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Most terror groups have linkages in Pak, PoK: Jaiswal
New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) Most individuals and terrorist groups operating in India have linkages with groups and agencies across the border, mainly in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, government told the Lok Sabha today.
Replying to questions in the House, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal (rpt) Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said Lashker-e-Tayyaba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM and Al-Badr were among the terror groups having international networks.
Security and intelligence agencies closely monitor the activities of such groups and networks and relevant information and inputs in this regard are regularly shared with the state governments, he said.
Close vigilance and surveillance is being maintained on the borders to check and control possible infiltration of terrorist elements in the country, Jaiswal said.
Other measures taken to check infiltration include border fencing or floodlighting and strengthening of arrangements for coastal security, he said.
In view of the external imperatives of the terrorist activities and violence in various parts of the country, action is also being taken at the international level through bilateral and multilateral cooperation to check and counter terrorism and several institutional mechanisms have been developed towards this end, the minister said. PTI
Kashmir Singh returns home after 35 years
Attari, Mar 4 (PTI) Kashmir Singh touched Indian soil today after languishing in Pakistani prisons for about 35 years and had an emotional reunion with his family following a warm send off from across the border.
67-year-old Singh, who was pardoned by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf after being convicted on espionage charges, reached the Indian side at 12:45 pm after a lingering farewell by Pakistan Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney and officials.
Immediately after crossing over, white bearded and bald Singh was taken to a conference hall of the BSF where he met his family members including his 65-year-old wife Paramjit Kaur, who was camping in Amritsar since Friday last.
As he arrived at the Wagah border, the former Punjab police constable said "I have no wishes left. I have got everything now. I thank President Pervez Musharraf and Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney".
Singh, who was only 32-years-old when he was arrested in Rawalpindi, said, "A new life has begun for me and I am grateful to the people of Pakistan and to the Pakistani government." Singh said he would want to go back to Pakistan, this time on a valid Indian passport, to lay a `chadar' at the shrine of Baba Farid.
Struggling to control her emotions, Paramjit Kaur said it was the happiest moment of her life. "I am very happy today".
"I have been through bad times in bringing up my three children single-handedly. But I am looking forward to a new dawn," she added. PTI
We have to move with both Hyde Act, 123 pact: Boucher
New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) Amid concerns here over the Hyde Act, the US today suggested that the "domestic" legislation would have to be taken into account in operation of the civil nuclear cooperation with India.
"The Hyde Act is a domestic legislation (and) the 123 agreement is an international agreement. I think we can move forward with both in a consistent manner," Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told reporters here.
Boucher, who discussed the nuclear deal issue with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, made the comment when asked by reporters whether the Hyde Act would have any bearing on the Indo-US nuclear cooperation.
The comment came amid concerns voiced by the Left parties and BJP over the Hyde Act despite the government's insistence that it will have no bearing on the nuclear deal with the US.
The concerns were heightened after US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said last month that changes in the NSG guidelines, required by India for nuclear commerce with international community, will have to be "completely consistent with the obligations of the Hyde Act".
She had said that Washington would not support India's case if it was contrary to the Hyde Act.
The government here has maintained, however, that India would not be bound by the Hyde Act, which contains some "prescriptive and extraneous elements".
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee questioned Rice's comment in a veiled manner in Parliament yesterday as he asserted that India's rights and obligations on civil nuclear cooperation came only from the 123 Agreement. PTI
30 central univs, 8 IITs, 7 IIMs to be set up in 11th plan
New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) Thirty central universities, eight new IITs, seven IIMs, ten new National Institute of Technology will be set up in the 11th five year plan, Lok Sabha was informed today.
Besides, three Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, 20 Indian Institute of Information Technology and two new schools of planning and architecture will be set up in the ensuing five year plan, Minister of State for Human Resource and Development D Purandeswari said in a written reply.
She said that a proposal to set up a university for Persons of Indian Origin by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is at a preliminary stage. PTI
India beats Australia by 9 runs, wins tri-series
Brisbane, Mar 4 (PTI) India beat Australia by 9 runs in the second final of the cricket tri-series here today.
