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Cong asks Ajit to avoid decision on alliance till month end
New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) Fearing that its prolonged talks with the Samajwadi Party on seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh may lead to the loss of its smaller allies, Congress has asked RLD's Ajit Singh to wait till this month end before taking a final decision on which way he would go in the state.
As Ajit Singh is in talks with both BJP and Congress to arrive at a seat-sharing agreement for Western UP where he wields influence in 27 seats of the Jat belt, Congress fears that its prolonged talks with SP may force the RLD leader to side with the BJP.
"He (Ajit) has been requested against taking a final call on allying with any of the parties for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh," a senior UP Congress leader told PTI.
Though averse to allying with Ajit Singh's party until recently, SP was forced to reconsider its decision after an internal assessment.
SP now feels that Ajit's presence would suit the party's prospects in the state as he has a strong presence in Western UP.
Singh can damage the prospects of SP-Congress alliance if he is not taken on board, the SP leadership now claims.
While Ajit may not be able to win many seats, his strong Jat votebank can create problems for the newly formed alliance which is aiming to win 50 out of 80 seats in the most populous state of the country.
Ajit Singh has switched sides frequently in the last 10 years but this time the RLD chief is not left with many options as BSP has already announced its list for the Lok Sabha polls, leaving him without any seats. PTI
Australia score 254 for four at close
Bangalore, Oct 9 (PTI) Electing to bat, Australia scored 254 for four at close on the opening day of the first cricket Test against India here today.
Brief scores: Australia first innings: 254 for four in 89.2 overs (Ricky Ponting 123, Simon Katich 66, Michael Hussey batting 46, Zaheer Khan 2/39). PTI
Angry Ganguly lashes out at selectors
Kolkata, Oct 9 (PTI) In an angry outburst, Sourav Ganguly has taken on the national selectors for the way he has been treated and said he decided to retire to save himself the humiliation of being treated as the "sacrificial goat" all the time.
Ganguly said there was no point in carrying on playing cricket if he was treated in such a manner while some of the other players were spared.
"There is no point playing like this. I am not willing to play at their (selectors') mercy. They will pick you now and then dump you. Why should I be the sacrificial goat all the time? It was difficult to accept," Ganguly, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, said.
"If a gun is held at your head, how far can you bear it. That too after playing 450 matches. I played badly in only one series. But others are not dropped. I have scored the highest number of runs after comeback," he was quoted as saying by Bengali daily 'Aaj Kaal'.
"How long would I have played? May be upto 2009. May be seven more tests. For that I was not prepared to take any more humiliation," he added.
Ganguly said being dropped from the Irani Trophy Rest of India squad by the selection panel led by Vengsarkar was the last nail in the coffin and he thought he had faced enough humilation by then.
"I never thought I will be out of the Irani team. I couldn't sleep for one month in anger, agony. Had this committee (new selection committee) come three years ago, things might have been different," said the 36-year-old left hander. PTI
Sania to lead Asia-Pacific in World Team Challenge tournament
Hong Kong, Oct 9 (PTI) Sania Mirza will spearhead the Asia-Pacific challenge in the World Team Challenge tournament in Hong Kong next year.
The January 7-10 tournament, a new concept and warm-up competition for the Australian Open, will feature four teams representing Europe, Russia, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Each team will be represented by three players who would compete in both singles and doubles, Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association president Ian Wade said today.
There will be a semi-final draw for the teams, with each tie consisting of singles and doubles rubbers. The two teams which scores the most number of wins overall will progress to the final.
World number one Jelena Jankovic will lead Team Europe, Venus Williams will head the Americas, while Maria Sharapova will be leading Russia. The rest of the field will be announced later.
The tournament will replace the JB Group Classic exhibition, which is traditionally a warm-up event for women in the run up to the first Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne in January. PTI
20 militants killed in fresh offensive on Taliban in NWFP
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Oct 9 (PTI) Pakistani combat jets and helicopter gunships today destroyed a major Taliban militant base killing twenty militants in the country's restive Swat valley in North West Frontier Province.
