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.
PM takes opposition criticism head on
New Delhi, Mar.5(PTI) Taking the opposition criticism head on, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hit back saying the massive farm loan waiver was a result of NDA government's neglect of farmers and asserted it was not apologetic on schemes for minorities. In an unusually aggressive reply to Parliament on the President's address, he also raised the pitch on the Indo-US nuclear deal saying Government will seek the "broadest possible consensus" within the country to enable the next steps to be taken.
While he was unsparing in his criticism of the BJP-led NDA government, especially its Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on security and farm issues, the Prime Minister showered praise on his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee whom he described as "Bhishma Pitamah of Indian politics".
Rejecting the opposition charge that the Rs.60,000 crore farm loan waiver in the budget was announced with an eye on elections, he said it was a historic initiative to meet the "unpaid distress bill" left behind by the NDA government.
He dismissed fears of a weakening of the banking system or contraction of the credit flow due to the waiver.
Noting that the distress of the bold peasantry brought the UPA to office, Singh said the debt relief "is our attempt to finally remove the burden of the NDA period from our farmers' shoulders".
Cheered by his coalition MPs and repeatedly interrupted by the BJP members, the Prime Minister attacked the previous government's record on internal security and said sabre-rattling does not prevent terror. It requires efficient, effective policing and intelligence gathering".PTI
85 per cent voter turnout in Nagaland Assembly polls
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) A high voter turnout of over 85 per cent was witnessed in the Assembly elections in Nagaland held today and the polls were largely peaceful except for some sporadic instances of disruption.
"The poll percentage is in the vicinity of 85-plus," Deputy Election Commissioner J P Prakash told reporters here while briefing about the elections for 60 Assembly seats in the northeastern state.
The poll percentage was, however, a dip from the 87.65 per cent turnout in the Assembly elections in 2003.
"There have been sporadic instances of disruption in the election in a few polling stations," he said.
Elaborating on the incidents, he said nine cases of EVM snatching or damaging have been reported.
Ten complaints of intimidation or threat to voters have also been received, he said.
At 14 polling stations, polling could not begin on time and would be taken up as adjourned poll along with the other re-polls as and when they are held.
"Detailed reports from the poll observers and returning officers are expected late tonight, after which, wherever required, re-poll decisions will be taken," Prakash said.
Voting in 30-40 polling stations was still going on as the Election Commission held its briefing as queues were still present outside the booths.
The state has a total of 6,64,604 voters and 1,692 polling stations were set up. PTI
India wants to live in peace with Pak, put past behind: PM
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Assuring the newly elected leadership in Pakistan that India seeks good relations with the neighbour, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hoped the two sides would work on a framework for enduring peace.
"India wants to live in peace with Pakistan. The destinies of our two nations are interlinked. We need to put the past behind us," he said while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to President's Address in the Lok Sabha.
"We need to think about our collective destiny, our collective security, our collective prosperity," he said while assuring the newly elected leadership in Pakistan that India seeks "good relations" with it. PTI
India has the last laugh after a bitter summer: Aussie media
Melbourne, Mar 4 (PTI) Australian media again highlighted off spinner Harbhajan Singh as India claimed epoch-making tri-series victory at Brisbane and described the young side's feat as having "the last laugh after a bitter summer of explosive tensions".
Harbhajan, who had hit headlines throughout the long tour for being at the centre of off-field controversies, proved to be the nemesis of Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds, claiming him in both the tri-series finals while also cheaply removing another detractor Matthew Hayden at Sydney.
"As cricket became a contact sport, Australia were pitchforked out of the finals in straight sets by an Indian side which had the last laugh after a bitter summer of explosive tensions," said leading newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph'.
Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported the home side's plight under the title 'Australia sunk in straight sets' after Ricky Ponting's men lost to India by nine runs and 2-0 in the best-of-three finals.
"Instead of a fitting one-day farewell for retiring wicketkeeper (Adam) Gilchrist, it was controversial spinner Harbhajan Singh who laughed last and loudest, lapping up the triumph on the Gabba boundary in front of ecstatic expat fans," the paper said.
Heandline of the main article in another national daily 'The Australian' aptly summed up the tour as it said - 'A summer of spite ends in Indian glory'. PTI
India beats Mexico 18-1
Anand Philar
Santiago, Mar 5 (PTI) India maintained their goal-scoring spree and hammered Mexico 18-1 for their third consecutive win in the WorldHockey Olympic qualifying tournament at the Prince of Wales Country Club here.
Mexico showed early promise when they forced three penalty corners in the first five minutes, but the Indians kept their composure and hit back with a vengeance.
Rajpal Singh and Prabhjot Singh did the star turn for India scoring six and four goals respectively, including a hat-trick apiece.