India clinched their first-ever tri-series victory in Australia.
Brief scores: India: 258 for 9 in 50 overs (S Tendulkar 91, Yuvraj Singh 38, M.S. Dhoni 36; N Bracken 3/31 Michael Clarke 3/52) Australia: 249 all out in 50 overs (M Hayden 55, J Hopes 63; P Kumar 4-46, S Sreesanth 2-43).
Gilchrist bids farewell with disappointing loss
Brisbane, Mar 4 (PTI) Adam Gilchrist, the most dashing wicketkeeper-batsman in the history of the game, bid farewell to international cricket today, ending up on the losing side when India beat Australia in the tri-series finals here.
Gilchrist, who led his team to a historic Test series win against India in 2004-05, announced his retirement from international cricket during the Test series against India in January, ending his illustrious career spanning over 12 years.
However, while his Test farewell went fine with Australia clinching it 2-1, the one-day retirement turned out to be disappointing as India won the best-of-three tri-series 2-0 with a 2-0 margin.
The 36-year-old, who played 96 Tests, nonetheless finished his career while at the top of the table of the game's leading wicketkeepers by dismissals, with 416 dismissals (379 caught, 37 stumped) in Tests.
He compiled 5570 Test runs for an average of 47.60 and scored 9612 runs in 287 ODIs for an average of 35.89.
Gilchrist, who played some of his most breath-taking knocks against India, will be remembered for being the captain of the team which conquered the 'final frontier' when they beat India at home in 2004-05 for the first time in 35 years.
The Australian Vice-Captain has scored 17 centuries, maximum by a wicketkeeper.
Gilchrist made it to the Australian squad at a relatively advanced age when he replaced Ian Healy in the side. He gradually became one of the key members in the all conquering Australian team and lent depth to the batting order.PTI
Ponting confesses being outplayed by India
Brisbane, Mar 4 (PTI) His trademark swagger missing after a humiliating defeat, Australian captain Ricky Ponting today acknowledged that Indians had "outplayed" his world champion team in the tri-series finals.
"All credit goes to the Indian team and Mahendra Singh Dhoni that they outplayed us in the last week," Ponting said after the nine-run loss in the second tri-series final at the Gabba.
Ponting, however, did not offer any excuse for the defeat and admitted that his team could not put up a good show in both the finals.
"No excuses for we haven't won. We haven't played that well as we played in the lead up games. We were not at our best in the last game at Sydney and here," he said referring to 2-0 scoreline in the best-of-three tri-series finals.
Asked by former Australian captain Mark Taylor if the off-field controversies had affected the team, Ponting said that in the last week or so things had quietened down and still the team had lost.
"All that (off-field controversies) had gone down last to last week. But we played our worst cricket in last couple of games," he said.
About India producing surprise players, Ponting said Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar did an outstanding job for their team.
"Ishant Sharma was very good in the series and Praveen Kumar also came good in the last couple of games. Ishant's presence was vital for the team but others made up well for his absence," he said. PTI
Markets fall for 4th day in a row, ICICI Bank slumps
Mumbai, Mar 4 (PTI) After the meltdown yesterday, the benchmark Sensex dropped another 338 points, stretching the downward trend for the fourth day in a row, with banking stocks sliding on reports of ICICI Bank reporting a market- -to-market loss of 264.34 million dollar.
"Following the sub-prime crisis overseas, ICICI Bank's overseas operations had reported market-to-market (MTM) losses of 264.34 million dollars on account of its exposure to credit derivatives and investments as on January 31, 2008," Minister of State for Finance P K Bansal told Rajya Sahba in a written reply.
The 30-share Sensex on the Bombay Stock Exchange, which had plunged by over 900 points in previous day's trading, dipped further by 337.99 points at 16,339.89.
The key index touched a low of 16,164.57 and a high of 16,754.06 points.
The Sensex, which has been on on downward march ever since the budgetary proposals for waiving farm loans were announced, has tumbled by nearly 1,486 points in the past four trading sessions.
The index had its smallest loss of 1.51 points on last Thursday and second biggest of 900 points yesterday.
