The Mumbai Grapevine
Connecting Mumbaikars with Mumbai
(Published by Mumbai-Central.com)
Please feel free to forward this message to your friends and co-workers
who might be interested in it. The instructions to join the Mumbai
Grapevine are at the end of the message.
BJP gets simple majority, regains power; CM and Dhumal win
Shimla, Dec 28 (PTI) Riding on anti-incumbency factor, the BJP today stormed back to power on its own getting a simple majority in Himachal Pradesh routing Congress in the Assembly elections.
In an encore of the stunning victory in Gujarat, the saffron party is tasting power after four years bagging 38 seats which just three results left to be declared in a House of 68. It is leading in three. The BJP had only 19 seats in the outgoing House.
P K Dhumal(63), who is poised to become the Chief Minister for the second time, led the saffron surge winning from Bamsan in Hamirpur district beating his schoolmate and Congress candidate Col(retd) B C Lagwal by 26,000 votes.
The Congress, which went to the polls under the leadership of grand old man of Himachal politics and five-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, suffered a setback as it could win only 23 seats and was leading in one. The party had 41 seats in the existing Assembly.
Singh, whose government faced corruption charges, however survived the saffron sweep retaining his Rohru seat in Shimla district winning by a margin of 14,000 votes. BSP won one and others and Independents got three.
As BJP cadres broke into celebrations after the party was on the road to a spectacular victory, Dhumal said the party won on its campaign against price rise, unemployment, rampant corruption and the Congress failure to get special development package from the UPA government at the Centre.
Senior Congress leader Vidya Stokes won from Kumarsen after she initially trailed. Former Union Minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma won from Mandi(Sadar). G S Pali, who was shown in a TV sting in the company of bar girls during his birthday party, won the Nagrauta seat in Kangra district. Pali had to resign as minister after the episode. Former Congress leader and currently BSP president Vijay Singh Mankotia was among the losers. PTI
PM convenes all-party meet on Pak developments
New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) In the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold a meeting with political leaders today to discuss the situation in Pakistan.
The all-party meeting is expected to assess the possible impact of the Pakistani developments on India.
The meeting comes a day after Leader of Opposition L K Advani called up the Prime Minister and sought an early meeting to discuss the "worrisome" developments.
Advani said "talibanisation of Pakistan" is a threat to India's security and the recent developments in that country needed to be deliberated upon.
During the telephonic conversation with Advani, Singh, who was in Goa, agreed to hold the meeting. PTI
Lanka air force pounds LTTE base, army kills 31 rebels
T V Sriram
Colombo, Dec 28 (PTI) At least 31 LTTE cadres and a soldier were killed in clashes in the embattled northern Sri Lanka even as Air force fighter jets today pounded a strategic Tiger location in rebel-dominated Kilinochchi region.
"Air Force jet aircraft pounded a meeting place of LTTE militants South of Piramanthlakulam in Puthukudiyirippu today," the defence ministry said, adding pilots confirmed the target was successfully hit.
The targeted location was identified as a key Tiger base where most of the LTTE top brass used to visit regularly to discuss international activities of the outfit, the defence ministry said, quoting intelligence sources.
Sri Lanka Air Force raided the same place last April in which Kalaialagan, the second In-Command of the LTTE's coordinating centre for international activities and who was given a self-styled "Lt Colonel" rank, was killed, it said.
In ground battles, at least four Tiger rebels were killed today morning when troops launched an attack at the advancing cadres in Muhamalai in Jaffna Peninsula.
A soldier was also injured in an anti-personnel mine explosion in the area.
As many as 10 militants, including a LTTE leader identified as "Savithri", were killed at Periyakurittikulam in Vavuniya district yesterday, the defence ministry said in a statement.
While six LTTE rebels were killed in Kudirvittankulam village, two cadres were killed by security forces in Periyapandivirichchan in the district, it said.
As many as seven militants were gunned down by Lanka army in Kallikulam yesterday, the ministry said. PTI
Russia, India may jointly develop new space shuttle
Vinay Shukla
Moscow, Dec 28 (PTI) India and Russia could jointly develop a new generation space shuttle for manned space flights and negotiations for the project are expected to begin in January, according to a top space official.
