India News

Nagpur: South Africa has made 291 runs for the loss of two wickets thanks to the stunning 34th Test hundred from Jacques Kallis on the first day of their first cricket Test against India on Saturday.

By the end of the day’s play, Jacques Kallis (159) and Hashim Amla (115) remained on the crease.

Before Kallis and Amla partnered for an unbeaten 285, Zaheer Khan had reduced the tourists to 6-2 in the seventh over when he dismissed Graeme Smith and Ashwell Prince.

The duo shared an unbroken stand of 285,a South African record partnership record against India, BBC reports.

The impervious Kallis produced a typically chanceless innings, consuming 290 deliveries featuring 13 boundaries and two sixes, while Amla provided more than adequate support, adding 11 boundaries on the way to his eighth Test match hundred.

However, the headlines will belong to Kallis, who moves level with Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara with 34 Test hundreds - only Ricky Ponting (39) and Sachin Tendulkar (45) have more.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Opposition ruled state governments on Saturday blamed the centre for the spiralling prices of essential commodities.

Their dissatisfaction came after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the chiefs of various states in New Delhi and discussed measures to check inflation.

Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that instead of blaming the state governments for rise in food prices, the government should take more serious measures to curb these.

“I made an appeal to the Prime Minister to tackle more seriously price rise issue and instead of blaming the state governments, the issue of price rise is the federal government''s responsibility. Whatever the federal government instructs the state government to do, we will not step back. We said that all the state governments would stand by your decision,” said Nishank.

Terming inflation a ''macro problem'', Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik, demanded the federal government to deal with the issue very firmly and efficiently.

"This is a macro problem, so it has to be dealt with very firmly and efficiently by the central government. We are doing everything we can to check the prices but the federal government is largely responsible,” said Patnaik.

In the meeting, Dr Singh asked state governments to ensure that the food articles released by the Centre quickly reach the intended beneficiaries.

He also asked the state governments to focus attention to developing market intervention mechanisms that can act as a supplement to the Public Distribution System.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the essential commodities act to check hoarding of food items.

Source ANI

Bhubaneswar: A hardcore maoist, who is also an explosive expert, has been arrested with huge amount of arms and ammunition in Rayagada district of Orissa, police say.

Ramesh Mambalika alias Purna, who is suspected of his involvement in murder, arms and ammunition loot and landmine explosion, was arrested on Tuesday and arms and ammunition recovered from him were displayed to the media on Friday.

Acting upon specific information, CRPF and the district police of Rayagada nabbed Purna from Tubani village in Gudari Police station area.

Ammunition, including gelatines and several kilograms of splinters used in making of landmines, five country-made barrel guns were seized from him. Four identity cards were also recovered from his baggage.

“Ramesh Mambalika alias Purna, a Maoist has been arrested, who was a wanted criminal in many cases. There are several cases registered against him. He is a local organiser of the area and also a landmine explosive expert. He was also handling the dump in the Maoist affected areas," said Anup Krishna, Superintendent of Police, Rayagada.

The rebels operate in large parts of the eastern, central and southern countryside, and officials say they are now spreading to cities and bigger towns.

The rebels have ignored repeated calls to renounce violence and negotiate, and have stepped up their attacks in recent past months, prompting the government to go after them in a concerted strike.

The Maoists are armed with sophisticated arms and ammunition, assault rifles and even communication tools.

Thousands have been killed in the Maoist insurgency, which began in the late 1960s.

Source ANI

Srinagar: The ongoing violence and imposition of curfew in the Kashmir Valley has completely paralysed life.

 

Tourism is one of the worst hit sectors.

 

At present, tourist hubs like the Dal Lake are completely deserted. It has affected houseboat and shikara (wooden boat) owners.

 

"Violent attacks and disturbances in the Kashmir Valley become worldwide news very quickly, thus affecting the tourism greatly. People are being killed; there are incidents of stone pelting on the roads every now and then, so who will want to come here? questions Reyaz Ahmad, a houseboat owner.

 

If somebody is spending money then they don''t want to see bullets, stones or army. Even the government can''t do much in this case," he added.

 

State authorities were expecting a huge influx of visitors this season due to the heavy snowfall in Gulmarg, but unrest in the valley has stopped foreign tourists from travelling to the region.

 

"It''s a shame because it does make the tourists probably feel a little uncomfortable. But up here in Gulmarg the situation is a bit better than Srinagar. So it is better if tourists travel directly to Gulmarg,” said James Pove, a tourist from New Zealand.

 

“But this atmosphere makes the whole thing more edgier and obviously not attractive for tourists. We want harmony and peace in Srinagar because it is a beautiful place," Pove added.

Source ANI

Srinagar: A shutdown in parts of the Kashmir Valley entered its sixth consecutive day on Saturday following the killing of Wanik Farooq, a teenager, in a teargas shelling incident.

 

On Friday, another teenager Zahid Farooq died when security forces opened fire on a mob during a protest near the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Inspector General’s office in the Kralsangri-Brain Nishat area.

 

All shops, business establishments and government offices remained closed, and the traffic stayed off the roads.

 

Authorities have imposed a curfew in five police station areas of Srinagar to thwart protests.

 

"Today is the sixth day of this shutdown. I am facing quite a lot of hardships as my college is closed and I couldn''t even fill my form. All the shops are closed. Because of the curfew, no movement of traffic is allowed," said Irfan Ahmad, local resident.

 

Meanwhile, over 70 leaders have been taken into preventive custody.

Source ANI

Kolkata: Green is in, and a mall has come up in Kolkata to further the cause of the Green brigade.

