Machilipatnam (AP), Mar 17 PTI) An elderly couple were murdered at their home at Gudivada town of Krishna district and cash and other valuables stolen, police said.

The deceased have been identified as B Sai Chowdary (72) and his wife B Nagamani (67) and were staying alone in the house, they said.

Police said that the robbers gained entry into their house last night, killed them and decamped with the cash and valuables in the couple's car.

The murders came to light this morning when neigbours found them lying in a pool of blood and informed police.

Police said they are ascertaining the exact amount of cash and valuables stolen.

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Washington, Nov 1 (PTI) At least eight people were killed and 11 other injured in Lower Manhattan today after a gunman in a truck plowed through a busy bike path, an incident the US termed as an "act of terrorism".

The suspect, a 29-year-old man, was shot in the stomach before being arrested.

US President Donald Trump denounced the attack, saying "we must not allow ISIS to return".

"In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely.

NOT IN THE U.S.A.!" Trump tweeted.

"We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Enough!" he said in another tweet.

The New York Police Department said the suspect drove down his truck south on the path striking multiple people.

"Eight people were killed, 11 have serious but non-life- threatening injuries," the police said.

The incident that took place in Manhattan, the most densely populated of New York City's 5 boroughs, has sent shocking waves across the country.

"The President has been briefed on the incident in NYC by Chief of Staff (John) Kelly and will be continually updated as more details are known. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke has been briefed on the apparent act of terrorism that occurred in New York City, an official statement said.

The department is closely monitoring the situation and working with federal, state and local partners in responding to and investigating this tragedy.

"We are referring all questions about the investigation to the FBI and the New York Police Department," the statement said.

"We have recently seen attacks like this one throughout the world. DHS and its law enforcement partners remain vigilant and committed to safeguarding the American people," it said.

According to the police, at approximately 3:05 pm (local time) the suspect drove a rented Home Depot truck onto the bike and pedestrian path at West St/Houston St driving south.

While driving south on the path the truck collided with a school bus at West St & Chambers St. After colliding with the school bus, the man exited holding two firearms. An officer assigned to the area fired, striking him in the stomach, the police said.

"The driver of the truck was taken into custody. A paintball gun and pellet gun were recovered from the scene," the police said.

Following a briefing from FBI officials, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as one of thousands of New Yorkers who regularly rides on the path where this attack took place, he is grateful to the NYPD and first responders who work day in and day out to keep people, and to those that responded to the scene today.

"As the investigation unfolds, it's critical that we learn what we can from this incident and do everything we can to prevent this from happening again. The scourge of terrorism is unfortunately still with us, and we must remain vigilant as ever," Schumer said.

This evening, all Americans were "horrified and heartbroken" by the despicable act of terror in Manhattan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.

"Tonight and in the days ahead, we join in mourning the dead, praying for the wounded, and sending our love to the people of New York City," she said.

"As we await further news, we must continue to be smart and strong to keep the American people safe, not reckless and rash. Our nation's courage and resilience will always defeat the hatred and violence of terrorists," Pelosi said.

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Chennai, Feb 29 (IANS) Actor-comedian Kumarimuthu breathed his last here on Sunday at a private hospital. He was 77.

"He passed away on Sunday night at Kauvery hospital due to some age-related ailments," a source close to the actor told IANS.

Known for his comic roles, Kumarimuthu starred in nearly 50 films in his career spanning over three decades.

He was best known for his signature laugh.

Some of his best films are "Idhu Namma Aalu", "Sahadevan Mahadevan", "Oru Oorla Oru Rajakumari" and "Marumagan".

In his brief stint in politics, Kumarimuthu was a member of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

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KALIKOT, Feb. 27, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Feb. 26, 2016 shows the crash site in Kalikot district in far western Nepal. Two pilots were killed when the 9N-AJB plane of Air Kasthamandap, carrying nine passengers and two crew members on board, crash landed in the remote district of Kalikot while enroute to Jumla district from Nepalgunj, after failing to land at Jumla airport due to some technical glitches. (Xinhua/Soraj Shahi/IANS)

Kathmandu, Feb 27 (IANS) A day after an Air Kasthamandap plane crash-landed in Nepal, the country's government has formed a four-member commission to probe the incident in Kalikot district.

The commission was formed under the coordination of Yagya Prasad Gautam, former secretary Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Xinhua quoted Suresh Acharya, joint secretary at the ministry, as saying.

Other members of the commission include Lieutenant Colonel Rabindra Basnet of Nepal Army, Goma Air Engineer R.K Singh and an under-secretary of the ministry.

