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Vasundhara Raje invites Gurjar leaders for talks
Jaipur, May 30 (PTI) In a bid to quell the agitation by Gurjars demanding Schedule Tribe status, the Rajasthan government today invited their representatives for talks to resolve the crisis in the wake of the violence that has left 14 dead so far.
A meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje after she returned from Delhi last night, decided to form a four-member ministerial team to hold dialogue with the Gurjar Reservation Sangharsh Samiti leaders including Karnal Kirori Singh Bainsla, Parliamentary Affairs Minister B S Rajawat said here. PTI
Conspirator gets life sentence in 1993 Mumbai blasts case
Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) A person considered to be one of the main conspirators behind 1993 serial blasts was today awarded life sentence by the TADA court here.
Special Judge P D Kode while sentencing the 83-year-old Dawood Phanse to life imprisonment, imposed a fine of Rs two lakh on him and added that he was spared the death penalty considering his age.
Phanse was convicted of going to Dubai and attending a meeting with gangster and prime accused Dawood Ibrahim in which the conspiracy to carry out the serial blasts in the city was made.
The court sentenced Muzzamil Umar Kadri, found guilty of participating in landing explosives and arms at Shekhadi in Raigad and illegal possession of 13 AK-56 rifles, was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh.
Khalil Nasir, also convicted for his role in the Shekhadi arms landing, was awarded ten years rigorous imprisonment and directed to pay a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh by the court. PTI
Rupee ends at two-week low of 40.86/87 a dollar
Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) The rupee today ended at a two-week low of 40.86/87 against the US currency, weaker by 37 paise from previous close of 40.49/50, on hectic dollar coverings by exporters and month-end dollar demand by oil corporates.
The Reserve Bank of India also was believed to have intervened aggresively to contain the rupee's surge.
The local currency has risen by 8.5 per cent since the beginning of the calendar year 2007 and 1.70 per cent so far in May, driven by an consistent capital inflows into the Indian equity markets.
In active trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (forex) market, Indian unit came under pressure after closing at a new nine-year high yesterday, and fell sharply to the day's low of 40.88 on heavy dollar demand from state-owned banks as well as oil corporates.
Hectic dollar coverings by exporters and month-end demand by oil companies weighed on the rupee sentiment, forex dealers said adding "state-owned banks made dollar purchases, probably on behalf of the RBI".
Though the central bank has maintained silence over its intervention in forex market, it seems to be mopping up the greenback to prevent the rupee from rising further prior to June 30, the accounting year-end of the currency and gold revalution account (CGRA), according to traders.
The rupee, however, is expected to bounce bank in the days to come in anticipation of a fresh round of FII inflows into equity. A leading property developer DLF is raising a record USD 2.4 billion through the biggest IPO during June. PTI
Govt cancels wheat import tender due to high price
New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Government today decided to cancel the import tender floated for 10 lakh tonnes of wheat, citing high prices quoted by global suppliers.
"We have decided to cancel the tender as the price of 263 dollars per tonne quoted by the bidder is high considering that the international prices are expected to soften following hopes of high global output," a senior food ministry official said.
The government will soon inform the authorised canalising agency State Trading Corporation to inform the decision to the bidders, the official said.
STC had, on April 30, invited bids from global suppliers to import one million tonne of wheat.
India imported 55 lakh tonnes of the foodgrain last year, after a six-year gap, to augment stocks for distribution under public distribution system (PDS) and other welfare schemes.
Out of the total procurement target of 151 lakh tonnes, 104 lakh tonnes were procured as on yesterday. As much as 93,111 tonnes of wheat was procured yesterday itself.
Buoyed by the trend, the government has decided to extend the period for wheat procurement and the bonus of Rs 100 per tonne by 15 days till June 15 for the main suppliers - Punjab and Haryana.
Though the wheat procurement is expected to fall short of the target, the reports of stock holding by farmers on expectations of higher prices has brought hopes of larger than expected purchase for the ration shops. PTI
Pakistan opts out of Asia Cup hockey
Karachi, May 30 (PTI) Pakistan have opted out of the Asia Cup hockey tournament this year following a request from the team management that the players need to spend more time on rectifying their flaws.
"Our team will not be playing in the Asia Cup," PHF secretary Khalid Mehmood was quoted as saying by The News.
"We have taken the decision on the request of the team management," he added.
On why Pakistan are skipping the Asia Cup, to be held in Chennai in September, but are desperate to compete in a couple of events in Russia and China in July and August respectively, Mehmood said: "May be the tournaments in Russia and China are more important for us than the Asia Cup. It is for us to decide where to send our team." However, Pakistan coach Manzoor-ul-Hassan said he was not aware of any such development.
"As far as I know, a decision is yet to be taken on the Asia Cup," he said.
