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Departure of Rajouri Haj pilgrims re-scheduled
Jammu, Nov 4 (PTI) The Haj pilgrims of Rajouri district were today issued revised departure schedule by Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Sheikh Rafiq Ahmed following receipt of communication from Divisional Commissioner Jammu and CEO Haj Committee, Srinagar.
As per the revised schedule, a batch of 97 Haj pilgrims of the district belonging to green category will depart from Eidgah Rajouri on November 11 for Jammu and for Jeddah from Srinagar on November 13.
Another batch of 215 Haj pilgrims of white and azizia categories of the district are scheduled to leave for Jammu from Eidgah Rajouri on November 21 and subsequently to Jeddah from Srinagar on November 23.
All these pilgrims have been informed to report departure venue (Eidgah Rajouri) at 9 am sharp on the scheduled dates. PTI
Malegaon blasts: Police arrests arms collector
Pune, Nov 4 (PTI) The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a Pune based antique arms collector in connection with the September 29 Malegaon bomb blasts.
Rakesh Dhawde, an arms and armour expert, was arrested on Sunday during recent operations by the agency to trace the culprits of the blasts, ATS sources said.
Dhawde faces the charges of conniving with 'Abhinav Bharat' activists in hatching a conspiracy for the blasts, and was reportedly associated with the Institute of Research and Development in Oriental Studies.
The ATS, which produced Dhawde in a Nasik court yesterday, said the accused was believed to have a sound knowledge of weapon making and has held many exhibitions on the topic.
Dhawde had also imparted training in handling of weapons to Bollywood actor Amir Khan during the production of film 'Mangal Pandey', the sources said.
Fond of collecting and documenting antique weapons, Dhawde's had also held an exhibition of his weaponry at Bhosla Military School in Nasik in October last, they added. PTI
Political will needed to tackle MNS violence: SC
New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Hate attacks and incidents of regional chauvinism can be tackled if there is a political will, the Supreme Court said today while agreeing to hear on Monday a PIL linked to the alleged violence perpetrated by Raj Thackeray's MNS party in Maharashtra.
More than a court matter it is a political issue which needs political will to tackle it, the court observed when the petitioner pointed to Mumbai violence and its repercussions in Bihar and Delhi.
"Can it be done through an order of this court. It is a political question not a court issue. If there is a political will it can be tackled," a bench of Justices B N Aggrawal and G S Singhvi observed.
The bench was initially not inclined to entertain the petition filed by a businessman Salek Chand Jain, and said that it was for the Union Government to invoke Article 355 for giving appropriate direction to the States concerned.
However, later it observed that the "issue was serious" and agreed to hear the matter; but directed the counsel Sugriv Dubey to suitably amend the petition so that it can be taken up for hearing.
Dubey who mentioned the matter before the bench complained that the attacks on north Indian by the MNS has led to a chain reaction elsewhere in the country and it threatened to destroy the unity and integrity of the country.
According to the petitioner following the MNS attacks, the Jharkhand Chief Minister had announced that he would not permit the rich mineral resources of the state to be transported to any part of the country. PTI
Army columns deployed in Assam-Meghalaya border
Shillong, Nov 4 (PTI) Several army columns have been deployed in the border areas of Assam's Goalpara district and Meghalaya's East Garo district following tip-offs about the presence of suspected ULFA militants in the area.
An army patrol was fired upon by suspected ULFA militants in the Rajasimla area of East Garo Hills bordering Assam last night. The troops retaliated but the rebels managed to flee in the dark. However, there was no casualty in the firing, army sources said today.
Soon after the incident, a massive search operation was launched in the place and adjoining forested areas bordering the states.
Additional columns of the Red Horns Division were also deployed in the areas, the source said. PTI
Malik may join NCA as chief coach
Karachi, Nov 4 (PTI) Former captain Salim Malik, recently cleared of the match-fixing slur by a civil court, is likely to take over as chief coach of the National Cricket Academy run by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Sources in the board told PTI that Malik met PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt today and it was agreed that he would take over as the NCA chief coach, a position lying vacant after the promotion of Aaqib Javed as assistant coach of the national team.