Nine kilometres outside the West Bengal capital, the Green Mall is the brainchild of Dinesh Rawat, who started the project in 2002.

Spread over 25 acres, these botanical gardens are an oasis of all things flora.

Most scientists agree that growing trees and plants can curb global warming because they absorb carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

Aspiring to play a role in the fight against climate change, Rawat decided to turn to Mother Nature herself.

“I started working on this problem when people in India were not aware of what is global warming. I was concerned about it," Rawat said.

With over 250 varieties of trees, thousands of plants and flowers and a meditation centre, the Green Mall has become increasingly popular among nature lovers.

Rawat believes that individuals should make their own efforts towards reducing global warming rather than relying on the government.

"Now people have become quite aware, there''s no doubt about it. And people have come to realise this problem is a very serious problem. Government or institutions or organisations, practically, they will not be able to do a lot," Rawat said.

Rawat''s next move is to export his plants and trees to the rest of the world.

Indian clients ranging from housewives to landscapers buy plants from the Green Mall.

Scientists believe a single tree will absorb approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

Source ANI

Hyderabad: Yusuf Pathan''s herculean, but fortuitous unbeaten 210, helped West Zone to chase down a record Duleep Trophy victory total of 536 on Saturday.

West Zone beat South Zone by three wickets. South had itself to blame because Pathan was dropped five times during his huge knock which contained 19 boundaries and 10 sixes. It all came down to which team could hold its nerve better under pressure.

At the start of the final day, Yusuf was unbeaten on 84 with his team needing a further 157 with four wickets in hand. Yusuf got 126 of them. He reached three figures for the second time in the match in signature style, cutting Ganapathy down to the deep backward point boundary, cricinfo reports.

A resolute Pinal Shah blunted the South attack on the final morning while Yusuf continued to flay the bowling, aided by a runner after cramping up, and the butter fingers of the South fielders. Shah''s role was simple - all he had to do was defend and give Yusuf the support he needed. He plodded to six off 40 deliveries and he remained on that score for the next 31 deliveries.

South were desperate for a breakthrough but when the opportunity came, they literally let it slip. Their first blunder of the day came when Ganapathy dropped Yusuf off his own bowling, fumbling on his follow through. He was batting on 102 then. It was Yusuf''s third life since he walked in, having been let off on 15 and 65 on Friday.

The bowlers who suffered the most due to the let-offs was Aushik Srinivas, the left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu playing his first Duleep final. Having been let down twice on the fourth day, there was more agony on the fifth as he watched KB Pawan grass a sitter at backward point. Yusuf, batting on 125, sliced it to Pawan''s right and poor Srinivas looked on helplessly as the fielder grabbed at the ball too early.

Yusuf refused to drop anchor after those drops and continued to gamble by taking on the bowling, carting the ball over the infield if the ball was pitched up and cutting if there was width. Shah fell for 16 when the latter spooned a catch back to the spinner Rohan Prem. Shah did his job, supporting Yusuf in an invaluable stand of 105 for the seventh wicket.

Prem, however, was at the receiving end of a Yusuf onslaught. The batsman smashed him for five fours and three sixes to blaze towards the target. Yusuf had started cramping up, and called for a runner - his brother Irfan Pathan - when on 144. West were 80 short of the target then and it was at that stage when Yusuf really slaughtered Prem, bringing up his 150 with a boundary past cover.

South committed yet another blunder when C M Gautham, keeping in place of Dinesh Karthik, let go another sitter with Yusuf on 170, this time off Ganapathy an over before lunch. South had one last chance when 22 runs were needed, Ramesh Powar would have been caught yards short if there was a direct hit from point, but the throw sailed wide. Powar has worked hard on his batting this season, and it showed during his confident 28-ball 18.

Yusuf decided to settle the match in a jiffy after Powar''s run-out opportunity, slamming two consecutive sixes off Prem to bring up his double-century. The final flourish was, fittingly, reserved for Yusuf, who smashed S Aravind over long-on to seal the record chase.

It surpassed the previous highest first-class chase of 513 for 9 between Central Province and Southern Province in the 2003-04 Sri Lankan domestic season.

It was a classic follow-up to the Ranji final recently, which also went down to the wire in Mysore.
 
West Zone 541 for 7 (Yusuf 210*, Pathak 130, Jaffer 66) and 251 (Yusuf 108, Ganapathy 5-75) beat South Zone 400 (Dinesh Karthik 183, Satish 53, Irfan 5-100) and 386 (Dinesh Karthik 150, Gautam 88, Kulkarni 5-58) by three wickets.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday criticised Centre for attributing price rise to adverse weather conditions.

 

Speaking at the Chief Minister’s conference here Modi said: "I am surprised to learn that the Government of India has attributed price rise to ''adverse'' weather and climate change."

 

He said that more adverse climatic conditions had prevailed for three years between 2000-02 during NDA rule which had an "equally adverse effect on agriculture production."

 

"Yet, the food inflation was contained within five per cent through better supply side management," Modi added.

 

He also sought to reject the Centre''s argument that hike in minimum support price, had led to rising prices.

 

Modi contended that the food price inflation shown by the wholesale price index was not the correct measurement of the price situation faced by a consumer as the common man paid much higher price than the wholesaler.

Source ANI

Amritsar: Tarlochan Singh, a Hindi playback singer from Amritsar, can be seen an achiever for his immense contribution in the Hindi playback-singing industry.

Tarlochan is also an avid fan of Hindi film industry legend singer Mohammad Rafi, and is the President of the Mohammad Rafi Memorial Society in Amritsar, which was formed in 1982 to award established and upcoming singers in the state to acknowledge their talent.

