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Govt heeds Sikh demands, registers case against Dera head
Chandigarh, May 20 (PTI) A case was today registered by police against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments ahead of a crucial meeting of the Sikh clergy, a move the Punjab government hoped would help "cool down tempers".
The action came a day after the Dera head expressed regret over the "chain of events" that occurred after newspaper advertisements featured him attired like 17th century Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
The advertisements had led to outbreak of sectarian violence in the state, claiming a life and causing much damage to government and private properties.
The Sirsa-based Dera head has been charged by Punjab Police under section 295-A of the IPC relating to deliberate malicious act intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or its religious belief, a government spokesman said.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's media advisor Harcharan Singh Bains hoped that the registration of the case "will help in cooling down tempers", but was non-committal on the arrest of the Dera chief. "The law will take its own course," Bains merely said when asked about the possibility of his arrest. PTI
UPA enters fourth year amidst calls for correction of policies
Sunil Gatade
New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) A sharp rise in prices that has accompanied an impressive economic growth rate is causing concern to the Congress-led UPA government as it enters its fourth year in office with calls from allies and even within for a mid-course correction in policies.
Except for a dinner for UPA MPs to be hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 22, the third anniversary of the Congress-led coalition is expected to be a low-key affair.
The occasion appears to be one of introspection for the government and the UPA's leadership despite clocking several firsts -- a booming economy with growing exports, relative peace and tranquillity at home and a dialogue process on with neighbouring Pakistan.
The Indo-US nuclear deal, being seen as a major achievement by the economist-turned-politician Prime Minister, is being negotiated with Washington despite several pulls and pressures.
In the words of the 74-year old Prime Minister heading a motley coalition, "India is an idea whose time has come." The tribe of Indian billionaires is growing by the day and even domestic corporates have started to have a global footprint and are giving multinationals a run for their money.
But detractors differ. Good economics may not have translated into good politics for the coalition, especially the Congress, which had lost Punjab and Uttarakhand and is facing a crucial election in Gujarat at the end of the year.
Mayawati's success in the Uttar Pradesh polls after cobbling together a rainbow coalition has come as a reality check. PTI
Play called off on day three of India-Bangladesh Test
Sirshendu Panth
Chittagong, May 20 (PTI) Heavy rain played spoilsport as third day's play of the opening cricket Test match between India and Bangladesh was called off today without a ball being bowled due to poor ground conditions.
The two umpires, Billy Doctrove and Daryl Harper, decided to cancel the day's play in consultation with curator Shaiful Alam Belal after inspecting the conditions around 1100 IST.
The rains, which had allowed only 20 overs of play yesterday, continued throughout the night and there was more downpour this morning also leading to water logging on the ground at the Bir Sreshta Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium.
It created several puddles in the outfield which could have led to injuries to the players and there was no sunshine either since morning. The overcast conditions made it impossible to dry the ground in time to squeeze in even a few overs.
The grounds men were on their job since early morning but they could do little in the face of adverse weather conditions.
Belal had earlier conceded that due to the clay soil in the lower layer, drainage was a problem at the venue in case of rains.
After more than six hours' wait, the play began at 1600 IST yesterday and India moved to 384/6 at stumps in their first innings.
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly struck tons while Bangladesh picked up three quick wickets to peg back the Indians yesterday. PTI
Morocco Open under belt, Sania eyes Istanbul success with Chan
New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) After winning her fourth WTA doubles title at the Morocco Open partnering Vania King, Sania Mirza is now hoping to repeat the feat at the Istanbul Cup by teaming up with another last-minute partner Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan.
"I'm playing doubles there (Istanbul Cup) with Chan Yung-Jan, who made the Australian Open doubles final this year, so I'm pretty excited about that," Sania said.
"That was last-minute as well! I had nobody lined up and was desperately texting around for a partner from miles and miles away out here... Luckily, she was available," she added.
The USD 200,000 WTA Tier III event starts tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Indian ace was elated after claiming her first WTA doubles title outside India and said the fact that Vania and she teamed up just at the start of the tournament made the triumph all the more special.
"It's always good to win a title, and more so because we were a last-minute pairing. When we came here we didn't know who we'd be playing with," Sania said after claiming the title at Fes, Morocco.
Sania won her first WTA Tour doubles title at the Hyderabad Open in 2004 and added two more crowns last year by winning the Bangalore Open and Sunfeast Open in Kolkata. On all three occasions, South African Liezel Huber was her partner. PTI
India to play tri-series in Bangladesh in 2008/2009
Sirshendu Panth
Chittagong, May 20 (PTI) India have agreed to play a tri-series in Bangladesh with Pakistan as the third side in 2008 or 2009.