Pakistan, who have been going through a slump in performance, recently played below par at the eight-nation Azlan Shah Cup and finished sixth.
But, Hassan rejected the theory that Pakistan decided to skip the Asia Cup because of the fear of losing.
"Winning and losing are both part of life," he said.
"That is why we are not scared of losing. The only reason why we are not going (for the Asia Cup) is to allow the team management more time to help our players overcome their flaws," he explained. PTI
Subcontinent players lack discipline: Allan Donald
London, May 30 (PTI) Former South African bowler Allan Donald believes that subcontinent cricketers "lack discipline" which often resulted in a rift with their coaches.
Citing the fall-out between the Indians and Australian Greg Chappell who guided them for two years till the World Cup, Donald said the players might have had their share of blame.
"From what I have seen, it looked like the Indian players enjoyed Greg Chappell's company but there were some issues which got blown out of proportion ... It could have something to do with the role of the coach as most of the players just want to go their own way and play as they like to," Donald wrote in a column on 'Cricketnext.Com'.
"At the highest level, the coach's word should be taken as final but it seems that there is a lack of discipline here.
"The Indian and Pakistani players always seem to have some issue or the other with their coaches." Donald, who has been appointed as a short-term bowling consultant of the England team, urged the Indians to strike a good rapport with whoever was appointed to guide them in place of Australian Greg Chappell.
"For the coach to function smoothly, particularly if he is from some other country, the senior players should back him," wrote the first South African to claim 300 Test scalps.
"In South Africa, too, when Bob Woolmer were the coach there were some problems initially, but the seniors backed him and soon everything was settled." PTI
BCCI-Zee broadcast deal cancelled, says report
New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Indian Cricket Board's (BCCI) five-year broadcast deal with Zee Television has been cancelled, plunging the three-match ODI series against South Africa next month in doubt, a report said today.
India were scheduled to play South Africa in three one-dayers in Belfast from June 26 to July 1 besides another against hosts Ireland.
The matches fell under series of 25 games to be played by the Indian team at neutral venues covered by the BCCI-Zee deal worth USD 219,000.
But "the deal was believed to have run into difficulties after a meeting yesterday and the BCCI are now in discussions with another broadcaster," a report on the 'Cricinfo' website said.
BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi, in charge of the Board's marketing, refused to take queries when contacted over phone.
Board Secretary Niranjan Shah was unavailable for comment. PTI
Sania to pair with Santoro at Roland Garros
Paris, May 30 (PTI) Sania Mirza will partner French Grand Slam champion Fabrice Santoro while Mahesh Bhupathi will step on to the court with Paola Saurez of Argentina in the mixed doubles at the French Open here.
The much-awaited pairing of Sania and Bhupathi at a Grand Slam did not fructify at this year's clay court major since their combined doubles ranking fell below the cut-off mark of 56.
Meanwhile, Leander Paes will be playing with American Meghann Shaughnessy.
In the men's doubles, Paes would launch his campaign today with his partner Martin Damm of Czech Republic against the local combination of Jeremy Chardy and Jonathan Eysseric.
The duo have been seeded third and together they have won two Masters Series and were runners-up at another two ATP tournaments this season.
Bhupathi has paired with Czech Republic player Radek Stepanek and they take on the Polish duo of Mariusz Fyrstenber and Marcin Matkowski.
Sania's first round match against Alberta Brianti of Italy is also scheduled for today.
The 20-year-old Hyderabadi girl, who will be coached by Gabriel Urpi during the fortnight at Roland Garros, would share the same side of the court with Eva Birnerova of Czech Republic. PTI
Pawar may head 2011 WC organising committee
Karachi, May 30 (PTI) Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar is likely to be named as chairman of the 2011 World Cup organising committee when it is constituted formally next month.
The board officials of the four Asian Test playing nations - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - are to meet in summer of resort of Bhurban in Pakistan from June 17 to 19 to constitute the committee.
It is for the first time that all the four Asian test playing nations would be hosting the World Cup.
Meanwhile, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said that they were yet to receive a formal itinerary from the BCCI for the team's tour of India later this year to play three Tests and six or seven one-day internationals.
"They will now inform us off the venues and dates they want us to play on for final approval," a PCB official told PTI.
Pakistan is due to tour India from early November but sources said it has already requested the Indian board to not schedule matches at venues that require a lot of travelling as was the case on the 2005 tour. PTI
Nokia Siemens Network bags Rs 300 cr contract from Aircel
New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Network solutions provider Nokia Siemens Network today said it has bagged a two year contract worth Rs 300 crore from telecom service provider Aircel to build and operate greenfield GSM network in Kolkata.
The contract includes supply of GSM or EDGE equipment, implementation, project management and managed services such as operating and maintaining the network infrastructure, a company statement said here.
The network would be ready for commercial operations by December, it added.
