Uttarakhand begins grim task of mass cremation of the dead

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

News about the Kedarnath valley in Uttarakhand being cleared of all stranded pilgrims and the rescue focus now shifting to Badrinath and Harsil, dominate the press. "Rescue goes into Battle Mode" reads the Hindu headline. Quoting the Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation Center, the paper writes that 94,000 people have been rescued so far and that 9,000 are still stranded.

The Tribune reports that with rain predicted, the third phase of the ongoing rescue efforts is set to roll today. This will involve a unique effort in which brigadier-level officers of the army will lead pilgrims to walk across mountain paths, bringing them to the nearest road head for onward travel.

On John Kerry's India visit Hindustan Times writes that the US Secretary of State has walked half-way in addressing Indian concerns on the proposed 'direct talks' with the Taliban. He also hoped for greater Indo-Pak economic ties and skipping of the contentious Kashmir issue.

Pictures of the Indian cricket team celebrating after beating England in the ICC Champions Trophy, can be seen in several papers. The Tribune shows the Men in Blue in smart white colored blazers.

With an eye on Southeast Asia, Manipur is set to get its first International Airport, reports the Indian Express .

The Power Ministry has set an ambitious target of building the world's largest transmission grid by the end of the 12th Plan period, as per the Indian Express.

And finally, Plants do complex arithmetic to make sure they have enough food for the night informs The Times of India citing a London based study. The paper reports that Plant feed themselves during the day by using energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide into starch and once the sun has set, they calculate how to use their reserves at a constant rate so that they run out of starch almost precisely at dawn.