Naxals kill 18 people in first phase of polling

New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Naxals struck in a big way in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa killing 18 people, including five poll officials and ten security personnel, as moderate to brisk voting was reported across 15 states and two union territories on the first day of polling for Lok Sabha elections .

Shortly after voting began this morning, naxals detonated a landmine targeting a bus ferrying Border Security Force personnel in Latehar district in Jharkhand in which five personnel and two civilians were killed.

Naxalites blew up a vehicle carrying poll officials in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, killing five of them and injuring two others, police said.

Polling booths were set on fire and there was exchange of fire between the naxals and the security forces in Dandewada and Narainpur areas in the state that left two CRPF jawan dead and five others injured in Maruki in Dandewada, about 350 kms from Raipur.

Voting which began on a sedate note in 124 constituencies this morning picked up during the day. Today's election will decide among others the fate of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi and Yashwant Sinha and TRS president K Chandrasekar Rao. There are 1,715 candidates in the fray.
PTI

India test fires nuclear-capable Prithvi missile

BALASORE: India on Wednesday test fired the nuclear capable surface to surface Prithvi-II missile from a test range in Orissa, defence sources said.


The missile, tested from the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur in Balasore district at 10.21 am., has a range of about 350 km, officials said.

Prithvi is India's first indigenously built ballistic missile. It is one of five missiles being developed under India's Integrated Missile Development Programme.

Prithvi is capable of carrying a payload of between 500 kg and one tonne, including nuclear weapons. Two versions of the missile have already been deployed with the army and air force.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/N-capable-Prithvi-missile-test-fired/articleshow/4403699.cms

Pharma exports cross $1bn-mark

NEW DELHI, April 12 (PTI): The exports of pharmaceutical products were valued at 1.01 billion dollars in December, the highest in the first nine months of 2008-09.

According to Pharmaceuticals Exports Promotion Council (PHARMEXIL), total exports in December surged by 46.3 per cent to 1.01 billion dollars from 609 million dollars in the same month of the previous fiscal.

The overseas sales in the first nine months of 2008-09 went up by 21 per cent to 8.44 billion dollars against 6.97 billion dollars in 2007-08. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Dy Commandant among 10 CRPF men killed in Naxal attack

Raipur, Apr 10 (PTI) Ten CRPF personnel, including a Deputy Commandant, and three suspected Naxalites were today killed and 11 jawans injured in a fierce encounter in Dantewada district of Chattisgarh, an attack which comes barely a week ahead of the Lok Sabha polls here.

The incident took place in the forests of Kotampalli in Dantewada when the troops of the 55th

battalion of the force, who were on a patrol in the area, walked into an ambush set by Naxalites, sparking a gun battle.

Deputy Commandant Diwakar Tiwari, a sub-inspector, four head constables and four constables were killed in the encounter while 11 others including an Assistant Commandant were injured, a CRPF officer said in New Delhi.

At least three Naxalites were also killed.

One AK-47 rifle and a few wireless sets have been recovered from the site of the encounter, the officer said.

Dantewada Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma told PTI that Naxalites attacked the patrol unit near Minta village under Chintagufa police station, about 200 km from the district headquarters.

The combing operation in the area is still going on to nab the fleeing attackers and further information is awaited, the CRPF officer said. PTI