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The five witnesses were two photographers from a national English daily who had clicked pictures of the incident, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who had intervended while passing through the area, a traffic constable and a driver accompanying him.
The statements of the witnesses were recorded before a Special Executive Magistrate inside the high security Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai where the accused are lodged.
Two NRI women hailing from Gujarat and settled in USA had gone for a special dance show featuring Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu at the hotel accompanied by two males. They were allegedly molested, groped and their clothes torn by a mob of over 70 after exiting from the hotel in suburban Juhu.
A traffic police team led by ACP Amarjeet Singh had intervened and dispersed the crowds. The photographs were published which led to a public outcry in the matter.
"I am a witness in the case and was called for the test identification parade," Singh told reporters but declined to answer questions as to why had he not filed a complaint himself or caught the accused there itself.
All the 14 accused were granted bail by a local court yesterday on furnishing a sureity of Rs 10,000 each.
A senior jail official said it would be "at least" three or four days before they are released as getting the release order is a long process. PTI
Soni keeps PM in loop over Setu issue
New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Union Culture Minister Ambika Soni is understood to have discussed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the drafting of a fresh affidavit on the Ram Setu issue before the Supreme Court.
Soni called on the Prime Minister yesterday and is understood to have briefed him about the drafting of the fresh affidavit on the issue, Culture Ministry sources said.
The Minister had to suffer a major embarrassment after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) questioned the existence of Lord Rama in its affidavit on the Sethusamudram issue before the Supreme Court last September.
The affidavit had to be withdrawn later after strong protest from Hindu groups.
The new affidavit is being drafted carefully in a matter-of-fact manner and it is likely to mention that the project was conceived during the NDA regime, the sources said.
Legal officers and ASI officials involved with the controversial affidavit filed before the Supreme Court last time have been removed from future involvement in the case.
With recent election results of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh going the BJP way, the Congress-led UPA government is trying to avoid another political storm over the Ram Setu issue. PTI
Zardari to fly to Dubai today
Karachi, Jan 5 (PTI) Slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari will fly to Dubai to meet his children.
Zardari, who is Pakistan People's Party co-chairman, will see-off his son Bilawal who will leave Dubai for Oxford to pursue his studies, PPP leaders said.
Bilawal was named party chief after Bhutto's killing last month.
Zardari, who travelled from Nodero to the port city will stay in Dubai for a day or two, they said. PTI
No plan to ban LTTE now, Sri Lanka says
Colombo, Jan 5 (PTI) Sri Lankan government has said there is no plan at present to ban the LTTE, after it scrapped a six-year-old ceasefire agreement with the Tamil rebel outfit.
"As of now we have not thought of banning the LTTE," Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told reporters here yesterday.
"The talk of a ban has been speculative," he added.
Political observers had expected that the ban and the abrogation of the ceasefire pact would come about simultaneously, but the government as of now only chose to pull out of the truce agreement.
"We are looking at several options," Bogollagama said without elaborating, when asked what the government planned to do if it did not want to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) now.
The Foreign Minister recalled President Mahinda Rajapakse's statement on December 26 in which he indicated the government's willingness for talks with the LTTE if it came to the negotiating table after laying down arms. PTI
Angry Pak slams ICG for demanding Musharraf step down
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jan 5 (PTI) Pakistan today reacted angrily to an international think-tank's demand for President Pervez Musharraf's resignation ahead of the general election saying it was tantamount to "sedition" and meddling in the country's democratic process.
The International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based think tank, had in a report issued on Wednesday said that "unless Musharraf steps down, tensions in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's murder will worsen, and Pakistan could descend into civil war from which only extremists would gain".
Reacting angrily to the report, the Pakistan government has said the ICG "neither has the credentials nor the credibility and lacks representational standing, specially on Pakistan's national affairs".
"Urging the President of Pakistan to quit and the US to encourage the Pakistan military leadership to persuade the President of Pakistan to resign is tantamount to propagating seditious views against the laws of the country," a government spokesman said in a statement issued yesterday.
He said that under the constitution, the President is the supreme commander of the armed forces and comments such as those released to the media by the ICG amounts to "promoting sedition".