Army officials said the fresh offensive was aimed at destroying militant bases in the Taliban stronghold of Matta.
Local residents said the jets bombed militant positions in Peochar, Shawar and Landai Sar, which are considered strong bases of the Taliban.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said bombs dropped by the jets caused casualties among the militants and had also destroyed houses. The army said 20 militants were killed in the air strikes in Matta area of Swat.
Shells fired by the security forces landed on two homes, killing nine civilians. In one incident, five members of the same family were killed, the residents said.
A majority of people in Matta sub-district have already fled their homes and only 10 per cent of the original population, considered to be militants or their supporters, were in the area when the forces launched the bombardment.
The bombing damaged communications and electricity supply networks, residents said.
The fresh offensive came a day after top security officials briefed lawmakers on the security situation and the war on terrorism during a joint session of parliament. The session will continue for the next few days.
Several parliamentarians were not satisfied over ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha's briefing yesterday and raised questioned as to who had allowed US forces to conduct air strikes in the tribal regions and why Pakistan has been pushed into a "state of war". PTI
Twin suicide attacks in Pakistan leave 16 dead, 10 injured
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Oct 9 (PTI) Weeks after carrying out a bloody suicide bombing in the heart of Pakistan's capital, suspected militants struck again on a high security police complex here and also hit a jail van in NWFP, killing 16 and injuring ten.
The casualties were less in the police lines complex attack in Islamabad as the suicide bomber struck the Anti Terrorism Squad office when most of the security personnel were out on patrol in view of the joint session of the Parliament reviewing strategy to combat upsurge in violence.
Though initial reports had put the casualty figure at eight killed, the Islamabad Chief Commissioner Kamran Lashari later said ten people were injured.
Confusion prevailed as officials did not know the whereabouts of a police commando team which had left the building minutes before the blast. But, police officials said the casualty figure was clarified when the team returned.
There was also confusion over how the attack was carried out. Some reports said a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the building, while others said a man carrying boxes of sweets came out of the car and entered the ATS office shortly before the blast occurred.
Officials said they had found a letter in Pashto at the blast site warning more such attacks would be carried out if the Pakistan government does not stop supporting the war on terror.
The attack follows the deadly September 20 suicide blast on the five-star Marriott hotel here that claimed nearly 60 lives. The Marriott was considered popular among foreigners. PTI
Zardari may seek N-deal with China during maiden visit
Beijing, Oct 9 (PTI) Amid indications that Pakistan was seeking a atomic agreement with China on the lines of the Indo-US nuclear pact, President Asif Ali Zardari will visit Beijing next week for talks with the Chinese leadership to strengthen their "all-weather" bilateral ties.
"As a guest of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Zardari will pay a state visit to China from October 14 to 17," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced here.
"China is looking forward to and welcomes Zardari's visit," Qin said.
During his stay, Zardari is expected to hold talks with Hu and meet with other Chinese leaders, including top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao.
China expects Zardari's visit to deepen bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership, Qin was quoted as saying by the offical Xinhua news agency.
Earlier, soon after the US Senate overwhelmingly approved the Indo-US nuclear deal on October 4, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had indicated that Islamabad may seek a similar arrangement with China after the US repeatedly said no to Islamabad's plea for a bilateral atomic pact.
"Pakistan will now make efforts for a civil nuclear deal and they (the international community) will have to accommodate us," Gilani said.
Stressing that there was "no need to worry", Gilani said, "Now that the civil nuclear deal with India has been finalised, Pakistan will have the right to ask for a similar deal because we do not want there to be any discrimination." Asked if Pakistan would seek nuclear technology and know-how from China, Gilani said Beijing and Islamabad had a "unique relationship" that was a "time-tested and all-weather friendship".
