Efforts on to check oil spill; Chavan undertakes aerial survey

Efforts continued on a war-footing on Monday to combat the oil spill from a Panaman ship that crashed into another vessel in Mumbai harbour as it threatened to spread further along the Konkan coastline, officials said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan today undertook an aerial survey of the
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oil spill off the Mumbai coast.

"Chavan undertook an aerial survey of the spill," official sources told PTI.

He said the state government was taking all necessary steps to contain the spill and described it as a matter of concern.

Taking a grim view of the situation arising out of the oil spill off Mumbai, Maharashtra Environment Minister Suresh Shetty said he would conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas later in the day.

"The situation is very serious and the oil slick seems to be spreading. I shall make an aerial survey and decide on the next course of action," Shetty told IANS.

Shetty was closeted with officials from various departments since early morning to discuss the oil spillage that threatens the Konkan coastline comprising Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

What happened

Hectic efforts, meanwhile, continued to combat the oil spill spanning around two miles in the Arabian Sea, three days after Panaman cargo carrier MSC Chitra and a St. Kitts ship MV Khalijia-III collided outside the Mumbai harbour, barely five km from south Mumbai.

In the biggest such operation mounted so far in the Indian sea waters, authorities have deployed five Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships, one helicopter and one small aircraft for controlling the massive oil spill, an official said.

The affected ship, MSC Chitra, was loaded with an estimated 2,600 tonnes of oil, 300 tonnes of diesel and 89 tonnes of lubricating oil at the time of the accident.

The ship has also dangerously tilted at nearly 70 degrees and nearly 30 huge containers have so far fallen off into the sea.

Some containers are floating in the choppy Arabian Sea in the busy navigation channels giving entry and exit into the country's one of the oldest and largest ports - the Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust respectively.

In view of the serious hazard the floating containers pose to vessels navigating in the area, the shipping traffic has been kept on hold for the time being.

Ships like the ICG Sankalp, Amrit Kaur, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Kamla Devi and C-145 - have joined the ICG AOPV Sangram, which was deployed since Sunday to monitor the oil spill and guide relief efforts.

A Chetak helicopter and a small Dornier aircraft were pressed into service for aerial spray of dispersants to tackle the thick oil slick.

Charles Taylor war crimes trial: as it happens

Namoi Campbell's former agent, Carole White, is due to begin giving evidence sometime soon after 0800 BST and is expected to challenge the supermodel's account about how she received "blood diamonds" from the ex-dictator.

Next to take the stand at the special court for Sierra Leone will be Mia Farrow, the actress. Farrow and White were at a charity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in 1997, after which Campbell was given a pouch of "dirty looking pebbles".


On Thursday Campbell testified that she was never told who the gift was from, contradicting accounts from White and Farrow in documents already submitted to the court.

Proceedings are relayed to the public with a 30 minute delay.

0835 Monday's court session gets under way

0840 Confusion over whether Farrow or White will appear first. Defence counsel kicking up a fuss after being told that Farrow would take stand before White, despite having prepared to question Namoi Campbell's former agent first. Lawyer Courtenay Griffiths claims confusion is "out of order".

0845 Prosecution apologises for "inverting" list but claims it was due to "miscommunication". Farrow will give evidence first after judges overrule complaint.

0850 Farrow takes oath to tell truth on bible

0850 Hollywood actress explains that she was at Nelson Mandela's charity dinner in support of his children's charities through the former South African president's "Blue Train" scheme.

0855 Farrow says she met Charles Taylor for first time at the dinner but was told that he was not supposed to be there

0900 Farrow says she remembers Naomi Campbell recounting receiving a "huge diamond" during the night from Charles Taylor. Farrow said the supermodel planned to give the diamond to one of Mandela's charities.

"She said in the night she had been awakened by men knocking at her door that said they had been sent to her by Charles Taylor, and they had given her a very huge diamond," Farrow told the court.

The evidence contradicts Campbell's claim that, at the time, she did not know that the diamonds were from the former Liberian dictator.

0905 Farrow says her three children, who met Campbell on the Blue Train trip, "adored" the supermodel

0905 Farrow is shown video clip of Campbell interview in which she denies receiving diamonds from Charles Taylor. The Hollywood actress says Campbell's statement was not consistent with what the supermodel told her at breakfast.

0910 Court is shown transcript of Campbell's appearance at tribunal on 5 August. Farrow again claims Campbell's evidence is inconsistent. She denies seeing the diamonds despite Campbell's claim she had shown the actress and White what the men had delivered her.