The spokesman rejected the report, terming it "patently biased and reflective of a complete lack of understanding and appreciation of the environment and ground realities" in Pakistan. PTI
US suspends defence exports to Sri Lanka
Colombo, Jan 5 (PTI) The United States has suspended export of defence equipment and services to Sri Lanka demanding that Colombo improve its human rights record.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, in a statement posted on its website, said that the decision was in line with the US Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 signed late last month by President George W Bush.
The legislation came into effect on December 26 last year and was not linked to Colombo's decision to dump a 2002 ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers early this week, which had also "troubled" the US.
"It is the policy of the United States to deny applications for licenses and other approvals to export or otherwise transfer defense articles and services to Sri Lanka," the statement said.
It, however, added that the only exception to this policy is that licenses may be issued for technical data or equipment made available for the limited purposes of maritime and air surveillance and communications.
"Such licenses remain subject to case-by-case review," it said.
Human rights groups have accused the government of committing abuses in its over two-decade long fight against Tamil rebels.
The legislation also makes any military grants for Sri Lanka dependent on certification by the US secretary of state that it has prosecuted military officials alleged to have recruited child soldiers and committed extra-judicial executions. Also that Colombo has provided humanitarian groups and reporters access to Tamil-dominated areas. PTI
Dynamos beat Sultans to strom into PHL finals
Y Sarangi
Chandigarh, Jan 5 (PTI) Chandigarh Dynamos pipped a spirited Hyderabad Sultans through penalty shoot-out to book a berth in the finals of the fourth Premier Hockey League at the Sector 42 stadium here today.
In a closely-fought match, both teams failed to open the account in the regulation time and were locked 1-1 after extra time forcing the match to go into the shoot-outs.
After four dreary quarters, young drag-flicker Diwakar Ram infused life into the semifinal encounter by converting a penalty corner in the third minute of the extra time.
Just before the first half of the extra time, Deepak Thakur flicked one home to draw parity for the home side.
In the do-or-die shoot-outs, the cool-headed Dynamos displayed their skills to get the better of the Sultans 4-2.
The Sultans, packed with promising players, sprung a surprise and gave the star-studded Dynamos a run for their money by putting up a solid defence to thwart the Chandigarh team's reputed forward-line comprising captain Rajpal Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Deepak Thakur and Inderjit Singh Chadha.
Sultans' under-21 players Samir Baxla and Anand Tirkey competed with the experienced strikers of the Dynamos and did not let them an easy chance to score.
On the up, budding forward Pramod Kumar impressed all with his dashing moves and on-the-run shots, which unfortunately failed to yield any result. PTI
Delhi reeling at 49 for 3 against Baroda in Ranji
Indore, Jan 5 (PTI) Delhi were reeling at 49 for three in their first innings after bundling out Baroda for a paltry 199 on the first day of five-day Ranji Elite group semifinals at Usha Raje Cricket grounds here today.
Delhi's reply began on a disastrous note with India Test discards Akash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir returning to the hut in the first and fourth overs after scoring just three and two runs respectively.
Shikhar Dhawan followed the duo for a duck and the team total stood at five for three in the fifth over before Mithun Manhas and Aditya Jain stemmed the rot.
Manhas was going strong on 26 while Jain was on 18 as Delhi reached 49 for three at the draw of stumps.
Sumit Singh claimed two Delhi wickets for 25 while SY Veragi returned 1 for 21.
Earlier in the morning, Baroda failed to get off to a good start after winning the toss and their top four batsmen were back in the dressing room for a mere 62.
After lunch, the departure of well-set P Shah heralded the beginning of the end as no other batmen stayed in the middle, returning to dressing room one after the other.
Only S A Gaekwad (43) and P Shah (46) were able to negotiate the accurate bowling of A Bhandari and Narwal, who captured four wickets each for 52 and 56 runs respectively. PTI
Tendulkar likely to testify for Harbhajan in hearing
Ashish Shukla
Sydney, Jan 5 (PTI) Sachin Tendulkar, who was in the middle when the alleged racial spat between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds broke out, is likely to testify in favour of the Indian off-spinner during the hearing scheduled with the ICC Match Referee here tomorrow.
Indians will be well-represented with skipper Anil Kumble, manager Chetan Chauhan and media manager M V Sridhar also likely to accompany Harbhajan.
The Australians, meanwhile, are likely to be represented by skipper Ricky Ponting accompanied by Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee among others.
