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Goa crisis blows over, Kamat to continue as CM
New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) The crisis engulfing the Congress-led coalition in Goa appears to have blown over amid hints that beleaguered Chief Minister Digamber Kamat will have to make some changes in his cabinet to keep the allies in good humour.
NCP leader Praful Patel, who announced after day-long consultations among all concerned parties that the four-day old crisis has been resolved, sidestepped questions on whether it involved some changes in the ministry.
"The Chief Minister will announce the formula to solve the issues on his return to Goa tomorrow," he told reporters skirting questions whether Kamat has saved his job by agreeing to effect changes in his ministry.
Kamat, who arrived here yesterday for talks with central leaders had remarked that "God will save my government", thereby virtually throwing up his hands in the wake of the political developments that took him by surprise.
"All NCP MLAs, MGP MLAs, Independent Vishwajit Rane and Save Goa Front member have decided to support the Digamber Kamat government," Patel said.
"All matters have been solved," he said.
The Kamat Government on Wednesday became a minority regime with its alliance partner NCP and Rane withdrawing support. PTI
Goa crisis nothing to do with SEZ issue:dissidents
Panaji, Jan 19 (PTI) The dissident legislators in Goa have dismissed Congress theory that the political instability there is a fallout of the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's stand on scrapping SEZs.
"It is not because of pro-special economic zone (SEZ) lobby", dissident leader Antanasio Monserratte told PTI.
"We have placed our demands before the high command (Congress and NCP) and it is for them to resolve the issue. There is nothing against the government," independent MLA and one of the dissident leaders Vishwajeet Rane said.
Rane, who resigned along with two NCP ministers on January 16 plunging the Digambar Kamat-led government into a crisis, did not fault Kamat's leadership but admitted that the dissidents were irked because the "government is not delivering on its promises." Rane, who relinquished his health portfolio to join the dissidents led by United Goans Democratic Party legislator Monserratte, said, "Over the last seven months we have been hurt over a lot of issues and that is precisely why we have come together." The rebel group came up with a list of demands which included removal of finance minister Daynand Narvekar, home minister Ravi Naik and PWD minister Churchill Alemao from their respective portfolios.
Monserratte had also demanded that the proposed Rajiv Gandhi Information Technology (IT) Habitat, a brainchild of Narvekar, be scrapped as it was a real estate scam. PTI
Govt to cull birds without waiting for Bhopal report: Pawar
New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) With reports of bird flu spreading in West Bengal, the government has decided to start culling operations, without waiting for the confirmation of the virus, in areas where a large number of birds have died.
"Because it is spreading in nearby districts (in West Bengal), we have decided that we are not going to wait for Bhopal (High Security Animal Disease Laboratory) report," Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar said on the sidelines of a function here today.
Pawar said the culling operation would be launched in areas reporting high casualty among poultry without waiting for the confirmation of bird flu.
He pointed out that as per the rules, unless a sample is confirmed positive by the Bhopal lab, culling operations could not begin.
"If deaths of poultry birds are happening in high numbers, we have to start culling operation, maybe on mass scale, in that particular belt," he added.
The minister said that a request has been made to the Home Ministry to alert Border Security Force to keep close watch on the movement of birds from Bangladesh.
"The movement must be stopped within, more importantly from Bangladesh border," he emphasised.
When asked about his reaction to the West Bengal Chief Minister remarks that the situation was alarming, Pawar said: "I am saying the same thing." He, however, expressed confidence that the virus would be restricted to certain parts of West Bengal only.
"There is no need to panic. It (bird flu) will not affect other areas," he added. PTI
Sania tamed by Venus after brave show
Melbourne, Jan 19 (PTI) Sania Mirza put up a spirited fight against eighth-seeded American Venus Williams before crashing out in the third round of the women's singles event of the Australian Open here today.
Sania gave the former Wimbledon champion a run for her money before losing 7-6 (0) 6-4 in an intense battle which lasted over one-and-a-half hours.
In a gutsy performance, the 31-ranked Indian matched Venus shot for shot in the first set to drag it to a tie-breaker.
However, the tie-breaker proved to be a one-sided affair as Venus swept past the Indian to go one up.
The 21-year-old was mainly undone by the 30 (rpt 30) unforced errors, which spiked her chances.
The Indian ace committed as many as 16 unforced errors in the second set which tilted the game in the favour of the American.
Besides, Venus served well never gave Sania a chance to break her in the second set as she wrapped up the match in style.
The American next takes on the winner of the match between Na Li of China and Marta Domachowska of Poland in the fourth round. PTI
Aussie juggernaut once again halted by India
Perth, Jan 19 (PTI) It may be too late for them to win the series, but the Indians have once again put the brakes on Australia's chase for a record-breaking 17th straight Test win with VVS Laxman being the architect yet again.