The matter was discussed at a meeting between the BCCI top brass and their counterparts in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) here last night.
"We have agreed to play the tri-series in Bangladesh. I think it can be played in 2008 or 2009," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said here today.
"We have to make some adjustments to the ICC calendar. BCB has readily agreed to all the conditions put before them," Shah told PTI.
Shah is part of the high-level BCCI delegation, led by its president Sharad Pawar, which visited the port city at the invitation of the BCB to watch the second Test between the two countries.
The BCCI official said India was prepared to host Bangladesh for a full series in the near future.
"We are very much willing to call them. We want to help them. That's the reason we have agreed to play the tri-series. Bangladesh is welcome to India," Shah said.
India have undertaken bi-lateral tours thrice to Bangladesh ever since the latter became a Test playing nation. However, Bangladesh are yet to play any ODI or Test match on Indian soil.
Meanwhile, Shah said the BCCI would also take the opinion of the senior cricketers of the Indian team before finalising a new coach for the national squad. PTI
Sania wins Morocco doubles title
New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) Sania Mirza won her first WTA Tour title of the season by clinching the doubles crown at the USD 145,000 Morocco Open with American Vania King at Fes today.
Sania and Vania thrashed the duo of Romanian Andreea Ehritt-Vanc and Anastasia Rodionova of Russia 6-1 6-2 in the final of the clay court women's tennis tournament. PTI
BCCI should consult players before appointing coach: Tendulkar
Chittagong, May 19 (PTI) Sachin Tendulkar wants the BCCI to consider the players' views while appointing the new coach for the Indian cricket team.
Speaking to newspersons after scoring his 36th ton in the first Test against Bangladesh, Tendulkar said he was not aware of the BCCI's seven-member coach selection panel holding a discussion in Bangalore on June 4 to find a successor to Greg Chappell.
"I have no idea. We did not have a meeting with the BCCI and we hope that our inputs would be considered," Tendulkar said.
Earlier in the day, BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah had said the final decision on appointing a new coach would be taken by the second week of June by the committee, which is headed by Board President Sharad pawar.
The other members of the committee are three former skippers - Sunil Gavaskar, Shastri and S Venkataraghavan - Board Treasurer N Srinivasan and Joint Secretary M P Pandove. Shah is the convenor of the committee.
Tendulkar's comments assume significance in the context of Chappell's frequent run-ins with the players during his tenure.
Praising Shastri as a "very positive player and person," Tendulkar said the former all-rounder has been a great help during the tour.
"It always helps to have a positive person. Ravi has been a great help as I know what he expects from me and he knows what is to be expected from me," he said.
"We have played cricket together. He has a good cricketing brain. He played lot of Test matches and has got many runs." PTI
India looks for a window in Nafta through Mexico
New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) India and Mexico are all set to sign a bilateral investment protection agreement (BIPA) tomorrow that will enable India Inc to access North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)- a trading block comprising of Mexico, the US and Canada.
The agreement, for which the Union Cabinet gave its approval on May 18, is expected to be signed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram and the visiting Mexican Finance Minister M Eduardo Sojo Garza-Aldape, sources said.
Mexico, being part of Nafta and having a large number of important partners including the EU, offers good opportunity to Indian companies and enhanced market access through investments and joint ventures, said an official source.
NAFTA, created in 1994, has become a powerful trade body with strong trading relations with European, African and Latin American markets.
Over the years, India has maintained good relations with Mexico. Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased to USD 1.5 billion from USD 251 million in 1999.
Among others, Indian exports to Mexico are engineering goods, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, and textiles, while Mexican exports to India are dominated by crude and petrochemicals.
Mexico's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated at USD 768 billion and per capita is around USD 8,000.
Investors of Indian origin have pumped in over USD 1.6 billion over 60 business ventures in Mexico, apart from recent joint ventures in pharmaceuticals and IT sectors by Indian companies. PTI
Foreign retail brokerage majors eye stakes in Indian cos
Mumbai, May 20 (PTI) Attracted by the tremendous potential and phenomenal growth achieved by Indian retail brokerage firms in recent times, a clutch of foreign majors are mulling an entry into the market.
Foreign majors such as the Citigroup, Societe Generale (SocGen), BNP Paribas, Standard & Chartered Bank and Australia-based Macquarie Bank are understood to be contemplating picking up equity stakes in Indian retail brokerages as an easy route to enter the market.