Friday's incident comes just two days after the crash of Tara Airlines in Myagdi district, killing all 23 people on board including three crew members.

There were altogether 11 people on board in Air Kasthamandap' single engine plane including two crew members. While crew members -- Captain Dinesh Neupane and co-pilot Santosh Rana lost their lives during the crash landing, all the passengers were saved.

Nepalese authorities said that most of the passengers have sustained minor injuries while two were critically injured.

Meanwhile, the government officials said that the concerned authority would examine the condition of all the single engine planes operating in the country.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel on Friday said that he has already instructed the domestic airlines not to fly such planes before their technical tests.

Joint Secretary Acharya said that Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the regulatory body of aviation sector, has allowed single engine plane only to conduct chartered flights. "They are not licensed to conduct regular flights," he said.

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According to police officer Said Muse, the first blast occured at the gate of "peace garden" on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

"Car bomb rammed into the gate of garden, which caused more deaths. We can confirm that seven people were killed in the garden," Muse said.

The officer also noted that another explosion took place near SYL hotel which witnessed attacks before, saying the second explosion resulted in the deaths of 5 women who were employed as cleaners on the streets.

A journalist, who was at the scene the moment of the explosion told Xinhua that the blast was huge.

"I was inside the peace garden when the explosion occurred, and I was shocked and I immediately did not run towards the gate because I was afraid that there is another explosion. I jumped out of the wall. Everyone was in a panic," Radio Mogadishu journalist Mohamed Roraye who survived the attack, said.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. (File Photo: IANS)

New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) An Indian national was killed after being hit by stray bullets in Saudi Arabia, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Friday.

Citing information received from the Indian embassy in Riyadh, she said that stray bullets hit four Indians during a shootout in a security operation in Awamia, in the Eastern Province of the kingdom, on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately we lost Mohammad Avesh Khan of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh," she tweeted.

"One Indian is being treated in a local hospital," she added.

Sushma Swaraj also said that the Indian mission has been in touch with the deceased's family.

"I have asked them to expedite matters and send his mortal remains at the earliest," she said.

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Director General of Police Y.P. Singhal said 30 people lost their lives while over 200 people were injured in the agitation that paralysed life in the state.

At least 10 Haryana districts were severely affected by the violence.

A police spokesman said 13 of the dead were killed in Jhajjar district, eight in Sonipat, five in Rohtak and two in Jind and one person each died in Kaithal and Hisar districts.

Singhal said the army, which was requisitioned by the Haryana government to control the Jat protests, would start withdrawing from the affected areas.

"Normalcy is fast returning to the state. All railway tracks and highways are functional," he said.

He said 713 First Information Reports (FIRs) wer registered till Friday and 133 people had been arrested.

"Anyone found to have indulged in arson, hatching a conspiracy or vandalism won't be spared."

The violence during the agitation saw several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms being set on fire by hooligans.

Hundreds of shops were looted and set on fire.

A trade and industry body has pegged the losses in Haryana at around Rs.20,000 crore.

Rohtak bore the brunt of the violence with hundreds of shops and other establishments, government and private buildings and educational institutions and private hospitals set on fire and several shops looted.

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Los Angeles, Feb 26 (IANS)

He died in California on Thursday after a long fight with illness, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The 78-year-old had been in and out of the hospital for the past year, however, he never received an official diagnosis.

His younger sister Loretta Kelley confirmed the news to the Flint native's home state news website Michigan Live.

Carl Weathers, who played Apollo, tweeted: 'Sad news. RIP Tony Burton. His intensity and talent helped make the Rocky movies successful. #BePeace.'

The actor appeared in all seven of the films in the franchise.

Burton played Tony 'Duke' Evers - a no-nonsense trainer who in the first two films supported Apollo Creed, Balboa's opponent.

In the later films, he became the trainer to Balboa, famously played by Sylvester Stallone, helping him defeat foes such as Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago.

The actor -- a native of Flint, Michigan -- won Flint Golden Gloves light heavyweight titles in 1955 and again in 1957, before fighting professionally briefly.

He also featured in films like "The Shining" and "Stir Crazy".

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According to authorities, the victims were one man and two women -- all British, Xinhua news agency reported.

The bodies were found from an abyss in the downstream area of the waterfall.

The driver of a local travel firm booked by the tourists said he drove them to the site at 11.30 a.m.

Police said the victims might have slipped into the waterfall when exploring the area.

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Haryana's Director General of Police (DGP) Y.P. Singhal said that 30 people lost their life, while over 200 people were injured in the violent agitation that paralysed life in the state. At least 10 Haryana districts were severely affected by the violence.