The National Stock Exchange index Nifty also dropped by 88.75 points at 4,864.25, after dipping to a low of 4812.95 and day's high of 4,976.70 points. PTI
No issue on farm loan waiver, says Nath
New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath today said he has no reservations on the loan waiver package for farmers announced in the Union Budget and has "congratulated" Finance Minister P Chidambaram for this measure.
He said the government needs to work out an effective mechanism for implementation of the Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver package for farmers.
"Of course I welcome it (the package)," Nath told reporters when asked whether he had some reservations on debt waiver.
"There is no issue I congratulated the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister for such a step. But we must formulate a mechanism for its execution which the Finance Minister is doing," he said.
However, Nath met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and briefed him about the problems being faced by exporters on account of a sharp rise in rupee value.
Asked whether he was happy with the Budget proposals relating to the export sector, Nath said it was not merely a Budget issue.
"It is an ongoing process. With the rupee appreciation, Indian exporters are feeling concerned about lack of competitiveness in global market," he said.
He said exports have grown at double the pace of the GDP growth and "we are concerned about the sector, especially about the labour intensive sectors," he said.
The exporters' organisations like the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) have expressed disappointment over absence of specific measures in the Budget for the distressed export sector. PTI
Indian tea company enters UAE market
Dubai, Mar 4 (PTI) India's one of the largest privately held tea company plans to enter the UAE's retail market.
Wagh Bakri Tea Group has appointed a local supermarket chain as its UAE distributor. The company, with a turnover of USD 65 million, sells over 20 million kgs of tea worldwide each year.
Already catering to 300,000 outlets across India and operating in major markets such as the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Japan, the company hopes to expand its operations in the Arab and African regions with Dubai as a base.
"In the next five years, we will set up a teabag machine in one of the free trade zones in Dubai. We will cater to the entire Arab and African region here," said Parag Desai, director, Wagh Bakri Tea Group.
The company recently purchased a USD 13.6 million tea bag machine from Italy. The machine can make 250 staple-free teabags a minute. PTI
Seven killed in Pak naval college suicide blast
Lahore, Mar 4 (PTI) At least seven people were killed and 15 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the parking lot of a prestigious Pakistani naval college here today, setting off several blasts in CNG tanks of the vehicles there.
Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said a suicide bomber had carried out the attack on the War College, one of Pakistan Navy's key training establishments.
TV channels reported that six persons were killed in the incident but Naval spokesman Capt Akbar Naqvi confirmed only five deaths. Fifteen people were also injured.
Witnesses said they first heard two blasts that occurred almost simultaneously. These were followed by two more explosions after a gap of few minutes.
Ambulances rushed to the War College and ferried the injured to hospitals.
Military police and other security forces personnel cordoned off the college and prevented journalists from going to the site of the blasts. A bomb disposal squad too rushed and conducted a search.
The War College is located close to the Mall Road, one of Lahore's main commercial areas, and conducts courses for senior naval officers, including those from foreign countries.
Naval officials said the suicide bomber had detonated his explosives in the parking lot after being prevented from entering the War College building by security personnel. The head and body parts of the bomber had been found, police said. PTI
Clinton, Obama future hangs in balance in make-or-break polls
Washington, Mar 4 (PTI) The hotly-contested races for both the Democratic and Republican US presidential nominations could be settled soon as four states, including the delegate- rich Ohio and Texas, kicked off voting today in a crucial round of primaries which has witnessed acrimonious electioneering.
Apart from Ohio and Texas, the voting is taking place in Rhode Island and Vermont in the contests described as 'Super Tuesday II'.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 60, needs victories in both big-state battles to keep her candidature alive and halt Barack Obama's amazing string of 11 consecutive victories in the race to choose the Democratic nominee in November's Presidential election. Clinton's last win in a primary was during the 'Super Tuesday' contests on February 5.
For the Democrats, a total of 370 delegates are at stake in today's four races, most of them in Texas and Ohio.
Obama, 46, currently has 1,385 delegates compared to Clinton's 1,276. A total of 2,025 is needed to secure the Democratic Party's nomination at its national convention to be held in Denver in August.