A buoyant stockmarket despite the odd hiccup combined with an increasing appetite for equities among investors, tech convenience of online trading and falling brokerage fees have proved to be the major growth drivers of the industry.
The potential of the Indian market was higlighted recently when nearly 19 suitors stepped forward to claim a stake in leading retail brokerage Sharekhan, amongst the top three such firms in the country.
The Citigroup is understood to have emerged as the frontrunner for picking up the majority stake in Sharekhan, which analysts say could have a valuation of around Rs 650 crore.
The winner will be announced on Monday after the company's Board meet, said Shripal Morakhia, promoter of the company.
"The retail equity brokerage space has been an area of special focus for major players given the huge growth in the business in recent times and its future potential," said Alok Jain, a leading city broker. PTI
Nepal Maoists can resolve Terai problem in two weeks:Prachanda
Kathmandu, May 20 (PTI) Nepal Maoist chairman Prachanda has said that his party can resolve the problems in the Terai region bordering India within 15 days, blaming the pro-palace and Hindu extremists for the disruptive activities aimed at derailling the Constituent Assembly polls.
"If the government gives us the responsibility based on an understanding, that is not a difficult task," Prachanda said, adding that he had already requested the Prime Minister for such a responsibility.
Prachanda said that pro-palace and feudal elements and Hindu extremists were engaged in violent and disruptive activities in Terai to derail Constituent Assembly polls.
The Maoist leader also emphasised the need to deal properly with India in order to resolve Terai problem.
"The traditional spineless leadership cannot properly secure the nation and people. Without appropriately dealing with New Delhi, Terai problem cannot be resolved. In changed circumstance, one should also be able to present oneself in tough manner," Prachanda said.
The top Maoist leader said he will employ both negotiation and retaliation to tackle the unrest in Terai.
"We know Goit, Jwala Singh very well. They were with us for four-five years. We know how to tackle them, which the Congress doesn't know. By understanding their psychology we can do both negotiate or retaliate," said Prachanda while interacting with mediapersons yesterday.
The leaders of two factions of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM), Jai Krishna Goit and Jwala Singh were previously associated with the Maoists. Likewise, president of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) Upendra Yadav, too, was a Maoist leader in the past. The JMM and MJF along with other groups in the Terai plains are agitating for greater political and economic rights for the region. PTI
Aus developing carbon emissions trading scheme including India
Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, May 19 (PTI) Australia is developing a regional carbon emissions trading scheme that would include India, China and the US and could form the basis of a "Sydney declaration" at this year's APEC summit.
The scheme would use as its bedrock the existing Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which brings together the AP6 nations of India, Australia, China, the US, Japan and South Korea.
It could also be expanded to include other regional partners.
As the host of the September APEC gathering, Australia is moving rapidly towards adopting an emissions trading scheme that places a price on carbon and adopts a target for greenhouse gas emissions, 'The Australian' newspaper reported today.
The possibility of using the AP6, which was created to tackle climate change by promoting cleaner technologies, is the first sign the US is considering an international emissions trading scheme and represents a big shift in the Australian Government's position.
The proposed scheme would be based on finding "a mechanism" to set a target for greenhouse gas emissions. Polluters who could not meet their emissions cap would be able to use the trading scheme to buy credits to emit extra greenhouse gases, the report said.
The APEC agenda will be framed by John Howard's carbon trading emissions taskforce report, which is due at the end of this month. PTI
Developments at World Bank to help the institution: official
Washington, May 19 (PTI) As the process of choosing a successor to disgraced World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz begins, a top official at the bank has said the focus should now be on governance and transparency which would help the organisation resume its battle against poverty in South Asia.
"The decision that has been reached to make space for new bank leadership allows us to draw a deep breath and return our full attention to continuing the development work at hand," Vice President, South Asia region Praful Patel said.
"Reducing poverty on this scale is a huge challenge which will also require deep progress in human development; it will require that all South Asian citizens have a chance to improve their lives irrespective of gender or caste or religion. It will require massive investments in infrastructure and improvements in the investment climate" he added.
He said vigilance over the systems of governance was necessary to get desired results.
"The Bank's governance system has allowed us to reach a resolution to the crisis we faced but it has also challenged us to make improvements. The system has been stress tested and we now know we can do better" the senior official said.
"Similarly in countries, the systems that are put in place to govern expenditures, to ensure transparent human resources policies, to manage power in ways which do not give favor to some and exclude others, are all questions of good governance," he said. PTI
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