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News:
Supreme Court upholds conviction of Harshad in Securities scam
Cong deputes observers for Maharashtra leadership issue
Army to launch strong counter infiltration operations in Jammu and Kashmir
UP to celebrate Maya's birthday with 1.5 lakh ladoos
Musharraf says Pakistan will not budge an inch on Kasmir issue
Gorshkov deal to be part of bigger package for Navy: Raghunath
US deployment for war on Iraq to cross 3,50,000: report
Fight cholera with sarees, says study
Rupee firms up further against the US dollar
Indians end tour with another insipid batting display
Playing with an injury was a mistake, says Bhutia
No need to be upset by poor show in New Zealand: Kapil
England to play World Cup match in Zimbabwe
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Supreme Court upholds conviction of Harshad in Securities scam
New Delhi,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: A decade after the Rs 80 billion securities scam rocked the country, the Supreme Court today upheld the conviction by the Special Court at Mumbai of stock broker Harshad Mehta, who died during the pendency of the appeal in the apex Court.
A Bench comprising Justice M B Shah, Justice B N Agrawal and Justice Arijit Pasayat by a 2:1 majority upheld the verdict of the Special Court but altered the sentence awarded to Mehta and two others to the period of imprisonment already undergone.
While Justice Shah acquitted all the accused, Justice Agrawal and Justice Pasayat upheld the conviction of Mehta, Pramod Kumar Manocha and a public servant Vinayak Narayan Deostahali.
The Bench unanimously rejected the appeal of the CBI challenging the acquittal of Ambuj Sushil Mukar Jain. It also acquitted another public servant Ram Narain Poply.
The accused were charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy to divert surplus funds of Maruti Udyog Limited deposited in Canara Bank to the account of Mehta in the ANZ Grindlays Bank in Delhi and then to UCO Bank at Mumbai.
Keeping in mind that the scam took place more than ten years back, the lengthy trial and death of Mehta during the pendency of the appeal, the Bench said "we feel custodial sentence for the period already undergone (which we are told was for a number of months) would meet the ends of justice".
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Cong deputes observers for Maharashtra leadership issue
New Delhi,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: AICC General Secretary Vayalar Ravi along with two senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee and Ghulam Nabi Azad were today deputed as party observers for Wednesday's crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature party at Mumbai which is expected to discuss the leadership issue.
AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni while announcing the names of the observers to reporters, however, parried a question whether they would meet independent MLAs who were considered loyal to Deshmukh.
Asked if the party has decided to replace Vilasrao Deshmukh as the leader, Soni said the observers would meet party MLAs there and try to ascertain their views.
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Army to launch strong counter infiltration operations in Jammu and Kashmir
New Delhi,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: In a bid to ensure there was no threat to peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir, Army Chief General NC Vij today declared that the Army would adopt stronger counter infiltration measures on the Line of Control and carry out intensive operations to keep the pressure on terrorists.
Asserting that the army in recent months had covered a 'reasonable ground" to equip formations of the Northern Command with ground sensors and other major surveillance system, he said the "Army would fully support any initiative of the Government to bring about normlacy and improvement in the state". In an interview to armed forces newsletter "Sanik Samachar" on the occasion of Army day Wednesday, the Army Chief while outlining the new role for the army in Kashmir after recent elections said "we shall work in close conjunction with the Government to win hearts and minds of the people of the state by assisting in civic actions".
After prolonged deployment of last year, he said Army would now refocus on its modernisation drive and pointed out that assimilation and absorption of the Russian frontline T-9 tanks were in full swing. Also he said the upgradation of T-72 tanks and T1 sights for tanks and armoured carriers were on full steam.
Declaring that after "Operation Parkaram," it was time to catch up with the backlog" for the army, the new Army Chief said "we want to get back to our primary task of training and being prepared for war".
He said the focus in modernisation would be on overcoming shortages in equipment, acquisition of force multipliers and upgradation of weapon systems and platforms to increase lethality.