"India has expressed desire to participate in the development of a new reusable manned spaceship and from January next we will discuss this issue with the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation," Chief of Russia's Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, Anatoly Perminov said.
Although Perminov did not identify the project, but 'Energia' Corporation is reportedly developing reusable spacecraft 'Clipper', which is expected to replace Soviet-designed Soyuz spaceships in Russia's national space programme.
Perminov said India was Russia's privileged space partner with which it was working in different directions and has granted Indian space experts access to many of its ground control facilities.
"With India we are interacting in carrier rockets, their components, dual use systems, global positioning system GLONASS and mission control and ground tracking equipment," Perminov said here at an year-end news conference.
Russia, which launched three satellites on Christmas to commercially operationalise Soviet developed global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), has taken India onboard in further developing of the system to end dependence on the Pentagon controlled Global Positioning System (GPS), which was twice switched off to enable US strikes during the Balkan and Iraq wars. PTI
Pak paramilitary troops issued "shoot-to-kill" orders
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Dec 28 (PTI) Pakistani paramilitary troops were today issued "shoot-to-kill" orders to tackle rioters in the southern Sindh province amidst reports of fresh violence following the assassination of former Premier Benazir Bhutto.
In Karachi, the capital of Sindh province - a traditional stronghold of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), mobs looted three banks before setting them on fire.
At least 13 people were killed in violent protests in various parts of the country that erupted after Bhutto was shot by a suicide attacker after she addressed a rally in Rawalpindi yesterday. The dead included three PPP workers who were killed during a clash with police at Dadu in Sindh today.
The paramilitary Pakistan Rangers were given "shoot-to-kill" orders to tackle protesters in Sindh that witnessed the fiercest protests.
Rangers spokesman Major Asad Ali said the rioters "did too much" last night and had damaged government property and harassed the people.
Ali said the "shoot-to-kill" orders were applicable only in Sindh, where 16,000 Rangers personnel had been deployed to deal with the violence.
Protesters, most of them workers of PPP, vandalised commercial properties and shops, burnt trains and railways stations and clashed with police at many places. Much of their ire was directed against the offices and property of the ruling PML-Q party that backs President Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistanis shocked by the assassination poured out on the streets for angry protests throughout the night and the violent protests continued today. PTI
India have enough time at hand: Clarke
Melbourne, Dec 28 (PTI) Australia's middle order batsman Michael Clarke did not put it beyond India to make a match of the target though he backed his bowlers to wrap up the opening cricket Test.
"They have plenty of time. You look at India's batting line-up, it's very strong. I know we have to be on our game tomorrow to win this Test," said Clarke who top scored with 73 in Australia's second innings as the visitors set 499 for India to win the Boxing Day Test.
"But I also believe that if we bowl as well as we can and hold our chances, there is a possibility that the game could be over on the fourth day itself." Clarke believed the wicket at the MCG demanded utmost patience.
"It's hard to get set at the start of innings. When it gets a bit softer, it becomes more difficult to score. One needs to be as patient as possible." Clarke was of the opinion that it would be difficult for batsmen to survive once the ball starts reverse swinging tomorrow. PTI
Rathore wins double trap gold at Nationals
Jaipur, Dec 28 (PTI) Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore grabbed the gold in the double trap event of the National Shooting Championship here.
Rathore kept his lead to muster 141 out of 150 in the initial rounds and then fired 45 in the final round to take his tally to 186 for the gold medal.
Vikram Bhatnagar with 178 pocketed silver, while Mohammad Ashab won the bronze medal with a tally of 175.
In the women's section Seema Tomar claimed the gold with 85 points. Varsha Tomar won the silver with 83 and the bronze went to Shreyasi Singh of Bihar who totalled 78.
In the junior men's section Mohammad Ashab remained at the top with 129. The second and third place went to Sangram Singh Dahiya (128) and Ajay Mittal, who scored 127.
The team gold went ot Army with 390 points. Delhi was the runner up (369) and Tamil Nadu with 322 was placed third. PTI
Beijing to blast clouds to prevent rain during Olympics
Beijing, Dec 28 (PTI) China is planning to blast clouds away from the Beijing sky with rocket launchers to prevent them from becoming a spoilsport in the next summer's Olympics.