"Ejaz Butt wants Malik back in business and to pass on his cricketing expertise to the youngsters in the academy," one source said.
He said Malik had also agreed to accept this responsibility.
"An official announcement will come later after Butt gets approval from the governing body later this month. The PCB also has to see that they don't offend the International Cricket Council (ICC) with their actions," the source added.
Malik, a veteran of 103 Tests, was banned in 2000 by the board on the recommendations of a one-man judicial commission that inquired into the match-fixing allegations against some Pakistani players.
Having spent years battling the ban and fine imposed on him by the board in the courts, Malik finally got reprieve last month when a civil court lifted the ban and cleared the fine.
An elated Malik said he would be looking to renewing his ties with the sport he loved so passionately. PTI
England hungry for success on India tour: Moores
London, Nov 4 (PTI) The Stanford humiliation has taught England an important lesson in discipline and focus ahead of the ODI cricket series against India, says coach Peter Moores.
"...We are going to go to India and have we learned a lesson? I think in many ways we have in that you can never lose focus on the game. We played against a very hungry and disciplined side and we lost. Looking back on it now, we will be stronger and wiser for it," Moores was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Telegraph'.
England slumped to a humiliating 10-wicket loss against Stanford All-Stars in the winner-takes-all Twenty20 Super Series bankrolled by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford.
The team now takes on India in a seven-match ODI series starting November 14. The last time the two teams met the English were drubbed 1-5.
Moores insisted Kevin Pietersen's men would be more than a handful for the hosts this time.
"We will go to India very hungry. This (the Stanford experience) is not going to be a problem for us to get over. Everyone is excited about going to India and taking them on because when we look at our team we think we can compete with them," he asserted.
The England coach said experience of the players who were part of the team that lost to India would come handy this time.
"Once we go away from here and go to India the whole focus will change. We have a lot of lads who were on the tour there two years ago and lost quite badly.
"We want to go back and prove we have improved as a team and go and compete with them in difficult conditions," he said. PTI
Hussey shuns state, to play for Super Kings
Nagpur, Nov 4 (PTI) Michael Hussey today made it clear that he would represent Chennai Super Kings and not his native Western Australia (WA), in next month's Twenty20 Champions League, a decision he said he is not comfortable with.
WA today named a 15-man squad led by Marcus North for the inaugural Twenty20 extravaganza and the list includes Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach and Luke Ronchi, whose franchises in the Indian Premier League failed to make it to the Champions League.
Hussey said he took a decision to play for the Chennai Super Kings in the December 3-10 event as he did not want to block a younger player's chance to play for WA.
Western Australia is set to pocket USD 200,000 from the Champions League Governing Council for releasing Hussey to play for the Chennai side.
"I still don't feel comfortable with it but that may be the way the game is going in future," Hussey said.
"With more club franchises cropping up around the world, I think maybe in England it's going to happen, maybe in Australia it's going to happen as well.
"Definitely it is the way it is going to happen in that form of the game, but not in the other forms, I hope anyway," said the left-hander.
Western Australia squad: Marcus North (capt), Luke Ronchi (wk), Adam Voges, David Bandy, Arron Crawford, Liam Davis, Brett Dorey, Theo Doropoulos, Ben Edmondson, Aaron Heal, Matt Johnston, Trent Kelly, Steve Magoffin, Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach. PTI
Obama vs McCain: Americans vote in historic Prez polls
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Nov 4 (PTI) Americans voted in a historic Presidential poll today with Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama bidding to become the first black occupant of the White House and his Republican opponent John McCain hoping for a surprise election-day upset amid a raft of adverse opinion surveys.
With Democrats eyeing both the Senate and House of Representatives, today's polls may also result in a political re-alignment on the Capitol Hill.
47-year-old first-time Illinois Senator Obama, who clinched the Democratic Presidential nomination after a long hard-fought battle with seasoned Hillary Clinton, is widely expected to emerge victorious with a number of opinion polls giving him an edge over the Vietnam War veteran McCain.
But, 72-year-old McCain, seeking to leave behind the legacy of incumbent George W Bush who is being criticised for his foreign and economic policies, hopes to make a remarkable comeback in the race for Presidency defying poll pundits. If he wins he will be the oldest person to be inaugurated as President.
