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Security in and around Chinese Embassy beefed up
New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Security in and around the Chinese Embassy in the national capital has been further beefed up following Tibetan protesters' entry into the high-security complex yesterday.
"Additional forces have been deployed around the embassy, including at the rear side of the compound, and barricades, leading up to the complex, have been increased," a senior police officer said today.
Some Tibetan protesters, most of them students, scaled the walls of the embassy complex located at the high-security Chanakyapuri area yesterday, waving the Tibetan flag and draped in banners carrying anti-China slogans.
"Required measures have been taken and police are more alert now," said another senior police officer without giving away the details of the additional security measures.
"The Panchsheel road which the protesters took to arrive at the complex has also been closed for public and additional force have been deployed there also," the officer said.
Police is keeping a tight vigil on the passerby.
Thirty-three Tibetan protesters were arrested yesterday, the officer said, adding the Tibetans had not entered the embassy premises, but they had only managed to reach the lawns of the Cultural Centre which is separated from the main embassy building by a wall.
The incident took place shortly before the arrival of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in the capital.
Around 150 Tibetans have been arrested during last two weeks when they unsuccessfully attempted to barge into the Chinese Embassy. PTI
Tripura tribal families tortured, driven out of homes
Agartala, Mar 22 (PTI) At least 67 tribal families were driven out of their homes, their men folk beaten up, women stripped and belongings looted by insurgents of the National Liberation Front of Tripura in a remote part of Tripura's Dhalai district in raids spread over several days.
The militants raided Karnamuni and Tetia villages several times since March 13 unleashing torture on the villagers all because they did not vote for the opposition candidate in the Krishnapur constituency backed by the NLFT in the February seven Assembly election, the police said quoting a delayed report. The CPI-M won the seat.
The men were hit with rifle butts and caned. Women were beaten up after being stripped as their cattle, poultry and stored grains were looted, the police said.
The homeless families have now taken shelter beside a highway near camps of the para-military Tripura State Rifles and CRPF.
Special contingents of the TSR have launched a search in the area since yesterday to track down the insurgents. PTI
Congress, NCP in straight fight for Meghalaya RS seat
Shillong, Mar 22 (PTI) The lone Rajya Sabha seat in Meghalaya will see a fight between Congress and NCP-led ruling Meghalaya Progressive Alliance.
Political observers in the state feel that the MPA's candidate backed by its partners of regional parties and independents has a better chance of winning than the Congress nominee.
The election to the RS seat will be held on March 26.
Congress has fielded former chief minister S C Marak, while NCP's Thomas A Sangma is the MPA candidate.
Going by numbers, Sangma has the edge as MPA has 31 legislators in 60-member Meghalaya House. Opposition comprises Congress's 25 MLAs and three independents.
Even if Congress wins in Baghmara seat, where counting of votes is slated for March 25, Opposition strength will be 29 in the House.
However, Marak exuded confidence of winning the RS seat with the help of cross-voting by MLAs who he called his "well-wishers".
Marak, who made a comeback to politics after a brief exile, had lost the just concluded assembly elections from Resubelpara seat.
NCP MP Robert Kharshiing, who was backed by the regional parties and Independents, had wrested the RS seat in the last elections defeating his Congress rival. PTI
Jeev soars to tied 4th in WGC-CA, Chowrasia slumps further
Miami, Mar 22 (PTI) An upwardly mobile Jeev Milkha Singh soared to tied fourth with a sedate second round of two-under 70 even though compatriot SSP Chowrasia continued to grope for form in the WGC-CA Championship that has the Kolkata pro languishing at tied 62nd after the halfway stage.
Smarting from missing out on two Asian Tour titles despite coming so close to clinching both, Jeev seemed determined to alleviate the wounds with a decent finish here and his two-day total of six-under 138 kept him firmly on course to better his tied 28th finish here last year.
Jeev, in fact, could have pushed himself further up the leaderboard but for the final hole double bogey. A 10th tee starter, Jeev had birdied the 16th, fifth, sixth and eighth to approach the final hole at four-under before the par-three ninth cost him two shots.
