Colombo  , Oct 21 : JVP (People’s Liberation Front) General Secretary Tilvin Silva has reportedly accused the Indian government of throwing a fresh lifeline to the LTTE as the army stepped up pressure on Kilinochchi.

Asserting that the government would eventually “give in to Indian pressure”, he attacked the SLFP leadership and its allies, particularly the breakaway JVP faction the National Freedom Front
(NFF) for blaming the ruling DMK for triggering chaos.

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 21 : The weather in Sriharikota will hold the key for Wednesday''s proposed launch of Chandrayaan-1, India''s spacecraft mission to moon.

The space port has reported lightning activity and inclement weather, and any further lightning tonight may lead to a postponement of the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

According to ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, rain has led to count down related activities being shifted from the outdoors to the control room.

London, Oct 21 : A man had paid a whopping 30,000 pounds for a water tower that he wished to convert into a "modern and funky pad" to share with his girlfriend, only to find he could reach there by helicopter or plane.

First time buyer Ashley Parsons has been told that driving or walking to the disused Ministry of Defence water tower could actually land him in prison, for his future love nest stands on private land.

The company that bought the land around the water tower refused to grant him with retrospective access rights because the directors do not want the tower to be redeveloped.

"It''s a horrible feeling but it won''t stop me and I''m glad I went ahead with the purchase,” The Telegraph quoted Parsons, as saying.

Srinagar, Oct 21 : India and Pakistan restored cross-LoC trade on Tuesday by launching truck services on the Srinagar- Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalkote roads, scripting a new chapter in bilateral ties.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra flagged off goods laden trucks making the resumption of trade ties between the divided parts of Kashmir after 60 years.

Three trucks carrying fruits and vegetables were also flagged off by H H Tayabji, Adviser to the Governor from the Rangar International Trade Terminal in Chakan-de-Bagh in Poonch District.

Amritsar, Oct. 21 : The Punjabi Durbar programme of Radio Pakistan has been having a staple diet talking about the status of Sikhs in India. Now the radio has a new object to patronize - the Dalits in India.

In broadcasts directed to the border areas in Punjab, the Punjabi Durbar programme has blamed the Government of India for neglecting the Dalit community, including the scheduled casts and tribes.

This has provoked anger among the scheduled castes and tribes in the border areas.

New Delhi, Oct 21 : Minister of Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes has informed the Lok Sabha that Uttar Pradesh tops in child labour prevention followed by Rajasthan and Bihar as the maximum number of children in the age group of 5-14 year were rescued and rehabilitated.

During the year 2007-08, Fernandes said 71,479 children were withdrawn from work and enrolled in special schools under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh was followed by Rajasthan and Bihar where 39,601 and 34,650 children were withdrawn from work and enrolled in special schools.