Some states, including Florida, Georgia and Colorado started early voting with a large number of people queueing up to cast their ballots.
"Today is Election Day. The opportunity to set our country on a new path has never felt more real than it does right now. The polls are open in most places, and people are already making their voices heard for change. There's just one thing left to do -- vote and make sure everyone you know votes, too," Obama said in an e-mail message to his supporters. PTI
Will Obama script history today?
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Nov 4 (PTI) After an epic campaign, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama and his Republican rival John McCain are all set to slug it out in today's historic polls with the charismatic Illinois Senator widely expected to defeat the Vietnam War veteran to become the first black-American to occupy the White House.
The curtains are down in what has been seen as one of the most contentious races in the US Presidential elections with the Obama campaign clearly overjoyed at the fact that it has a head start in early voting.
At least a dozen of states opened up their electoral machinery three weeks ago amid indications that 47-year-old Illinois Democrat is leading in the earlier polls by at least 30 per cent points.
Obama has already handsomely won in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. It was the first time since 1968 that the isolated village in New Hampshire's northeast corner leaned Democratic in an election.
Obama's rival McCain won 6 votes, CNN reported. A full 100 per cent of registered voters in the village cast ballots shortly after the midnight last night.
Getting into the critical Tuesday, Obama, by way of polls and pundits, is expected to make strong headway into areas that Democrats have not treaded before -- which means states like Ohio, Florida, Indiana, Virginia and perhaps even Georgia and North Carolina.
The expectation is that the Democratic candidate will be walking away with at least 310 seats in the electorate college with 72-year-old Senator McCain coming in with a decent 130 in the electoral college vote or more. PTI
Obama, McCain back strong Indo-US relations
Washington, Nov 4 (PTI) Barack Obama and John McCain, heading for a showdown in the US presidential polls today, support the growing Indo-US partnership and favour strong ties with the world's largest democracy, but differ on critical issues like outsourcing.
The 47-year-old Illinois Senator who is aspiring to become the first black-American President, is said to have a close affinity with things Indian. He carries a small figure of Lord Hanuman for luck, was familiar with the Ramayana during his days in Indonesia and had a picture of Mahatma Gandhi placed in his Senate office.
However, his strong-anti-outsourcing stance, which came to fore repeatedly during the campaign trail, is creating unease among Indians.
"When I am President I will give tax credits to companies that hire in the United States and end tax breaks for companies that ship US jobs overseas," he has said.
Obama also introduced a 'killer amendment' during debate on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal in the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, though he voted for the agreement later and asserted that he backs the landmark accord.
His recent remarks that the US should try to help resolve the Kashmir problem so that Pakistan can focus on hunting down militants on its restive north-west border have also been seen in some quarters as suggesting outside interference in the issue.
Despite this, an informal opinion poll has suggested that an overwhelming 81 per cent of Indian-Americans will vote for Obama while merely 19 per cent will support McCain.
The African-American Senator is being seen by many as a symbol of the aspirations of the immigrant community. PTI
Rupee jumps by 91 paise to one-mth high
Mumbai, Nov 4 (PTI) The Indian rupee today gained 91 paise to close at one-month high of 47.73/74 against the greenback after bankers assured the government to consider lowering lending rates by about 75 basis points.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who held a meeting with the heads of public sector banks, said several banks, including SBI, Bank of Baroda and UCO Bank, have promised to consider cutting benchmark lending rates.
Dealers in foreign exchange said banks were seen heavily unwinding dollar position after the Finance Minister's meeting in New Delhi with bankers after which The rupee has gained 222 paise against the dollar in the previous five trading sessions.
At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic currency traded in a wide range of 47.70 to 48.98 during the day.
The domestic currency virtually touched the 49 level in early trade as dollar demand from importers picked up amid inadequate supplies.
The rupee premiums on forward dollar ended marginally higher on fresh paying pressure from banks.
The benchmark six-month forward dollar premium payable in April ended at 49 - 51 paise, higher from 46 - 49 paise on Monday and far-forward maturing in October also closed up at 71-1/2 - 74-1/2 paise from 70 - 73 paise previously. PTI
Gold dips by Rs 200 on firming stocks
New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Gold prices today tumbled by Rs 200 to close at Rs 11,800 per 10 gram in the bullion market here on heavy selling by stockists and general investors, who diverted their funds to the surging equity markets.