Chowrasia's (147) debut in the elite event, however, is still not something to write home about. After his opening round of 74, the Indian Masters winner managed 73, mixing four birdies and five bogeys in his erratic second round.
Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra (142), however, carded 70 to move up to tied 32 and his round included four birdies against a couple of bogeys.
At the top of the table, Geoff Ogilvy did turn in a card of 67 to lead with an overall score of 12-under 132 but Tiger Woods carded an ominous 66 to finish just one shot behind, perfectly positioning himself for a go at the title, which has been more or less his fiefdom.
The iconic American blasted two eagles and three birdies against a lone bogey to remain in hunt for his sixth consecutive USPGA triumph. PTI
Proteas ready for Indian challenge, says Smith
Chennai, Mar 22 (PTI) Describing the three-Test cricket series against India starting here on March 26 as exciting, South African captain Graeme Smith today said his side was ready to take on the challenge from the home team.
"It is going to be exciting. Indians are confident... We are also here with lot of confidence. Playing anywhere in the sub-continent is a challenge and we are confident we can meet the challenge," he told a press conference hours after the team arrived in the city for the first Test.
"This is the tour we have been looking forward to. It is crucial as we have two tough series coming up against England and Australia," Smith, who guided the Proteas to the No 1 spot in the ODI rankings, said.
He also brushed aside accusations about selection of the team on the basis of colour leading to the pullout of fast bowler Charl Langeveldt in the aftermath of the controversy over his selection ahead of fellow paceman Andre Nel.
"It is a bit disappointing. We feel for the players and have spoken to them. It affects the team certainly. But we are a matured family and our job is to continue with cricket." It was widely believed that Langeveldt was picked mainly to fill the quota of coloured players in the touring squad.
On playing the first Test here without any tour matches, Smith, who replaced Sachin Tendulkar as the world's top ODI batsman recently, said "We have been busy playing cricket throughout the year. We have enough strength in our composition to meet the challenge.
"Next three days are going to be crucial. We are still trying for a warm-up match." PTI
Fisichella misses Q2 by whisker again, to start 17th tomorrow
Sepang, Mar 22 (PTI) Pipped by Honda's Rubens Barichello in the last corner, Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella will start 17th in tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix after yet again coming tantalisingly close to making the cut for the second qualifying session here today.
Fellow Force India driver Adrian Sutil, who struggled to get the car balance on the softer tyres, will start 21st on the grid.
It turned out to be almost a repeat show of Melbourne as Fisichella once again impressed in the final practice session and looked set to make it to second qualifying session before Barichello marred his party with just .042s separating them.
Meanwhile, after Melbourne's flop show where neither of the drivers could finish the race, Ferrari occupied the front row of the grid with Felipe Massa grabbing the pole just ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
Massa's flying lap of 1:35.748 was just 0.482 seconds ahead of Raikkonen.
McLaren never posed any serious threat with Heikki Kovalainen finishing third ahead of his British teammate Lewis Hamilton to lock out the second row.
Toyota driver Jarno Trulli sprang a surprise and will start fifth tomorrow ahead of both BMW Saubers cars.
Apart from both the Force India drivers, Super Aguris of Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso and Kazuki Nakajima of Williams were also knocked out in the first qualifying session. PTI
India on target to achieve an average 9 pc growth: Ahluwalia
Mumbai, Mar 21 (PTI) Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia today said the country was on target to achieve an average nine per cent growth for five years, despite a slowdown this year.
"We are on target to achieve an average nine per cent growth ...The year which is ending the growth is almost 8.7 per cent, much higher than originally thought," Ahluwalia told reporters on the sidelines of an IMC function.
"Even if we are slowing down, the country can achieve an average nine per cent growth for five years," Ahluwalia said.
Observing that there has been a lot of turmoil in global markets, Ahluwalia said this will have some impact on the country.
Asked about the slowdown in industrial production, he said one should not make assessments based on a month's data and should take long-term view on the matter.
Ahluwalia said the government remains concerned about the rising inflation levels and would take a series of steps to control it.