Drag-flick specialist V Ramachandra Raghunath, who doubled up as a forward, struck four, three of them from penalty corners, while Shivendra Singh (2), Tushar Khandekar (1) and Sardara Singh (1) rounded off the scoring for India, who led 8-0 at the break.
The Mexicans drew some consolation from their only goal that came on the stroke of full-time when Pol Moreno scrambled the ball home following a mix up in the Indian defence.
While India, who had beaten Russia 8-0 and Austria 7-3, have nine points, Mexico, beaten 11-0 by Great Britain and 4-0 by Chile, are virtually out of contention for the lone Olympic spot available in this tournament.
"Our aim today was to get into a rhythm and score as many goals as possible so that our forwards would maintain their form. More than the number of goals, I was pleased with the manner in which some of them were struck," said chief coach Joaquim Carvalho.
India were also keen on creating penalty corners so as to provide Raghunath opportunities to get going with his drag-flicks. PTI
Former Pakistan bowler to coach Chinese national team
Karachi, Mar 5 (PTI) Former Pakistan Test bowler Rashid Khan has been appointed the national coach of China until the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
The Chinese Cricket Association hired Rashid for the job after his successful two-year stint with their junior and women's teams.
Rashid got the nod from the Asian Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board for the extension of his contract after winning praise from the CCA and the Pakistan embassy for his efforts.
In 2006, Rashid, who played in four Tests and 29 one-day internationals, was appointed to train the Chinese cricketers in a move that was part of a joint effort by the ICC and the ACC to give a fillip to cricket in China.
"The ACC teamed up with the ICC to provide a special fund to build cricket infrastructure in China." Rashid said, adding he saw the potential for cricket in the country and more and more male and female students were showing interest for the sport.
"The base of talent will grow in the next year or so and there will be more tournaments at the school, college and university levels which will improve the standard of the sport in China," Rashid told PTI.
Rashid has now been given the task of getting first hand information on the efforts being taken by China to popularise cricket.
He said the CCA was now trying to expose their teams to international competitions. He urged member countries of the ACC to send more school and club level teams to China to speed up the process of widening the players' base in the country.
Rashid's main task will now be to prepare a team for the 2010 Asian Games in which cricket is expected to be one of the disciplines. PTI
Chess: Anand draws with Leko
From Our Chess Correspondent
Linares (Spain), Mar 5 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand drew with Peter Leko of Hungary to maintain his lead position after the 12th round of Morelia-Linares chess tournament underway here.
Playing white against Leko, Anand tried to make a foray with his pet Ruy Lopez opening but the Hungarian, with his recently found form, kept Indian's forces at safe distance.
The peace result helped Anand to reach 7.5 points out of a possible 12.
The game of the day was the triumph of Norwegian Magnus Carlsen against former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Carlsen had lost the previous round game against Leko and was in a devastating mood as he went all out for the blood and even though his method was questioned by many experts, the end result and a big smile on the face of the teenager registered a major impact on all.
The victory helped Carlsen bridge the lead gap between him and Anand.
With just two rounds remaining in the category-21 double round-robin tournament, Carlsen is just a half point adrift of the Indian ace and he has to play with Levon Aronian of Armenia and Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in the remaining two rounds.
Anand on the other hand has long time rivals Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria as opponents and a close finish seems well on cards after another superlative effort by the Norwegian. PTI
Inflation top concern in China, says Premier
Beijing, Mar 5 (PTI) Premier Wen Jiabao today said China would expand the "breadth and depth" of the openness of its economy and pledged to intensify efforts to ensure "clean" government, as he listed curbing inflation and preventing overheating of the economy as top priorities.
"Reform and opening up is a major and crucial choice that is shaping the destiny of contemporary China," Wen said in his address to members of China's parliament, National People's Congress, as it began its annual session amidst tight security at the Great Hall of the People.
He told the deputies that the country needed to "unswervingly" promote reform in economic and political institutions, develop socialist democracy and improve socialist market economy and "liberate and develop the productive forces." He also spoke about the "problems" of "formalism and bureaucratic behaviour" and vowed to attach "greater importance to combatting corruption".
"Opening up is also a kind of reform, and a nation cannot become strong if it is not open and inclusive," Wen said in his two and a half-hour long annual speech.
Wen also projected that China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would grow at 8 per cent and rise in the Consumer Price Index should be held around 4.8 per cent as he set the targets for 2008. China reported a GDP growth of 11.4 per cent in 2007 and CPI at an 11-year monthly high of 7.1 per cent in January this year.