Silver prices too dropped by Rs 280 at Rs 16,850 per kg amid reduced off-take by industrial units.
Marketmen said most of the funds were shifted from bullion to equity markets after stocks extended their gain for a fifth day today with the benchmark Sensex rising over 290 points.
Gold has lost Rs 770 per 10 gram in the last four days despite a decent demand due to ongoing marriage season as surging stock markets eroded the appeal of the precious metal as a safe investment option, they added.
Gold, however, remained flat in the overseas markets.
In London, gold changed little as declining crude oil and firming dollar erode demand for the gold as a hedge against inflation.
In the domestic market, standard gold and ornaments fell by Rs 200 at Rs 11,800 per 10 grams and Rs 11,650 per 10 gram respectively. Sovereign, however, held unchanged at Rs 10,500 per piece of eight gram in limited buying activities.
Silver ready dipped by Rs 280 at Rs 16,850 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 340 at Rs 16,790 per kg on reduced off-take by speculators.
Silver coins shed Rs 100 at Rs 26,900 for buying and Rs 27,000 for selling of 100 pieces. PTI
3G spectrum auction to be completed by Jan, says Raja
New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) India will complete the allocation process of radio spectrum for high-speed mobile-phone services by January, Telecommunication and IT Minister A Raja said today.
In August, Raja had said that the government would auction permits for the third-generation, or 3G, mobile-phone airwaves by December.
"3G auction is on schedule. That is why I am going to meet the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister today to discuss the related issues. Although the global economy is currently passing through a recession phase, its impact has been comparatively less on telecom sector," Raja told reporters here at a FICCI-DoT seminar on telecom.
The minister, however, did not sound enthusiastic about the expected revenue realisations from the 3G spectrum auction in the wake of global financial crisis.
"Beyond the reserve price of 3G spectrum, I am not an astrologer to know beforehand what would be the realisation. Once the auction process is over, only then we will know what the revenue is," he said.
While announcing the policy in August, Raja had said that the government expected Rs 30,000-40,000 crore from the 3G spectrum auction. PTI
FM meets PSU bank heads to review liquidity, interest rates
New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Finance Minister P Chidambaram today held a meeting with top executives of PSU banks to review liquidity situation and performance of the lenders.
Chidambaram, who had said on Sunday that he would ask the state-owned banks to consider lowering interest rates, held wide-ranging consultations with the bank executives relating to impact of the global meltdown on the Indian banking sector and consider various steps to overcome the challenge.
The meeting comes a day after the captains of Indian industry met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded steps for enhancing the liquidity and steps to create environment conducive for lowering of interest rates.
SBI Chairman O P Bhatt, PNB chief K C Chakrabarty, Bank of Baroda Chairman M D Mallya, Canara Bank head A C Mahajan, UCO Bank CMD S K Goel were among those who attended the meeting, where top officials of the Finance Ministry and RBI were also present.
Prime Minister had said that government was behind the banking system and that no one should fear about the safety of bank deposits in the wake of global financial crisis and its resultant impact on India. PTI
Another comedy from Benegal stable
Sabi Hussain
New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Shyam Benegal shifted from his 'kind of cinema' to come up with the successful comedy "Welcome to Sajjanpur" and the veteran director says he will stick to a satirical theme for his next venture too.
The prolific filmmaker, who is always ready to discover every facet of society with his visual medium, says he will soon finalise the script of his next comedy venture, the shooting for which will start next year.
"You will again see a comedy film from my side as entertaining as 'Welcome to Sajjanpur'. I will soon be finalising the script for it," he told PTI.
Benegal received rave reviews for "Welcome..." and that is what prompted him to go for another satire.
"Success is always welcome when you have put in so much effort. It always works as fresh air for you and provides confidence to meet other challenges," he says.
The national award-winning director, who made his debut with "Gher Betha Ganga" in 1962 and shot to fame with the Shabana Azmi-starrer "Ankur" in 1973, has also acted in the successful film "Nishant" in 1975.
