Veerappan shot dead
Chennai: Saandalwood smuggler and mass killer, Veerappan was shot dead by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF) late last night. At least four persons, including his close aide, Sethukuzhi Govindan, are believed to have been killed in the exchange of fire in jungles in Dharmapuri district, which borders Karnataka.

The bodies of those killed in the shootout were being brought to the plains of Dharmapuri. According to reports, an STF party led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police carried out the operation, apparently on a tip-off that Veerappan was being rushed in an ambulance for medical attention to the plains.

The hunt for the 60 year-old Veerappan had gone on for well over a decade. At least about 130 persons were killed as also 2,000 elephants in the Veerappan gang's operations in the jungles between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Recently, the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu govts had intensified their operations and the two STFs were assisted by the Central Reserve Police Force along with a team of commandos.
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BJP moves to arrest decline: Advani takes over
New Delhi: Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP leader L K Advani will take charge as President of the BJP, replacing Venkaiah Naidu, following the recent debacle in the Maharashtra state assembly polls. Coming hard on the heels of the Lok Sabha fiasco, the BJP has seen it fit to arrest a dramatic decline in its electoral fortunes with this appointment.

This will be Advani's third term as BJP President. Advani catapulted an obscure Bhartiya Janata Party from two seats in 1980's to 181 seats in 1996 before becoming the ruling party in 1998.
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Ready made garment exports up 16 per cent for H1
New Delhi: Ready made garment (RMG) exports from the country to quota-restricted countries registered a 16 per cent growth in value terms and 10 per cent in volume terms during the first half of the current fiscal. This has raised expectations that the year will see export receipts from this segment touching $5.5 billion-$5.7 billion.

Figures compiled by the Apparel Export promotion Council (AEPC) reveal that exports of RMGs to quota-restricted countries during April-September 2004-05 amounted to 590.3 million pieces valued at $2505.6 million, logging a growth of 9.64 per cent in volume and 15.77 per cent in terms of value, compared to the corresponding period the previous fiscal.

During the first half of the current fiscal, exports to the US amounted to 229.3 million pieces valued at $1,175.6 million, representing an increase of 22.88 per cent in terms of volume and 21.81 per cent in terms of value, compared to April-September 2003-04.

Exports of RMGs to the European Union countries during the period under review amounted to 335.2 million pieces valued at $1,243.3 million, a 4 per cent increase in volume and 12 per cent rise in terms of value.

Exports to Canada during April-September 2004 amounted to 25.8 million pieces valued at $86.6 million, showing a decrease of 4.4 per cent in volume and 2.04 per cent in terms of value.
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KSIDC consortium for Ayurveda majors
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) have taken the lead to bring the Ayurvedic product manufacturers in the State together. They will try to form a special purpose vehicle, styled Confederation of Ayurvedic Renaissance-Keralam Pvt Ltd (CARe-Keralam).

Some of the major companies like Pankajakasthuri, The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Vaidyaratnam Oushadasala, Nagarjuna, Sitaram, Sreedhareeyam, S.D. Pharmacy, Kandamkulathy, Dhanwantari and Kerala Ayurveda Pharmacy, have already joined as members of the consortium.

The project is coming up on a 10-acre plot in Kinfra Park at Koratty in Thrissur district. It will have a common raw material supply centre, a quality control laboratory and research and development facility. The company will also work on documentation of various Ayurvedic products, which is necessary for marketing the products as drugs in the global market.
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