Wen spoke of "too great" a price paid by China in terms of resource consumption and environmental pressure for its growth and the need to bridge the gap between the incomes of urban and rural areas, a major worry for the top Communist leadership. PTI
Govt to maintain reasonable price stability: Prime Minister
New Delhi, March 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the government is committed to maintaining "reasonable" price stability at 4-5 per cent, but it will not be at the cost of farmers.
"We are committed to reasonable price stability but we will not be a party to maintain so-called price stability by neglecting the prices that ought to be paid to our farmers," Singh said in Lok Sabha while replying to the debate on President Pratibha Patil's address to Parliament.
Singh said the NDA government had maintained the "modicum of price stability" by depressing farm prices coupled with low international crude oil and food prices.
However, despite international crude oil prices rising from 36 dollars a barrel in 2004, when the UPA came to power, to over 100 dollars a barrel, the government raised diesel and petrol prices marginally and maintained kerosene prices at the same level.
"We are committed to maintaining reasonable price stability despite an adverse international environment," he said, adding that the government had raised farm prices "handsomely" while not increasing the foodgrain prices for families living below or above poverty line in the last four years.
Pointing out that prices of imported foodgrains and vegetable oils were "sky-rocketing", he said the government would take effective steps to maintain prices to safeguard the weaker sections. PTI
Gold tumbles by Rs 215 per 10 grams
Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) Gold prices resumed sharply lower by Rs 215 per 10 grams on the bullion market here today on fresh profit-taking due to fall in New York market.
Silver also declined on lack of demand at higher levels.
Profit-taking prompted gold and silver futures to turn lower yesterday, with some of the move linked to the pullback in crude oil.
April gold fell by USD 17.90 to USD 966.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Comex May silver fell by 34 cents to $19.84.
The metals fell as Nymex April crude oil briefly dipped back below $100 a barrel for the first time since Thursday. As gold was closing, April crude was down $2.14 to $100.31.
Gold futures had closed higher five business days in a row.
Turning to the local market, standard gold (99.5 purity) dropped by Rs 215 per ten grams to Rs 12,590 from the previous closing level of Rs 12,805 and pure gold (99.9 purity) also fell to Rs 12,640 from Rs 12,855.
Silver ready (.999 fineness) opened lower by Rs 425 per kilo to Rs 24,225 from Rs 24,650. PTI
India, EU to seek resolving differences over tariff
Manoj C G
Brussels, Mar 5 (PTI) India and the European Union (EU) will this week seek to resolve nagging differences over tariff and services which have considerably slowed down negotiations on the proposed Trade and Investment Agreement (TIA).
Commerce Minister Kamal Nath will meet EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in London later this week to give a push to negotiations on the agreement, which were slated to conclude by the end of this year.
The negotiations were launched in June last year on the agreement that is intended to give a major boost to trade ties between the two sides. The decision to launch the agreement was taken at the India-EU summit in 2006 in Finland.
Differences over public procurement, opening up of services sector and tariff cuts on industrial goods have been nagging the talks, raising questions over the timeline would be met.
Both the sides have completed several rounds of negotiations on the agreement and have covered areas, including goods and services, government procurement, patent issues and trade facilities.
EU officials involved in negotiations said progress has been made on "easy issues" while there has been less progress on "difficult ones" and noted they are in no rush to conclude the agreement unless both sides get the best out of the pact.
"We would like to conclude the negotiations as quickly as possible. But for us substance is more important than speed. We will not sacrifice quality. We should not put a date till we get the best out of the negotiations," an official told a group of Indian journalists visiting here. PTI
Clinton back in business; McCain seals nomination
Sridhar Krishnaswami Washington, Mar 5 (PTI) Reviving her White House bid, a cornered Hillary Clinton today scripted stunning victories in key states of Ohio and Texas against fancied Barack Obama to ensure that the Democratic Presidential race goes down to the wire, while septuagenarian John McCain easily won the Republican crown in a largely one sided contest.
"This nation's coming back, and so is this campaign.... We're going on, we're going strong, and we're going all the way...," the 60-year-old former first lady said after ending Obama's winning streak of 12 contests, including in Vermont last night.
Clinton, who was virtually written off by analysts ahead of the contest where many feared that she will handed down a knock-out punch by Obama, 14 years her junior, came out looking spectacular with wins in Ohio and Rhode Island and with a small but impressive victory in the Texas primary.
Clinton picked up at least 115 delegates out of the 370 at stake taking her count to 1,391 delegates while Obama added 88 to his tally taking it to 1,477. Nearly 170 delegates were still to be awarded, including 154 in Texas.
None of the candidates are likely to reach the figure of 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination and the fight will most likely go down to party's national convention in late August.
While Clinton declared she will begin a "new chapter in the historical campaign", Obama, who is attempting to be the first African American President of the US, said he was still ahead in delegate math and would end up with the nomination.
