hijacked jets and the times the twin towers collapsed.
There were also isolated reports of Quran desecrations on the anniversary. 

Mukesh Ambani will be the world's richest man by 2014: Forbes

53-year-old Ambani currently ranks fourth on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires.

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With a net worth of USD 62 billion, Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani would be he richest man on earth in 2014, according to a forecast issued by the prestigious Forbes magazine. "One of the predictions is that Reliance Industries' chief Ambani, who currently has a net worth of 29 billion dollars, pips the world's richest man Mexican businessman Carlos Slim to top Forbes' rich list in 2014," it said. Ambani's net worth swells to USD 62 billion while Slim is "hit hard by Mexican political, financial chaos," according to the prediction by Forbes.  53-year-old Ambani currently ranks fourth on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires. Forbes has listed a number of events that could happen over the next 10 years in the field of politics, energy, medicine, finance, society and technology. The publication asked its staff and contributors to forecast some of the "noteworthy events" till 2020.

"A vision of the coming decade sketched from real data, projections and facts whenever possible -- though we've injected a dose of rigorous science fiction to fill the gaps," Forbes said about its special 2020 report called 'What Happens Next -- Our Look Ahead'. Another forecast in the field of finance and economics is of fraudster Bernard Madoff's death in his prison cell in 2011. The convicted Ponzi-scheme perpetrator is found hanging in his cell and "prison officials will not rule out foul play," according to the Forbes forecast.  "Futurism favours the bold. Look more than 30 years ahead... and critics will forgive your inaccuracies. We've attempted a thought experiment with far tougher standards: predicting the future that's just around the corner," Forbes said. In 2012, social networking site Facebook debuts on NASDAQ. Its IPOs value USD 40 billion and founder Mark Zuckerberg becomes the first 20-something who is worth USD 10 billion-plus. Then by 2020, Wal-mart employs five million people worldwide and its sales pass the one trillion dollar mark. The company "cites successful India and Brazil expansions" for the landmark. In 2017, Harvard endowment doubles in seven years to USD 50 billion. It offers free tuition to lure top students from China.

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2 Shot Dead, 1 Injured at Philadelphia Plant

Police gather at the scene of the shooting at Kraft Foods in Northeast Philadelphia.

A female employee who had just been suspended from her job and escorted from a Kraft Foods Inc. facility returned with a handgun and opened fire Thursday, killing two people and critically injuring a third before being taken into custody about an hour later, police said. The shooting happened in the city's northeast section shortly after 8:30 p.m. inside a plant of the nation's largest food manufacturer, whose products include Oreo cookies, Philadelphia cream cheese and Oscar Mayer bacon, Lt. Frank Vanore said. The woman returned to the building in a car 10 minutes after being escorted out and drove through a security barrier before re-entering the building on foot, Vanore said. As she walked inside, she fired a shot at an employee who had followed her in and had yelled, "Hide, she's got a gun," Vanore said. That shot missed. The woman then shot the three victims, said police, who didn't immediately know the victims' identities or whether they had been targeted. Officers responded and isolated the shooter in a room, and she fired a shot at them but missed, Vanore said. Officers freed seven people who were "in a bad position" near the woman and were hiding, Vanore said, but he wouldn't refer to them as hostages. The shooter eventually was apprehended around 9:30 p.m., he said.

Television footage showed workers leaving the Northfield, Ill.-based company's plant, which used to be known as the Nabisco factory. Police surrounded the plant minutes after the shooting, and roads in the area were detoured as officers swarmed nearby. Dough mixer Andy Ryan, who has worked at the plant for nearly 30 years, said he was on the third floor when the sound of the shots echoed through the building. "I heard the gunfire, and I ran," he told The Associated Press, his apron still on. "As I was running down the steps they were yelling, 'Oh, my God, there's three people shot!"' The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper reported that about 100 people were inside the plant but had been cleared out. Several telephone calls and e-mails to Kraft on Thursday night weren't immediately returned. The identity of the suspended worker wasn't immediately released.