He also said that the army, which was requisitioned by the Haryana government to control the volatile situation, would start withdrawing from the affected areas on Friday.

"Normalcy is fast returning to the state. All railway tracks and highways are functional and withdrawal of the army would begin today (on Friday) and continue in a phased manner," the DGP said.

He said that 713 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered till Friday and 133 people have been arrested.

"Anyone who is found to have indulged in arson, hatching a conspiracy or vandalism would not be spared," he added.

The violence during the agitation saw several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms being set on fire by the hooligans. Hundreds of shops were looted and set on fire.

A trade and industry body has pegged the losses in Haryana due to the agitation at around Rs. 20,000 crore.

Rohtak bore the brunt of the Jat violence with hundreds of shops and other establishments, government and private buildings and educational institutions and private hospitals being set on fire and shops looted.

The Jat community was demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

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Tje two pilots -- Captain Dinesh Neupane and co-pilot Santosh Ranaa -- of the plane were killed when the 9N-AJB chartered flight that took off from Nepalgunj city at 12.16 p.m. (local time) crashed while landing in a farmer's field near the top of a mountain, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Pokhrel said.

The Jumla-bound flight from Nepalgunj Airport carried in all 11 people, including two crew members, on board.

The incident came two days after a Tara Air plane -- that took off from Pokhara -- crashed on a forested mountainside on Wednesday, killing all 23 people on board.

The second crash within the week has created fears about security of domestic flights in the Himalayan nation where the country needs measure to make its aviation sector safe.

Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki said a joint team of Nepal Police and Army had been despatched for the accident site.

The aircraft appeared to have some technical problem and attempted to land on a farmer’s field near the top of a mountain. It went into a steep descent and crashed nose down, an eyewitness said.

The front part of the plane caught fire and efforts were on to douse the blaze, the eyewitness told media persons over phone.

Three helicopters, including two from the Nepal Army, were sent for the rescue operation, said Minister Pokhrel.

More passengers could have been injured, and a team of medical professionals had reached the accident site from the district headquarter, he added.

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"Kalyan Singh, additional secretary in the roads and buildings department, and his wife were killed on-the-spot in an accident at Khilani on the Batote-Doda road," a senior police officer told IANS.

The accident occurred when the car the couple was travelling in went off the road and plunged into a gorge. Three other persons injured in the accident were admitted in a hospital.

The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service officer was on way to his native place for the cremation of his father who expired on Thursday.

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K. Sri Devi, 32, wife of late S. Puspanathan who was on board the Beijing bound flight which departed from Kuala Lumpur Airport on March 8, 2014, has sued MAS, Malaysia's The Star online reported.

Sri Devi has sought about $723,000 in damages over loss of support, loss of future bonus of her late husband, loss of medical benefits, loss of prospect of her re-marriage, bereavement and psychiatric injury.

Sri Devi filed the lawsuit at the high court on Thursday.

“We are waiting to serve the suit to all the defendants as soon as possible," her lawyer Shailender said.

"My clients have no choice but to file the claim as they did not get an answer to their queries,” said Shailender.

Under international agreements, families have two years to sue over air accidents.

Any damages are to be paid by the insurer, Germany-based Allianz, and thus would not impact the struggling airline’s finances.

But some also plan to sue Malaysia’s civil aviation authorities and military for losing track of MH370, attorneys said, and at least one will target aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

If successful, total payouts could reach into “hundreds of millions” of dollars, said Joseph Wheeler, an Australian attorney who was seeking an out-of-court settlement for four Malaysian next of kin before the deadline.

Under international agreements, families are automatically granted around $160,000 per passenger as a form of compensation.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the next of kin of the victims of MH370 will have till March 7 to decide if they will accept the compensation or file a lawsuit over the incident as the two-year deadline approaches.

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The aircraft belonging to Kasthamandap Air "crashed" while it was bound to the remote Jumla district, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Himalayan Times said an unspecified number of passengers were injured in the accident.

The incident happened two days after a Tara Air plane crashed in Nepal, killing all 23 people on board.

The Kathmandu Post also said that the crash landing took place at Chilkhaya. The single engine 9N-AJB aircraft had 11 people, including two crew members.

Nepal Police spokesperson Madhav Raj Joshi said the plane was diverted from Jumla after it failed to land there.

Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki said a joint police-army team was on its way to the site.

The Nepalgunj Air Traffic Controller suspected that some passengers may have sustained major injuries. Helicopters from Pokhara and Nepalgunj were ready for rescue operations.

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The Air Kasthamandap plane bound to Jumla from Nepalgunj landed in Chilkhaya in mid-western Nepal, The Himalayan Times reported.