As the Democratic slug-fest continues, McCain surpassed the magic number of 1,191 delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination with victories in all the four states.
The victory marked a remarkable return from wilderness for the Vietnam veteran who lost a similar bid to US President George W Bush eight years ago. MORE
Pak court drops cases against Zardari
Islamabad, Mar 5 (PTI) Seven graft cases against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and a close aide were today dropped by a Pakistani anti-corruption court in line with an order issued last week by the Supreme Court.
The cases against Zardari and his close aide Rehman Malik related to a contentious deal for the import of tractors and alleged amassing of wealth beyond known sources of income.
They dated back to the time when Zardari's late wife, slain Pakistan People's Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto, was the prime minister in the 1990s.
Today's decision by the anti-corruption court in Rawalpindi was widely expected after the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's anti-graft body, decided not to pursue corruption charges against Zardari last week.
This followed the Supreme Court's decision on February 27 to vacate a stay order on the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a controversial law passed in October last year by President Pervez Musharraf to grant amnesty in graft cases to PPP leaders, including Zardari and Bhutto.
The anti-corruption court said its decision was made under the NRO. However, Zardari's lawyer Farooq H Naek said the cases against him were "politically motivated and baseless".
The anti-corruption court ordered the release of Zardari's assets and properties that had been frozen or confiscated. These included bank accounts and sugar mills. The court also released Malik's impounded cars.
Zardari spent over eight year in prison following his arrest in connection with these cases. PTI
Pak parties to move resolution asking Mush to seek trust vote
Islamabad, Mar 5 (PTI) The PPP, PML-N and ANP, set to form the new government in Pakistan, have decided to move a resolution in the first session of the new parliament that will ask President Pervez Musharraf to seek a vote of confidence from the National Assembly.
This was decided during a meeting between Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and top PML-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ishaq Dar and Khwaja Muhammad Asif here late last night.
The PPP, PML-N and Awami National Party have close to a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament while the PML-Q, which backs Musharraf, was routed in February 18 polls.
Any resolution asking Musharraf to seek a vote of confidence could spell trouble for the embattled President, observers said.
Though the PML-N leaders did not give a positive response to the PPP's overtures to join the federal cabinet, the two parties reached consensus on three resolutions to be adopted in the first National Assembly session.
These resolutions will seek a UN-led inquiry into the assassination of former PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, apologise to the people of Pakistan for the hanging of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and ask Musharraf to seek a vote of confidence from parliament, The News reported today.
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has said his party does not want to join the government as the ministers would be administered the oath of office by Musharraf, whom he considers an unconstitutional and illegal President.
Emerging from the meeting last night, PML-N leader Khwaja Muhammad Asif had said the two parties hoped to achieve consensus in the next week to 10 days after further consultations. PTI
Indians are charity rich but philanthropy poor
Anurag Sharma
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) There is no paucity of funds or lack of individual commitment to society but Indians are stingy, say non-governmental organisations and experts.
"We raise 90 per cent of our funds to support orphanages from individuals and rest from trusts. There is no shortage of funds but a lack of heart amongst people who spend several thousand rupees on eating out but do not help the impoverished," says Anjali Gopalan, who heads Naz Foundation, a Delhi based NGO.
Most of the time people donate money only if it is connected to aid religious purposes, adds Gopalan. Naz works for raising awareness to prevent spread of HIV/AIDS.
Major-General Surat Sandhu (Retd.), Chairman, South Asian Fund Raising Group (SAFRG), says that while India is charity rich, it is philanthropy poor and NGOs need professional fundraisers to motivate and inspire people to contribute for social issues.
"Most of NGOs suffer from fund crisis. There are 1.2 million NGOs in India but less than one per cent of NGOs has professional fund-raisers and that too in the metros only, what about other cities? The potential of giving in the country is huge but we are tapping a mere fraction of it," he says while adding India has more than 87,000 millionaires in dollar terms and over 700,000 people earning more than 2 million rupees a year.
The civil society sector in the country raises funds upto USD 600 million in a year while the potential is of more than USD 10 billion. Non-profit sector in US raises USD 260 billion each year from population of 295 million and UK raises USD 41 billion in a year from 60 million people. 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
___________________________________________________________
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: 16542.08, +202.19
The sensex closed at 16542.08, up 202.19
___________________________________________________________
This is the Mumbai Grapevine
___________________________________________________________
______Forex_______
1 U.S. $ = 40.195 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.3884 INR
1 British Pound = 80.521 INR
1 Canadian $ = 40.830 INR
1 Singapore $ = 29.003 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 10.945 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 10.733 INR
1 Euro = 61.585 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 11.055 INR
___________________________________________________________
This is the Mumbai Grapevine
___________________________________________________________