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Pradhan panel slams Gafoor; Maharashtra rejects findings
Mumbai,Jun 16 (PTI) Maharashtra Government today rejected the finding of Ram Pradhan committee on 26/11 terror attacks that then Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor had "failed" to lead the force during the strikes last November.
The Action Taken Report (ATR) tabled in the state Legislature questioned how the committee called the head of Mumbai police a failure when it, in its report, had lauded the entire force for handling of the 26/11 attacks.
The report quoting findings of Pradhan panel, probing the handling of the terror attacks, said former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor failed to lead the force from the front.
Gafoor was recently shifted to a low profile post as Director General of Police (Housing) by promotion.
"During the whole operation, he was stationed at only one location near Hotel Trident. There was lack of co-ordinated and visible control due to which a message went to the public that police were ineffective in handling the situation," the report has noted.
The Committee said senior police officials told them that the Commissioner did not guide them or inquire about the ongoing operations.
Even though Gafoor contacted officers on wireless or mobile phone, there was never a feeling among them that they were part of a united force, officers told the committee. PTI
Health Ministry for screening of outbound passengers in US
New Delhi, June 16 (PTI) With a number of incoming travellers from the US testing positive for swine flu in India, the Union Health Ministry today said there should be some kind of screening for outbound passengers in that country.
Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi said the US has been the source of the virus for India with many travellers from that country testing positive for the flu.
"US is the main source as far as India is concerned," he told reporters.
"In Mexico when people leave the airport, they are properly monitored and screened. Similarly Americans should also provide some kind of screening at the point of deparature," Trivedi said.
He said Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had already requested the Ministry of External Affairs to prevail upon affected nations to start screening of passengers bound for India to cut down spread of the deadly virus.
However, Trivedi asserted that government is ready to handle the situation and there is no need to panic.
With seven Jalandhar students testing positive for swine flu yesterday, the total number of cases in the country has shot up to 30.
The Government yesterday asked travellers to defer their plans of going abroad till the disease was brought under control globally. PTI
Mamata does a balancing act, distributes equal work to juniors
New Delhi, June 16 (PTI) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to keep states like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal under her direct supervision while allocating equal work to her two junior ministers.
She has entrusted her two ministers of state with seven states each.
While Minister of State E Ahamed will look after Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Assam and Jharkhand, the other MoS K H Muniayappa has been allocated Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, according to a Railway Ministry notification.
She has ensured that two ministers are given equal responsibilities.
Ahamed will look after punctuality of trains, ticket checking and cleanliness with general upkeep of railway premises and complaints regarding passenger trains.
Muniyappa has been entrusted with the important responsibility of looking after safety and security of railways besides level crossings, construction of roads over and under bridges. PTI
RBI to work with SEBI to address regulatory gaps
Mumbai, June 16 (PTI) The Reserve Bank has decided to jointly work with market regulator SEBI to address the regulatory gaps after the impact of inter-dependence of institutions on the financial system came to the fore in the post-Lehman brothers bankruptcy era.
"While mutual funds are regulated from investor protection angle by the securities regulator (SEBI), the systemic implications of the inert-linkages became apparent in the post-Lehman scenario of severe risk aversion and liquidity crunch," RBI Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath had said at an IMF-World Bank seminar in Washington.
As redemption pressure increased on mutual funds after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, RBI had to announce a special 14-day repo at for Rs 20,000 crore to enable banks to meet the liquidity requirements of these funds, she said.
The RBI deputy governor said the real issue was the over-reliance of the money market mutual funds on short term funds placed by the large corporates and banks with redemption facilities on par with current accounts of banks.
"It has now been decided to jointly work with the securities regulator to identify and address the macro-prudential concerns arising from the current framework," she said.
Gopinath further said the securities firms/investment banks are regulated by SEBI, but such regulation primarily focusses on transparency and discipline in market practices. PTI
Bank stocks power the Sensex to close 82 points up
Mumbai, June 16 (PTI) Renewed hopes of economic recovery coupled with a rating upgrade for the financial sector powered the market to rebound from its early lows and close 82 points up on late buying amid negative Asian stocks.
Reports that several companies have paid higher advance tax for the April-June quarter boosted market sentiment.
Bouncing back from its early low of 14,621.97, the Bombay Stock Exchange 30-share barometer ended the day at 14,957.91, netting a rise of 82.39 points or 0.55 per cent from its previous close.
The broader 50-share Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also gained 33.80 points or 0.75 per cent to close at 4,517.80 from its last close.
The market snapped its three-day falling streak as heavy buying emerged at lower levels after Goldman Sachs reportedly raised its rating on select public sector banks.
