New Delhi, 3 July:The Justice M B Shah Commission, inquiring into illegal mining activities in Odisha, submitted its first report to the Union mines ministry yesterday evening.
The contents of the report, reported to run into 1,500 pages, are unknown as yet; it can be made public only after it has been laid in Parliament.
The first part of the report is believed to contain preliminary observations, suggestions and overall findings. It is also expected to draw conclusions regarding illegal mining operation in the state, something which the Odisha government has been denying.
The commission, which is also examining illegal mining activities in several other states, is expected to submit the second and final part of its report towards the end of this year. The commission has requested for extension of its term by one year to complete the process.     agencies

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Bhubaneswar, 3 July
In a daring daylight heist, unidentified criminals looted about 5 kg of gold ornament and cash to the tune of over Rs 11 lakh from the Odisha Gramya Bank&’s Narangarh branch in Khurda district, about 45km from here. The criminals shot at four bank officials and  a college student while fleeing.
Incidentally, police have seized three of the four bags containing the looted booty. They are, however, yet to come out with a seizure list.
According to reports, five youths arrived at the bank at about 11a.m. While two criminals stood guard at the entrance of the premises, three others entered the bank and hurled at least two bombs to terrorise the staff and customers.    
“They shot at the manager and cashier and asked them to open the strong room. They looted about 700-800 packets of gold ornaments which were kept mortgaged for loan, and also took away over Rs 11 lakh cash,” said an eyewitness.
When the siren of the bank sounded, the local villagers rushed to the spot.
“While three criminals managed to escape brandishing firearms, the bike on which the two others tried to flee did not start, and they had to run on foot. Some distance away, they snatched a bike from a college student after firing at him,” he said.     
In a dramatic turn of event, the criminals came face to face with police who were escorting the Ethics Committee members of the Assembly on the NH-5. Suspecting that the youths were up to something, one police team chased them.
“It was near Dadhimachhagadia Square, when the bike-borne youths crossed us. We felt something was fishy and followed them. During the run, one bike fell and hit the other. They dropped three bags and fled with the last bag into a cashew field,” said a senior police official.
As per the latest report, police teams from Jankia, Khurda Sadar,  Khurda Town and Jatni police stations are searching the field.

Self defence: The state government plans to impart self-defence and martial art training to 2.50 lakh college-going girls in the next six months. While 200 trainers have been selected at the college levels, 100 trainers have been chosen from Odisha police, said a senior official.
Farmer sops:The government has set a target to provide five lakh quintal certified seed to the farmers of the state during the khariff season, according to a review meeting of agriculture department. Chaired by agriculture minister Mr Debi Prasad Mishra, the meeting claimed that the farmers have been given about 4.32 lakh quintal of seed by June, and this year&’s supply is more than 31,000 quintal more than that of the last year.
Jeypore book:Mandir Malini Jeypore, a book based on the historical facts in relation to the temples and rituals attached to them in the erstwhile Jeypore kingdom was published and inaugurated by Jeypore Sahitya Parishad today. The book is penned by noted researcher on culture and heritage of the region, Mr Paresh Rath.  

indo-asian news service

London, 3 July
India’s Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek entered the men’s doubles semifinals at the all-England lawn tennis championships, as have Rohan Bopanna and Frenchman Eduoard Roger-Vasselin. The only Indian who failed to make the grade was Mahesh Bhupathi along with his Austrian partner Julian Knowle.
Fourth-seeded Paes and Stepanek rallied after losing the first set against 11th-seeded Serb Nenad Zimonjic and Frenchman Julian Benneteau, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin upset sixth-seeded Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Canadian Daniel Nestor in a gruelling five-setter, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 6-7 (3), 6-2, here last night.
Bhupathi, who had announced at the beginning of the year that this would be his last ATP Tour, and Knowle lost to the Bryan twins from the US, Bob and Mike, in three straight tie-break sets, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4).
In the mixed doubles, India had a mixed day with its top woman player Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau justifying their second seeding by winning their second round against German pair Julia Georges and Martin Emmrich 6-3, 6-4, while Paes and his Chinese partner Saisai Zheng lost to American Eric Butorac and France’s Alize Cornet, 3-6, 3-6. Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin, who had earlier put out third-seeded Alexander Peya and Brazilian Bruno Soares, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 (5), won their rain-affected five-setter against Lindstedt and Nestor in two hours and 45 minutes.
India’s Rohan Bopanna along with his Chinese partner Jie Zheng became the first pair to enter the Wimbledon mixed doubles quarter-finals after defeating unseeded Swedish-Hungarian duo of Johan Brunstrom and Katalin Marosi 7-6(4) 3-6 6-1 here today.