"The modernisation of infantry and special forces is high on priority and is planned to be completed before the end of the 10th army plan," Vij said.
He said in order to bolster operations in diffcult areas and conditions, the army planned to enhance the capabilities in surveillance, firepower, communications and protection by inducting additional thermal imagers, radars, modern radio sets and individual as well as collective troop-protection equipment.
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UP to celebrate Maya's birthday with 1.5 lakh ladoos
LUCKNOW: Despite the protests and allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government is all set to celebrate Chief Minister Mayawati’s 47th birthday in style on Wednesday. And, to add a dash of sweet to the mega event, the government has placed an order for over 1.50 lakh ladoos to be distributed at the function grounds.
Confirming this, officials involved in the preparations of the jamboree said that with four ladoos for each invitee, the number of sweetmeat that would be distributed "would pale any past competition". More than 1,000 cards have been sent to bureaucrats, politicians, scribes and cops for the birthday celebrations that are set to take off at the La Martiniere grounds.
Besides, seating capacity for more than 25,000 people, comprising BSP cadres and supporters, is also being made. All of them will also be given four ladoos each. Officials from the district are being deployed for the purpose of distribution of the sweets.
At a high-level meeting on Monday, different government departments and officials were also assigned their duties on the birthday bash. Meanwhile, several hundred artisans were working round the clock to complete the remaining work on the pandaal and the special replica of the Bhimrao Ambedkar memorial which would house a special multi-media exhibition on the “life and times of Mayawati”.
The chief medical officer of Lucknow has been asked to check the equality of ladoos to be distributed and to provide medical kits and first aid just in case something goes wrong, with memories of the stampede at Charbagh following the BSP's dhikkar diwas still haunting the burra sahibs.
Livid office-bearers of the Congress on Monday openly questioned the propriety of the chief secretary being the host of the birthday celebrations (invitation cards for the bash have the name of Chief Secretary D S Bagga as RSVP). The party has also alleged that the government was splurging an amount to the tune of Rs 10 crore for the event.
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Musharraf says Pakistan will not budge an inch on Kasmir issue
Islamabad,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: Expressing desire to have better relations with India, President Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan would "not budge a single inch" from its position on the Kashmir issue.
"We wish to improve the bilateral ties with India as Pakistan wants durable peace in South Asia", he said at a meeting yesterday which was attended by Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Foreign Minister Khursheed Mohammed Kasuri and top military officials.
However, he said there would be no compromise on Pakistan's principled stand on Kashmir issue.
Pakistan had time and again stated that it wanted to develop ties with India that were based on equality. "But it would not budge a single inch from its position on Kashmir and other disputes under any coercion or blackmail", he was quoted as saying by the media.
Foreign Secretary Riaz Kokhar briefed the meeting about the country's policy perspectives focusing on Pakistan-US relations, which in the recent weeks came under strains especially after Washington directed all Pakistanis visiting and residing America to register under Immigration and Naturalisation Services.
The US decision has stirred strong emotions in Pakistan as thousands of Pakistanis, especially the illegal immigrants would have to line up to register themselves. The Pakistan government has made repeated appeals to US officials to remove the country from the list in view of its co-operation in the crackdown against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. But the Bush Administration has not obliged so far.
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Gorshkov deal to be part of bigger package for Navy: Raghunath
Moscow,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: Acquisition of "Admiral Gorshkov" aircraft carrier would be the part of a bigger package deal for the Indian Navy, including the lease of strategic bombers and nuclear submarines, India's Ambassador to Russia Krishnan Raghunath said.
The governments of two countries had agreed in 1995 on a 'package, including acquisition of "Admiral Gorshkov" aircraft carrier besides leasing of four Tu-22M3 (Nato codename Backfire-C) long range bombers for naval reconnaissance and two Akula class nuclear assault submarines, Raghunath said.