Bank stocks rallied sharply and led the market recovery on reports that India's largest public sector bank State Bank of India recorded a 60 per cent rise in its first-quarter tax outflow, an indicator of higher profits in April-June 2009.
Smallcap and midcap shares also hogged the limelight and registered more than two per cent gain in their respective indices at close.
An encouraging trend in European markets in their early trade had a good impact on the bourses. (MORE)
Sensex rebound on revival of buying, gains 48 pts
Mumbai, June 16 (PTI) Wiping off early losses, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex gained over 48 points at noon today on revival of buying in blue-chip stocks at existing attractive levels.
The Sensex, which had lost 253 points at the outset, rebound to show a gain of 48.13 points at 14,923.65 at 1200 hrs following a rise in stocks of power, capital goods and banking segments.
The National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose 16.90 points at 4,500.90. The Nifty had lost nearly 99 points in the opening session. PTI
Younis fumes at ball-tampering allegations against Gul
London, Jun 16 (PTI) As the ghost of ball-tampering once again came haunting Pakistan at the Oval with star bowler Umar Gul now in the spot, a fuming captain Younis Khan has hit back at those making allegations and said the ball would wear down due to the slam-bang nature of the Twenty20 format.
Younis said it was "very embarrassing" for his team in the match against Ireland yesterday when umpires were checking the ball at every instance.
"We are not cheating, but today was very embarrassing. All the time the umpires were checking the ball, and there are plenty of cameras, so how could we cheat? It's not good," Younis said.
"Don't embarrass a team like Pakistan, we already have a lot of controversies in the whole world, and we are suffering a lot of things. Forget these things and focus on the game.
"Let the cameras catch it if anything is happening with the ball. In this game a lot of sixes are hit, and the ball goes in the crowd, and hits the concrete," he added.
Gul's bowling action was questioned by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who claimed after the Lord's defeat that he had never seen any bowler achieve reverse-swing as early as the 12th over of an international fixture. PTI
Sri Lanka win toss, to bat
Nottingham, June 16 (PTI) Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat in their Super Eight match of the Twenty20 World Cup against New Zealand here today.
The Teams: New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (C), Brendon McCullum, Aaron Redmond, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Peter McGlashan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Ian Butler.
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (C), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis. PTI
PM meets Zardari, asks him to act against terror
Ajay Kaul
Yekaterinburg (Russia), Jun 16 (PTI) In the first top-level contact since the Mumbai terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today met President Asif Ali Zardari here during which he is understood to have made it clear that Pakistan should take concrete action against terrorism directed against India.
Singh, who arrived here on a three-day visit, met Zardari on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Ahead of their meeting, the two leaders shook hands when they came face-to-face after posing for a group photo with leaders of other SCO member nations -- Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. India, Pakistan and Iran are among the nations who have observer status in SCO.
During his meeting with Zardari, Singh is understood to have conveyed India's "unhappiness" over Pakistan's inaction against terrorism directed against India. PTI
India, Pak Foreign Secys to meet to discuss terror
Ajay Kaul
Yekaterinburg, Jun 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today bluntly told President Asif Ali Zardari to take action to stop terrorism against India emanating from his country's soil as the two decided that their Foreign Secretaries will meet soon to discuss steps taken by Pakistan.
At the first top-level contact since the Mumbai terror attacks in November, the two leaders also decided to meet again in Egypt on the sidelines of NAM Summit next month to take stock of the outcome of the Foreign Secretaries meet.
Setting the tone for the meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Singh, shaking hands with Zardari, bluntly told him in front of television cameras that "my mandate is to tell you that Pakistan territory should not be used for terrorism against India." An apparently embarrassed Zardari told the Prime Minister "please let them (media) go" out of the room before they can have detailed discussion.
Briefing the media on the 40-minute meeting, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said: "The Prime Minister conveyed to the Pakistan President the full extent of our expectation of strong and effective steps to prevent use of Pakistani territory for terrorism against India." PTI
Gilani seeks early resumption of Indo-Pak talks
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jun 16 (PTI) As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia, premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has sought early resumption of the stalled dialogue process between India and Pakistan to address long-standing issues like Kashmir.
Gilani said the early resumption of the composite dialogue between Pakistan and India is "imperative to address the long-standing issues resulting in tension between the two countries i.E. Kashmir dispute as well as the water dispute".
He was speaking to a delegation led by Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs secretary general Paolo Cotta-Ramsunio that called on him yesterday.
Gilani assured the delegation of his "government's sincerity in proceeding with the dialogue process and for maintaining cordial bilateral relations with all its neighbours including India".
