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Airport strike: flights not affected; deadlock continues
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Flight operations were normal but airport services in some parts were hit today as the deadlock between striking employees and the government continued.
"Flight movement was smooth here," a senior official at Delhi airport said as the indefinite agitation by Airport Authority of India Employees Joint Forum began at midnight to protest the closure of airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The Forum claimed about 14,000 employees are on "indefinite non-cooperation movement" since midnight affecting operations at 127 airports.
In Kolkata, flights took off on schedule but passengers complained of dirty toilets, non-availability of trolleys and hitches at conveyor belts at baggage screening points.
"We were apprehensive that it will be chaotic but surprisingly everything was smooth," said A Srivastva, passenger who arrived in Delhi from Mumbai.
There were no reports of flight delays from major airports. The government has deployed 479 Air Force personnel in 21 key airports across the country and invoked ESMA at the Delhi airport in the wake of the strike call.
Flight operations in the national capital remained normal with airlines operating services on time. Over 250 flights arrived and 125 departed from Delhi airport till evening.
The employees staged a demonstration in front of arrival terminal of the Delhi airport shouting anti-government slogans and said they will not handle ground services until airport management looks into their demands.
About 2,000 workers at the Mumbai airport have not reported for work since the strike began but it did not affect the operations, officials said. PTI
Budget communal: BJP
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) The BJP today attacked the Union Budget calling it "communal" and compared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Mughal ruler Aurangzeb claiming the former had said Muslims had the first right over the state's resources.
"In the Budget goverment said if a Muslim student goes for higher education he would be entitled to scholarship. Why is it that there is nothing for a poor Hindu student or a dalit student? Doesn't it amount to encouraging conversion?" BJP Parliamentary Party leader V K Malhotra said while launching the opposition attack on the Budget in Lok Sabha.
Accusing the UPA government of resorting to vote-bank politics, he said "the Prime Minister said Muslims have the first right on government resources. After Aurangzeb, Manmohan Singh is the first person who said so. This is like bringing back Jizya. We believe in justice for all and appeasement to none." He said that a situation was being created which existed just before the creation of Pakistan.
"No communalisation of budget and no Jizya," he told the House.
Malhotra's assertions generated anger among Treasury Benches who demanded that they be expunged.
The BJP leader said the fall in benchmark Sensex soon after the budget was due to withdrawal of huge money by the foreign financial insitutions. He pointed out that terrorists were minting money out of the stock exchanges. PTI
Left stalls LS proceedings over airport agitation
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Left parties today stalled proceedings in Lok Sabha demanding withdawal of ESMA invoked by the government against the agitation by airport unions and demanded that the existing airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore should not be closed down.
As soon as the House met at 1300 hrs, Left MPs vociferously raised the issue and got support from members of several other parties.
With the continuing din, senior SP leader Mohan Singh, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House till 1330 hrs.
Raising the issues CPI(M) MPs, Mohammad Salim and Basudeb Acharia, demanded that the government must withdraw ESMA and pointed out that the House be informed on the reasons for its imposition.
Amidst the din, Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said the government was seized of the situation and it was not possible to say anything immediately.
But this failed to pacify the agitated members who continued to demand a proper statement from the government.
Singh said the government would make a statement as soon as possible but asked the Members to raise the issue during Zero Hour tomorrow.
Refusing to agree, the members said Parliament would have to be informed as it was the custodian of national property.
Amid the uproar, Salim was heard saying that the government cannot take a decision to close down two airports behind the back of the Parliament. PTI
Riots case against Tytler: CBI told to file report in a week
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) A city court hearing a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case involving Congress leader Jagdish Tytler today pulled up the CBI for failing to file a status report on the re-investigation ordered into the case.
"I have not asked you to file a chargesheet but a status report in the case. It was your duty to file the report," Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjiv Jain said.
Taking exception to the investigating agency's failure to file a report, the court asked it to file it within a week.
CBI counsel Sanjay Kumar told the court that after the re-investigation was ordered on December 18 it has questioned four witnesses in the case.
The investigating agency has also contacted a US-based man, Jasbir Singh, who had volunteered to depose in the case after the CBI had sought to close the case against Tytler.
