New Delhi  - Hundreds of Indian Muslims held protests Thursday against what they called the harassment and torture of their community by police and security forces.

The demonstrators arrived on a train they called the "Ulema Express," which set off from Azamgarh in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh Wednesday and picked up hundreds of Muslims on its 700-kilometre journey to New Delhi.

Manila  - At least five people were killed in an explosion Thursday that rocked a firecracker factory just outside the Philippine capital, local officials said.

The blast occurred shortly before noon inside the Starmaker Fireworks factory in the village of Conchu in Trece Martires City in Cavite province, 25 kilometres south of Manila, according to Mayor Melencio de Sagun.

De Sagun said only two bodies of those killed remained intact while the other three bodies were found torn to pieces.

Chief Minister Sheila Dixit is all set to add another feather to her cap. With the view to make the NCR smoke-free before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi cabinet has started an ambitious project in association with a prominent US institution for public health.

New Delhi, Jan 29 : Over 40 flights departing from New Delhi were delayed this morning by over two hours due to a thick fog which covered the Indira Gandhi International Airport, reducing the visibility to a mere 50 metres.
The situation was totally unexpected as the fog started settling down suddenly at 7 a. m. after a clear morning.
The flights, which were scheduled to take off at 7:30 a. m., were the worst affected as the passengers had boarded and the doors were closed when the fog descended.

Jakarta  - Two mechanics were killed by rotor blades on Thursday when the helicopter they were servicing tilted on its side, an transport ministry official said.

The pilot and mechanics were making last-minute checks on the aircraft before take-off when the accident happened at a military airport about 30 kilometres southwest of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, said transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan.

The spinning blades killed the two mechanics instantly while the pilot and another technician in the cockpit were injured, he said