The 72-run victory in the third Test here is not just an extraordinary story of a spirited comeback by the Indians, who had been written off after the mauling in Melbourne and the heart-breaking loss in Sydney. It is a perfect example of history repeating itself.
India's win revived the memories of the heart-stopping 2000-2001 series between the two sides. Even then the world champions were on a similar 15-match winning streak before they landed in India to conquer, what had been declared the final frontier by their then skipper Steve Waugh.
And when they crushed the hosts in the first Test in Mumbai to notch up a 16th straight victory, it seemed Waugh's team was well on course to continue the run and break a long-standing jinx of winning a series in India.
But then came the second Test in Kolkata and a very special knock from Laxman after India were made to follow on. His record 272-run partnership with Rahul Dravid batted Australia out of the match and the visitors later fell to a magical spell by Harbhajan Singh, which also included a hat-trick.
The rest as they say is history as India went on to win the series 2-1.
Harbhajan was missing in action here as the famed fast and furious WACA track needed a stronger pace line-up but Laxman was once again instrumental in scripting the win. PTI
One of the best wins of my career: Kumble
Perth, Jan 19 (PTI) Indian captain Anil Kumble today described the sensational victory in the third cricket Test against Australia as "one of the best" in his career and said it was a remarkable effort from his team after the traumatic events in Sydney.
"It was one of the best Tests in my career. Nobody gave us any chance in Perth. But we batted brilliantly, Sachin (Tendulkar), Rahul (Dravid), (Virender) Sehwag, (VVS) Laxman... Even at the lower order MS Dhoni and RP Singh," Kumble said after winning the match by 72 runs.
"We had tough times. After Sydney, it was important that we got together, back Harbhajan (Singh) and win this game.
"After Sydney there were two options. One was to go back home and the other was to show that we are capable of winning. I am glad the team has got together to prove that (beating Australia)," he said.
Kumble said unlike the Sydney match both the sides played the third Test in true spirit of the game but India dominated the Australians.
"The two teams played in right spirit. But here we did well and if see we did not give one session to the Aussies to come back," he said.
The Indian captain said his team was focused to win the fourth and final Test as well and draw the series.
"We need to get the confidence from this match to Adelaide and finish the series level...But the Aussies would not give up," he said. More PTI
Pak arrests suicide bombers planning attacks during Muharram
Karachi, Jan 19 (PTI) Pakistan police have arrested five militants, including two suspected suicide bombers, who were planning to unleash havoc during Muharram congregations in the southern port city of Karachi.
Claiming to have averted a "major catastrophe", Karachi police chief Azhar Farooqi told reporters that they had also recovered some quantity of potassium cynide from the militants who belong to the banned Harkat-e-Jihad-ul-Islami outfit.
"The idea was apparently to use this deadly poisonous chemical in the water (sabeels) used by mourners and followers of the Muharram processions," he said.
Police recovered suicide jackets and heavy explosives from the five who were arrested from the suburbs of Karachi amid a countrywide red alert following fears of terrorist attacks during Muharram.
Intelligence agencies have also warned of 11 suspected suicide bombers that have entered the Pakistani capital and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi to target politicians and sensitive installations during the period.
Police are investigating possible Al-Qaeeda links of the five militants and raids are being conducted to arrest their accomplices in different parts of the country.
"A lot of time we get information about possible attacks which is not substantial but this time we carried out a successful raid and I think we have prevented a major catastrophe in the city during Muharram," the police chief said. PTI
40 militants captured, bodies of 10 found in Pak tribal area
Islamabad, Jan 19 (PTI) At least 40 militants were captured and bodies of 10 others recovered by Pakistani security forces in the country's restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, a military spokesman said today.
The militants were captured last night in Chakmalai area of South Waziristan tribal agency, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.
Bodies of 10 militants were also found from the area, which has been cleared of insurgents, he said, a day after security forces killed up to 90 pro-Taliban rebels in two clashes in the troubled tribal belt.
Meanwhile, a firefight between the militants and security forces in Ladha Fort, an outpost manned by Frontier Corps personnel, which erupted yesterday continued throughout the night with the troops using artillery to target the insurgents.
"The operation in South Waziristan will continue till we clear the region of militants," the military spokesman said, The area where the Ladha fort is located is a stronghold of the Mehsud tribe and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commander Baitullah Mehsud. President Pervez Musharraf has blamed Mehsud for masterminding a string of suicide attacks, including the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, and recruiting and training suicide bombers in South Waziristan.
Mehsud has denied involvement in Bhutto's killing. PTI
Sri Lankan govt determined to implement devolution package
Colombo, Jan 19 (PTI) Amid raging fighting with the LTTE in the north, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse today said his government was determined to go ahead with the power devolution package which will be submitted on January 23 to resolve the over two-decade-old Tamil ethnic conflict.