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The shootings took place at about four or five scenes and ended at the shooter's place of work, where he shot his colleagues on Thursday, Xinhua quoted T. Walton, a Kansas county sheriff, as saying.

Walton said the suspect was driving and shooting from his car before he was killed by the authorities inside his company, Excel Industries.

The shooting at Excel Industries reportedly occurred around 5 p.m. (local time), causing Hesston College, a two-year institution a few blocks away, to be locked down for about two hours.

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Vijay, his wife Poonam and father Mahasingh and seven others from the family were returning to their home in Haryana's Sonepat district when the accident took place close to Bhondsi on Sohna road.

Police officer Vikram Singh said Mahasingh, 64, Poonam, 30, and Yashika died in the accident. Four others were critically injured.

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Tropical Cyclone Winston, a category 5 cyclone, hit the Pacific Ocean island nation on February 20, claiming 44 lives.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote to her Fijian counterpart Ratu Inoke Kubuabola to express her condolences, ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said adding that India had extended 1 million dollars as immediate assistance.

"In addition, today (Thursday) a C-17 Globemaster aircraft has left for Fiji with 45 tonnes of relief material, which includes food products such as noodles, biscuits, milk powder, rice pulses, flour and salt, as well as 5.43 tonnes of medicines and 300 tents and kitchen sets," Swarup said at a media briefing here.

People of Indian origin account for 44 percent of Fiji's population. Most are descendants of Indians who went in the 18th and 19th centuries to work as indentured labour in sugar cane plantations in the island nation.

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Kathmandu, Feb 25 (IANS) The authorities in Nepal's western Myagdi district on Thursday said the bodies of all 23 victims of the previous day's passenger plane crash have been recovered.

The bodies were being brought to a helipad in Surkepatal, 150 metres from the crash site in Soli Ghopte Bhir, a Nepal Army officer said.

The Twin Otter plane of Tara Air crashed on Wednesday in Dana of Myagdi district, killing all 23 people aboard, including three crew members, two infants and two foreigners -- from Hong Kong and Kuwait, Xinhua news agency reported.

Security officials said the bodies would be brought for identification to Pokhara from where the ill-fated plane took off.

According to Nepal Army spokesperson Tara Bahadur Karki, civilian helicopters have already reached the crash site.

"We have got a report that the climatic condition is good after the snowfall on Wednesday evening, which had prevented airlifting of the bodies," he added.

Nepal plane crash: All bodies recovered

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"Constable Muhammad Yusuf of 92 battalion of BSF died late Wednesday in a case of accidental firing from a colleague's service rifle in Pantha Chowk camp," a senior police officer told IANS.

The deceased constable belongs to a village in the south Kashmir Anantnag district.

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The two-day conference, "When the Mountains Move and the Waters Rise", urged governments, scientists, researchers and civil society groups to break out of their silos, disciplines and departments and develop fresh approaches to disaster scenarios.

Organised by the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research at Jamia Millia Islamia in collaboration with National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), the North Eastern Council, the central government , and National Centre for People's Action in Disaster Management(NCPDP), Ahmedabad, the two-day conference that concluded on Wednesday focussed on health and shelter.

The conference underlined the lack of a network of specially trained engineers "who can be the first assessors of damage" based on sound engineering and science to provide a rational basis for a just compensation package, according to a statement issued by the organisers.

This gap was a crucial part of the situation despite many improvements in preparedness and having several institutions to handle disaster conditions.

Another priority was to create communities of trained caregivers who can counsel those suffering the effects of trauma. Institutes like National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) could take a lead in this sector.

"The suddenness of calamities often caught governments unawares. Thus, in terms of post-disaster capacity building, governments and partner groups need to have the curriculum and trainers to launch rapid training programs which will create an army of artisans (masons, carpenters etc.) for rebuilding programmes," the statement said.

"Disasters are built into the concept of 'development’ although the latter has the potential to increase or minimize risks. Development projects carry with them opportunities and risks,” the conference said in its recommendations.

Those who participated included technical experts from Nepal and India, especially from the northeast, representatives of the NIDM, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), state disaster management authorities (SDMAs) of Mizoram and Assam, Andhra Pradesh, as well social scientists and other Himalayan scholars, environmentalists, activists and officials from the UN.

There were detailed presentations on risks and risk assessment from Nepal, Meghalaya, the Sunderbans, Gujarat, Uttarkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

Assam’s SDMA representative Nandita Hazarika described what she called the state government’s innovative approach to floods and earthquakes while Young Mizo Association’s Lalswamliana and Hari Kumar of Geo-Hazards sketched the acute pressures on a vulnerable town like Aizawl, capital of Mizoram.

