MAOISTS SAY MEDIA WAS NOT TARGET IN DANTEWADA

RAIPUR : Taking responsibility for the Chhattisgarh ambush which left four dead, Maoists have expressed grief over the killing of Doordarshan cameraman Achyuta Nanda Sahu and said he was not their target. In two-page statement, dated October 31, issued in the name of Sainath, secretary of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) Darbha Divisional Committee, the Maoists urged “media persons and other administrative employees, especially those on election duty, not to come with police while visiting the conflict zones”. Special director general of police DM Awasthi , however said, ”Naxals opened fire on Sahu who was holding a camera. Later, they even looted his camera. Besides, two other members of the media crew were attacked”.

SC seeks Centre’s reply on steps to protect leopards

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking directions for “drastic and tough steps” to protect leopards which have seen a sharp dip in population on account of poaching and man-animal conflict. A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) on the plea which has also sought setting up of a task force on the lines of tiger conservation project. The petition, filed by advocate Anupam Tripathi, has sought a direction to the ministry to set up ‘Project Leopard’ and allocation of funds for it to preserve the species. Tripathi has said that around two decades ago, there were more than 45,000 leopards in India but as per census done in 2015, less than 7,900 remain.

Xi, Trump hold a ‘positive phone conversation’

BEIJING : US President Donald Trump has hailed positive talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Beijing described their phone conversation as “extremely positive”, triggering speculation about progress in settling an escalating tariff war. Trump tweeted that he had held positive talks with Xi, a rare sign of hope in the monthslong standoff between the world’s top two economies. “Just had a long and very good conversation with President Xi Jinping of China. We talked about many subjects, with a