The shooting came just weeks after a driver who had been accused of stealing from a Manchester, Conn., beer distributorship shot and killed eight people and then himself. The driver, Omar Thornton, had calmly agreed to quit Aug. 3 after being confronted with surveillance video showing him stealing beer. But shortly afterward, he started shooting. Thornton, who was black, had seethed with a sense of racial injustice in his job at Hartford Distributors, said his girlfriend, Kristi Hannah. Thornton said as much in a chilling call to police dispatchers.  "This place is a racist place," he said in the call. "They're treating me bad over here. And treat all other black employees bad over here, too. So I took it to my own hands and handled the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people."  Hartford Distributors president Ross Hollander said there was no record to support claims of "racial insensitivity" made through the company's anti-harassment policy, the union grievance process or state and federal agencies. Relatives of the victims also rejected the claims.

U.S. forces board pirate-captured vessel, seize control

U.S. Marines boarded and seized control Thursday of a German-owned vessel that pirates had captured the day before off the coast of Somalia, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said.

U.S. Marines boarded and seized control Thursday of a German-owned vessel that pirates had captured the day before off the coast of Somalia, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said. It's the first time U.S. military forces off Somalia have staged an action to board a commercial vessel in which pirates were on board with hostages, said a U.S. Navy spokesman, who was not authorized to speak publicly but had direct knowledge of the incident. The action came about because the highly specialized Marine raiding force -- the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force -- was nearby, the spokesman said. Twenty-four U.S. Marines from the force, which was aboard the USS Dubuque and operating under the multinational anti-piracy combined task force, boarded the M/V Magellan Star at about 5 a.m. local time, the Fifth Fleet said. "This successful mission by combined maritime forces secured the safety of the ship's crew and returned control of the ship to the civilian mariners," a Fifth Fleet statement said.

No shots were fired, the Navy spokesman said, and there were no injuries. The pirates surrendered "within minutes." U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates approved the mission, the spokesman said, and the military had permission from the ship's owners to board it. Members of the ship's crew had locked themselves in a safe room, so the military felt it was a good time to board the ship, the spokesman said. Nine pirates were in task force custody "pending further disposition," the Fifth Fleet said. A Turkish frigate and combined task force flagship were the first on the scene, responding to a distress call Wednesday from the Magellan Star. Two additional warships assigned to the task force, the USS Dubuque and USS Princeton, later arrived to provide support. Upon arrival, the Turkish frigate found a skiff with no one aboard, the Fifth Fleet said. The ship was carrying 11 crew members.

"This regional problem truly has global impact, and we are completely committed to bringing the disruptive acts of piracy to an end," said Turkish Navy Rear Adm. Sinan Ertugrul, commander of the anti-piracy Combined Task Force 151. "We have full support of the international community and will continue to do everything possible to bring security [to] the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin." Combined Task Force 151 is one of three task forces operated by the 25-nation Combined Maritime Forces. The task force was established in January 2009 to combat piracy after a dramatic increase in attacks in the region.

World Bank approves $220 million for Kosi flood rebuilding

For more than a decade, the Bank has been assisting the Government of India in effectively responding to disasters.

The World Bank has approved a $220 million credit to support rebuilding efforts in areas affected by the devastating Kosi floods in Bihar. The Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project will finance flood recovery efforts through the reconstruction of about 100,000 houses, 90 bridges and 290 kilometres of rural roads, the World Bank said in a statement. It also aims to reduce future oriented risks by strengthening flood management capacity, restoring livelihoods and improving the emergency response capability of the state of Bihar through a provision of contingency funding, the bank said. "For more than a decade, the Bank has been assisting the Government of India in effectively responding to disasters. We will bring the lessons learned from the past to our efforts in Bihar," Roberto Zagha, Country Director, World Bank India said.

Welcoming the World Bank's decision, Anup Mukerji, Bihar's Chief Secretary, said the State Government has been undertaking extensive reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts which will also help us mainstream disaster risk management in the development strategy of Bihar. The World Bank in its statement appreciated the flood relief work carried out by the Nitish Kumar Government in the immediate aftermath of the devastating Kosi flood in 2008 that affected about 3.3 million people in five districts. About one million people were evacuated, 460,000 people were provided temporary shelter in 360 relief camps, and more than 500 people lost their lives. "The Government of Bihar has been extremely proactive in relief operations in the immediate aftermath of the flood and received support from the Government of India for this," said the World Bank. Noting that Bihar urgently needs to rebuild houses and key infrastructure, and restore livelihoods, Mandakini Kaul, Project Task Manager, World Bank said the bank also aims to build local capacity to respond to possible future disasters.