According to the recommendations of the conference, while it is not possible to make all infrastructure disaster-free, it is important that every vulnerable human settlement in the northeastern region be assessed with regard to multiple, current risks.

This information must be put in the public domain in simple local languages.

Governments need to have multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural approaches.

Governments, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations need to develop innovative partnerships.

Local communities need to acquire the sustained competence to innovate and absorb other forms of knowledge, technologies and practices. The role of communities and independent groups in developing local innovative solutions to specific problems such as health care was emphasized - these include best practices such as the boat clinics on the river Brahmaputra.

Traditional ways of habitat planning need to be built into a repository while exploring ways of connecting the best of the vernacular to “modern” processes through participatory methods and recognition of local knowledge, the conference recommended

Protocols of government engineering institutions require to incorporate new approaches including those which emphasize vernacular architecture.

Psycho-social support at times of disasters should be part of an integrated and inter-sectoral approach, especially with promotion of community capacity building

In post-disaster conditions, it has been observed that due to lack of preparedness precious time is lost, resulting in avoidable hardships. For example, communication materials which deal with both pre- and post-disaster scenarios (videos, leaflets in the local languages etc) should be accessible to the public.

The progress of shelter and rehabilitation construction should be placed in the public domain, the recommendations said.

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JOMSOM, Feb. 24, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Undated file photo shows a Twin Otter plane landing at Jomsom, Mustang, Nepal. Search operation has begun for a missing aircraft of Tara Airlines in Nepal that was flying with 18 passengers on board. The Twin Otter aircraft was flying to Jomsom from Pokhara on Wednesday morning. It lost contact a few minutes after taking off from the airport at 7:47 AM local time. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

Kathmandu, Feb 24 (IANS) All 23 people on board a Nepali airliner were on Wednesday killed when it crashed in the mountains of western Nepal early in the morning, officials here said.

The Tara Air Viking 9N-AHH Twin Otter had taken off from the western Nepali tourist resort of Pokhara at 7.47 a.m. for Jomsom from where trekkers usually commence their hike.

Deputy director of Pokhara airport Yogendra Kumar told IANS that the plane, which carried 20 passengers besides a three-member crew, lost contact with the air traffic control (ATC) within minutes of taking off.

The passengers included two infants and two foreign nationals, Kumar said.

The plane remained missing for nearly four hours after losing contact with the Pokhara ATC and its wreckage was found scattered over a forested mountainside in Soli Ghoptebhir of Myagdi district, Civil Aviation Minister Ananda Prasad Pokhrel told news men in Kathmandu.

Citing Nepal Army rescue teams which had reached the crash site, Pokhrel said: "The plane has crashed and all its occupants have been killed."

Located 200 km west of capital Kathmandu, Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal. It is a popular tourist destination and the kick-off point for climbing expeditions to the 8,091-metre Mt Annapurna.

Jomsom too is the starting point for many trekkers in the Himalayas.

The aircraft was added to the Tara Air fleet last September. Among the occupants were a Chinese national and a Kuwaiti and the others were Nepali nationals, BBC reported.

Army spokesperson Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki confirmed that all 23 people aboard the plane were killed in the crash. Karki said a Nepal Army team had reached the crash site and located the wing and tail section of the plane, the Kathmandu Post said.

The plane's wreckage was found after four hours of intense search and rescue operation. Eyewitnesses said the debris of the plane were scattered over a large area and the aircraft was still burning, the report added.

One local said the weather at the site was extremely cold and the area was likely to get rainfall.

Police constable Phool Kumar Thapa Magar who was among the first to reach the crash site said it was situated on a very treacherous terrain and the debris of the plane were scattered over an area of some 200 metres.

"No one has been found alive," Myagdi district Deputy Superintendent of Police Bishwa Raj Khadka said, adding that it was difficult to identify the bodies due to the raging fire at the site.

Two helicopters sent for the rescue bid were unable to land due to dense fog, he added.

Roshan Manandhar, the pilot of the ill-fated plane, in his final conversation with Pokhara Air Traffic Control, reported that the flight was normal, said Jasoda Subedi, chief air traffic controller at Pokhara airport, the media report added.

"See you back, Ghorepani normal, good day," were the last words from the captain.

"The weather at Pokhara and Jomsom is fine today (Wednesday). So we have no clue about what went wrong," said Bhim Raj Rai, media officer at Tara Airlines, soon after the plane was reported missing.

But the areas adjoining the suspected crash site were covered in a cloud of dust on Tuesday following dry landslides in Mt Annapurna South base since Monday night.