Talking about his zeal for singing, Tarlochan stressed that it has been his passion since childhood, and said: “During my school days, when I was studying in 3rd or 4th standard, I used to sing on the stage in the school compound. Sometimes, when I got late at school my family members found me singing for teachers and performing somewhere.”

He says that he admires Rafi’s Hindi-Urdu songs, which have immensely inspired him in his career.

“Legendary singer Mohammad Rafi is my idol and I have been listening to his songs since my childhood. During my school days I used to sing his songs. Since the beginning he has remained my idol,” Tarlochan said.

“I got professional training during my college days. Mohammad Rafi Sahib belongs to Kotla Sultan near Amritsar and I used to listen to his songs. I was unlucky that I could never meet him. He came to Amritsar twice to perform, but at that time I was a child and could not meet him,” he added.

He further highlighted that like his idol, he can sing in different formats in both Hindi and Punjabi.

“I was interested in Hindi songs, but living in Punjab the interest was more towards Punjabi. I can sing Ghazals and Punjabi songs too. I feel a sense of satisfaction in singing Hindi songs,” Tarlochan said.

Source ANI

Bangalore: Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) Jairam Ramesh today had a heated exchange on the controversial BT Brinjal issue with opponents of the proposal here, and at the end of the nearly four-hour-long meeting, said all shades of public opinion had been given a chance to express their views, and it was now for his ministry to take a final decision.

Interacting with media here after the meeting, Ramesh said there was need to maintain a balance between genetic engineering of food products and ensuring food safety and security. He said the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had also projected this view during the Science Congress in Kerala last month.

Reacting to the aggressive opposition to a planned government move on Bt Brinjal, Ramesh said: "I am not an extremist. I am trying to take the middle path. All public consultation is now over. My ministry will now take a decision."

He clearly stated the decision over Bt Brinjal will be entirely his.

“The decision over the implementation of the Bt Brinjal will be by my ministry. Agriculture ministry’s stand will not weight upon my decision," he said.

"I don''t wnat to play to the scientific gallery. I don''t want to play to any gallery," he added.

Earlier, Ramesh sparred with an anti-Bt Brinjal protester asking him to seek "mental help".

The protester, an ayurvedic doctor, returned the jibe.

Outside the venue of the meeting, hundreds of angry protesters, some wearing brinjal garlands, raised slogans and waved placards.

Saturday''s interaction was the last in the series, on the controversial move to introduce Bt Brinjal.Other meetings have been held in cities like Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Farmers, NGO''s and members of various organisations have unanimously condemned the move to introduce Bt Brinjal, carrying placards with slogans like "we don''t need Bt Brinjal."

They argued that its introduction would be unsafe, as research conducted in the field was still insufficient. Seed owners would not end up being farmers, but multinationals, they added.

Security was tight at the venue while the debate was on.

"Scientists should not display arrogance while discussing the issue. I am trying to find a middle path, which means (between) anti-democratic nature of NGOs and arrogance of scientists," Ramesh said, when a scientist asked him why farmers were resisting Bt Brinjal while they were open to accepting technologies like mobile phone.

Some farmers, however, favour the cultivation of Bt Brinjal, on grounds that a high yield would spell better economic stability and mitigate the financial problems of farmers.

Scientists stated that Bt Brinjal is still not ready for mass consumption. They said technology and research has to be fine-tuned.

Source ANI

Amritsar: Several ancient art forms such as copper relief art are on the verge of extinction in the country, but a few artisans in Amritsar have preserved this ancient form.

Bas-relief is a sculpture technique, which is as old as humankind’s artistic explorations and is closely related to high relief.
 
In Amritsar, these craftsmen have been practicing this craft for centuries. But, it is expensive and that has led to a decline in demand.

Built during 1574 AD, the sacred Sri Harmandir Sahib is famous for its architectural beauty and charm.
 
The exquisite golden structure called Sri Darbar Sahib is unique and though it is inspired by Islamic and Buddhist architecture, the bas-relief and the intricately inlaid artwork that adorn its walls reflect Sikh architecture.
 
The gold and copper craftwork was done under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the responsibility for the task was given to Mistri Yar Mohammad Khan, under the supervision of Bhai Sand Singh.

“According to Sikh history, the work was earlier done as per the Mughal architecture. Sikh Gurus converted it as per Sikh art. Later, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had the roof of the temple gilded with gold and got naqashi and frescoes made by skilled craftsmen. Maharaja Ranjit Singh promoted these craftsmen,” said Baba Amrik Singh, dera kar sewa wale. 

The craftsmen locally called as `thathrias’ still carry on the tradition of copper relief art in Amritsar.
 
They make copper panels in relief with intricate designs, which are used to decorate religious buildings and affluent houses.
 
Unfortunately, this art is on the verge of extinction since there are only a few people left who know the technique of relief work.
 
Ramesh Kumar is a fourth generation craftsman who believes that next generation is not very keen on carrying forward the tradition.

“We do the entire work by hand. Very few things are done on machine. One can get gold polish done on these copper artifacts. And it is also possible to have gold coating on it. To make it more stunning we do naqashi work. And its cost that is 170 dollars then it goes up to 220 dollars. Only three to four families still practice this craft as youngsters don’t want to continue with it,” said Ramesh Kumar, a craftsman.

Source ANI

Tehran: Iran Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said that China is keen to join the Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline Project.

Mottaki said the work on the gas pipeline project, which initially included India, and was known as the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline, would start soon,  and Beijing is likely to join the project.

Talking to a Pakistani media delegation here, Mottaki blamed the US for sabotaging the pipeline and said that India’s growing relations between America should not affect its relations with other countries of the region.

He said Islamabad should not hesitate to start the project despite the US pressure.