"The proposed project constitutes the first phase of a larger, multi-sector engagement with Bihar on risk and vulnerability reduction. Successive phases will provide a more comprehensive programme of support for the state's longer term needs on overall disaster management which would likely include flood management, connectivity and agricultural productivity," said Kaul. The Reconstruction of Roads and Bridges will help restore connectivity by reconstruction of damaged roads and bridges. Strengthening Flood Management Capacity component will focus on strengthening the overall flood forecasting and flood-erosion management capacity in Bihar; while Livelihood Restoration and Enhancement will help build social and financial capital, and restore and expand the livelihood opportunities of the affected people. 

California: Massive fire breaks out in a residential neighbourhood

A massive fire burned homes as it roared through a mostly residential neighborhood in the hills south of San Francisco following an explosion early on Thursday evening.

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A massive fire burned homes as it roared through a mostly residential neighborhood in the hills south of San Francisco following an explosion early on Thursday evening. The fire is burning in the town of San Bruno a few miles from San Francisco International Airport, prompting speculation the blaze was sparked by a plane crash. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency has no record of a crash. Spokesmen for local airports also said they knew of no missing planes.Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility company that serves the San Francisco Bay area, is looking into the possibility of a natural gas explosion but had no additional information, said spokesman JD Guidi Live footage shown on KPIX-TV showed at least a dozen homes destroyed, with flames reaching as high as 60 feet in the air as the fire fueled itself on the burning homes. Planes and helicopters flew over the neighborhood dumping water in an effort to stanch the flames.

Witnesses say a loud explosion was felt just before the flames erupted around 6 pm. Jane Porcelli, 62, said she lives on a hill above where the fire is centered. She said she thought she heard a plane overhead with a struggling engine. "And then you heard this bang. And everything shook except the floor, so we knew it wasn't an earthquake," Porcelli said. "I feel helpless that I can't do anything. I just gotta sit by and watch."

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US Koran burning event on hold, says pastor Terry Jones

US pastor Terry Jones initially said that the Koran burning had been cancelled

The US pastor who threatened to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday says his plans are not cancelled but "on hold". Florida pastor Terry Jones said he felt he had been lied to by a local imam who had got him to drop the plan - which has caused international outrage. Mr Jones initially said the imam had told him an Islamic centre planned near New York's Ground Zero would be moved. But the imam, Muhammad Musri, denied such any such deal had been reached. Mr Musri, from the Islamic Society of Central Florida, said he had only agreed that he and Mr Jones should fly to New York on Saturday and speak with the leaders of the Islamic centre project. Mr Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, which has fewer than 50 members, had named Saturday "International Burn a Koran Day".

On Thursday, announcing the purported deal to relocate the Islamic centre in New York, he said he was dropping the plans and urged his supporters to do the same. But later the imam in charge of the centre, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, said he had not talked to Mr Jones or Mr Musri about the issue. Mr Musri said Mr Jones had "stretched his words" when he held a news conference outside his church. Mr Jones responded by saying: "Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision, so as of right now, we are not cancelling the event, but we are suspending it." He also said he expected Mr Musri to "keep his word" and expected "the imam in New York to back up one of his own men". US Defence Secretary Robert Gates had called the pastor and asked him to cancel the event. The top US general in Afghanistan, Gen David Petraeus said that if the Koran burning went ahead it would endanger the lives of Americans serving abroad.

Rupee gains 12 paise against dollar in early trade

Dealers said continued capital inflow by foreign funds and weakness in dollar at overseas markets mainly provided support to the rupee.

The rupee today strengthened by 12 paise to trade at 46.51 a dollar at the Interbank Foreign Exchange on continued capital inflows by foreign funds. Dealers said continued capital inflow by foreign funds and weakness in dollar at overseas markets mainly provided support to the rupee. The rupee had ended 21 paise higher at 46.63/64 against the US currency yesterday after the dollar hit a 15-year low against the Japanese yen. The Bombay Stock Exchange index Sensex opened 100.39 points, or 0.54 per cent, higher to 18,767.10 points.