The expected flying time for the plane from Pokhara to Jomsom town is approximately 20 minutes.

Over 100 people have died in plane crashes in the Himalayan nation in the past five years. The last crash was on February 16, 2014, when a Nepal Airlines Twin Otter crashed in Masinelek, Argakhanchi, killing 18 people.

At least 15 people were killed when an Agni Air plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashed on May 14, 2012, near the treacherous high-altitude airport of Jomsom in northern Nepal, while six made a miraculous escape, the Kathmandu post said.

23 killed in Nepal plane crash

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The quake tremors, epicentred in Sindhupalchowk district of central Nepal, were felt at 3.07 p.m. (local time). The district was badly hit in the April 25 quake last year, the National Seismological Centre said.

People came out of their houses and offices screaming when the tremors were felt.

A total of 435 aftershocks above 4 on the Richter scale have been recorded in the Himalayan nation during the past 10 months.

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The Fijian government was working to restore normalcy in the country after the cyclone also left 89 people injured and one person missing, Efe news agency reported.

Minister for Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu said the official casualty figures will rise further when the authorities will be able to access the areas most affected by the cyclone.

The cyclone struck the country last weekend with sustained wind speeds of 230 kmph (143 mph) and gusts of up to 325 kmph (202 mph).

"Although the worst of the storm has now passed, Winston has left a terrible trail of destruction," said Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

"The need is great and urgent... the reconstruction process will take time. Perhaps a long time. Nearly nowhere has been spared of the scars," said Bainimarama.

Fiji has a population of about 810,000 people, 87 percent of whom live on the islands of Viti Levu (west) and Vanua Levu (north).

Meanwhile, the Emergency Operation Centre reported that there were around 19,290 persons in the evacuation centres.

Aerial photographs taken by the military aircraft of New Zealand, offering support to the Fiji government, show entire villages wiped out by the cyclone.

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Civil Aviation Minister Ananda Prasad Pokharel confirmed the crash.

The Tara Air Viking 9N-AHH Twin Otter took off from Pokhara at 7.47 a.m., deputy director of Pokhara airport Yogendra Kumar told IANS. It was headed to Jomsom town in Mustang district.

Located 200 km west of capital Kathmandu, Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal. It is a popular tourist destination and the kick-off point for climbing expeditions to the 8,091-metre Mt Annapurna.

The aircraft, which was added to the Tara Air fleet last September, had 23 occupants -- 20 passengers, among them one Chinese and one Kuwaiti national and two infants, and three crew members. It lost control with the Air Traffic Control minutes later.

"The plane has crashed and all its occupants have been killed," said Civil Aviation Minister Pokharel, quoting Nepal Army officials at the crash site in a forest in Soli Ghoptebhir of Myagdi district.

Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki too confirmed that all 23 people aboard the plane were killed in the crash. Karki said a Nepal Army team has reached the crash site and located the wing and tail section of the plane, the Kathmandu Post said.

The plane's wreckage was found after four hours of intense search and rescue operation. Eyewitnesses said the debris of the plane was scattered over an area and the aircraft was still burning, the report added.

One local said the weather at the site was extremely cold and the area was likely to get rainfall.

Police constable Phool Kumar Thapa Magar who was among the first to reach the crash site said it was situated on a very treacherous terrain and the debris of the plane were scattered in an area of some 200 metres.

Pilot Roshan Manandhar, during his final conversation with Pokhara Air Traffic Control, mentioned that the flight was normal, said Jasoda Subedi, chief air traffic controller at Pokhara airport, the media report added.

"See you back, Ghorepani normal, good day" were the last words from the captain.

"The weather at Pokhara and Jomsom is fine today (Wednesday). So we have no clue about what went wrong," said Bhim Raj Rai, media officer at Tara Airlines, soon after the plane was reported missing.

But the areas adjoining the suspected crash site were covered in a cloud of dust on Tuesday following dry landslides in Mt Annapurna South base since Monday night.

The expected flying time for the plane from Pokhara to Jomsom town is approximately 20 minutes.

Over 100 people have died in plane crashes in the Himalayan nation in the past five years. The last crash was on February 16, 2014, when a Nepal Airlines Twin Otter crashed in Masinelek, Argakhanchi, killing 18 people.

At least 15 people were killed when an Agni Air plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashed on May 14, 2012, near the treacherous high-altitude airport of Jomsom in northern Nepal, while six made a miraculous escape, the Kathmandu post said.

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The Donghailu stop of a light-rail line linking downtown Tianjin and Binhai New Area, will be rebuilt at the original site, covering about 7,000 square metres, by February 2017, Xinhua cited a source with the construction and transportation bureau of Tianjin Binhai New Area as saying.