“We must not allow any third country to interfere in the bilateral relations of Iran and Pakistan,” The News quoted Mottaki, as saying.

India had not proceeded with the 2,775 km trilateral pipeline on issues pertaining to security and hefty transit fee asked by Pakistan.

While some Indian officials also cited ‘security’ and ‘non viability’ of the proposed pipeline as the main reason for parting away from the project, it is believed that New Delhi pulled out from the project under Washington’s pressure.

The IPI project was conceived in 1995 and after almost 13 years India finally decided to quit the project in 2008.

Source ANI

London: Once again Pakistan Army has demonstrated that they are the real masters of Kashmiri territory under their control; and that they are not accountable to anyone for their actions. It is they who call shots in this region and there is no law which is applicable to them.

Pakistan army behaves like an army of occupation although at times they try to pretend to be ‘defenders’ of this territory. They commit human rights abuses and are never held accountable for anything; because unlike on the other side of Line of Control where every human rights abuse is reported and flashed in media, no one even dares to report anything against Pakistani soldiers on this side of the LOC.

Neelam Valley and other areas near the Line of Control suffer most, and because of the prevailing situation - fear of army reprisals and fear of being arrested and imprisoned on fake charges of being an ‘Indian agent’ force people to remain quiet and take every abuse with a smile on their faces.

The Deputy Commissioner is a very senior civilian position in any district, but even a senior civilian is not spared by the Pakistani army in Pakistani Administered Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir.

On 4th February 2010 at around 10 a.m., Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ayub was manhandled by few soldiers of Pakistan army in Neelam Valley.

According to details emanating from the Neelam Valley, Shahid Ayub, along with his staff was on his routine journey to Sharda from Athmuqam, district headquarters. When he reached Keran, just 15 kilometers from Athmuqam, he was stopped by the Pakistan army soldiers by putting up barriers on the Neelam road.

The soldiers treated him disrespectfully and demanded to know who he was.

The Deputy Commissioner and his staff pointed to the AJK flag hoisting on his vehicle and told them that he was a Deputy Commissioner of the District.

Only senior officers, President, Prime Minister and Ministers could hoist the flag of Azad Kashmir on their vehicles.

The soldiers laughed at him and said, ‘They don''t care for any kind of Deputy Commissioner, or any flag; and that they were the masters of the area’.

They said it is their law and their order which is implemented here.

The soldiers verbally abused the Deputy Commissioner in front of his staff with guns pointing at him from both sides of his vehicle. They also threatened to shoot him on site if he tried to move from there without their permission.

The helpless Deputy Commissioner of so called Azad Kashmir, called Azad Kashmir police force for help, but they were unable to save their boss from the humiliation by soldiers of Pakistan army.

It is also pertinent to mention that the Deputy Commissioner has been in charge of the District for some months, and he is well known in the area and to the soldiers stationed at the Keran Check Post.

It is not that the soldiers didn’t know who he was, but they wanted to demonstrate that it is they who call shots in this region and not a Kashmiri Deputy Commissioner.

Source ANI

New Delhi: New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah today expressed hope that Golf in India has a very bright future and if golfers continue to play well then one day India would be on the top of the list.

"The future of Golf in India is very bright. Golf was introduced at the Asian Games and since then India has been making big names in the game. Today Indian players are playing at international level and winning many accolades. So if the same continues then one day you would see an Indian at the top of the list." said Abdullah on the sidelines of a golf event here.

Sports Minister M S Gill, who also attended the event, described Golf as a costly sport and said that India need to focus more on the game of soccer.

"I look at football because it is a common man''s game. In Brazil, the football stars are born out of slums and not from the palace. So the same can happen in our country as well. Football is not an expensive game...just give them a ball to play and any ground, and I am sure a star would come out from them," he added.

The Invitational Golf 2010, one of the largest golf events was held at DDA Qutab Golf Course here today.

This year the tournament witnessed presence of 120 golf enthusiasts, including CEOs, industrialists, bureaucrats and diplomats.

Source ANI

Birda village (Jharkhand): Following persistent threats by Maoists, a nationalised bank in Birda village of Jharkhand state has shifted to a safer place.

But after the complaints by the bank employees regarding ransom demanded by the Maoists and threats posed to their safety, the branch was shifted to the Karra region.
Bank employees seemed quite evasive on being asked about the exact reason behind the shifting.

"We can''t say what exactly is the reason; we were given the orders so we shifted here. One day some people came and started beating us. They slapped me so hard that I almost went deaf. So we shifted our branch here in Karra," said Soma Majhi, a bank staff.

"The number of customers has gone up substantially, and in comparison the building and space for the bank is not adequate. We hardly get any space to even stand. There are only two computers operational in the bank while the strength of staff is large." said Fracis Horo, a customer.

Jharkhand is said to be among the worst affected areas by Maoists violence.

Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers, but are fast losing credibility after attacking schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects.

Source ANI

Bangalore: Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) Jairam Ramesh will preside over the last in a series of nation-wide public consultation meetings on Bt Brinjal here on Saturday.

Sources here said that the meeting is likely to be stormy with pro-commercialisation and opponents pulling up their socks to make themselves heard.

They warned that sparks are bound to fly during the four-hour interaction with farmers groups, NGOs, technologists and others.

Farmers are opposed to the commercialisation of Bt brinjal, and have been holding stringent protests.

Proponents of Bt brinjal and PR-savvy agri-biotech firms and technologists have lined up a battery of speakers to make their view on the issue heard.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has sought deferment of its release till the issue is thoroughly examined by all stakeholders.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The premier of the Canadian province of Quebec, Jean Charest, has said that he can’t do anything to prevent the export of asbestos to India, where it has been linked to the health problems of workers.