"The rollout in Kolkata will complete our East or North-East geographic footprint, besides lending us its strategic commercial importance in the region," Sandip Das, CEO, Maxis and Aircel Director, said.
This would also provide the company with the latest GSM technologies such as the multi-radio Flexi Base Station Platform that will not only help us provide services but will also make our network ready for 3G and WIMAX services, Aircel CEO (North and East) Rohit Chandra said.
Aircel, part of Malaysia's Maxis Communications, has a subscriber base of over 6.2 million users in nine circles. It has already got the licences for the remaining 14 circles and obtained the nod from Department of Telecommunications to provide International Long Distance (ILD) and National Long Distance (NLD) telephony services. PTI
MNCs ill-prepared to tackle cross border frauds: KPMG
New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Multinational corporations have not yet devised effective investigation mechanisms to check inherent risks of fraud in their overseas operations, global research firm KPMG said today.
In its recent report the research firm found MNCs to be often unarmed to investigate cases of fraud promptly and effectively in a country other than where they are headquartered.
A significant majority of the business executives surveyed across 21 countries by KPMG expected an increase in the number of fraud related international investigations in the coming years, the report said.
Despite expectations of increased fraud risks in the overseas market, as many as 56 per cent said they have not implemented comprehensive investigation procedures. Although 60 per cent of these executives acknowledged that planning an investigation remains key to its success.
"Fraudsters operate undeterred by global boundaries. Therefore, companies must be increasingly vigilant about their ability to prevent, detect and respond to fraud," KPMG India Head Forensic Services Deepankar Sanwalka said.
He said companies need an effective fraud detection and investigative capability which is disciplined and fast.
"In addition to financial loss, an ineffective investigative process can adversely reflect on an organisation's reputation, its risk management abilities, and its commitment to good corporate governance," he added. PTI
Birla Corp Q4 net up 51 pc; declares 35 pc dividend
Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Birla Corporation, the flagship company of M P Birla group, today posted 50.71 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 101.19 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, as compared to Rs 67.14 crore for the same period last year.
The total income (net of excise) grew 14.86 per cent to Rs 455.91 crore for the quarter from Rs 396.90 crore for the corresponding quarter a year ago, Birla Corporation informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The board of directors at its meeting today declared a 35 per cent dividend of Rs 3.50 on 7.70 crore equity shares of Rs 10 each.
The company recorded a net profit of Rs 326.23 crore for the year ended March 31, as against Rs 125.76 crore last fiscal and the total income (net of excise) increased to Rs 1,593.41 crore from Rs 1,228.60 crore in the period under consideration.
The group posted a net profit (after minority interest) of Rs 325.48 crore for the year ended March 31, as compared to Rs 125.31 crore in the previous year and the total income (net of excise) grew to Rs 1,593.45 crore from Rs 1228.48 crore in the period under review. PTI
Haldia plans Rs 800 cr investment to expand ethylene capacity
Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) Haldia Petrochemicals today said it will invest Rs 800 crore for expanding its ethylene capacity to 670,000 tonnes from the present 523,000 tonnes.
The expansion would increase the company's polymer capacity by 30 per cent by April, Haldia Petrochemicals' Managing Director Swapan Kumar Bhowmik said.
Bhowmik was making a presentation at a CII conference here.
The company would manage the funds needed for the expansion through internal accruals, he said.
Haldia Petrochemicals is currently working on three different projects, however, Bhowmik said without giving any further details.
Giving a global overview, Bhowmik said, ethylene capacity was set to go up to 157 million tonnes in 2010 from 116 million tonnes in 2005.
Asia would account for 52 per cent of the global ethylene capacity in 2010 from 39 per cent in 2005 following the shift in petrochemical units from Europe to Asia.
On petrochemicals margins, he said, globally margins would drop by 2008-end and the segment would witness a downward cycle in the subsequent three years.
The prices in polymers are currently at its peak and could go down with new facilities coming up in Asia, affecting margins, he said. PTI
China tries to drag India, Malaysia into Darfur issue
Beijing, May 30 (PTI) In an attempt to deflect increasing criticism of its support for the sanction-hit Sudanese government on the Darfur issue, China has described as "unjust" reports which targeted Chinese oil exploration in the African nation but did not mention the same by Indian and Malaysian companies.
Raking up the issue of Indian and Malaysian oil cooperation with Sudan at a special briefing, the newly-appointed Chinese envoy for the Darfur issue Liu Guijin told reporters here yesterday that Chinese oil companies are not the only participants in the Sudanese oil sector.
China, which buys much of Sudan's oil and is also its backer at the United Nations, is facing growing international pressure to do more to stem the violence and human rights abuses in the African country.
While India and Malaysia are "friends" of China, "we do not want to see that the two countries are affected because of their cooperation with Sudan," Liu, who has just returned from Sudan said.