"I had asked the committee to submit the proposals on January 23 and after studying it will put it before the cabinet and publish the same," Rajapakse told PTI.
He said the proposals will be placed before Parliament and his government was determined to implement them after getting necessary approvals.
The President was talking on the sidelines of a get-together at his residence to mark Pongal festival.
Rajapakse said though the proposal of the All Party Representative Committee(APRC) will be in the form of an interim report but the final recommendations will also be submitted subsequently.
The APRC, which was set up in 2006, had held about 57 meetings before finalising the package to set up provincial councils in the trouble torn North and Eastern Part of the country.
Fighting between troops and LTTE militants has escalated in recent weeks with the government's move to scrap a tattered 2002 ceasefire with the rebels. Nearly 300 Tamil Tigers have been killed this year while the LTTE have intensified their attacks on civilians. PTI
TRAI to come out with consultation paper on fate of ADC
Kolkata, Jan 19 (PTI) Telecom regulator TRAI will next week initiate discussions on the fate of Access Deficit Charge, a levy paid by private firms for subsidising rural telephony in the country.
"A consultation paper will be released on Monday where the issue of ADC would be discussed in three major points," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Nripendra Misra said here today.
The paper would discuss whether ADC be phased out from March this; can ADC fund be merged in Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund; and how can the ADC fund after closure be utilised for benefit of rural customers.
ADC is paid by private telecom operators to state-run BSNL that uses the fund for providing services in rural areas. Private firms had criticised the levy, saying it was discriminatory and was aimed at cross-subsidising BSNL.
Misra said rural telephony roll out is critical but now private players are also taking active interest.
"One of the private operators told me that they would cover four lakh villages by March 2008," Misra said.
TRAI will also explore whether the ADC fund can be used to reduce the initial administrative cost for a connection. PTI
Reliance Power issue price fixed at Rs 450
Mumbai, Jan 19 (PTI) Anil Ambani controlled Reliance Power, which received a tremendous response for its initial public offer, has fixed the issue price at Rs 450 per share, but it will be offered at Rs 430 to retail investors, a discount of Rs 20.
"The company's board has fixed the issue price at top-end at Rs 450 per share for the Reliance Power issue and for retail investors at Rs 430 per share," Reliance Power Chairman Anil Ambani told reporters here today.
Following the IPO, the largest ever in the country, ADAG Group has become the second largest corporate house in the country with market cap touching USD 100 billion, Ambani said.
A record Rs 1,15,000 crore (USD 29 billion) of capital has been deposited in the banking system as application money, Ambani said. The IPO closed on January 18.
As many as four crore forms were distributed, the IPO received record subscription of Rs 7,50,000 crore (USD 190 billion), which is largest ever subscription in an IPO in the history of the global capital markets. PTI
GoM meet on fuel price hike put off for today
New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) The meeting of group of minister on fuel prices scheduled for today has been put off, even as the core group of UPA alliance is likely to meet on Monday morning and may discuss the issue.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the GoM on fuel prices, had on January 17 indicated 1700 hours today for re-convening the inconclusive GoM meet of that day.
However, since four of the seven members of GoM are unavailable today, the meet has been put off, official sources said.
The core group of UPA may meet Monday morning on the issue of raising petrol and diesel prices in view of spurt in international oil prices, may figure during discussion. PTI
Nifty nosedives 208 pts; RIL, ICICI Bank dip
Mumbai, Jan 18 (PTI) The National Stock Exchange's 50-share Nifty index today lost 207.90 points amid an all- round selling in the market, led by heavyweights like Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and NTPC.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold over USD 1 billion in the last two days as fears of a possible US recession weighed heavily on the market sentiment, dealers said.
The 50-issue index initially touched a high of 5,908.75 but some came under heavy selling pressure and fell below 5700-mark to a low of 5,677. It ended the day at 5,705.30, a fall of 3.52 per cent over yesterday's close of 5,913.20.
The Nifty has tumbled by 501.50 points or 8.08 per cent in the last four days.
The S&P CNX Defty crashed by 187.85 points to 5,027.70, the S&P CNX 500 by 225.30 points to 4,925.85, the Nifty Midcap 50 by 209.90 points to 3,441.90, the CNX Nifty Junior by 754.55 points to 11,496.70, the CNX Midcap by 464.80 points to 8,368.05, the CNX IT by 78.15 points to 4,060.00, the CNX 100 by 229.60 points to 5,613.10 and the Bank Nifty by 521.60 points to 9,739.90.
Top five S&P CNX Nifty losers were RIL, NTPC, Sterlite Ind, ICICI Bank and Cairn, while gainers were Ranbaxy, ACC, Satyam Computer, Bharti Airtel and Ambuja Cement.