A matter related to Singh's testimony is pending before the Delhi High Court. Singh had earlier expressed his inability to come to the country for recording his testimony and had expressed his willingness to record his testimony through video-conferencing. PTI
Kallis, Boucher, Ntini return for India tour, Gibbs left out
Durban, Mar 12 (PTI) The trio of Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini have returned to the South African squad for the three-Test tour of India starting later this month.
Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who took career-best figures of five for 33 in South Africa's innings victory over Bangladesh in the second Test, retained his place in the squad which has Ashwell Prince as Graeme Smith's deputy.
Peterson's good form saw him joining another left-armer Paul Harris in the touring party with Johan Botha being the unlucky player to miss out.
The squad has no place for out of form Herschelle Gibbs, who was not part of the Test series in Bangladesh as well.
Kallis, Boucher and Ntini were rested for the one-day series against the minnows.
Ntini's return will strengthen South Africa's pace attack which also has Dale Steyn in fine form with man-of-the-series awards in his country's previous three Test series.
Swing bowler Charl Langeveldt, who has not played a Test for more than two years, also finds a spot at the expense of Andre Nel. PTI
Hard work starts for India now: Lara
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) India's performance in recent times has been creditable but the real challenge will now be to maintain their consistency, according to West Indian great Brian Lara, who lauded the leadership skills of Anil Kumble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The West Indian legend said defeating Australia on their home soil was remarkable but India will have to prepare themselves for a backlash from the World Champions, who will look to return stronger and avenge the defeat.
"It's really good for India to beat Australia in Australia despite having a new captain leading in Tests and one-dayers. But Australia is going to come stronger and look for revenge. Hard work is going to start now," Lara said.
"Anil (Kumble) and (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni have done well but they will have to be on guard and not be complacent with the one-day tri-series win. They have to maintain the consistency," he said on the sidelines of a promotional function at a city hotel.
India had defeated Australia 2-0 in the recently concluded best-of-three tri-series final, ending their ill-tempered tour Down Under on a positive note.
On Sachin Tendulkar's electrifying performance in the two finals, Lara said there was never any doubt about the master batsman's calibre but former Australian coach John Buchanan had provoked the Indian before the series.
"I have said it many times that he is a great player. I don't want to repeat it. But (John) Buchanan made a mistake by lighting up fire under Sachin before the start of the series," he said. PTI
Robin wants IPL crowd to embrace Symonds, Gilchrist
R Eswar
Chennai, Mar 12 (PTI) Hangover of India's acrimonious Australia tour may linger but Hyderabad coach Robin Singh would like to see the Indian crowd embrace Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist once the Indian Cricket League (IPL) takes off.
Robin, also Team India's fielding coach, has seen from close quarter the racism row in Australia featuring Symonds and Harbhajan Singh that threatened to polarise the cricket world.
Though sanity eventually prevailed, it left enough bad blood and it remains to be seen how the Indian crowd greet the Australian duo who would pull on the Hyderabad jersey in the IPL.
Robin, however, hopes that the crowd would embrace the duo and greet them with the same warmth bestowed on their Indian counterparts.
"I would definitely ask the people to treat them well. After all, we are popularising the game, particularly this form of cricket. I think they should be given the same treatment," the former player told PTI.
He also dismissed the view that both Symonds and Gilchrist would be under pressure once they arrive here.
"Absolutely not. These guys are thorough professionals. They have won a huge sum of money from the bid and there is no doubt about their motivation levels. I also had a long discussion with them," he said.
Talking about the Hyderabad side, Robin said it was a balanced team, even though they might need an additional pacer. PTI
Indian-American teenager bags Intel scholarship
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Mar 12 (PTI) A Indian-American High School girl has bagged a whopping USD 100,000 Intel scholarship for developing a model to identify early stage colon cancer patients with a high risk for recurrence, beating competition from 1,600 others.
Shivani Sud, 17, of North Carolina won the the Intel Foundation's top award aimed at honouring the next generation of scientists and innovators in the US.
For her research project, Sud developed a model that analysed the specific "molecular signatures" of tumors from patients with stage II colon cancer.
She then used this information to identify those at higher risk for tumor recurrence and propose potentially effective drugs for treatment, Intel said in a media release.
"That proud feeling comes from doing what I do and not just the acknowledgment of it," Sud, who attends Jordan High School, was quoted as saying by The News and Observer of Durham.