Obama, seeking to become the first African-American to occupy the White House, has already said Clinton may have to quit if he wins in Texas and Ohio, but she has vowed to stay on.
Recent polls suggest the races in Texas and Ohio are tight, and Clinton has stepped up her attacks by questioning her rival's experience and ability to deliver on solutions. PTI
UNSC imposes new sanctions on Iran
Dharam Shourie
United Nations, Mar 4 (PTI) The UN Security Council has imposed fresh sanctions and tightened the existing ones to force Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment programme but Tehran rejected the resolution encompassing the embargo as "illegal" and aimed at furthering the national policies of some member States.
The resolution, adopted by the 15-member Council with 14 affirmative votes with Indonesia abstaining, for the first time bans trade with Iran in goods which have use in both civilian and military nuclear programmes.
It also authorizes inspection of shipments to and from Iran by sea and air suspected to be carrying prohibited materials.
Some Middle Eastern diplomats feared that it could set the stage for confrontation between Iran and the Western powers which reject Tehran's contention that its nuclear programme is purely aimed at peaceful uses, especially for producing power, and believe that it is geared towards making nuclear weapons.
Immediately after the vote, British Ambassador John Sawers read out a statement on behalf of the five permanent members and Germany which once again offered incentives as sop to Iran to stop its uranium enrichment programme.
They, he said, wanted European Union's foreign policy Chief Javier Solana to meet with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in an effort to reopen the negotiations to resolve the issue by beefing up incentives offered to Tehran as far back as in 2006 provided it suspends its uranium enrichment plans. PTI
US to continue support Pak in confronting extremist violence
Washington, Mar 4 (PTI) Expressing concern at the ongoing violence in Pakistan, the United States has said that "it will do whatever it can to support Islamabad confront extremist violence" but emphasised that the political play in the country would have to unfold on its own.
"We are concerned by the continuing violence in Pakistan and condemn those recent suicide bombings, including one that took the lives of a number of individuals in the federally administered territories who were meeting to try and talk about what they could do to oppose Al Qaida and the Taliban there," US State Department's Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said.
He said, the US would do whatever it can to support the Pakistan government as it moves forward to confront extremist violence.
"But at this point, I can't offer you anything new in terms of programmes or assistance," Casey added.
The senior official said "I understand there are still negotiations going on between the various political factions over the formation of a new government. Certainly, I'd leave it to them to give you a state of play on that." PTI
TV serial will help me connect with the audience: Vinod Khanna
Rajeev Ranjan Dwivedi
New Delhi, Mar 04 (PTI) Setting aside his bitter experiences of working on small screen after his debut serial 'Maharana Prata' got stuck, actor Vinod Khanna, a comeback man with 'Mere Apne' feels that the character he portrays in the serial is "within his field of experience" and will help him connect with the audience.
"The character of Kashinath which I portray in the serial is within my field of experience and also I think that I am doing justice to the role," says the 62-year-old veteran actor, whose small screen presence is receiving wide acclaim.
The actor-turned-politician, who began his career as villain in Sunil Dutt's 'Man Ka Meet', says, "Once I decided to make a comeback in acting and utilize my time, offer for 'Mere Apne' came and the role was so good that I could not say 'no'." "There is the money, of course," quips the actor about his conscious shift to television medium, adding, "I felt the need to justify the demands of my fans who have been asking to see more of me." The role of Kashinath, which Khanna portrays in the 'Mere Apne' serial, is the saga of a person who is powerful in the society but is a soft spoken father.
Comparing the silver screen with small screen, the actor, whose last movie 'Risk' did not perform well at the Box office, says, "Commitments in films are different from serials. In movies you can shift the dates but in serials you can't as episodes have to continue." "Even I was apprehensive about the reaction from the TV audience and my fans but the positive reaction I am getting at present is really surprising," says the actor. PTI
For US author, Vietnam symbolises forgiveness
Wasfia Jalali
New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) He has traversed the vast expanse of this world from Europe to the Middle East to Asia, but for American travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux there is one nation that stands apart for its forgiving attitude towards America's imperialist misadventure into its land -- Vietnam.
