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Indo-China talks next Saturday
New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) India and China will hold another round of high-level talks on boundary question here from next Saturday as part of efforts to settle the dispute that has been nagging their relations for decades.
Special Representatives of the two countries -- National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo -- will hold two-day talks in Delhi and Ooty in Tamil Nadu, officials said today.
The nine rounds of talks have made progress and the two sides are now discussing issues related to demarcation of the border, officials said.
The tenth round of negotiations takes place three months after the last meeting of the Special Representatives here, indicating speeding up of efforts to resolve the boundary dispute.
The leadership of both the countries has been keen to settle the issue as early as possible. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, during their meeting in Philippines in January on the sidelines of India-ASEAN Summit, had said that the discussions should take place with "greater vigour and greater innovativeness." Earlier, during the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao here in November last year, the two sides had decided to pursue efforts to resolve the boundary dispute as a "strategic objective" as it would advance the basic interests of the two countries.
"The Special Representatives shall complete at an early date the task of finalising an appropriate framework for a final package settlement of the India-China boundary," the joint declaration had said after Hus talks with Singh. PTI
Urgent steps needed to resolve Kashmir issue: PDP
Srinagar, Apr 14 (PTI) The PDP today said there is an urgent need to initiate concrete measures for resolution of the Kashmir issue due to fast-changing ground realities in the sub-continent.
Fast-changing ground realities in the sub-continent necessitate initiation of concrete measures for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue as the cost of not doing so would be colossal for the region, former chief minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said.
India and Pakistan must grab this opportunity and address the intractable issue that has made the people of Jammu and Kashmir pay a heavy price, Sayeed told a public rally at Lolab in the frontier district of Kupwara, 100 km from here.
He said while the external dimensions of the issue are being handled through bilateral diplomacy, the initiative must be supplemented by substantial internal measures.
"All processes and initiatives would be meaningless unless people on the ground feel the change," he said.
The people of the state have to be carried along in the peace-building and reconciliation processes to ensure their sustainability, he said.
According to Sayeed, there is a sea change in the state's security situation and people's faith in the democratic institutions and processes is growing day by day.
"Recognising this reality the Centre must take steps to supplement the improving situation with measures that ensure a greater playing field for political forces and civil society institutions to consolidate the gains. PTI
PM greets people on Vaisakhadi, Bahag Bihu
New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) Prime Mnister Manmohan Singh today greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Vaisakhadi and Bahag Bihu.
In a message, he said these festivals are occasions to celebrate the indomitable spirit of the Indian farmer.
"They symbolise hope even as they mark the culmination of hard work and solid determination of our farmers to move ahead on the path of progress," he said.
Singh hoped these festivals would usher in peace, prosperity and happiness for all. PTI
I have replied to BCCI two days ago: Yuvraj
Mumbai, Apr 14 (PTI) Middle order batsman Yuvraj Singh said today that he had replied to the Cricket Board two days ago over the show cause notice sent to him by the BCCI but refused to disclose its contents.
"Yes, I have replied to the BCCI two days ago, but I don't want to say anything more. I can't reveal the contents of my reply too," the Punjab batsman told reporters here.
Yuvraj is in Mumbai to play for his state team in the All India Inter State Twenty20 tournament and practised at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground of the Mumbai Cricket Association.
The left-handed batsman was served a notice by the BCCI for breach of Code of Conduct after he came out in support of teammate Sachin Tendulkar, who spoke to the media hitting out at former coach Greg Chappell.
The Board's Working Committee took objection to both the players' statements to the media and decided to send them show cause notice under Rule 38 of the BCCI's Memorandum of Rules and Regulations on April seven.
The notices to both players with a seven-day deadline were sent on April nine. PTI
Top stars to turn out in Twenty20 tournament
Mumbai, Apr 14 (PTI) A keenly fought contest is on the cards when the all-India inter-state Twenty20 cricket tournament starts at Ahmedabad and here tomorrow with the decision of top players to take part in the inaugural edition of the event.
Indian captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh are among the big names who will be turning out for their respective state associations in what promises to be a treat for cricket lovers of the two cities.
When the Cricket Board envisaged introducing the tournament in the national calendar in view of the upcoming World Twenty20 championship in South Africa in September, not many would have expected that the top players would be providing it with a touch of class.