Sud said her interest in cancer research started very early on as a result of a relative developing cancer. "I saw how hard that was for my family.
"I saw how that kind of changed my outlook on life, because when you're 6 years old, you don't think about topics such as death or dying from this type of cancer -- having your life change drastically," she said.
This year's Intel Science Talent Search finalists came from 19 states and represented 35 high schools throughout the United States. PTI
Industrial growth dips to 5.3 pc in Jan amid fears of slowdown
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) In what could be construed as the beginning of a slow down, the year 2008 began on an ominous note with the industrial growth dipping to 5.3 per cent in January, less than half of what was recorded in the same month last year.
The slump in industrial growth would force the Reserve Bank (RBI) to cut interest rates during 2008-09 even if it decides to maintain status quo in its annual monetary policy, to be unveiled in April, because of its concerns on inflation, said HDFC Bank Chief Economist Abheek Barua.
Industrial growth, as measured by Index of Industrial Production (IIP) slipped mainly on account of poor showing by all sectors of the industry, including manufacturing, electricity and mining, coupled with negative growth in consumer durables output.
The decline in industrial growth, Barua said, "confirms apprehensions of a slow down in economy. The growth in 2008-09 will be close to 8 per cent rather than 8.5-9 per cent." The economy is projected to grow by 8.7 per cent in the current fiscal, as per the advance estimates of the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).
While industrial production in January slipped sharply to 5.3 per cent from 11.6 per cent in the same month last year, the cumulative growth during April-January worked out to be 8.7 per cent, down from 11.2 per cent, as per the IIP figures released by the government today.
The growth in the manufacturing sector output, which has almost 80 per cent weight in IIP, declined to 5.9 per cent in January, against 12.3 per cent in the same month last year. PTI
Sensex pares early gains, still up by 368 pts in morning deals
Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) The US Federal Reserve once again came to the rescue of global markets, sending the BSE benchmark Sensex sharply up by 368 points in late morning deals on all-round buying support.
The Federal Reserve's latest announcement that it will lend about 200 billion dollars of Treasury Securities to the credit markets to prevent further damage, boosted the global market sentiment today, brokers said.
After overnight gain of nearly 200 points, the 30-share index Sensex was up by 560 points at 16,683.37 in early trade.
The Sensex was later quoted at 16,491.67 at 10.30 am.
The National Stock Exchange index, Nifty, also improved by 95.55 points to 4,958.45 from last close of 4,865.90.
Besides China, which just managed to remain in the positive terrain, all other Asian markets were trading higher by nearly 2.5 per cent this morning on the back of overnight rally on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite Index were up by 416.66 points and 86.42 points yesterday, highest gains in nearly last five years.
Led by realty, banking and capital goods segment, majority other sectoral shares also showed sharp-moderate gains.
Operators and retail investors, which were trapped in latest heavy sell-off, seemed to be booking profits at higher levels on concerns that US Fed move will not completely resolve the credit problems. PTI
Rupee rallies by 13 paise against US currency
Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) A sharp recovery in the Asian stock markets due to US Fed's new efforts to inject liquidity into strained credit markets helped the rupee to rally further by 13 paise to 40.32/33 against the greenback in late morning trade.
The move of the US Federal Reserve to lend up to 200 billion dollars in credit markets from saving further damage to the ailing economy, however, led the dollar to notched sharp gains against major rivals yesterday in New York.
But the US currency rolled back gains against most of other currencies in Asian market today on concerns that the move will not resolve the current financial problems.
In dull trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the Indian Unit opened strong at 40.34/35 a dollar against yesterday's close of 40.45/46 and improved further to Rs 40.32/33 in late morning deals.
Smart rally in the Indian benchmark Sensex by nearly 560 points in early trade mainly pushed the rupee upwards despite sustained capital outflows and some dollar buying by oil refiners as the global crude oil prices were at their peak at near 110 dollars a barrel in New York yesterday.
Expectations of more capital inflows into the local equity markets in anticipation of another rate cut by US Federal Reserve in their next meeting also helped the rupee to rise. PTI
Pak investigators probe deadly suicide bombings in Lahore
Lahore, Mar 12 (PTI) Investigators today sifted through the rubble of Pakistan's premier probe agency's headquarters here for clues, a day after two devastating suicide car blasts reduced it and a house near PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari's residence in the city to shambles killing 28 people.