Charest’s statement came during a news conference where he had gone to attend the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, the Globe and the Mail reports.

Speaking to delegates during the summit, Charest stressed that federated states like Quebec can have an influence in the fight against climate change.

For the second time in a week, unions and other groups called on Charest to put a halt to the export of the cancer-linked material, which is used in construction.

After his speech to delegates, Charest refused to elaborate on the possible contradiction between his environmental positions and his actions on the asbestos file.

The Premier limited himself to saying that the responsibility comes back to the Indian government.

“We have taken all our responsibilities, we''ve put in place standards and have promoted them. There''s a limit as to what we can do,” he said. “It was up to the Indian government to put these standards in place,” he said.

In front of the hotel where the conference was being held, Anup Srivastava of the Building and Wood Workers International union said asbestos is far from being a product that contributes to sustainable development.

“We are here before the summit of sustainable development and we''re talking about environmental questions. I think the message is clear: asbestos is not green,” he said.

The Trade Union Centre of India estimates that close to 25 per cent of Indian workers exposed to asbestos dust develop lung diseases such as asbestosis.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the Centre and States should come together to fight rising food prices.

Addressing a chief ministers'''' conference on how to contain the price rise, Dr. Singh said:
"Why are states not doing enough to increase productivity? There are serious problems due to additional taxes in states. They must ensure food released reaches intended beneficiaries soon," he added.

He also said the government was taking all necessary steps to curb the price rise and that food prices would stabilize soon.

He also warned hoarders of strict action under the Essential Commodities Act.

Besides chief ministers, the meeting is being attended by several Union ministers, including Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

As the meeting began, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said steps taken by Centre to curb prices were inadequate and added that this meeting should have been called earlier.

"The current crisis of sugar availability is largely due to lack of good governance and political will to combat the crisis quickly," he added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said the Centre should help state governments increase subsidy on essential commodities to pull down prices.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said the Centre should ban forward trading of all essential commodities.

The meeting comes a day after a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, during which Pawar came under fire for his handling of the price rise crisis. Many Congress leaders hit out at the minister without naming him.

Source ANI

On board New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi: Artists from India and Pakistan travelling on the Shatabdi Express between New Delhi and Amritsar have hailed the Indian and Pakistan Governments decision to consider a resumption of talks between the two countries.

Chote Gulam Ali Khan and Hans Raj Hans, both world-renowned Sufi singers from India and Pakistan, said efforts should be made to encourage bilateral cooperation and love.

Both artists were traveling together from New Delhi to Jalandhar on Friday night after performing in Agra.

Peaceniks feel the need of the hour is to eradicate poverty and deal effectively with other socio-economic issues for the betterment of the people.

Chote Gulam Ali told ANI that he has been visiting India for the last 29 years.

"I always felt the same warm welcome and assured that the same warm feeling prevails in Pakistan for the people of India," he said.

On the perceived reduction in the trust deficit between the two countries, he said: "Dil Mein Ek Leher Si Uthi Hai Abhi Koi Taaza Hawa Chali Hai Abhi."

Remembering his last visit to Lahore, Han Raj Hans said: "Lahore is known for its hospitable and generous culture and that I had experienced during the visit to Lahore."

He views the peace between India and Pakistan as something that would ultimately benefit the world.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray called Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan ''a traitor'', but said Sena will not will not stall his latest film ''My Name Is Khan''.

In a statement in the party mouthpiece ''''Saamna'''', Thackeray said: "Traitors, with the blessings of the Congress party, go ahead. Shiv Sena will not block you. Why our Shiv Sainiks should be beaten up and arrested?".    

Earlier, Thackeray attacked the actor by saying that the house where Shahrukh stays is not in Pakistan, but it''s in Mumbai.
 
Khan, one of the owners of the Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team had said Pakistani players ought to have been considered in the preliminary auction of the players by the franchising teams.

This invited the Shiv Sena''''s wrath, and its activists attacked cinema halls screening his movie.

Source ANI

Islamabad: Responding to New Delhi’s overture, Pakistan has said that it wants a sustained  and meaningful dialogue with India, and has identified ‘eight issues’ for discussions, which also include the Kashmir issue and water disputes.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit welcomed India’s proposal, saying it is the only way forward for resolving issues between both countries.

In an interview with private television channel, Basit described the recent proposal by India of holding foreign secretary level talks as a ‘positive’ move, and said Islamabad always wanted result-oriented engagements with India to discuss a number of issues, including terrorism.

Basit stressed that terrorism alone can not be made a subject of discussion between two countries, as there are plenty of issues which also needed to be resolved amicably.

“If the Indians think this is possible, it would not be an appropriate approach to restart the engagement,” The Daily Times quoted Basit, as saying.

Earlier, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik met Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and said that Islamabad wants Kashmir and other bilateral issues to be included in dialogue with India.

Addressing the media after holding a meeting with Foreign Secretary for nearly an hour, Malik said: “We are not going to shy away on the issue of terrorism. We will discuss it, as we also have issues related to terrorism.”

He also said that Pakistan would raise the Kashmir issue with India on every forum possible.

On Thursday, India had proposed foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan, and said a key issue that could be discussed during the talks would be counter-terrorism.

According to sources, India would approach the talks with a positive frame of mind to create an atmosphere of peace and stability in the region.

Source ANI

Poonch: Security forces busted two hideouts and recovered arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir''s Poonch district.

Acting on a tip off, Special Operation Group (SOG) and 156 Territorial Army (TA) busted a hideout in Naliya forest belt in Poonch district.