Total turnover on the NSE was relatively low at Rs 19,884.43 crore from Rs 20,509.96 crore on Thursday. A total of 5,941.82 lakh shares changed hands in 53,67,142 trades. PTI
Tri-Continental film festival begins
New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) The four day long Tri-Continental Film Festival on human rights kicked off with the inaugural Iranian film by Mehrad Oskouei, 'It's Always Late for Freedom'.
The film tells the story of three teenage boys in a
Tehran House of Correction and their hope for freedom.
The fourth film festival, organised by the
international human rights organisation Breakthrough will
screen twenty-three films exploring the struggle of people for
the human rights, social equality, life and dignity from
across the three continents- Asia, Latin America and Africa.
The Tri-Continental Film Festival will also travel to
Mumbai (25th January to 27th), Bangalore (February 1 to 3rd)
and Kolkata (February 8 to 10).
"Through this film festival we want the Indian
audience to get exposed to the human rights violations and
issues like exploitation and social injustice which are
happening in the other countries," Associate director of
Breakthrough, Alika Khosla told PTI.
"Our aim is to develop a culture of human rights and
the film festival attempts to bring the awareness among the
youths because they are the change makers of the society,"
Khosla added.
The three Indian documentary movies to be screened in
this film festival are 'A Jihad for Love' by Parvez Sharma,
'Thousand days and a Dream' by P Baburaj and C Saratchandran
and 'The Mall on Top of My House' a short animation film by
Aditi Chitre. PTI
Unexplained headaches? Manage your work better!
Ruby Nanda
New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Have you been to your doctor lately complaining about that unexplained bouts of headache or body pain? Only to be told that there's nothing wrong. Well it could be work related stress that can cause depression and other health problems say health experts.
A survey conducted by India's industry body Assocham has revealed that "the menace of stress and mental fatigue has intensified in recent times at the top and middle positions of sectors comprising construction, shipping, banks, government hospitals, trading houses, electronic and print media, courier companies, small-scale industries, retail and card franchise companies".
As more of the Indian workforce rushes to catch up with the deadlines, the boundary between home and work is becoming blurred. As the work hours stretch and more and more jobs entail odd work hours, the stress levels among the Indian workers is increasing in an alarming way causing many health problems.
Dr Roma Kumar senior clinical psychologist, says that stress can cause depression, but it can also manifest itself simply as an unexplained headache, pain in arms and legs, sleepiness or insomnia, loss of appetite and in women sometimes over eating.
"I will have to leave my job and go back home as I am constantly suffering from severe pain in my legs", says Sharmila, who works as an PR executive in Delhi. She adds, "Even after many tests the doctors have not been able to diagnose the problem." PTI
Newsletter: Indigenous faith movement picks up in Arunachal
P Ghosh Dastidar
Itanagar, Jan 16 (PTI) The indigenous faith and culture protection movement is gaining momentum in Arunachal Pradesh and spreading to other north eastern states.
The Arunachal Government declared December 31 as a holiday for the first time conceding the long standing demand of the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society for Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP) which celebrates the day as 'indigenous faith day' every year.
The movement was started by eminent social activist and writer Talom Rukbo by opening the first 'donyi-polo dere' (sun and moon worshiping centre) at Pasighat way back in 1989 which was seen by many observers as a movement against rampant conversions in the state.
Like previous years IFCSAP organised procesions and rallies in different parts of the state on December 31, the day when the first donyi-polo dere was inaugurated.
Addressing a rally here IFCSAP President Nabam Atum claimed that the indigenous faith and culture protection movement has become so popular that more than 400 'deres' (centres) are functioning all over the state.
Hundreds of people belonging to different tribes dressed in traditional attires took out the procession carrying placards which read "loss of culture is loss of identity". PTI
Not only Nano but vintage too attract crowd
New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) While 'People's car' Nano from the stable of Tatas is attracting visitors at the Auto Expo being held in the capital, a stall exhibiting vintage vehicles too have become a crowd puller.
"The response has been overwhelming this time. This is our fourth exhibition at the auto expo and the visitors have just been increasing right from the word go," says S B Jatti, Vice-President, Heritage Motoring Club of India (HMCI).
What seems to attract the maximum crowd is the 1902, 'Swift Bike' which looks more like a bicycle than a motor bike. But as one of the attendants at the stall says, "Don't go by her meek looks. It has a 550 cc engine which is much faster than most of the present bikes on the Indian roads." Also on display is the 1970 Classic Volkswagen Variant 1500 Estate, a left hand driven car. Its popularity can be gauged from the sales of lucky draw coupons costing Rs 100 which has been selling like hot cakes since the lucky winner would get to drive back home the 1970 classic.
Ironically, Volkswagen, a German car maker is participating in the Indian Auto Expo for the first time and has brought in a wide range of its models including the original 'Poople's car' Beetle which is all set to hit the Indian roads in middle of this year. MORE
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