Footage recovered from close circuit cameras at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) office in Temple Road showed a suicide bomber ramming the gate and mowing down a guard with his pick-up truck before hitting the building and blowing himself up. At least 24 people, including 12 FIA employees, were killed in the attack.
In another attack carried by two suicide bombers on a house at Model Town in the city, four people were killed, including the attackers.
Officials now believe the suicide bombers wanted to target a "safe house" used by Pakistani security agencies for interrogating terrorist suspects.
The bombings were the first major act of terrorism in the country after PPP and PML-N clinched a power-sharing deal on Sunday to form a coalition government following the February 18 parliamentary polls.
Mourners offered funeral prayers for those killed in two suicide blasts. Slain FIA employees and civilians, including two children, were buried separately. PTI
PPP decides in principle to nominate Zardari for PM post:Daily
Islamabad, Mar 12 (PTI) The PPP, set to head Pakistan's new coalition government, is understood to have decided in principle to nominate Asif Ali Zardari for the premiership, a post he will be eligible to occupy only after his election to the National Assembly.
The single largest party is also offering Makhdoom Amin Fahim, till recently the front-runner for office of prime minister, the position of PPP parliamentary leader in the National Assembly (NA) and his son the post of adviser to the premier with the status of a federal minister, 'Daily Times' claimed in a report today.
Zardari, the co-Chairman of PPP, "has assigned a senior party leader to convey this offer to Amin Fahim and return with a response soon," a source at Zardari House was quoted as saying by the paper.
Meanwhile, names such as Fahmida Mirza; Azra Pechooho, the sister of Asif Ali Zardari; and Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah are among those suggested for the post of interim prime minister pending Zardari's election to the National Assembly, the report said.
"The offer has been extended to Fahim (for the post of Parliamentary leader) after the party's own ranks and its would-be coalition partners expressed reservations over the nomination of the PPP senior vice chairman (Fahim) as the party's nominee for the office of prime minister," the source at Zardari House said. PTI
"Dr Death" Jayant Patel arrested in US, to be extradited to Oz
Washington/Melbourne, Mar 12 (PTI) India-born surgeon Jayant Patel, facing charges of manslaughter and negligence for the death of 17 rpt 17 of his patients in Australia, was arrested by FBI at his home in the US state of Oregon.
Patel, 57, who faces life imprisonment if convicted, was ordered held by Portland Judge Hubel, pending a bail hearing tomorrow.
The NRI medico dubbed as 'Dr Death' by the media in Australia will face an extradition hearing on April 10.
Patel, who was working at the Bundaberg Base Hospital in Australia's Queensland state since 2003, fled to the US in April 2005, a month after an inquiry was launched that finally linked him to several botched operations.
According to a statement released by the Oregon state prosecutor, the charges against Patel include three counts of manslaughter, three counts of grievous bodily harm, two counts of negligent acts or omissions causing harm, five counts of fraud, plus a further two counts of fraud valued at more than USD5000 and one count of attempted fraud.
The maximum penalty for manslaughter is life imprisonment. The other charges carry jail terms ranging from two-and-a-half to 14 years.
Patel, who hails from Jamnagar, Gujarat, had moved to the US in 1977 and was banned from surgery in the US states of New York and Oregon before he arrived in Australia.
The Australian government said it was very pleased with the US cooperation in the case. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said that Australia had issued an arrest warrant for Patel in the United States and he was arrested on Monday.
"As a consequence extradition proceedings are underfoot" he said. PTI
Zardari cleared in one more graft case
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Mar 12 (PTI) A Pakistani anti-corruption court today cleared PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari in a graft case while reserving its judgment in another case till Friday.
Last week, anti-corruption courts in Rawalpindi had dropped five of the seven cases against Zardari, whose Pakistan People's party will lead a coalition government at the centre.
The decision was in line with Supreme Court's order last month upholding the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance passed in October by President Pervez Musharraf to grant amnesty in graft cases to PPP leaders, including Zardari and his slain wife Benazir Bhutto.