KMC had declared the building condemned

statesman news service 
Kolkata, 3 July
One person was killed and another injured when a portion of the balcony of a century-old building on Maharshi Devendra Road in Burrabazar collapsed this morning. 
Police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials went to the spot and began clearing the debris. The KMC will pull down the dangerous portion of the balcony. 
At around 9.15 am a portion of the first floor of the balcony, which was converted into a kitchen, caved in. Alerted by a loud thud local people went to the spot and found Ramanand Mahato (52) a porter lying trapped inside the debris. Mrs Bimala Kedia, tenant of the first floor flat who was cooking when the accident took place was also injured. Mahato was taken to RG Kar Medical College where he was pronounced dead while Mrs Kedia was admitted to the Marwari Relief Society Hospital in a critical condition.  
Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said that the building had been declared as condemned and the owner had been asked to vacate it.  
Senior KMC officials said 2,582 buildings have been identified as insecure and dangerous and notices have been served to their owners. But none has vacated them and continue to stay, thereby risking their lives. It may be recalled that traffic along Creek Row had to be suspended for over a week in February  to clear the rubble when a portion of an old building collapsed. The officials said most of the dilapidated structures are in north Kolkata and the owners expressed their inability to repair them because of the paltry amount they get as rent. To resolve the vexed issue the KMC Act needs to be amended.

Pune, 3 July: An embarrassed Athletics Federation of India  today pulled out dope-flunked shot putter P Udaya Laxmi from the ongoing Asian Championships here after she tested positive for a banned substance. 
Laxmi returned positive for stimulant methylhexaneamine in a test conducted by NADA  on her ‘A’ sample taken during early last month’s National Inter-State Championships in Chennai.
Meanwhile, shot putter Om Prakash Karhana and long jumper Mayookha Johnny won a bronze each as India began their campaign at the 20th Asian Athletics Championships on a mixed note on a rain-marred opening day here today.
Star discus thrower Krishna Poonia finished a disappointing fourth, while another medal prospect and reigning Asian Games gold medallist Preeja Shreedharan also finished fourth in women’s 10,000m on a rain affected day. agencies

‘Once a safety issue comes up, we are not going to risk people&’s lives’

agence france-presse
London, 3 July:
Ferrari, Force India and Lotus, the three  teams          at the centre of the Pirelli British Grand Prix tyre storm, came out on Monday in favour of changes to ensure no repeat of the dramatic blow-outs at  Silverstone.
Formula One was plunged into its latest crisis after dangerous tyre failures hit Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, while he led the race, Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso and Sergio Perez of McLaren.
Ferrari, Lotus and Force India came out fighting after being attacked for being "short-sighted" for blocking Pirelli’s planned introduction of new tyre constructions.
The claim was levelled by Red Bull’s technical chief Adrian Newey, who said Pirelli had come up with a way to address the worrying issue of tyre safety this season, only for the three F1 outfits to vote against any change.
He explained: "Pirelli came up with a solution for that, with a different construction, and that was being offered initially for Montreal.
"But two or three teams vetoed that because they were worried it would suit some other teams more than it would suit them.
"As a result of that short-sightedness, Formula One ended up putting up the worrying performance it did (at Silverstone) and concerns about driver safety."
Drivers had even threatened to go on strike if the issue was not resolved.
But in the aftermath of the British GP all three teams were at pains to distance themselves from any accusation that their stance could have conceivably endangered the lives of drivers.
Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal, said: "For me, it’s important to move forward and solve the issue because it’s something that is very important for all of us."
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley, whose outfit was most strongly against the revisions last time, said: "It’s a completely different position to what we had previously because there was no safety element in any of it before.
"Once a safety issue comes up, we are not going to risk people’s well-being for a technical point."
Lotus boss Eric Boullier added: "We need to work with Pirelli and find solutions. Maybe Pirelli need to change the belt from metallic to Kevlar, and we would support this. Safety is the primary concern."
F1’s ruling body the FIA later announced that they were looking at changing the rule that would allow for a modification of the specification of the tyres during the Championship season without the unanimous agreement of all competing teams.
They have also called Pirelli to an urgent meeting of the F1 Sporting Working Group today at the Nurburgring where the German Grand Prix is scheduled to begin with free practice on Friday.
FIA president Jean Todt said that his body is determined to seek an urgent solution to the problem and as such the FIA will change the format of this month’s Formula One Young Driver Test. "Our priority is to ensure safety for all in Formula One and we believe the incidents at Silverstone represent a genuine safety concern for the drivers," said president Todt.
"We have thus taken the decision to alter the Young Driver Test to allow teams to use drivers they deem fit to carry out tyre development work in a bid to solve the problems we saw at the British Grand Prix.
"I believe it is fitting to carry out this work at the circuit upon which the issues were manifested."