"Very soon the President (Asif Ali Zardari) and myself will be visiting China. Our cooperation is not limited to any one field (and we have) multi-dimensional cooperation. Our cooperation in defence will increase," Gilani had said. PTI
Treasury Dep mulls taking ownership stakes in US banks
New York, Oct 9 (PTI) The US Treasury Department is considering taking ownership stakes in many American banks to restore confidence in the troubled financial system after measures taken so far failed to bring stability to it.
The department mulls injecting cash directly into banks that request it. Such a move would quickly strengthen banks' balance sheets and persuade them to resume lending, a media report said, citing government officials.
In return, the law gives the Treasury the right to take ownership positions in banks, including healthy ones.
The Treasury plan, still in preliminary stages, resembles one announced yesterday in Britain, the New York Times said, adding under that plan, the UK government would offer banks like the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and HSBC holdings up to USD 87 billion to shore up their capital in exchange for preference shares.
It also would provide a guarantee of about USD 430 billion to help banks refinance debt.
The American recapitalisation plan, officials were quoted as saying, has emerged as one of the most favoured new options being discussed in Washington and on Wall Street. The appeal is that it would directly address the worries that banks have about lending to one another and to other customers. PTI
US national debt clock runs out of digits
New York, Oct 9 (PTI) Such is the surge in America's debt that even technology is finding it difficult to measure its level as a clock earmarked for keeping a tab on country's national debt has run out of digits! The operator of the National Debt Clock, installed at Times Square in New York, has now dropped the dollar sign in the total figure to accommodate a ten trillion dollar figure.
A replacement for the clock with two additional digits that would be able to account for up to a quadrillion dollars of debt is expected only by the next year.
The existing clock can accommodate up to 9,999,999,999,999 dollars (just one dollar short of USD 10-trillion) of debt with a dollar sign ($) preceding it, but the clock has started showing the figure without the dollar sign after the debt level recently reached the 10-trillion dollar level.
At the last check, the clock showed the United States' total national debt at about 10,250,000,000,000 dollars (10.25 trillion dollars). With an estimated population of about 305 million, this results into an average debt of close to 34,000 dollars for every US citizen.
The clock is said to have been first installed in 1989 when the national debt stood at about 2.7 trillion dollars.
The clock shows the total amount of debt owed by the US government and was first installed by real estate developer Seymour Durst.
The Durst Organization now plans to replace this clock with a newer 15-digit version, as against its current capability of showing 13 digits, in addition to a dollar sign.
The financial rescue packages totalling over a trillion dollar, including the latest 700-billion dollar plan, and the government's expected move to buy shares in some banks, are expected to further inflate the country's debt levels. PTI
Shareholders should decide corporate salaries, not govt: Gupta
New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) Corporate entities of both public and private sector will be free to fix the salaries of their top honchos, with Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta saying that govt should not have any role in deciding the pay packages for those like Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata.
"I feel that the remuneration should be decided by the shareholders and stakeholders and not by the government institutes," Gupta told PTI.
Why should the government have a role in fixing the salaries of people like Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata, who run their business conglomerates, the minister said.
Talking about the provisions of the new Companies Bill, which he would table in the coming session of Parliament, the minister said that it would not have provisions that tell what should be the salary of managing director of a company.
At present, he added, "beyond a certain level, a company has to approach the government for a decision or approval".
As per the present dispensation under the Companies Act, 1956, it is mandatory for a company to seek the approval of the central government if the remuneration to a director exceeds five per cent of the net profit.
In case of more than one directors, the compensation cannot exceed exceed 10 per cent of the profit without the permission of the central government.
As such, Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata take substantially less than five per cent of the net profit of the companies belonging to their groups, although Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director arguably is the top-paid executive in India. PTI
Looking forward to perform in India: Placido Domingo
Mumbai, Oct 9 (PTI) World famous tenor Placido Domingo has said he was looking forward to his first ever performance in India and hoped that it would be a new experience for his fans to see him perform live.