"Since a long time militants had dumped cache of arms here for their subversive activities. From time to time, they were using them as replenishment of their lethal arms," said Javaid Iqbal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations), Poonch Range.

Three pistols, as many pistol magazines, 60 rounds, 16 hand grenades, one RPG rocket, one AK magazine and 30 rounds were recovered from the site.

Source ANI

Darjeeling: The students'' wing of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJMM) gave a call for all educational institutions in the Darjeeling to close down from Friday.

This ultimatum was issued as a mark of protest against the police baton charging student activists staging a hunger strike in the cause of Gorkhaland.

The activists of GJMM students wing were seeking permission for an open rally to be held on February 6 in Siliguri to raise their demand, which was not granted by the administration.

Following this, the activists sat on hunger strike and also trapped district magistrate and other senior officials inside their offices.

"The police without any reason baton charged students who were staging a hunger strike as a mark of our demand for Gorkhaland. We strongly condemn this. And today we are saying that we don''t want police which is acting like goons and hitting innocent students instead of overseeing law and order situation," said Keshab Raj Pokhreil, Secretary, Students'' Wing of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJMM).

The GJMM activists have also warned that they would restrict the movement of all government vehicles including the police in the hills area.

Gorkhas have been demanding a separate state, to be carved out of West Bengal, to protect their culture and heritage.

The Gorkha population in West Bengal is estimated to be around a million.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Hundreds of protestors demonstrated on Friday for a judicial inquiry into the Batla House gun battle that took place in New Delhi in September 2008, in which the Delhi Police killed two suspected Indian Mujahideen militants and also lost one of its ace inspectors.

The protestors carried placards in support of those arrested and demanded their immediate release.

Amanatullah, worker of Delhi State Congress Party, said that they considered this encounter fake and demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident.
"Our demands are that the encounter which took place at L-18 Batla House a proper judicial investigation should be conducted into it and the innocent children who are languishing in the jails should be released," said Amanatullah.

"After reading today''s paper I really felt sad that some Members of Parliament and the Members of legislative assembly had requested Sonia Gandhi for a judicial enquiry and she had even agreed on this but I''m sad that her advise was ignored and the Prime Minster had said that this will weaken the morale of the police and I would say that this is against humanity," said Feroze, a resident.

Two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists who were killed were identified as Atif Amin and Mohd Sajid. Two other IM suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested from the Batla House area.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee will flag off 12 new trains, including the Kanpur-Delhi Shatabdi Express on Sunday from the Kanpur Railway central station.

Besides the Kanpur-Delhi Shatabdi Express, the new trains include: Lucknow-New Delhi Duranto Express, Allahabad-New Delhi Duranto Express, Agra-Lucknow Intercity, Mathura-Kasganj Passenger train, Bhopal-Pratapgarh Express, Gorakhpur-Lokmanya Tilak Express, Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Superfast Express, Lucknow-Yashwantpur Express, Gorakhpur-Nautnava Express, Gorakhpur-Nautnava Passenger and Chapra-Mathura Express.

Extension in service of several trains is also expected on the same day.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has begun a meeting with chief ministers on the issue of combating a surging inflation.

Dr. Singh is likely to ask states to improve the Public Distribution System (PDS) and increase farm productivity.

The meeting will also review the implementation of the essential commodities act to check the hoarding of food items.

The meeting comes a day after a Congress Working Committee (CWC) over prices in which Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar came under fire for his handling of the crisis. Many Congress leaders hit out at the minister without actually naming him.

Congress party has faced flak from various opposition parties over the rising prices of essential commodities.

The wholesale price index rose 7.3 percent in December from a year earlier, its highest since November 2008, and accelerated from a 4.8 percent gain in November.

The rise was driven by near 20 percent jump in food prices, which rose on weak monsoon rains and flooding in parts of the country, but inflation in manufacturing products picked up to 5.2 percent from four percent in November, a sign that inflationary pressures were spreading to other sectors of the economy.

Sugar, in particular, has been a problem, with Congress party caught in the middle of competing demands from consumers who want lower prices while cane farmers seek higher prices for their produce.

The supply situation deteriorated further in recent months when Uttar Pradesh, seeking to help cane farmers, banned processing raw sugar, jamming 750,000 tonnes of raw sugar at ports.

Source ANI

Paris: Prime Minister’s special envoy on climate change Shyam Saran has said that India is deeply worried about the potential nexus between clandestine proliferation and terrorism.

Addressing the historic summit on ‘Global Zero’, Saran said: “India is deeply worried about the potential nexus between clandestine proliferation and terrorism and the ever-present danger of such weapons or vulnerable nuclear materials falling into the hands of Jehadi and non-State actors.”

“While this is a specific threat to India, it also threatens the security of all States” said Saran while welcoming the United States’ initiative to host the Nuclear Security Summit in April this year.

“Over the long term, it is also our view that it is only through the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and by putting in place universally applicable, non-discriminatory and fully transparent verification procedures, that we can fully prevent and deny nuclear materials from falling into dangerous hands,” Saran added.

He noted that it was difficult to confine the security interests of a country like India to the arbitrarily defined regional settings.

“India’s security has been adversely impacted by the clandestine proliferation of nuclear weapons in its neighbourhood, often ignored and on occasion, encouraged by certain important countries and the activities of the so-called A.Q.Khan network is an ominous reminder of the threats India continues to face in this respect,” he said.

Expressing deep concern over the link between terrorism and proliferation Saran warned: “This is an escalating danger and will not be put on hold, while we take our time to achieve Global Zero. In any case, nuclear weapons cannot credibly deter non-state actors or jehadi groups from using or threatening the use of clandestinely acquired nuclear weapons, even if it is a crude one.”

