7.4-magnitude earthquake provokes panic in Mexico

Mexico City:  A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwest Mexico Tuesday, damaging hundreds of homes and sending panicked people onto the streets of the capital, with no immediate reports of serious casualties.

The quake struck south of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, between the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, and was followed by several aftershocks, the US Geological Survey said. Initially it had estimated the magnitude at 7.9.

Guerrero governor Angel Aguirre told state radio that some 1,600 houses in four municipalities of the coastal region known as the Costa Chica had been damaged.

He said that authorities were checking schools and public buildings around Ometepec, a town of 20,000 nearest the epicenter.

Many houses showed signs of damage in Ometepec while patients of the main hospital were evacuated into a garden, including women in labor.

The White House said President Barack Obama's 13-year-old daughter Malia, who is on vacation in Mexico, was safe.

"In light of today's earthquake, we can confirm that Malia Obama is safe and was never in danger," said Kristina Schake, spokeswoman for First Lady Michelle Obama.

In Mexico City, buildings swayed, telephone and power lines were cut off and traffic lights stopped working as office workers rushed onto the streets.

Local media reported one person was injured when a pedestrian bridge collapsed on an empty bus in the north of the city.

It was one of the strongest quakes to shake the capital since 1985, when an 8.1 earthquake left between 6,000 and 30,000 dead, according to officials and rescue organizations respectively.

"We were told to evacuate," said office worker Francisco Bernal, standing in the street. "The earthquake was strong but now we're prepared, unlike in 1985."

"I stood up when I saw the lights moving," said Ana Fernandez, another office worker in the central Roma district. "Our boss told us to get out and we followed instructions not to shout, run or push. I was really scared but I made myself stay calm."

German tourist Gernot Nahrung said he was in the city's Chapultepec park and did not feel the long swaying movement of the quake, which lasted several minutes. "My mum told me: 'It's shaking, it's shaking,'" he said.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrand said no serious damage was visible during a helicopter survey.

The mayor's Twitter account said the water system and other "strategic services" experienced no problems.

Some windows broke at the city's international airport, and the monorail between the two terminals was stopped temporarily.

The quake's epicenter was 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) deep, 100 miles (162 kilometers) from the tourist city of Oaxaca, according to the USGS.

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25 kids make it to DID Li'l Masters!

By Hindustan Times

Twenty-five children, several of them from North-East and one from Nepal, sailed to the mega final of DID Li'l Masters II, the premier dance reality show on the telly, in the eastern region audition here.

The children, in the age bracket of 5-13 years, were picked up as the panel of celebrity judges - famed Bollywood choreographers Master Geeta Kapur and Master Marzi Pestonji -watched the little ones and mentored as they made deft steps on stage and showed remarkable stage presence, amazing at such young age.

The children included Babu Sangma from Meghalaya, Shalini Moitra from Ranchi, Padmini Patnaik from Bhubaneshwar, Om Chezty from Dispur, Assam's Karbi Anglong district, Bir Sherpa from Silchar, Arpita Dutta from Guwahati, Pratistha Poudel from Nepal and Krishnakanta Singh from Imphal, Manipur.

"We are amazed at the sheer scale of talent at the audition in Kolkata, known as the land of 'kalakars'. We had to raise the number restriction limit from about 10 to 25 as the eastern leg competition standard was really high.

From hip-hop, contemporary, to the pure classical form, many of the children had shown real skills, though these certainly need to be brushed up," Marzi Pestonji told reporters during an audition break on Friday afternoon.

To another query about many child talents fizzling out in the later phase of life, Geeta Kapur said, "we always tell parents don't push the child, be little more patient to allow them grow and acquire the art fully. "We implore the parents, many of them real pushy, not to overdo things and refrain from instant gratification," she said.

On the need to treat the tender-minded little ones in a humane way, Kapur said "yes. We have to certainly ensure the respective child is not bombarded with negative feedback and dealt with encouraging words, like we will definitely see you in the next episode. We have to ensure the child doesn't see it as an end of the world and have to more counsel the heart-broken ambitious parents who seem to be in greater hock than their wards."

Zee TV was conducting auditions across several towns and cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Patna, Dehradun, Indore, Vadodara and Raipur among others.

The first season made a winner out of Jeetumoni, who bagged the show's ultimate coveted Golden Super Wings but was flooded with offers to perform and showcase his dance prowess.

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Why BJP is working to defeat its own Rajya Sabha candidate in Jharkhand

New Delhi:  Amidst growing criticism within the BJP over his nomination, Anshuman Mishra, a businessman and the party's candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand, may withdraw from the electoral race today, sources have told NDTV. It is a clumsy attempt at course-correction after most senior party leaders like Yashwant Sinha and LK Advani said Mr Mishra was an unacceptable choice and demanded the withdrawal of his nomination, thus creating the sequel to the Kushwaha fiasco. Before the UP elections, the party president had welcomed former UP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha as a member after he was sacked by his party chief Mayawati for corruption. Mr Kushwaha "voluntarily" put his membership on hold after sharp criticism from most senior BJP leaders.

Mr Mishra's background and integrity have been questioned by senior leaders, who have targeted party president Nitin Gadkari for his selection. Just in case Mr Mishra does not oblige, the party has asked its elected representatives in Jharkhand not to vote for him.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Advani asked for an emergency meeting of BJP leaders to discuss Mr Mishra. He also reportedly said that the BJP should issue a whip to MLAs in Jharkhand ordering them to vote against Mr Mishra, who is an Independent MLA being supported by the BJP.