0915 Farrow says an "excited" Campbell claimed at breakfast that men from Charles Taylor had given her a diamond. The actress says it was Campbell, and not her or White, who made the suggestion that the diamonds came from the former Liberian dictator.

"What I remember is Naomi Campbell joined us at the table but before she even sat down she recounted an event of that evening, Farrow told the court.

"And she said that in the night she had been awakened, some men were knocking at the door. They had been sent by Charles Taylor and they were giving a huge diamond."

"And she said that she intended to give the diamond to Nelson Mandela's children's charity."

Asked who said the gift came from Taylor, Farrow said: "Naomi Campbell."

Farrow was asked again if she was the one at the breakfast table who said the gift came from Taylor.

She said: "Absolutely not."

She was asked who did make the suggestion.

She said: "Naomi Campbell said they came from Charles Taylor."

Farrow says her children remembered the same thing. "The moment was unforgettable," the actress says.

0915 Farrow claims she didn't know anything about Charles Taylor in 1997. She also claims that she doesn't know Carole White and has no relationship with her.

0920 Farrow says Campbell said "of course I don't intend on keeping diamond".

0925 Prosecutors questioning of Farrow ends. Cross examining begins. The prosecution claims Taylor traded guns to rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone in exchange for uncut diamonds — known as "blood diamonds" for their role in financing conflicts — during the country's 1992-2002 civil war, which left more than 100,000 dead.

If Farrow's account is true, it would dent Taylor's denials of any involvement with the trade in illicit diamonds.

0925 Farrow says she "stands by everything she has said" and denies exaggerating.

0925 Actress says she doesn't know identities or nationalities of men who delivered diamond to Campbell in the middle of the night. She also says she knows nothing about the origin of the diamond or why it was given to Campbell.

0935 Defence queries why Farrow talks of "one huge diamond" when Campbell and White talk of "several little diamonds". Farrow says she did not see diamonds and is repeating what Campbell told her.

0936 Farrow admits "Maths is not her forte" after being told by the judge that if her son was born in 1970 then he was 27 when he attended Mandela's dinner in 1997, not 17.

0950 Defence labouring the point about whether diamond was singular and large or whether they were plural and small. Lawyer ticked off by judge.

0950 Farrow says she doesn't remember Charles Taylor being at the dinner. She says it was a big gathering with perhaps three tables. Campbell said there was only one.

0954 Actress says she didn't see any "flirtation or communication" between Campbell and Taylor.

1005 Farrow says her and Campbell have drifted apart since the dinner in South Africa and have had little contact since.

Kalmadi aide Darbari, earlier suspended, now sacked

New Delhi: Acting on the persistent plea of the Sports Ministry, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee today terminated the services of its tainted Joint Director General T S Darbari in the wake of the corruption scandal that has rocked the event. (Read: Who is T S Darbari?)

Darbari, who had been suspended pending an inquiry after his name cropped up in alleged corruption during the Queen's Baton Relay's launch in London, has been told to hand over charge to Additional Director General V K Saxena.

"The Ministry had written several letters to OC asking for his ouster because of the cases in Enforcement Directorate and the last such communication was made on August 6. The Ministry was not happy that he was merely suspended," a source told PTI.

The OC has finally acted on the instructions and given the marching orders to Darbari, who appeared before the Enforcement Directorate today in a probe over his alleged customs violations. (Read:Enforcement Directorate summons Darbari for questioning)


"According to an order from the OC, pending an inquiry by the ED into the case of alleged involvement of Darbari, who is the Joint Director General (PSUs, sponsorship and marketing), in the payment of an unreasonable amount to a British firm at the time of the QBR ceremony in London, his services are hereby terminated with immediate effect," the source said.

"He will hand over all documents, papers and equipment to V K Saxena Additional DG (PSUs, Marketing and sponsorship)," he added.

According to OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Darbari oversaw the QBR preparations in London, which became the focal point of a corruption storm following revelations that a little-known UK-based firm A M Films was paid lakhs of pounds for its "services" during the event.

Later, an e-mail from the Indian High Commission which Kalmadi made public to justify payments to AM Films also turned out to be doctored, forcing OC to launch a probe into the entire episode.

Although the OC probe report is yet to come out, the Sports Ministry had been demanding Darbari's removal ever since his name figured in a customs violation case.