As things stood this evening, Harbhajan Singh was unlikely to face any action on the charge of "racist remarks." Apparently, the two umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor have confirmed that they reported the matter on the insistence of Ponting and that they themselves did not hear anything provocative.
It would mean one man's word against the other and for want of evidence, Harbhajan is unlikely to cop a fine or punishment.
However, it remains to be seen whether anything offensive was recorded by the stump microphone, which will now become an instrument in bringing out the truth. PTI
British lawyer to advice Procter during Harbhajan hearing
Sydney, Jan 5 (PTI) Taking a serious note of the race row involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds, the ICC today roped in reputed British lawyer Nigel Peters to advice match referee Mike Procter during the disciplinary hearing against the Indian off-spinner here tomorrow.
Peters, who is currently in the city, will advice Procter and the two teams -- India and Australia -- on procedural matters during the hearing.
The ICC has taken the Australian team's allegations against Harbhajan very seriously as it is a level 3 offence.
When contacted, an ICC spokesman in Dubai confirmed that Peters had been asked to be a part of the proceedings.
The spokesman revealed that the British lawyer had assisted the ICC in some cases in the past and is regarded very highly by the legal fraternity.
"We are taking the whole issue very seriously and that is the reason why Nigel Peters has been asked to attend the hearing," the spokesman told PTI.
Harbhajan was charged last night under Level 3 of the ICC's Code of Conduct following his run-in with Symonds at the Sydney Cricket Ground. PTI
Reliance to make foray into foreign soil for power generation
Ahmedabad, Jan 5 (PTI) Anil Ambani Group's Reliance Power plans a foray into foreign countries for power generation.
"I do not believe India alone will be our domain," Reliance Power chairman Anil Ambani told reporters here today while announcing the company's initial public offer aimed at raising close to three million dollars, country's largest IPO.
"We are hoping that the Singapore Government will soon allow private partnership in power generation. We also want to have presence in the West Asian countries. Unfortunately I cannot reveal our exact plans for foreign forays now," Ambani said.
Replying to a question on the likelihood of tariff reduction in power, he said "electricity tariffs are likely to come down in the country once the power demand is fulfilled. Even if the power distribution losses are brought to 10 or 15 per cent of present national average of 35 per cent, tariffs will come down".
"We have to ensure that power tariffs in India are on par with international rates so as to allow our business and service sectors to compete in the global market," Ambani said.
"What were the tariffs of mobile phones in 2000 and what are they in 2008," he said, indicating that electricity tariffs might come down due to entry of private players.
The public offer will open on January 15 and close on January 18. Shares will be sold in a price band of Rs 405-450. PTI
Sensex on a new high in first week of New Year
Mumbai, Jan 5 (PTI) Stocks: Bourses made a headway in the first week of the New Year with both key indices, the benchmark Sensex and Nifty, adding more than 2 per cent to their kitty in anticipation of encouraging third quarter earnings.
The market sentiment was also boosted on concluding day of the week, by Finance Minister P Chidambaram's statement that he would like PSU banks to cut deposit and lending rates by half a per cent to spur investment and consumption so that the economy can be sustained on a high growth path.
The market witnessed brisk activity as investors focused their attention on the small-cap and the mid-cap segments, indices of which also scored impressive gains.
In the week to January 5, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) 30-share index ended at a new record high of 20,686.89, a net rise of 479.94 points or 2.38 per cent over last weekend's close of 20,206.95.
The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also soared by 135.70 points or 2.21 per cent to end the week at an all-time high of 6,274.30 from previous weekend's close of 6,079.70.
Reflecting sustained high level activity in second-line stocks, the small-cap and the mid-cap indices flared up by 982.82 points or 7.62 per cent and 538.49 points or 5.62 per cent to 13,884.11 and 10,113.06 respectively at the weekend.
Market players looked optimistic of a strong bull run as corporates will start announcing Q3 results from January 11 onwards coupled with Chidambaram's advise to state-owned banks to lower interest rates. PTI
SCCI meet shifted from Karachi to New Delhi
Lahore, Jan 5 (PTI) The venue of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) presidential meeting has been changed from the Pakistani port city of Karachi to New Delhi in the wake of assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.
Iftikhar Ali Malik, who is set to take over as the vice president of SCCI's Pakistan chapter, today said that the executive committee meeting of the body was scheduled to be held in Karachi. Following protests against Bhutto's assassination, the meet will be held in New Delhi on January 13.