He stressed the Globe Zero initiative should highlight these realities as well, in order to reinforce the argument for urgency.

Saran said that as it is apparent that the centre of gravity of political and economic power is now shifting towards the Asia-Pacific region, it is only to be expected that military capabilities and security assets, gain a higher profile in our region.

“India welcomes the lead taken by the US and Russia in reducing their nuclear arsenals, we must remain mindful of security trends, including relating to the improvement, accretion and deployment of strategic armaments, in the Asia-Pacific region,” he noted.

Saran also said that this should also be of concern to the international community as well, “as we (the nations across the world) move with practical steps towards Global Zero.”

Meanwhile, mentioning about India’s thinking on Global Zero, Saran said: “While India is a nuclear weapon state, it is the only such state to declare unequivocally that, in its perception, its security will be enhanced and not diminished in a world free of nuclear weapons.”

He also said: “India has taken steps to underscore its commitment to nuclear disarmament and contribute to confidence-building. India has publicly adhered to a policy of non-first use of nuclear weapons and to the non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon States. Despite our well-known reservations on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, India is committed to its voluntary unilateral moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.”

“India has impeccable and universally acknowledged credentials on non-proliferation. It is in recognition of India’s unmatched non-proliferation record over the past more than half a century that it was possible to persuade the United States and the 45 member States of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to re-engage with India in international civil nuclear commerce under an India-specific Safeguards agreement with the IAEA,” Saran stated.

Source ANI

New Delhi: President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul will be arriving in New Delhi on a six-day (Feb.7 to 12) State visit commencing on Sunday.

He will arrive by a special aircraft at the Air Force Station, Palam, in New Delhi at 8.30 in evening, said an MEA release.

On Monday (Feb.8), at 4.00 p.m., President Gul is scheduled to deliver an address at Amity University and will also be conferred an honorary Doctorate in Noida.

On Tuesday (Feb.9), at 9.30 a.m., President Gul is scheduled to attend a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s forecourt.

Later, at 10.00 a.m, he will lay wreath at Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi.

At 10.35 a.m., President Gul is scheduled to meet Minister of External Affairs S.M.Krishna at The Oberoi hotel.

At 11.20 a.m. President Gul is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and hold delegation level talks at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

At 1.15 p.m., President Gul will attend a Businees meet at the Oberoi hotel, which is being organized by ASSOCHAM/CII/FICCI.

At 4.00 p.m., Turkey President Gul will meet Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari at the hotel.

At 4.45 p.m. Gul will meet the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj at the same hotel.

At 5.30 p.m., President Gul will meet Congress President and United Progressive Alliance chairman Sonia Gandhi.

At 7.30 p.m., Turkey President will meet Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

At 8.00 p.m., a banquet will be hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in his honour.

On Wednesday (Feb.10), at 11.00 a.m. President Gul will fly to Agra, the city of Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh and attend a programme.

At 3.00 p.m., Gul is then scheduled to fly to Mumbai to attend a programme.

On Thursday (Feb.11), Gul is to attend a programme in Mumbai.

On Friday (Feb.12), President Gul is scheduled to leave for Dhaka at 11.05 a.m.

Source ANI

Chennai: The two-day World Tamil protection conference commenced here on Saturday.

Earlier, the Madras High Court granted the permission World Tamil Forum to hold the conference.

Delegates from various Tamil organisations in Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, etc. participated in the first sessions.

The conference is organised by K. Krishnasamy, leader of Puthiya Tamilagam (PT).

P. Ramasamy, Deputy Chief of Penang (Malaysia) inaugurated the conference.

Ramaswamy informed the media that the formation of World Tamil Protection Centre (WTPC) for safeguarding Tamilians living across the world.

"Whatever situation emerged in Sri Lanka should have never happened to any Tamilian anywhere in this world. It should be a lesson hereafter that nobody should dare to touch any Tamilian in any part of this world,”said Sivakami Devi, a delegate from Singapore.

More women like us should come forward and join hands to fight for our rights. The intentions of this conference is to protect the Tamilians across the world," she added.

A photo exhibition on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) and Sri Lanka was also put up in the conference.

Source ANI

Varanasi: A large number of devotees have participated in a Maha Yajna, a major sacred fire ritual, here in the holy city of Uttar Pradesh, organized to seek divine intervention to prevent global warming.

In the specially prepared 101 fire pits, 62 Himalayan herbs have been used, as part of the yajna ceremony. The religious ritual has been performed amidst chanting of Vedic Shlokas (verses) by priests while a large number of devotees joining them in the recitation of Shlokas.

"…Yajna is a part of worship of Lord Vishnu and this ritual will help overcome all types of pollutants prevalent in the atmosphere," said DP Sharma, the organiser.

It is believed that the smoke emitted from the burning herbs destroys carbon dioxide.

"These types of Yajnas are being carried out at the national level. I think we can repair the ozone layer’ hole in the atmosphere through such yajna. We can purify the polluted atmosphere," said Amita Dubey, a devotee.

The two-day event culminates on Saturday (February 6).

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday called upon the State Governments to give high priority to the strengthening of their police forces in budget allocation.

Addressing a meeting of the consultative committee attached to Home Ministry on “Modernization of Police Forces” Chidambaram lamented the fact that policing is not given the desired priority by the states while allocating funds in their budgets.

“The first duty of the Government is to provide security to its people without which no development is possible,” Chidambaram said.

“The Centre has been forced to substantially increase the strength of its paramilitary forces, because the State forces could not be augmented and modernized to the desired level,” he added.