Known for making serious movies like "Nishant", "Manthan" (1976) and "Bhumika" (1977), Benegal has no plans of quitting "his kind of cinema", but wants to give it a break.
"I am not quitting serious cinema as this is from where I have started my journey, but I just want to give it a break," he says. PTI
Delhi slum children keep puppetry alive
New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Oversized stuffed dolls dressed in traditional Rajasthani garb come alive in the hands of 11-year-old Gopal, who is among slum children the capital, striving to keep the ancient art of puppetry alive.
Puppetry is suffering from erosion and we desperately need to hold on to what has been with us for centuries, according to Pavan K Varma, director general, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
This classical art form, however, has been kept alive by children of around 2,600 families from the slums of Delhi, who put up shows under the banner of Kalakar Vikas School.
Hailing from Rajasthan, Gopal, says he wants to show this art form to a much larger urban audience, who in his opinion, are not very much aware of puppetry.
"We have been performing shows since many generations. Now we want to carry this art forward to a global audience," he says.
Gopal's ambition is echoed by Lakshmi, a 14-year-old from a village near Delhi, who says the urban audience needs to know more about this almost-dying art form.
"Urban people are not very much aware that this art form is almost on its deathbed. We are struggling to keep it alive, but we are ready to do anything for it," Lakshmi says.
Both Lakshmi and Gopal had put up a performance of traditional puppetry in the capital recently on the occasion of the release of the ICCR's journal which is a special issue on puppetry.
The Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA), an organisation dedicated to puppetry, has been working for the past 88 years for development of this art form all across the globe and even in India, says Dadi D Padamjee, the first non-European UNIMA president. PTI
Animated Chandamama story on big screen soon
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) An adventure fable sourced from the vast collection of stories from popular children's magazine Chandamama would be out on big screen soon.
The monthly has tied up with Thiruvanthapuram-based Toonz Animation Ltd to produce a full length animated feature film based on a story from the vast library of Chandamama on an estimated budget of Rs 200 million.
"We have entered into a deal with Chandamama where we will go through their entire library of over 15000 stories and select a suitable one to be made into an a 90-minute animated flick," says Divas Sadasivan of Toonz Animation.
The move is part of the expansion plans of the children's monthly which has already ventured online with its website and runs a 4 hour radio programme broadcasting legendary stories from the magazine every Sunday on a private FM station in Chennai. Soon the stories would be also made available on mobile phones too.
"Creative teams from both companies would work jointly and select one story most probably bearing towards adventure which would be then scripted for the movie," J Subramanyam, CEO of Chandamama told PTI.
"The emphasis worldwide is on content that has local appeal. In animation most of the work has been on characters that are mythological. We wanted to do something different and since Chandamama is loved by children and adults alike we think this film would appeal to a wider audience and more people would be tempted to watch," says Sadasivan.
Toonz, which has previously worked on fully animated films such as 'Hanuman Returns' and a 2D animated television series 'The adventure of Tenali Raman' says it now wants to move away from mythology. PTI
Safety of working women, never a priority
Archana Jyoti
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Not only have they stormed many a male bastion but also do not hesitate to undertake duties that require them work at late hours - an adventure indeed in the metros.
As periodic attacks on women employees hit the headlines, women activists and employees feel safety of women working late hours has never been priority of any government.
Be it Delhi where recently a television journalist was found murdered or Mumbai or Chennai or Bangalore - the story is the same - the safety index is going down.
The truth is that safety of women working for late hours has never been a priority for the concerned stakeholders including employers, feel working women.
Many feel that television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan could have been saved had a proper system in place to ensure that she and many like her those working till late hours reach safe and sound after on the job.
A recent study conducted by the ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation (ASDF) in all the major metros says that about 53 per cent of working women feel insecure, especially during night shifts.
"Vishwanathan's murder by some unidentified assailants on a deserted roads has once again triggered a debate on the need for safety of the women," says a female journalist with a news channel.
Requesting not to be named she says many times she had driven on the desolate stretches and Soumya's murder comes haunting back as she drives out at late hours. At least what could have been assured was effective police petrolling, she feels. PTI
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