SCCI president Dasho Ugen Tasechup Dorji of Bhutan will chair the meeting and formally hand over the presidency to Pakistan's Tariq Sayeed for the next two years. Malik, the founder president of the Pakistan-US Business Council will take over as the vice president of SCCI's Pakistan chapter.
A 10-member delegation Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh will participate in the meeting. Pakistan is set to head the SCCI after 14 years.
Malik said the SCCI's objectives include developing global linkages, providing services to the private sector and working closely with governments and developing an institutional framework for promoting economic cooperation in South Asia.
The areas of focus include trade liberalisation, economic policy reforms, harmonisation of standards, intellectual property rights, tourism promotion, SMEs and women entrepreneur development and energy cooperation. PTI
Gold prices fell from records on stockists selling
New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Gold prices declined from records in the bullion market today on emergence of selling by stockists at existing higher levels amid poor demand from retail customers.
Reports of a fall in the international markets, which normally set price band in domestic markets, also led to the fall in gold prices.
The precious metal dropped 3.40 dollar to 865.70 dollar an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In futures trading, it rose to a record 873 dollar on January 21, 1980.
The gold had a similar surge in domestic markets and recorded a fresh record peak at Rs 11,025 per ten gram on Friday before ending today, down by Rs 45 at Rs 10,980.
Ornaments fell by a same margin to Rs 10,830 per ten gram. Sovereign too fell by Rs 25 at Rs 9,025 per piece of eight gram.
Silver coins were in keen demand among jewellers and retail customers and gained Rs 100 to Rs 25,400 for buying and Rs 25,500 for selling of 100 pieces.
Silver, on the other hand, remained weak and shed Rs 60 to Rs 19,500 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 90 to Rs 19,950 per kg.
PTI
Newsletter: Groupism to the fore in Puducherry Congress
Puducherry, Jan 3 (PTI) With intra party squabbles leading to criticism by Congress functionaries of their own government, the opposition is blaming the government of inaction on the development front.
AICC General Secretary V Narayanasamy, a Rajya Sabha MP pointing at the development in the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency represented by the Chief Minister N Rangasamy has been saying that Thattanchavady alone was not the whole Puducherry and asserting that all constituencies should develop on equal footing.
His latest act was dashing a letter to the Chief Secretary seeking details of the job opportunities available to those from Thattanchavady, welfare schemes implemented there and other particulars with comparative details of picture of progress in other segments.
The PCC president and senior congress leader of Puducherry P Shanmugham has expressed anguish at such open spats from the functionaries in the party.
Shanmugham has appealed to the rank and file in the party and also office bearers not to wash their dirty line in the public and said that any grievance or complaint should be placed before him or before the high command.
He told a recent meeting held to celebrate the 122nd anniversary of the party that it was indeed a matter of concern that most of the functionaries in the party were going to the press to criticise the government and its policies. This would not help the party in any way, he said. PTI
Rane rattles Deshmukh
Mumbai, Jan 2 (PTI) Barely a month after the Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh celebrated completion of his three year tenure as chief minister of this state, his own cabinet colleague Narayan Rane gave him a massive jolt when he publicly revolted against him.
Though the epicentre of this revolt was in New Delhi where Rane held a press conference questioning Deshmukh's ability to lead the state, its tremors rattled his throne in Maharashtra.
Rane while addressing a press conference in New Delhi without naming Deshmukh after meeting Margaret Alva, AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra said the government was not working for the 10 crore people of the state but only for 'one person'.
While it is an open secret that Rane, a former Shiv Sena Chief Minister had quit the party in 2005 following his differences with the Sena and joined the Congress was nursing an ambition to become the chief minister, his open revolt was surprising if not shocking to political observers.
After Rane was expelled from Sena he joined the Congress with a one point agenda of reoccupying the chair of Chief Minister. Interestingly Rane fired his salvo against Deshmukh after meeting the AICC incharge of Maharashtra, Margaret Alva, a strong Deshmukh baiter. This is being interpreted in the political circles that Rane had her tacit support though neither of them admitted it.
What seems to have made things difficult for Deshmukh is the fact that even after such an outburst against Deshmukh, Rane managed to get an audience with the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. This has given grist to the rumour mills that Deshmukh's days as Chief Minister of Maharashtra are numbered and that there could be a change of guard. PTI
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