Chidambaram said police and law and order being state subjects, it is the responsibility of the state Governments to modernize and augment its police forces. 

“Under the Modernization Plan, the Centre has taken major steps to equip its paramilitary forces with new weapons and equipment and would continue to do so,” he said.

Referring to the Scheme for Modernization of State Police Forces, Chidambaram said: “The Scheme only provides a helping hand to the States to build better police stations and provide modern weapons and communication systems, etc. to their forces.”

“A lot more needs to be done by the States on their own, as the requirement is huge,” he added.

Chidambaram also stressed the need for the States to quickly recruit sufficient number of policemen to fill up the existing vacancies and bring about the desired expansion of their forces.

Source ANI

Junagadh (Gujarat): A lion was trapped in a cage, which was intended to catch a suspected man-eater leopard in a village of Gujarat’s Junagadh District on Friday.

The trap was put in place by Forest Rangers to catch a leopard.

Villagers had complained that lions and leopards often stray into the villages and eat their cattle. Following their complaints, forest authorities had placed a cage to trap the suspected man-eater leopard.

The incident caused curiosity and panic among residents of Sukhpur village when they learnt about the lion in the trap.

However, the authorities have stated that erroneously trapped lion will soon be set free in jungle.

"Following a request from villagers, we had placed a cage to capture a leopard. Tonight a lion that is about four years of age, a male lion, has been trapped in that cage. Now we, as per the instructions of forest authorities, will treat the animal and would put it back in the forest area." said D. Sobhasaniya, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Junagadh.

The depletion of their habitat has threatened the leopards, forcing them to stray into human settlements; attacking people and cattle and often getting killed in return.

India had about 7,300 leopards in the wild, according to a 1997 census, but conservationists say the number is now likely to be much lower.

Development pressures and encroachment into forest areas have also brought humans and the wild cats into conflict, and there have been reports of villagers brutally killing the animals.

Source ANI

Patna: In Naxal hit areas of Bihar the police are re-enacting the five decade old film ‘Inspector General” starring Danny Kaye, except that in this instance, a villager becomes head of the police station for a day, and the opportunity is given to different villagers on many days. 

The opportunity is offered in different villages of Jamuai district of Bihar.

The villagers, particularly the youth, are given the chance to head the police station.  They have to submit their application, and the chances are that they will get the opportunity to head the police station, sooner than later.

The application needs not be accompanied by any degree or certificate.

The experiment is gaining popularity, and people are applying to become the station head for a day. The police dictionary described this post as “Station’s Chairperson.”

The Bihar Police feel that by providing such opportunities, people can understand the problems of the police. They will also understand the pressure and responsibilities of the policing.

Jamuai District Superintendent of Police, Rakesh Rathi, feels that  doubts about the police forces, can melt by this experiment.

Jamuai, which share border with Jharkhand, is one of the Naxal affected districts .

Police here  face a dual challenges—to counter Naxal activities and to maintain law and order.

Villagers now feel that the experiment helps them to understand the tasks of the  police

Aravind, a villager of Sikandara in the District, feels that after the experiment villagers feel more secure and boost police-public relation.

Prem Kumar Paswan, who once became the Station’s chairperson, says the experiment has brought the police and public closer to each other. The police can succeed in their work only when they get proper co-operation from public, he says.

The experiment has one handicap.  Police Superintendent Rathi points out that police rules do not permit a general public to take over the duties of the Station House Officer (SHO).

He thus has not given powers to the ‘Head’ to pass orders. The Station Chairperson can register complaints and can take rounds of the station limits.

State police felt that the experiment is creating a lot of interest among the public and they would like to continue it for some more days.

According to police, more than 40 young persons have already applied for station Chairperson in Jamuai district alone.

Many youths felt that the State Government should make this post a permanent one.

Like Danny Kaye, who said the Inspector General ‘generally inspects’ the Jamuai villager chairpersons generally ‘occupy the chair’ and record complaints.

Three cheers to the chairpersons of Jamuai.

Source ANI

New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh expressed solidarity with Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) saying India maintains full confidence in IPCC, the European Union has also come forward with its support for the UN climate body which is under fire for erroneous prediction on melting of glaciers by 2035.

 

Addressing mediapersons in New Delhi on Saturday, the European Union Secretary of State for Climate Change, Tersesa Ribera, said that EU has full respect for the IPCC and a small factual slip up will not affect the credibility of the institutions.

 

"I fully respect what the IPCC has been doing and the sound information it has been providing in the last years. So, it may be that there are some factual data that are wrong and that''s something we don''t like. But that''s not the basis to challenge general content or the general document,” Ribera said.

 

The embattled IPCC, the UN''s climate science body, has also admitted last month that it had made a mistake in asserting that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035, a date it included in its 2007 assessment of climate impacts.

 

European Union Secretary of State, Ribera, who is also the President of EU council of Environmental Ministers, believes that the growing size of IPCC in areas of research makes it vulnerable for mistakes and there should be a permanent mechanism for constant checks.

 

"In such a big work, we always need to have a permanent way to improve and to update the methodological solution to avoid this to happen," she stated.

 

Ribera has personally written a letter to IPCC chief Suresh Pachauri.

 

Extending her help, she said I am sure rest of the members of the bureau and rest of the researchers, not the governments that take part in this exercise to help, to update and to improve these type of controls."

 

IPCC is in the eye of storm over its wrong prediction, as a section of climate scientists believes that other than false assessment on meting glaciers, IPCC report has more errors.

 

However, such concerns or skepticism has not been able to deter Prime Minister and even European Union to lose faith in the IPCC, which is presently engaged in preparing its next report.

 

The IPCC assesses the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change.

Source ANI