North China's Hebei province said it would be ready with 84 rocket launchers to blast the clouds out of the Beijing sky to prevent rain.
An arsenal of rockets and cannons will be positioned on three 'lines of defence' between 15 kms and 120 kms from Beijing to prevent rain from marring the opening and closing ceremonies of Beijing Olympics, the official Xinhua news agency reported from Shijiazhuang.
The opening ceremony scheduled for August 8 and the closing ceremony for August 24 face a '50:50 chance' of rainfall, according to experts. Beijing experiences rainfall during August.
Four cities in Hebei province, including Zhangjiakou, Baoding, Chengde and Langfang and parts of the neighbouring Tianjin Municipality come under the 'Olympic Rain Prevention Scheme.' PTI
Markets steady today
Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) The benchmark Sensex ended lower by 10 points today, snapping its five-day long rise, with funds resorting to selling amid weak global trends following the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The 30-share index ended the day at 20,206.95, lower by 9.77 points. The key-index touched the day's high of 20,259.45 and a low of 20,022.88 points.
Teck, IT and auto stocks met with profit selling.
Similarly, National Stock Exchange index Nifty eased by 1.80 points at 6,079.70, after touching the day's high of 6,098.60 and a low of 6,021.90 points.
Inflation slips to 3.45 pc
New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Inflation fell marginally to 3.45 per cent for the week ended December 15, against 3.65 per cent in the previous week, due to fall in prices of fruits, vegetables and textile products.
The annual rate of inflation stood at 5.73 per cent a year ago.
Prices of fruits and vegetables declined by 2 per cent, while textile prices fell by 5.9 per cent and cotton yarn by 7.7 per cent, during the week ended December 15.
However, prices of poultry chicken went up by 2 per cent and that of urad, condiments and spices by 1 per cent each.
The prices of beverages, tobacco, and tobacco products rose by 3.3 per cent due to jump in prices of cigarettes (8 per cent) and potable country liquor (6 per cent).
The prices of malted food rose by 3 per cent and imported edible oil and groundnut oil prices also increased by 1 per cent.
Prices of Manufactured products, which have a weight of 53.75 per cent in the price index, marginally declined by 0.2 per cent.
The fuel power, light and lubricants index, which has weight of 14.23 per cent in the wholesale price index, remained unchanged at its previous week's level. PTI
Mittal plans to set up refineries in Congo, Nigeria
New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal plans to set up multi-billion dollar refineries in Congo and Nigeria and has approached state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd for a partnership.
Mittal Investments Sarl, the holding company of Mittal family, which earlier this year picked up 49 per cent stake in HPCL's 5-billion dollar Bhatinda refinery in Punjab and signed agreement to explore setting up an export-oriented refinery at Vizag on east coast, has sought partnership with HPCL for expansion of a refinery in Congo and setting up a 10 million ton refinery in Nigeria, industry sources said.
SNPC, the national oil company of Congo, has offered Mittal Investment Sarl a stake in an offshore oil block along with a proposal for expansion of its one million ton capacity refinery in Point Noire which is also a major oil terminal.
The 1,044 sq km oil block Marine IX has Premier Oil of UK as the operator with 58.5 per cent stake. Ophir Energy holds 31.5 per cent stake while SNPC has the remaining 10 per cent. Premier Oil and Ophir are seeking a co-investor to join in the funding of a two-well drilling programme.
Sources said Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) has invited Mittal for exploring feasibility of setting up a 10 million ton refinery. NNPC is to hold 40-49 per cent stake in the proposed refinery that will cater to domestic fuel demand and export surplus. HPCL-Mittal, who may be given 51 per cent in the project, are interested in working with NNPC to examine the feasibility of setting up the new refinery.
Interestingly, Mittal had earlier this year lost a bid to takeover Nigeria's biggest oil refinery at Port Harcourt. Mittal had originally planned to bid for the 10.5 million ton Port Harcourt refinery with HPCL but in the end went alone as the state-run firm's due diligence of the project did not find it feasible. PTI
100 years of Urdu literature in Indian subcontinent in English
Wasfia Jalali
New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) As part of its programme of translating Indian literature in order to make it available to a larger section of society, Oxford University Press (OUP) in India has released an Anthology of Modern Urdu Literature covering over a period of 100 years of literary production in the subcontinent.