Explosions tore through a container warehouse storing large amounts of toxic chemicals at the Tianjin port on August 12. The station was only about hundreds of metres from the blast site.

The light-rail line suspended operations after the accident, but has been partially operational since December 16.

A park is expected to be built on the blast site.

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Shops and business establishments, which survived the wrath of the Jat community rioters in the last few days, opened in Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jind, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Panipat and other districts.

Traders, businessmen, companies and government officials started assessing the damage to immovable and movable property during the peak of the violence in the state.

Several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms were set on fire by the hooligans. Hundreds of shops were looted and set on fire.

Experts have pegged the losses in Haryana due to the agitation at around Rs.20,000 crore.

Soldiers and paramilitary forces continued to be deployed in the worst affected areas. Traffic was restored on all highways and roads and railway tracks were being repaired to restore railway traffic.

The Jat community is demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

Political developments in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shifted to Delhi where all its Haryana MPs were called to meet Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and some other ministers and legislators are also camping in Delhi.

Non-Jat leaders within the BJP are upset with the party leadership for bowing before the demands of the Jat community which brazenly resorted to violence.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) said on Wednesday that the BJP government in the state and Congress leaders were responsible for the mindless violence during the Jat agitation.

"A case should be registered against Bhupinder Singh Hooda as his close aide Varinder Singh was caught on audio tape trying to instigate violence," a party leader said.

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The minister quoted Nepal Army officials at the crash site in Myagdi district as confirming the crash.

"The plane has crashed and all its occupants have been killed," the minister said.

The Tara Air Viking 9N-AHH Twin Otter took off from Pokhara at 7.47 a.m., deputy director of Pokhara airport Yogendra Kumar told IANS. It was headed to Jomsom town in Mustang district.

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The plane took off from Pokhara at 7.47 a.m., deputy director of Pokhara airport Yogendra Kumar told IANS.

Located 200 km west of capital Kathmandu, Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal. It is a popular tourist destination and the kick-off point for climbing expeditions to the 8,091-metre Mt Annapurna.

The Tara Air Viking 9N-AHH Twin Otter was headed to Jomsom town in Mustang district. It lost contact with the Air Traffic Control minutes later and reportedly crashed in Myagdi district in western Nepal, the Himalayan Times reported.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahendra Pokharel of Pokhara-based Gandaki zonal police office said that the suspected crash site lies in Rupse Chhahari in Myagdi district, the report said.

"The weather at Pokhara and Jomsom is fine today (Wednesday). So we have no clue about what went wrong," said Bhim Raj Rai, media officer at Tara Airlines.

But the areas adjoining the suspected crash site were covered in a cloud of dust on Tuesday following dry landslides in Mt Annapurna South base since Monday night.

Tara Air has released the list of passengers on board that includes one Chinese and one Kuwaiti national and two children.

The expected flying time for the plane from Pokhara to Jomsom town is approximately 20 minutes.

"See you again, good day" were the last words from the plane’s senior captain Roshan Manandhar.

Mustang district is located beyond the Himalayas and any flight has to cross difficult geographical terrain and deep rocky cliffs.

Myagdi district police chief Bishowraj Khadka said locals informed the police about huge flames in Rupse area and that they were headed to it, the Kathmandu Post reported.

The plane could have crashed in Rupse in Myagdi district in northern Nepal, the report added.

A police team has been sent to the border of Myagdi and Mustang districts after locals reported a fire in the area. Three helicopters also have been sent for rescue, said Hari Mainali, chief district officer of Kaski district.

Myagdi district is located between Kaski and Mustang districts.

However, there is no official confirmation so far about the crash but rescue teams have yet to reach the possible crash site, said Narendra Singh, DIG of Nepal Police.

The aircraft was added to the Tara Air fleet last September.

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Markets remained closed for the fourth day in Pampore, 10 km from Srinagar city, but the traffic was restored through the town.

Protests rocked Pampore town for three days after a fierce gunfight between three holed up guerrillas and security forces at the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI).

As many as nine people were killed in the 48-hour long gunfight. The victims were a civilian, three army soldiers, two paramilitary troopers, and three guerrillas belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, who were citizens of Pakistan.

The authorities imposed restrictions on movement of people in Pampore for three days while the gunfight continued, but protestors kept on defying the curbs by pelting stones at police and central police force (CRPF) troopers deployed to keep them away from the site of the gunfight.

The authorities in Kashmir Valley have battled a new dimension of separatist violence during the last few months, especially in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Despite repeated advisories by police on restrictions at the places where the security forces were engaged in the gunfight, people were trying to breach cordons by resorting to heavy stone pelting at the security men to distract and disrupt them.