Zardari and Singh met today on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Russia.
Gilani also said the international community should fulfil its pledges of assistance to Pakistan in its efforts to assist the people displaced by the military operations against the Taliban in Swat and other areas of Malakand division. PTI
Vijender turns singer for Mallika Sherawat
New Delhi, June 16 (PTI) After shaking a leg with Bipasha Basu, Beijing Olympics' bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh turned a singer for another Bollywood siren Mallika Sherawat in a reality TV show.
The middle weight (75kg) pugilist, who returned to the country today after winning a bronze medal at the Asian Championships in China, recalled a meeting with Mallika on Sony TV's 'Dus Ka Dum' hosted by Salman Khan, where he crooned for the damsel.
"She is from my state Haryana, so I sang a local folk song for her when Salman asked me and she couldn't stop laughing at that. It was fun to interact with her," Vijender told PTI.
The duo shot for the show last month and Vijender said he was surprised by Salman's knowledge of Indian boxing.
"I was amazed that Salman knew so much about boxing and our boxers. He was very nice and we cracked a lot of jokes which you will see when the episode is telecast. Contrary to his media image, he came across as a good person," he said.
Vijender had danced with Bipasha in another reality show 'Nach Baliye' last year.
Vijender would head back to Patiala in a couple of days to resume training for the September World Championships in Milan, Italy. PTI
Fox wants to date Angelina Jolie
London, June 16 (PTI) 'Transformers' star Megan Fox who recently split from Brian Austin Green, wants to date Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie.
Fox who says she is "single" after splitting from Brian Austin Green believes that starting a romance with the 'Tomb Raider' actress would solve all her problems, the Heat magazine reported.
Asked if she has a crush on Jolie, who has six children with partner Brad Pitt, Fox said, "Absolutely. Every time a relationship ends, I say, 'If I could just be Angelina's girlfriend, I would be so happy.'" "I love Angelina Jolie. She's someone I admire and look up to. She's my favourite actress in Hollywood. I just love that she's incredibly honest, and I feel that she's not afraid to be herself. She tells you exactly what's on her mind," Fox added.
However apart from Jolie, Fox seems to have no interest in making friends with other Hollywood actresses.
"I don't have any friends who are actresses. I actually only had one girlfriend growing up. Most of my friends were boys. I was such a tomboy," Fox said. PTI
Harry Potter publisher sued over copyright infringement
London, June 16 (PTI) The publishers of JK Rowling's Harry Potter books have been sued by the estate of a late British writer Adrian Jacobs for copyright infringement.
Jacob's estate insists that Bloomsbury Publishing bosses snubbed him and then used his idea as the basis for the boy wizard franchise, Contactmusic reported.
Jacob's reportedly approached Bloomsbury Publishing bosses in 1987, ten years before his death and attempted to sell them his Willy-The Wizard stories but the publishers were not impressed with his work.
And now, the writer's estate has issued proceedings in the English High Court, claiming copyright infringement. Family members claim Rowling's 2000 book 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' "steals" segments of Jacobs' novel 'The Adventures of Willy the Wizard - No 1 Livid Land'.
"Adrian Jacobs did not live long enough to see the massive success of the Harry Potter books and films. If he had he would have sought the proper recognition of his contribution to this success story," Estate trustee Paul Allen said.
"He cannot fight this battle personally, so his estate is bringing this action to ensure that his voice is heard. The action, if proved, will ensure the rights of authors everywhere, even posthumously," he added.
Bloomsbury also released a statement replying to the allegation which read, "This claim is without merit and will be defended vigorously." PTI
Thrillers keep director Anjan Dutt busy
New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) Making a ghost story has kept him preoccupied for long. And, after three attempts, filmmaker Anjan Dutt has finally zeroed in on a story for his upcoming thriller.
Dutt, is adapting the short story "Loving Doll," from Ipsita Roy Chakraverti's book "Sacred Evil." "I am currently in the post-production stage of a very very dark Byomkesh Bakshi 1960's period thriller based on incest and riots. After this I'll start work on Ipsita's film," Dutt told PTI in a telephonic interview.
The Kolkata-based director also an actor and singer and whose repertory include films like "Bong Connection," and "Chalo Let's Go" says he is excited about the new film which will be set in Kolkata and Darjeeling.
"Ipsita saw my film 'Madly Bangalee' and approached me with the story and I said yes, of course after reading the book," says Dutt who had been looking for a ghost story script for long.
Dutt says he wanted to film an adapted Rabindranath Tagore work but was unsure about getting the literary genius' story right and also because he says making a good thriller is always a challenge. PTI
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