Enter McClaren:
Former England manager Steve McClaren has joined Queens Park Rangers as a member of Harry Redknapp’s backroom staff, the club announced . He previously managed Dutch club FC Twente.
Neymar debut:
Barcelona have begun selling tickets for Neymar’s first official match for the club against his former team, Santos. The clash at Camp Nou on 2 August is part of a part of his tranfer deal.
Blood tests:
Footballers will undergo blood tests next season as part of Uefa’s new anti-doping drive in all competitions run by European soccer’s governing body. Previous  blood tests were at international fixtures.
Malik wins:
Reigning national champion Vikash Malik (60kg) powered through to the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Boxing Championships in Amman on Wednesday,   with a well earned victory over Nooristani Khaibar.
Bolt’s wish:
Usain Bolt says he wants to dominate the tracks until the 2016 Olympics. The announcement was made at a Press conference in Paris on Tuesday as he prepared to compete in Saturday’s Areva meeting.

Jammu and Kashmir police officers were fired upon from across the border as they were returning after collecting the remains of the Pakistani intruder killed in an IED explosion along the LoC in Poonch sector on Wednesday.
According to an official, a police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations) Javaid Naaz was returning last night after collecting the remains of the Pakistani intruder killed on 1 July when there was a small firing at Nallah post area along the LoC.

press trust of india
Srinagar, 3 July
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said some incidents in the Valley over the past 10 days have lent credence to voices both against and for revocation of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the state.
Mr Abdullah said the advocates of continuation of AFSPA in the state cite the example of attack on Army convoy in Srinagar on 24 June in which eight soldiers were killed and a dozen others were injured.
“They say that AFSPA cannot be revoked when such incidents take place. Those who want the Act to go cite the Sumbal incident, saying there was wrong use of powers … which led to death of two youths. If there was no AFSPA it would not have happened,” he said.
He said he would continue the discussion with the Centre on the issue of partial revocation of AFSPA in the state.
On the incident in which two youths were killed alleged in Army firing on Sunday, the chief minister said investigations are going on.

Srinagar, 3 July: Union Health and Family Welfare ministry today expressed concern over dropping child sex ration in Jammu and Kashmir and asked the state government to take necessary steps to reverse the trend.
“The child sex ratio in Jammu and Kashmir is alarming.This a matter of great concern,” Union Health Secretary K D Raju said while addressing the national summit on "Best Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare System".
The child sex ratio in Jammu and Kashmir fell from 964 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001 Census to just 862 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011 Census.
“I do not worry so much about the fact that Punjab and Harayana have dismal figures but I do worry about the fact that Jammu and Kashmir has such figures,” Mr Raju said.    pti

statesman news service
Mumbai, 3 July
With no credible evidence to link Monday’s night’s huge cache of cash, gold and ornaments at the Mumbai Central Terminus with possible terror funding, the National Investigation Agency ~ which had effected the seizure with the assistance of the Income Tax’s vigilance cell ~ may abandon further probe into the origin and end-user of the unaccounted wealth once the valuation of the haul is completed.
According to Director General I-T (vigilance) Mr Swatantra Kumar, it would take couple of more days to calculate the worth of gold, jewellery and diamonds seized from four trucks on a tip off received by the NIA. The Central agency has completed the questioning of 40 odd people who were booked on the MCT-Ahmedabad Gujarat Mail to carry the consignment to Gujarat. Most of the detained “angadias” or courier service agents have been allowed to go as they have told the interrogators that it had been their routine job to ferry cash, gold, diamonds and other valuables between the two state capitals. 
The traders at the Opera House diamond hub and Zaveri Bazaar claimed the markets have full knowledge of senders and end-users of this sly trade practice of using hawala route for settling accounts. They say such huge consignments are usually handled by the big “angadia” operator known as Jayanti Amba.
“Such transfer of cash and other valuables take place regularly. Every day  hundreds of angadias board and alight the Gujarat Mail as cops conveniently look the other way. Perhaps, some underpaid or ignored go-between involved in these deals might have alerted the NIA,” said a broker in the diamond market.