The shocking early exit of India from the ongoing World Cup in the West Indies has been criticised roundly from all quarters, but the quirk of fate has enabled the cricket lovers to watch their favourite stars in the action-packed format of the game.
Besides the established players, several budding youngsters would also be keen to steal the show and impress the selectors ahead of their meeting on April 20 to choose the Indian Test and ODI teams for the Bangladesh tour. PTI
Hulks eclipsing small batsmen like Sachin and me: Ponting
Melbourne, Apr 14 (PTI) Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels the days of pint-sized batting maestros like Sachin Tendulkar, Brain Lara and himself are over as a new generation of hulks like Kevin Pietersen and Matthew Hayden redefine batting with their sheer power.
"It is much more a power game than it ever used to be. Someone mentioned to me a little while ago he thought myself, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar are the last of a generation of outstanding small batsmen," Ponting was quoted as saying in 'The Courier Mail'.
"The next generation will be power batsmen. I really think that is the way the game is going. It will be the same with the bowlers. All the wickets around the world are pretty flat now and you need big, tall bowlers who are going to get extra bounce," he added.
The Aussie skipper said the physical enormity of players like Hayden and Pietersen made them all the more intimidating for opposition.
"When Matthew Hayden takes one or two steps down the wicket it makes a bowler feel as if he is standing on top of you. I know what it feels like when you have big tall bowlers bowling at you. Curtly Ambrose used to feel as if he was on top of you.
"Pietersen is the same. You just have such a small margin for error with those guys because they are so strong," he explained.
Ponting said the trend for bowlers was also similar with taller bowlers proving to be more dangerous and hard to deal with. "If you are short you are going to need to be exceptional. Brett Lee is because he can bowl at 160kmph," he said. PTI
IHF launches youth development programme
Mumbai, Apr 14 (PTI) The Indian Hockey Federation has launched a youth development programme by roping in a multi-national sponsor to lift the standard of under-18 players of the country to global levels.
Launching the programme in association with financial conglomerate Citi Group last night IHF President K P S Gill said "under the junior development programme forty players will undergo four years world class training".
Gill said the sponsors were pumping in Rs 20 crore towards the programme and "the IHF will also chip in and contribute financially".
An IHF Development team consisting of 18 players are taking part in the ongoing Bombay Gold Cup Tournament here and the rest would be chosen by four newly appointed junior selectors by watching the Junior Nationals in Guntur from today.
IHF secretary K Jothikumaran informed that under the youth programme, the players would be given exposure by participating in tournaments not only in the country but also abroad.
Selectors would pick up the best available talent to form the required pool of players from six zonal selection centres.
The final group of players would then undergo a training at one place, the venue of which has not been decided yet. PTI
Air Deccan launches Delhi-Shimla flight
Shimla, Apr 14 (PTI) Low-cost carrier Air Deccan today launched its flight from Delhi to Shimla, making the state capital its third destination in Himachal Pradesh.
The airline is scheduled to operate its flight on this route four days a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The flight duration will be one hour, G R Gopinath, Managing Director of Deccan Aviation, said at Shimla airport.
An ATR 48-seater aircraft was flagged off by state chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
The airline presently operates flights to Kullu and Dharamsala from Delhi.
Addressing the function, Singh said this would help boost tourism and economic activities in the hill state by providing better air connectivity.
He said the state government was focusing on improving the road, rail and air connectivity to Himachal Pradesh.
Another airport was coming at Balh in Mandi district, in addition to the existing ones in Shimla, Kangra and Kullu.
Singh said the state government was encouraging private airlines to run flights within the state to connect different places with each other.
Gopinath said due to shorter runway the Delhi-Shimla flight would carry only 28 passengers against a capacity of 48 and so, the passengers would have to shell out extra cash. PTI
FDI touches $15 bn in 06-07; govt targets $25 bn in FY08
New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the country jumped nearly three-fold to 15 billion dollars in 2006-07 as the world's second-fastest growing economy lured investors from across the world.
Bouyed with the surge in FDI flows, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath today said the government has set a target of attracting 25 billion dollars of investment in 2007-08.
"Last fiscal, FDI touched 15 billion dollars as against 5.5 billion dollars in 2005-06," Nath said at a CII interaction with Japanese Trade Minister Akira Amari.
"If reinvested earnings are taken into account, FDI in 2006-07 totalled 18 billion dollars as against 7.5 billion dollars in the previous financial year," he added.