During a gunfight between the holed up militants and security forces in Kakapora area of Pulwama district on February 15, civilians resorted to violence against security personnel. Two civilians, 23-year Shaista and 22-year old Danish, were killed reportedly by stray bullets.

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A breeder found the dead blue peafowl, with some of its feathers gone, during the Lunar New Year holiday at the Yunnan Wild Animal Park in Kunming, Xinhua news agency reported.

Vets found that the peacock died of fright.

The zoo had a lot of visitors during the seven-day holiday. Despite signs warning them against this, some tourists tried to hold the animals, an official said.

Photos posted by the public online showed a man laughing while holding the peafowl as a woman pulled feathers from the bird. The images provoked furious reaction from netizens.

The blue peafowl, also known as the Indian peafowl, features on the Red List of Threatened Species kept by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its beautiful tail feathers are often used by people as decorations.

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The Tara Air Viking 9N-AHH Twin Otter with 20 passengers and three crew members aboard went missing in Nepal on Wednesday and officials rushed to the suspected crash site, media reported.

The plane, which took off at 7.47 a.m., lost contact with Pokhara Air Traffic Control 10 minutes later. "See you again, good day" were the last words from the plane’s senior captain Roshan Manandhar.

The approximately 20-minute flight from Jomsom town in Mustang district to Pokhara, some 200 kms from here, could have crashed in Rupse in Myagdi district in northern Nepal, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Mustang district is located beyond the Himalayas and any flight has to cross difficult geographical terrain and deep rocky cliffs.

Bishowraj Khadka, police chief of Myagdi district, said locals informed them about huge flames in Rupse area and said they were headed to it, the report added.

Tara Air has published the list of passengers on board that includes one Chinese and one Kuwati national and two infants. The pilot of the missing plane has been identified as Manandhar and the co-pilot is D. Namkul.

A police team has been sent to the border of Myagdi and Mustang districts after locals reported about a fire in the area. Three helicopters have been sent for rescue, said Hari Mainali, chief district officer of Kaski district.

Myagdi district is located between Kaski and Mustang districts.

However, there is no official confirmation so far about the crash but rescue teams have been sent to the possible crash site, said Narendra Singh, DIG of Nepal Police.

"The weather at Pokhara and Jomsom is fine today (Wednesday). So we have no clue about what went wrong," said Bhim Raj Rai, Media Officer at Tara Airlines.

The aircraft was added to the fleet last September.

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"The plane took off from Pokhara at 7.47 a.m. The aircraft lost contact once it reached Goahapani area of Kaski district," Deputy Director of Pokhara Airport Yogendra Kuwar told IANS.

The search operation for Tara Viking 9H-AHH Twin Otter aircraft, flying to Jomsom town from Pokhara city, has begun, Xinhua reported.

Tara Air said it has received reports of a missing plane. Two helicopters have been sent to find the missing plane, said Chief District Officer of Kaski district, Hari Prasad Mainali.

"An army helicopter and a helicopter of Dynasty Air have already been sent for the search operation," said Bhim Raj Rai, Media Officer at Tara Airlines.

As many as 18 passengers were on board the plane, two were foreigners. However, the nationalities were yet not known. Three crew members were also on the aircraft.

"Weather of both Pokhara and Jomsom is fine today (Wednesday). So we have no clue about what went wrong," Rai said.

The aircraft was added to the fleet last September.

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The search operation for the Twin Otter aircraft, flying to Jomsom town from Pokhara city of Nepal, has begun, Xinhua reported.

"An army helicopter and a helicopter of Dynasty Air have already been sent for the search operation," said Bhim Raj Rai, Media Officer at Tara Airlines.

The plane lost contact a few minutes after taking off from the airport at 7.47 a.m.

Among the 18 passengers, two were foreigners. However, the nationalities were yet not known. Three crew members were also on the aircraft.

"Weather of both Pokhara and Jomsom is fine today (Wednesday). So we have no clue about what went wrong," Rai said.

The aircraft was added to the fleet last September.

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Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the fighting broke out when the terrorists, initially composed of 40 men, attacked a military detachment in Bayabao village in Butig town of Lanao del Sur Province last Saturday, Xinhua reported.

"The motive of the attack remains unknown," Padilla told reporters in a press briefing, adding that soldiers from the Army' s 51st Infantry Battalion manning the detachment were able to defend their position.

"When (government) reinforcements arrived late weekend, the (terrorist) group was held at bay, were cordoned off and are holding their position as of press time," Padilla said.

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