New Delhi, 3 July: In what is seen as a significant move towards improving Sino-Indian relations, Defence Minister A K Antony leaves tomorrow on a four-day official visit to China to discuss the Sino-Indian border issue, interactions between the two armed forces, as well as regional and global security. 
The visit by an Indian defence minister to China comes after a gap of almost seven years with the last one being in 2006 by the then defence minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee. 
The visit by Mr Antony comes close on the heels of high-level visits, including that of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to India and that of the Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma to China.
The minister will have delegation-level talks with his counterpart. “Both ministers are expected to discuss a number of issues including those related to maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border, exchanges and interactions between the armed forces of both sides and matters relating to regional and global security,” according to an official release.     sns

Hate speech case: A local court has rejected a UP government plea for withdrawal of a case lodged against SP leader Azam Khan for allegedly delivering a hate speech against former CM Mayawati in 2007. pti
Fire in Mumbai: A fire broke out at a building in south Mumbai this morning, fire brigade sources said. “The fire broke out on the third floor of the Exchange Building in Ballard Pier,” the sources said. pti  
Man rapes niece: A man has allegedly raped his minor niece at Tharoijam Maning Leikai village in Imphal West district of Manipur, police said today. Irom Bobo (40) raped his 12-year-old niece on Monday, they said. pti
Businessman robbed: Santosh Jha, a Noida-based trader, was robbed of his car and Rs 3,000 by three armed motorists near Bhensi bypass on the Delhi-Haridwar national highway yesterday, police sources said. pti
Kashmir whiz kid: A 13-year-old from Kashmir has invented a formula for cracking magic squares. Faizan Ali Mir’s inability to solve a mathematics problem last year led him to make the invention. pti
Minor girls drown: Three minor girls ~ Khushi (8), Sonam (6) and Nisha (5) ~ drowned in the Yamuna river at Jagosh village in Baghpat district, police said today. while playing near the river yesterday. pti
IAF chief lauds men: IAF chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne in New Delhi commended the air warriors who carried out rescue and relief operations in the flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand on Wednesday. SNS
SRK&’s third baby: The veil of secrecy over Shah Rukh Khan&’s third baby, born with the help of a surrogate mother, has been lifted with civic authority in Mumbai confirming the development on Wednesday, police said. PTI
Minor raped, killed: A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed before her body was thrown into a jungle at Bhalukpong in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday. pti
UP thundershowers: Moderate rain and thundershowers occurred on Wednesday in many parts of Uttar Pradesh where rivers Ganga, and Ghaghra were flowing near the danger mark. PTI
Raj official arrested: A government official has been arrested for allegedly demanding sexual favour from an executive of a private company in return of selecting her firm for work in Rajasthan on Wednesday. pti
Khurshid in S’pore: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will begin his first visit to Singapore on the invitation of its law ministerfrom Wednesday, the foreign ministry in Singapore said.    PTI
Man, child hacked: A man and his daughter were hacked to death allegedly over a property dispute while they were standing outside their house in Pallia area in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.    PTI
Tender on lifeguards: Goa Tourism Dep is in the process of floating a tender to appoint private lifeguards on its beaches, after the five-year contract with a Mumbai-based firm expired.    PTI
Sikkim gets Guv: Veteran parliamentarian Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil has been appointed the new Governor of Sikkim by Pranab Mukherjee with effect from his taking the new charge, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said..     PTI
AP seeks fund: Arunachal Pradesh has urged the Centre to provide funds for additional 2 lakh hectares land under Integrated Watershed Management Programme for the current financial year as envisaged in the 12th Plan. PTI
Army posting: Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Saxena took charge as the Eighth Director General of the Corps of Army Air Defence from Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh on 1 July.                 sns
Train halted: The Howrah-bound NJP-Howrah Shatabdi express was stopped by railway trackmen for nearly one hour after one of their colleagues, Kanhaiya Gore (43), was run over by the train on Wednesday morning. sns
NLC strike: Defying the Madras High Court orders, employees of Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) have launched an indefinite strike protesting the Centre’s decision to disinvest five per cent of its stake in the Navaratna PSU.       pti
Fake I-T officers: Four people posing as Income Tax officers allegedly took away Rs 2 lakh in cash and 200 grams gold ornaments from a elderly woman on Wednesday in Rajendra Nagar in Hyderabad, the police said.             pti
Cop shoots self: A police constable who had accompanied an accused to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Aurangabad  for a medical checkup killed himself on Wednesday by firing at his head using his service rifle.        pti