Mr Sinha told NDTV that his party's support to Mr Mishra would only add to Jharkhand's image as "happy hunting ground for the rich" implying that BJP MLAs could be tempted to sell their vote to the rich businessman. In strong words Mr Sinha said, "Our MLAs should not be auctioned...there are ways for our MLAs to avoid voting for him."

Mr Sinha also reportedly warned his party that the selection of unsuitable nominees makes it tough for him to serve on different parliamentary committees; choosing representatives who have questionable records, he said, will impact the BJP's image and anti-corruption plank. At a meeting of the party leadership, another member Shanta Kumar warned, "Jab satta bikne lagti hai to samapt ho jaati hai" - a warning that translates as "When power is on sale, the end is near."

In Maharashtra, Ajay Sancheti, a businessman and a member of the BJP national executive, has been nominated as the party's Rajya Sabha candidate. He allegedly has links to the Adarsh scam - politicians and bureaucrats helped themselves to flats in a building meant for war widows and Army veterans.

Mr Sinha says he had not even heard of Anshuman Mishra, who, however, claimed on Tuesday that, "I have good relations with all big BJP leaders." Mr Mishra said he was contesting elections with the support of senior leaders and if the party leadership opposed to supporting him, "I will withdraw my candidature."

There is more resentment within the BJP over the denial of a ticket to veteran leader, and BJP's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, S S Ahluwalia.

As the crisis escalated, Mr Gadkari met with the party's parent-body, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), in Nagpur on Tuesday.

However, on record, party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar has denied the talk of any dissent, saying, "There is no question of anyone being unhappy within the party."

Mr Gadkari has provoked serious dissent within the party in recent months. Before the UP elections, he allowed Mr Kushwaha into the party fold. Mr Gadkari's colleagues like Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti and Maneka Gandhi said this would hurt the party's credibility. Mr Kushwaha was persuaded by the BJP to then announce that he had voluntarily decided to put his membership of the BJP on hold till he was cleared of corruption charges. He is now in jail.

Mr Gadkari is also finding it tough to manage a revolt in Karnataka, where the BJP is in power. Former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa wants to return to office immediately. He has the support of more than half the party's representatives in the Karnataka Assembly and therefore has the strength to split the party and bring down the government, if the crisis should deepen.

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Govinda gets bail in slap case

Foxy Kangana Ranaut at an event!

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Kudankulam protests: I am not afraid of arrest, says Udhayakumar

Kudankulam:  After a brief clampdown, the police have now allowed media persons to visit Idithakarai where the Kudankulam nuclear power plant is located. However, no live coverage is allowed from the site as according to the police, it can aggravate the situation.

The security too has been tightened around the plant.

But the big question is: Will the Tamil Nadu government arrest Dr SP Udhaykumar, the face of the anti-nuclear plant protests? There is uncertainty among villagers who are protesting at the site of the plant.

Yesterday, they refused to hold talks with two local police officers who had come in their personal capacities to end the deadlock. The villagers asked the police to send non-natives for talks about ending the protests.

Dr Udhayakumar is on an indefinite hunger strike at village of at Idinthakarai, which has for seven months been the epicentre of the villagers and fishermen who say the Kudankulam plant is not safe.

A campaigner against nuclear energy for years, the recent Fukushima tragedy struck the right chord with the masses and catapulted him to be the face of the anti-nuclear campaign at Kudankulam.And with Jayalalithaa's U-turn, the state has now turned on the heat on Udhayakumar who is facing charges of sedition, and waging war against the country. "I have not stolen anyone's property, or money. I'm not afraid of arrest. Am I a criminal or a terrorist?" he said. (Watch: Who is S P Udhayakumar?)

Scientists and engineers have entered the plant, escorted by the police, to get to work. The Tamil Nadu government cleared the project on Monday, after initially trying to block it.

The 5000 villagers who are protesting against the setting up of the nuclear power plant are facing tough times.  There is no power supply since Tuesday morning at Idinthakarai, the ground zero for the anti-nuclear protests. Villagers have blamed police for the power cut; they also complain there is shortage of drinking water, food and milk.

Prohibitory orders have been clamped and there is tight security near the plant.

Those who live near the project remain worried about their safety and refer often to last year's disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. "People within 30 km radius of the Kudankulam plant have not been given any disaster training," Mr Udhayakumar said yesterday. "Without doing this, they cannot load the nuclear fuel... the Central Government and the State Government would be held liable for this criminal activity if they decide to load the fuel rods without preparing the people," he added.

In September, the state Cabinet had passed a resolution demanding that the Prime Minister order a halt of operations at Kudankulam till those living in the area were convinced that they are not at risk. Dr Manmohan Singh then deputed experts and ministers to assess the plant and answer the questions of villagers. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had also commissioned her own panel of experts to study the plant. Her clearance for the project came right after an important by-election in the Tirunelveli district, where the plant is located. In an attempt to pacify the area, she announced a Rs 500 crore package to improve roads and infrastructure in the area.

Dr Srikumar Banerjee, the Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission said yesterday, "The nuclear community has learnt a lesson from this agitation... and that (we) need a much better connect with local people." He said that activists and villagers should be rest assured that the safety standards for the nuclear plant meet international standards. "A clear cut disaster management exists for the plant," he said.

The nuclear power project, worth Rs. 13,000 crores and being set up with assistance from Russia, will upon completion have six reactors, making this will India's largest power-generating complex. A pair of two 1,000 megawatt reactors will kickstart production.  

The protesters, mostly fishermen from three districts, are worried that the seaside plant may damage the ecosystem with nuclear waste and ruin their livelihoods.

The Prime Minister's recent remarks that protests against Kudankulam were possibly receiving foreign funding provoked much anger among NGOs.

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