After the apex court upheld the NRO, the National Accountability Bureau decided to terminate several corruption cases it had pursued against Zardari for over a decade.
Zardari had spent over eight year in prison following his arrest in connection with these cases dated back to 1990's when Bhutto was the prime minister. But his lawyer had said the charges were "politically motivated and baseless".
When the remaining two cases came up for hearing today in the court of Judge Sagheer Quadri, one was quashed while a decision in the other was reserved till Friday due to a "technical hitch".
NAB prosecutors told the court that they wanted both the cases terminated but the judge pointed out that Zardari had been named a "proclaimed offender" in one case.
Zardari's counsel Farooq H Naek argued his client could not appear in court for security reasons and sought an exemption. PTI
MIT designs better fit for the Jaipur Foot
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) A team of students at MIT, including an Indian, has come up with an improved and better fitting design for the Jaipur Foot, an artificial leg for amputees.
The new method uses a hand-powered system to build the prosthetic that is expected to last longer than the ones currently being built and sold in the country by the Rajasthan-based charity, Jaipur Foot Organisation, according to news from MIT.
The modified design that eschews dependence on electricity is also expected to bring down the cost of the artificial limbs and benefit more patients in rural areas. The present electrically powered fitting system often requires bringing along a bulky generator.
The JFO, also known as the Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahyata Samiti, claimed to be the world's largest provider of prosthetics, currently manufactures artificial legs using electric power to create the mould with Plaster of Paris.
The new design of the custom-built limbs is the result of a year-long project by the Mechanical Engineering wing of the MIT, the four participants of which spent two weeks in Jaipur in January this year and conducted one test run of a fitting.
"The personnel at the JFO were really pleased with the results," says engineering student Maria Luckyanova, who was in the country for testing the device.
"They liked the fact that the new system produced less waste, required no electricity and seemed to produce a better fit that might lead to a longer-lasting prosthetic. That's because the plaster of paris in the traditional method shrinks slightly as it hardens, making the fit less exact," says Luckyanova. PTI
After Track Two diplomacy its now spiritual diplomacy!
New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) After round table discussions and conferences dime a dozen, spirituality as a means to foster good relations between India and Pakistan is now being explored.
Women leaders from the two neighbouring countries were among those from over 50 nations at the interfaith meet in held Jaipur, recently to discuss ways to end strife and conflict the world.
"One of the commitments I have made is that we will organise a visit by a delegation from India to Pakistan", said Dena Merriam, convener and founder 'The World Council of Women Spiritual Leaders' summit.
The summit also affirmed to strengthen similar peace initiatives between women in conflict driven countries of Israel, Palestine and Sudan.
The delegates from countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tibet, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Turkey, Sudan, Palestine, Tibet, Combodia, United States and other European countries among others were also present at the event. PTI
Rajasthan, Marriages are made here too!
Ashish Mehta
Jaipur, Mar 11 (PTI) What is common between Madonna, Amitabh Bachchan, Liz Hurley, Praful Patel and Varadaraja Perumal? Well, they were among the celebrities who made it to Rajasthan-giving the state more prominence on the global tourism map.
Celebrities apart, the state has become a favourite holiday destination even for a common tourist, trade circles say adding that recent celebrity weddings have led to a craze to have marriages held in the desert state.
When the whole world was celebrating the New Year's eve pop star and actress Madonna along with her family friends and two kids came to the state for a week long stay.
During her visit she also explored the interiors of Rajasthan, some new hamlets and villages, said a Jodhpur-based travel agent.
Such visits of the celebrities to the undiscovered areas also put such areas on the tourist maps. Some of the not so popular villages of Jodhpur district are now known to the world after her visit, said Ashwini a hotelier.
Her schedule was so secret that even sometimes the state police did not know where she was going and when, said a police official who did not want to be identified.
Later, in the month of February, mega star Amitabh Bachchan whose house was attacked by the activists of Navnirman Sena in Mumbai, came along with his friend Amar Singh, his wife Jaya Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. PTI
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Sensex: 16127.98, +4.83
The sensex closed at 16127.98, up 4.83
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1 U.S. $ = 40.375 INR
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1 Canadian $ = 40.874 INR
1 Singapore $ = 29.150 INR
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1 Euro = 62.450 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 11.102 INR
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