Defiant president refuses to quit; offers consensus govt to end standoff
Press Trust of India
Cairo, 3 July
Beleaguered Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi today refused to quit and offered a consensus government to end a standoff with the powerful military, as the 48-hour deadline for him to meet people’s demands expired with both sides pledging to sacrifice their lives to defend the country.
“The presidency envisions the formation of a consensus coalition government to oversee the next parliamentary election,” the President’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook. Mr Mursi reaffirmed his call for a national dialogue and the formation of a panel to amend the country’s controversial Islamist-drafted constitution. He insisted on continuing as the President. There was a “clear roadmap which is based on constitutional legitimacy… and includes the formation of a temporary coalition government based on national participation to oversee the coming phase,” 61-year-old Mr Mursi, Egypt’s first democratically elected President, said. “There would be an agreement from all political trends over the (choice of) prime minister,” his office said.
Egypt edged closer to a return to rule by the army generals as both sides refused to back down with the 48-hour military deadline for Mr Mursi to resolve the ongoing political crisis coming to an end.
Mr Mursi, who looked increasingly isolated as many of his Cabinet colleagues abandoned him, earlier said he had been elected in a free and fair poll to lead the nation and intended to stick to his task.
Meanwhile, the health ministry said 23 people were killed and 200 others injured in violence between pro-and anti-Mursi supporters at Cairo University in the Giza district in the capital since last night, taking the toll to 39 since Sunday.
Mr Mursi, in a 46-minute emotional address televised live across the country late last night, had warned that the only alternative to respecting the constitutional legitimacy of the office was further bloodshed on the streets.
Mr Mursi said he would give his life for Egypt and insisted he is the legitimate leader and will not give in to “violence and thuggery” by resigning. “The general commander of the armed forces said it was more honourable for us to die than to have the people of Egypt terrorised or threatened,” the army said in a statement headlined “The Final Hours”.  Hours after Mr Mursi rejected the military ultimatum, the army today assured the people that it would shed its blood to defend Egypt against “any terrorist, radical or fool”.

dawn/ann
Miramshah/Islamabad, 3 July
At least 17 people were killed and two others injured in a US drone attack which targeted a house in the North Waziristan tribal region late last night. Sources said that the drone fired four missiles on the house near Miramshah bazaar in the Sirai Darpakhel area, targeting the Haqqani residential compound and a car. The head commander, Haji Shahrifullah of Haqqani, a militant network, is said to be safe, whereas 17 people were killed and two others injured in the attack. Intelligence sources confirmed the toll.
US officials consider the Haqqani network to be one of the most dangerous militant factions fighting American troops in Afghanistan.
The leadership of the Haqqani network pledges allegiance to Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar but
operates fairly independently.
The drone attack was the biggest launched this year and the second since Mr Sharif took office as prime minister. Mr Sharif has called for an immediate end to US drone strikes on the grounds that they breach Pakistan’s sovereignty.

ISI asked to tackle violence
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the ISI and the Intelligence Bureau to arrest those involved in the deadly bombings in Quetta and join hands with the Balochistan government to end violence in the restive province,  adds PTI.

Morales’ plane was rerouted to austria amid rumours he was helping snowden escape to Latin America
Associated Press
Paris, 3 July
Bolivia’s president left Europe for home today amid diplomatic drama, a day after his flight was rerouted and delayed in Austria amid suggestions that he was trying to spirit National Security Advisor (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden to Latin America.
Bolivia demanded explanation from various European countries it accused of thwarting President Evo Morales’ flight. French officials denied today that France refused to let the plane cross over its airspace amid suspicions that Mr Snowden was aboard. Spain, too, said the plane was free to cross its territory.
The plane carrying Mr Morales home from Moscow was rerouted to Austria yesterday night, in a new twist to the international uproar over Mr Snowden and the widespread US surveillance that he revealed. It took off again from Vienna shortly before noon today.
Bolivian and Austrian officials both say Mr Snowden was not on Mr Morales’ plane, which left Moscow yesterday following a summit. Mr Morales had suggested that his government would be willing to consider granting asylum to the American.
Mr Snowden is believed to be in a Moscow airport transit area, seeking asylum from one of more than a dozen countries. Bolivia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, speaking in Geneva today, continued to insist that several European countries had refused permission for the plane to fly in their airspace. Mr Sacha Llorenti said it was an “act of aggression” and that France, Portugal, Spain and Italy violated international law. Mr Llorenti said “the orders came from the USA” but other nations violated the immunity of the president and his plane, putting his life at risk.
Bolivian officials said that France, Portugal and Italy blocked the plane from flying over their territories based on unfounded rumours that Mr Snowden was on board. Bolivia said Spain agreed to allow the plane to refuel in the Canary Islands but only if Bolivian authorities agreed to allow it to be inspected. French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said Mr Morales’ plane had authorisation to fly over France. French officials would not comment on why Bolivian officials said otherwise. Spain’s foreign ministry said the country yesterday authorised Mr Morales’ plane to fly within its airspace and to make the Canary Islands refueling stop and gave the authorisation again today morning after Bolivian authorities repeated the request.