"However, we have never seen any media to question the cooperation between Sudan and India and Malaysia. So the cooperation between Sudan and China has been politicised and this is unjust and unjustified," he said.
At the same time, Liu claimed that energy-hungry China's cooperation with Sudan on oil exploration helps boost the economic growth and fundamentally resolve war-led chaos and social disturbance in Sudan. PTI
Pak defense budget to be hiked by Rs 3,000 cr: Report
Islamabad, May 30 (PTI) Pakistan is set to increase its defense budget for the next fiscal year by Rs 3,000 crore, a news report has said.
Pakistan has decided to increase its defense budget for 2007-08 by Rs 3,000 crore, sources told the Online News agency, adding that Defense Ministry has sent its recommendations to the Finance Ministry for a Rs 30,000 crore budget.
During the current year, the defense budget has been peged at Rs 250.2 billion, which is 2.8 percent of the GDP and keeping in view the rising GDP the budget is being increased, the report said.
Sources said the defense budget for the next fiscal year would be between Rs 277 to Rs 280 billion, which would be used to purchase equipment for the three armed forces that is undergoing massive modernisation process.
It is yet to be decided whether the amount for purchasing JF-17 thunder and F-16 fighter planes would be earmarked in the budget or a separate allocation would be made.
The decision in this regard would be made at a high-level meeting to be chaired by president and the prime minister on the eve of the budget announcement, sources said. PTI
Tigers kill Lanka soldier, Red Cross opens frontlines
Colombo, May 30 (PTI) Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead a government soldier in northern Sri Lanka as the international Red Cross resumed providing safe passage for civilians crossing the frontlines.
The defence ministry said the soldier was killed last evening when the Tigers opened fire at him in the Vavuniya district.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today resumed its presence at Omanthai and Uyilankulam crossing points, in Vavuniya and Mannar districts respectively.
They had earlier pulled out last week following a stepping up of shelling by government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels.
The ICRC presence is to ensure safe passage for civilians travelling to and from rebel-held areas.
"Under the 2002 ceasefire agreement, it is the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE that decide if crossing points will be open or closed. The ICRC's presence serves as a confidence-building measure between both parties to the conflict in the best interest of civilians," the ICRC said.
So far this year, an average of 25,000 persons have passed through the crossing points each month.
The ICRC had been present on a daily basis since 2002.
"Although its presence at the crossing points will now be reduced to only three days a week, it remains ready to ensure the safe passage of ambulances transporting the sick and wounded whenever necessary," the Red Cross said. PTI
US envoy arrives in Beijing to discuss renewal of NKorea talks
Anil K Joseph
Beijing, May 30 (PTI) Top US negotiator on North Korean nuclear issue, Christopher Hill arrived here today, saying it is time to resolve the dispute over the USD 25 million frozen funds of Pyongyang which has stalled the nuclear disarmament process.
Hill said this before leaving hotel for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.
"I assume we are going to talk about... Trying to see... if we could come closer on the BDA (Macao-based Banco Delta Asia) matter," the US chief negotiator said.
"It proves to be very difficult for any bank to move the money because of various legal issues," he added.
Hill, who is also the Assistance Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is scheduled to meet with Wu and other Chinese Foreign Ministry officials later today. He will leave the Chinese capital tomorrow, according to the US embassy.
Under an agreement adopted by the six parties during their latest talks on February 13, North Korea, which tested a nuclear devise in October last year, was supposed to shut down and seal the Yongbyon facilities within 60 days in exchange for 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.
North Korea, which missed the April 14 deadline, insisted that its USD 25 million frozen at the BDA must be returned before closing the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and starting new negotiations with the other five nations: US, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia under the six-party talks mechanism. PTI
Countries must accept discipline standards for personnel: UN
United Nations, May 30 (PTI) Troop-contributing countries must accept the introduction of formal discipline standards for United Nations peacekeepers or risk jeopardising the world body's entire campaign to improve the actions of its personnel, the UN's top peacekeeping official has said.
The remarks by Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guehenno at a press briefing yesterday came ahead of discussions with UN Member States on a proposed memorandum of understanding setting out standards for the estimated 100,000 peacekeepers operating in 18 separate missions around the world.
The discussions assume importance in view of several allegations of sexual abuse as also other malpractices against some peacekeepers and the United Nations wants some mechanism to discipline and deter such elements.
Among the inquiries currently the UN is holding is one against Pakistani peacekeepers who were alleged to have exchanged guns for gold in the Democratic Republic of Congo which helped to arm the militias group which they were expected to disarm.
The problem that the UN faces is that by the time investigations are completed, the peacekeepers against whom charges had been leveled have already moved back to their home countries which are reluctant to prosecute them. For example, Pakistani peacekeepers against whom inquiry is being held are already back home. PTI
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