The Ambassador was briefing Moscow-based Indian media on the eve of Defence Minister George Fernandes' arrival here tonight on a six-day Russia visit.
"At their New Delhi summit last month President Putin and Prime Minister Vajpayee reaffirmed their commitment to 1995 intergovernmental agreement, and the Gorshkov deal would be signed, when ready, simultaneously with the leasing of Tu-22M3 reconnaissance planes and (nuclear) submarines," Raghunath said replying to a question about delay in inking much-awaited "Gorshkov" deal.
He discounted the possibility of US pressure on Russia, since Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and Akula class submarines are nuclear weapons platform.
Asked about the possibility of US attempts to scuttle sensitive defence deals with Russia, he said "in the past (in January 1988) we have already leased nuclear submarine INS Chakra for three years from Russia. There are no problems with the US. Our missiles programme is indigenous and India will continue it. It does not pose a direct threat to the US".
During his Russia visit - just six weeks after the Indo-Russian summit in New Delhi in December - Fernandes is scheduled to hold wide-ranging discussions with the top Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
Fernandes will also co-preside over the third session of Indo-Russian Inter-governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation with Russian Industries, Science and Technology Minister Ilya Klebanov.
This nodal body was set up in October 2000 during President Putin's first India visit for the co-ordination of long-term bilateral defence co-operation, which has confidently moved away from 'buyer-seller' relations to joint research, development, production and marketing.
Besides the overall review of implemented projects, projects under implementation and discussion, Fernandes and Klebanov are also expected to focus on the Hi-Tech, 'smart' weapons including air-to-air, surface-to-surface missiles and ammunition for the Indian armed forces.
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US deployment for war on Iraq to cross 3,50,000: report
New York,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: The US would require to deploy more than 3,50,000 troops for a war on Iraq and subsequent occupation of the country, a far greater number than that envisioned during preliminary planning, official sources said.
The National Guard and reserve callup could also grow well beyond the 2,63,000 used more than a decade ago during `Operation Desert Storm', ABC News quoted unidentified sources as saying.
The number of troops, the sources said, will depend at least in part on how successful the US is during the early phases of war on Iraq, whether the Iraqis use chemical weapons and whether there is large-scale resistance in the country, especially from civilians.
"In every village, every city, every government in Iraq that we move forward into, we have to establish civil order," a military analyst told the TV network.
"And if in any of these areas there is significant instability, we have to have people on the ground," the expert was quoted as saying.
The additional US troops are intended to keep the peace, to protect rear forces and to handle the huge job of pushing supplies to the frontline, as American forces march deeper and deeper into Iraq.
Officials said it is quite possible that the US would occupy part of Iraq, needing to feed millions of people and manage many cities while still having to fight in other parts of the country.
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Fight cholera with sarees, says study
WASHINGTON: A folded saree, available to every woman in and around India, can filter drinking water clean of the particles carrying cholera, cutting in half the number of cases of the disease, researchers reported on Monday.
The study, published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that low-tech solutions can save lives, the international team of researchers said.
Tests covering 133,000 people in 65 Bangladeshi villages showed that when women were taught to use a folded saree to filter drinking water, incidences of cholera dropped by 48 per cent. The researchers now plan a large-scale education campaign.
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Rupee firms up further against the US dollar
Mumbai,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: The rupee firmed up slightly against the US currency early today, extending overnight gains due to a steady flow of dollar from exporter2/94 per dollar.
Sustained dollar inflows from exporters and NRI remittances continued to give the rupee underlying support even as intermittent dollar buying from the state run banks will contain the rupee gains, a forex dealer said.
The rupee appreciated by nearly three-and-a-half paise yesterday on the back of bunched up weekend dollar supplies.
In cross currency trades, the Euro was quoted at Rs 50.59/61, Pound Sterling at Rs 76.83/85 and the Japanese Yen (100) at Rs 40.32/34.