The author also gives India full marks for its tendency towards retaining its traditional style of dressing.
In India recently, as part of a 'Penguin India' initiative, Theroux who is best known for writing 'the Great Railway Bazaar', an account of his train journey from Britain to Japan in 1975, says Vietnam as a country had the most profound impact on him, particularly as an American.
"We (USA) dropped seven million tones of bombs on Vietnam, more than what the two sides fighting the Second World War dropped on each other, yet the Vietnamese people are forgiving, compassionate and forward looking", he says.
"They welcome you with a gesture that says 'welcome to the country you flattened'. For an American it is a very humbling experience", he adds.
Known for his rich descriptions of people and places as a travel writer, the writer says it was 'human architecture' rather than magnificent objects that grabbed his attention in any part of the world.
"As a travel writer, I am least interested in monuments, buildings and wealth. I would never even turn my eyes to look at a millionaire's palatial house in India", says Theroux, whose last book 'the Elephanta Suite' published in 2007 gave an account of the lives of some Westerners transformed by their sojourns to India. PTI
Pampering pooches- makeovers for pets takes a new high
Wasfia Jalali
New Delhi, Mar 3(PTI) Treating your cocker spaniel with the choicest treats available in pet food is passe.
Elaborate grooming sessions with the latest oatmeal shampoo, a pedicure and perfumed sprays and a trendy haircut that can turn him from an average guard dog into a rock star in doggy parlance is what owners are increasingly getting into.
From sunscreens to oatmeal shampoos, paw balms and scented sprays, the range of grooming cosmetics, accessories and other pets care products is growing globally with more owners opting to give their pets an extra bit of pampering.
Along with pet food, the cosmetics and toiletries industry is also now joining in the dynamic 'personal care' market for pets. It is estimated that in the US consumers spent more than USD 21.4 billion on their pets with big business expected in Asia-Pacific and Western Europe markets also.
"We offer several grooming services for pets to cater to the people who want their pets to be clean, hygienic and fit. The services include providing baths, anti-ticks or dandruff treatment and special hair-cuts", says Geetika Nigam, who runs 'Pawprints', a Gurgaon-based company specialising in pet-grooming services.
"Clients might buy one-time services from us or regular grooming sessions depending upon their requirements and their budget", she adds.
While the company provides home-based service for pets, the cost is determined by the kind of sessions the client opts for, as also on the requirements of the breeds concerned.
"The cost for providing complete grooming can be anywhere from Rs 1,000 for a single session to Rs 20,000 for a six-month long regular arrangement," says Nigam who also offers fitness-related advice to pet-owners. PTI
Nathuram Godse was raised as a girl, had oracular powers: book
New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) Nathuram Godse, the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi, was raised by his parents as a girl in his childhood, wore a nose ring and was believed to have oracular powers, says a new book.
"As a child, his (Nathuram's) parents and brothers believed that he possessed oracular powers. He would sit before the family goddess, staring fixedly at a spot of soot smeared in the exact centre of a copper tray, and soon fall into a trance," writes Manohar Malgaonkar in "The Men Who Killed Gandhi".
"While in the trance, he would see some figures or writing in the black spot before him, much as a crystal-gazer is supposed to see in his glass ball. Then one or other member of the family would ask him questions, His answers were those believed to be those of the goddess, who spoke through his mouth," 94-year-old Malgaonkar, an ex-serviceman and a civil servant, writes.
The new edition of the book, first published in 1978, carries hitherto unpublished photographs and documents related to Gandhi's assassination.
The author says that psychologists may find some explanation for Nathuram's warped mental processes in the fact that he was brought up as a girl.
His left nostril was pierced to take a 'nath' or nose ring, Malgaonkar writes.
Nathuram was born into an orthodox Brahmin family which came from the nondescript village Uksan, 10 miles from the wayside railway station of Kamshet, on the Bombay-Poona line. His father, Vinayak Godse, was a minor official in the Postal Department. PTI
About the book -- Name: "The Men Who Killed Gandhi"; Author: Manohar Malgaonkar; Publishers: Roli Books; Price: Rs 395; Pages: 354) PTI
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