Edited by Mehr Afshan Farooqi -- a scholar of South Asian literature, the two volumes spanning from the late nineteenth century to as late as the early twenty- first century, include in their pages translations of 130 selections in English from the works of as many as 90 authors.
"The programme undertaken by us was important in our literary quest, which in many ways changed the thrust of our translation programme", says Manzar Khan, Managing Director, OUP, India.
All major genres of Urdu writings -- poetry, drama, fiction and also the 'much- ignored' essays, autobiographies and letters have been included in the volumes making it one of the most comprehensive anthologies available in Urdu literature.
"While involved in the business of translations, we realised that Urdu language which has touched many hearts did not have enough contemporary translations. Moreover, while works of fiction and poetry have been touched by translators, non-fiction has been altogether ignored", says Khan.
Further, the publishers have made it a point to ensure that the writings included in the volumes were the ones that were hitherto not easily available in translation.
"While the focus of selection is on literary excellence, translatability and relevance, an effort has been made to avoid writings easily available in translation and to include one piece per author,"says Farooqi,who is Professor of South Asian Literature at the University of Virginia. PTI
Make more women friends, live better and long: Study
Sruthi Paruthikad
New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) A woman without confidants and friends from the same sex risk early death and are often found to take longer periods to recover from bereavement and other trauma compared to those who have a bigger group of friends.
A study from the University of California says female bonding activities serve as very important stress management strategies; and they have qualifiable health benefits.
The study indicates women who turn to other women for friendship lower the risk of early death, they also heal faster in times of bereavement or other trauma.
Woman-to-woman friendship bonding or 'hanging out with friends' serve the purpose of filling the emotional gaps. Besides, says the study published in 'Psychological review' when women are under stress, the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the response to stress.
This encourages them to seek the company of other women, and when they are engaged, more oxytocin is released, which counters stress and has a calming effect, it says.
"Women are more loyal and appreciative in their relationship so they possess a tendency to be bonded with each other," says Dr Aruna Broota, a well known psychiatrist and professor, University of Delhi.
She says the relationship between women will be more deep and intense than that of between women and men because they are always ready to understand and value each other. PTI
Sri Lanka ethnic crisis, a lesson for India: experts
New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) The Sri Lankan ethnic crisis should be taken as a lesson by the South Asian countries, and particularly India, feel experts.
"Politicians should not create sectarian identity among people, which ultimately tears the country," according to S D Muni, an expert on Sri Lanka.
He was speaking at a function to mark the launch of a book, 'Sri Lanka: A land in search of itself', authored by Mohan K Tikku, a journalist, here on Wednesday.
"Particularly India should take lessons from the crisis as ours is a plural society and the violence is increasing here, and threatening the world's largest democracy," H K Dua, an eminent journalist, said.
Talking about the present Sri Lankan crisis, Muni said, "The two main political parties, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and main opposition the United National Parties are also responsible for the present plight of the people in the island nation as they talk of minority welfare during election campaigns but forget to implement when voted to power." "And unless the two main parties come out with a positive approach and do not sandwich the Tamils in the process, the countries' ethnic crisis can not be resolved," he said.
Dr P Wingnaraja, Co-chair, Indo-Sri Lanka Track-II, said that solving the economic problem of the people and thereby bridging the gap between rich and poor is the most important requirement for solution of any crisis, especially of ethnic basis. PTI
___________________________________________________________
This is the Mumbai Grapevine
___________________________________________________________
______Market_______
To get regularly updated NIFTY (NSE) quotes by email, join the NSEData
mailing list by sending an email to NSEData-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To get regularly updated BSE quotes by email, join the BSEData mailing
list by sending an email to BSEData-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Sensex: 20206.95, -9.77
The sensex closed at 20206.95, down 9.77
___________________________________________________________
This is the Mumbai Grapevine
___________________________________________________________
______Forex_______
1 U.S. $ = 39.275 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.3475 INR
1 British Pound = 78.475 INR
1 Canadian $ = 40.089 INR
1 Singapore $ = 27.165 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 10.694 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 10.529 INR
1 Euro = 57.701 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 10.788 INR
___________________________________________________________
This is the Mumbai Grapevine
___________________________________________________________