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Indians end tour with another insipid batting display
Hamilton,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: India's cricketers today ended a disastrous tour of New Zealand easily losing the seventh and final one-dayer after another insipid batting display which would have further dented their confidence prior to the World Cup.
Put in to bat first on a seamer-friendly wicket, the Indians struggled to reach the three-figure mark to be all out for 122, failing again to last their quota of 50 overs. New Zealanders achieved their target after initial hiccups to win the match by six wickets and the series 5-2.
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Playing with an injury was a mistake, says Bhutia
New Delhi,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: Admitting that he had been "unprofessional" enough to play even while he was nursing an injury, Indian football star Bhaichung Bhutia today said it would take him at least another 3-4 weeks to get back into action.
"It was unprofessional of me to play when I knew I was 70 to 80 per cent fit. I made a mistake, but I can't do anything about it. They system here is so different that you have to play. If I was in the UK, perhaps I would not have played," he said on the sidelines of a function here.
Bhutia was sidelined after a calf muscle injury in the first phase of the National Football League, ruling him out of India's campaign in the SAFF tournament in Dhaka.
Brushing aside reports that coach Stephen Constantine was miffed with his fitness level, Bhutia said, " Its natural for any coach to feel that way. Any player who is not able to play for such an important tournament will also feel disappointed."
Expressing the hope that the Indian team would do well inspite of the loss to arch rivals Pakistan, Bhutia said there was no need to read too much into the match. "Football is a game where you will have upsets and bad days. I am sure we will do well in today's match and go through to the semis."
Bhutia said he was currently undergoing physiotherapy from Vece Paes, doing his rehabilitation in Kolkata, and concentrating on getting his fitness and stamina back to the optimum level.
Lamenting the lack of good coaches who could groom players at the national level, Bhutia said it was not enough just to have funds to raise the standard of Indian football.
"Its not enough just to have plenty of funds at the club level. You also need to have the right kind of people to run the game. They should be professionals and not just people who are in it just for the love of the game," he said.
Bhutia said there was a need for Indian football officials to study the European model of football management and apply it in India.
"We have tried a system here and it has not worked. We need to think about what is wrong with it and study the system in Europe, where they really take care of their players, groom them from a young age," he said.
The system in India was faulty in the sense that most players who came from far-off places, took time to adjust to the big-city atmosphere of Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi, and get dropped if they do not perform well, he said.
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No need to be upset by poor show in New Zealand: Kapil
Bhopal,Tuesday, January 14, 2003: Legendary all-rounder and former Indian captain Kapil Dev has said that notwithstanding the poor show of the team in New Zealand, India can win this year's World Cup in South Africa.
Kapil Dev said there was no need to be disheartened by India's poor display in New Zealand and one should look at the team's performance in totality in last 10 months.
"One should not worry about the fact that not many rate high India's chances of winning," he said here Monday evening.
"After all even in 1983, no one rated us highly. Yet we managed to win playing some inspired cricket," said the World Cup winning captain.
But he said the competition would get extremely tough after the super six stage and India would have to reproduce their best form to get the better of other teams.
"All the teams that make it to the last six stage of the tournament are almost of the same strength and calibre. And the team that plays well on that particular day will lift the Cup," he said.
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England to play World Cup match in Zimbabwe
LONDON: The England cricket team will play their World Cup match in Zimbabwe, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tim Lamb said here on Tuesday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board decided to ignore pleas from the British government to pull out from the February 13 match against Zimbabwe in Harare.
ECB chief Tim Lamb said the decision was unanimous. Only a rapid deterioration in the security situation in Zimbabwe in the next few weeks is now likely to stop six World Cup games to be held there.
There have been fresh incidents of rioting because of human rights abuses of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and the ICC has set up a committee to monitor the situation. But they would have to decide that the country was not safe for officials and players before the games could be moved to South Africa, where most of the 54-game tournament is being played. Lamb last week English cricket could face legal action from the ICC and their sponsors if they boycotted the game.
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