FDI target for the 2006-07 was 12 billion dollars and for this fiscal it has been pegged at 25 billion dollars.
He said healthy foreign investment flows reflect India's growth and confidence of investors in the country.
Indian economy has been expanding at over eight per cent for the past three years and is set to clock a growth rate of nine per cent in 2006-07, the second-fastest pace among major countries in the world after China.
The booming economy, robust stock and commodity markets, growing consumer class and rising incomes have attracted a large number of foreign investors in a host of sectors ranging from automobile and other manufacturing areas to financial services such as banking. PTI
PNB launches reverse mortgage scheme for first time in India
New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) For the first time in the country, Punjab National Bank today launched the reverse mortgage scheme to provide senior citizens up to Rs one crore loan by mortgaging their house.
"We have become the first bank to launch this scheme and disburse loan under it," PNB Chairman and Managing Director S C Gupta said at the 113th foundation day celebration of the bank.
Under the new scheme, loans would be available for people over sixty years of age if they own a house with clear title free from any encumberances, Gupta said.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram had proposed the scheme in the Budget 2007-08.
Reverse mortgage works in exactly the opposite way as housing loans. Under this system, a loan is given to senior citizens against their property. The owner makes no payments and all interest is added to the lien on the property.
The home owners need not repay the loan during the rest of their lifetime.
On hardening interest rates, Gupta said all borrowers including those with loan amount up to Rs 15 lakh would have to suffer because of the increasing rates.
He, however, said small borrowers would suffer less as the bank would try not to pass much burden on the small and medium borrowers. PTI
50 injured in clash with Maoists
Kathmandu, Apr 14 (PTI) At least 50 people were injured, four of them critically, when Maoists clashed with locals in Ramechhap district of eastern Nepal.
Over four dozen Young Communist League cadres led by Maoist area in-charge Madan attacked the locals who were protesting against the former rebels for allegedly beating a man at Betali bazaar yesterday, police said today.
The Maoists attacked the protesters with pistols, khukuris (knives), sticks and iron bars injuring nearly 50 people, they said.
The Maoists also damaged home houses. Police intervened to bring the situation under control. PTI
Howard asks Musharraf to check Taliban insurgents: report
Melbourne, Apr 14 (PTI) Australian Prime Minister John Howard has asked Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to do more to stop the flow of Taliban insurgents into Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Howard has written to President Musharraf imploring him to step up efforts to check the movement of Taliban forces across Pakistani border into Afghanistan, where Australian troops are being sent to combat the insurgents.
As Australia prepares to double its troop commitment in Afghanistan, Howard told the Pakistani leader in a letter sent in February that the Taliban flow from Pakistan threatened the lives of Australian troops sent to Oruzgan province, The Weekend Australian daily said today.
It said before the new commitment of troops, the head of the Australian Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, was forced to engage in difficult and lengthy negotiations with Dutch counterpart General D. L. Berlijn over the rules of engagement.
Australia wanted to be part of the US-led 'Operation Enduring Freedom,' rather than the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
'Enduring Freedom' would have allowed the Australians greater scope to hunt down and kill Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, whereas the NATO rules of engagement required troops to operate under more restrictive rules, focusing on rebuilding and reconstruction efforts.
Ultimately the Australians and Dutch compromised. The additional troops will be part of the NATO force, but will interpret their rules of engagement in an Australian manner, the newspaper said. PTI
United Nations, Apr 14 (PTI) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is dispatching the world body's legal chief to Lebanon to help the country end its political impasse and set up a special tribunal as soon as possible to try the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Nicholas Michel, Under Secretary General for Legal Affairs, will "offer his legal assistance to help their constitutional procedures," Ban told reporters, referring to the Parliamentary ratification of the decision to establish the tribunal.
Ban said he hoped that Michel's trip would help "clarify all concerns or apprehensions" that might exist about the tribunal.
In February, Michel signed the agreement with Lebanon to set up the tribunal, but the country's Parliament has been deadlocked and there has been no vote so far on the tribunal agreement.
The planned special tribunal in Lebanon will be of "an international character" to deal with the assassination of Hariri, who was killed along with 22 others in a massive car bombing in downtown Beirut in February 2005.
Once it is formally established, it will be up to the tribunal to determine whether other political killings in Lebanon since October 2004 were connected to Hariri's assassination and could therefore be dealt with by the tribunal. PTI
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