"The public may have seen videos, DVDs and other recordings but seeing it being performed live is a new thing and it is the very first time for them to discover it," the Spanish tenor said here.
His last concert in Mexico was a "fun" experience since the stadium was filled with approximately 40,000 people which allowed many to experience a live opera for the first time, Domingo said.
Domingo will be performing in the open air stadium of the Cricket Club of India with soprano Barbara Frittoli on October 11 as part of the centenary celebrations of the birth anniversary of conductor Mehli Mehta.
"It is a great thrill to be in Mumbai and India since it is my first trip and have wanted to come here many times," he said.
Domingo, who is also a conductor and director for two operas in the US, said that it was always fun to perform with conductor Zubin Mehta.
However, Mehta, who is here with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, noted that the performance might have to be shortened due to existing laws preventing live music in open areas beyond 10 pm.
"Unfortunately since we are put in the category of making noise we might not be able to stick to the full programme," he said. PTI
Book: A travelogue on a groom hunting trip to India!
Wasfia Jalali
New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) Originally intended to find a suitable match for herself, her year-long visit to India, however, turned her into an author!
Fed up with the singles scene in the US, Indian American journalist Anita Jain, who ventured out on a mate-hunting trip to India, has come up with a literary venture chronicling the post-globalisation social climate of the Indian capital, set against the quest for finding the right match.
"It was my idea to take the book to India, of using the quest to marry to tell a story, I was sure those two things would work together," says the author.
The recently released book 'Marrying Anita' published by Bloomsbury and Penguin, according to the writer is an honest memoir a branch of literary work which is yet to become common in India.
"Memoirs are every other book in New York; however, the genre is still not as common in India. I have spoken so openly about my loneliness, some people find it shockingly honest," says Jain, who was recently in the capital to release the book.
"A confessional account is what constitutes a memoir. Indians are not used to such honesty," she says.
Asked why she believed autobiographical accounts were not as common in India as in some other parts of the world, she says the country is yet to witness a grand political event or a drastic social change, which provide a suitable backdrop for a personal account.
"Powerful memoirs have come from the parts of the world that have seen remarkable political or social upheavals," Jain says. PTI
Bhujbal, NCP play down gesture but suspense continues
Pune, Oct 7 (PTI) When he parted ways with Shiv Sena 17 years ago, Chhagan Bhujbal, firebrand Maharashtra Minister, was embraced by Congress, relishing the prospects of marginalising the Sena in the state using him to attack his mentor Bal Thackeray.
Then came yet another turn in his political roller-coaster as Bhujbal who belongs to OBC decided to join Sharad Pawars fold when the latter floated Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) breaking away from Congress on the now dead issue of Sonia Gandhi foreign origin.
But last weekend when Bhujbal, PWD minister in the Congress-NCP coalition government appeared in a Mumbai court to withdraw a 1997 defamation case against the Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray with Uddhav Thackeray keeping him company in front of cameras it ruffled many a feather despite both Bhujbal and NCP playing down the development seen by many as pregnant with possibilities of realignments in the state.
Notwithstanding the ostensible reason given by Bhujbal that he was withdrawing the case -- relating to a report in Sena mouthpiece `Saamana' in view of the age factor and health condition of the senior Thackeray - the timing and the manner of the goodwill gesture is being seen in political circles as demonstrative of Bhujbals not too subtle message to NCP leadership that he cannot be taken for granted if sidelined.
This move on part of Bhujbal, apparently sidelined by NCP leadership at a time when the dominant Maratha elements within the party are pressing for the community's inclusion in OBC list - comes also when disgruntled Revenue Minister and another former sainik Narayan Rane (Congress)is openly hobnobbing with other parties, including NCP.
Pawar is scheduled to inaugurate Rane's proposed Marathi daily 'Prahar' on the eve of Dusherra, yet another oddity perceived by political observers when next assembly elections are round the corner. PTI
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