"Around the world, we have seen huge increases in fuel, food and commodity prices. Our performance has been better than others," Ahluwalia said. PTI
US firm offers Rs 36 lakh pa salary to 20 students
Chandigarh, Mar 21 (PTI) Twenty shortlisted students of BTech and MBA have been offered a salary package of Rs 36 lakh per annum by US-based IT Company Outline Systems Inc at a job fest here.
The final selection of the candidates will be subject to H1B visa clearance from the US embassy, a release said today.
More than 400 BTech/ MBA/ MCA/ BCA/ BSc (IT) students from various colleges of the North India appeared at the job fest, which was organised by Aryans Business School in association with Outline Systems Inc.
The colleges including IET, Bhaddal; CEC, Landran; PIMT, Mandi Gobindgarh; GJU, Hissar; CBS, Near Rajpura; SDIET, Barwala; DBIET, Amloh; PCTE, Ludhiana; TIMT, Yamuna Nagar; CCET, Sector 26, Chandigarh; HCTM, Kaithal; Ludhiana LCET, Ludhiana; S D College, Chandigarh etc participated in the drive, the release said.
Outline Systems Inc Vice-President Bhopan Krishnan said after getting the visa clearance, the candidates would be placed at the company's offices in the US. PTI
Those who say market growth is irrelevant enemies of poor: FM
Madurai, Mar 22 (PTI) Justifying UPA's economic reforms, Finance Minister P Chidambaram indirectly hit out at the Left parties, saying those who claim that the growth only helped the rich are the "worst enemies of the poor." "Some 60 members of parliament" criticised everything being done by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and him (Chidambaram) to improve the economy, he said, addressing students of Thiagarajar College of Engineering on its golden jubilee celebrations here yesterday.
"On the market growth, they say growth is irrelevant. They say this growth only percolates to very small group of people. What do they want us to do. (Do) They only want us to distribute poverty in this country," he asked.
"Those who say the market growth is irrelevant and those who say the growth only helps the rich are the worst enemies of the poor. It is because of the growth, the government is able to do many development programmes," Chidambaram said.
He said in the last four years, Indian economy was growing at 8.8 percent a year and close to nine percent and "if we continue to grow at nine percent, poverty can be wiped out in the next generation." "Anyone who understands the power of compounding will know that India's per capita income will double in ten years," he said.
The Finance Minister said currently India's per capita income is about USD 1,000, whereas smaller countries like Malaysia have higher capita income.
India is already the fifth largest economy in the world. The size of Indian economy will become so large that it would be among the top three countries in the world.
"If we continue to grow at this rate, India would be among the most prosperous countries in the world" dominating in education, services and goods. PTI
Nepal govt invites armed Terai groups for talks
Kathmandu, Mar 22 (PTI) Ahead of the crucial April assembly elections, the Nepal government has invited four armed groups active in the troubled southern Terai region for talks and expressed confidence that their problems could be resolved through a dialogue.
The ruling Seven-Party Alliance government has already signed a deal with the United Madhesi Democratic Forum (UDMF), representing three main parties of Terai, and agreed to fulfil their demands for greater rights, political representation and autonomy.
However, several armed groups operating in the region were not parties to the last month's pact reached between the government and the UDMF.
The formal invitation for talks came after Jwala Singh-led Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM-J) shot dead an election candidate of the National People's Front, Kamal Prasad Adhikari, in Banke district.
Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel, who is also the coordinator of the government talks team, said letters were sent yesterday to Madhesi Mukti Tigers, United Terai Janatantrik Mukti Morcha (Goit), JTMM-J and Terai Cobra.
"They also seem interested in resolving their problems through talks...In that sense, I am confident that the problems will be solved through dialogue," Poudel said.
He said the government would jointly hold talks with the groups. "We have proposed four members from the government and one each from the groups for the purpose," he said.
The government were in informal contact with the armed groups through mediators, he said. PTI
Sci-fi guru Arthur Clarke laid to rest
T V Sriram
Colombo, Mar 22 (PTI) Visionary science fiction great Arthur C Clarke was laid to rest in his adopted home Sri Lanka as per his wishes today while mourners across the country observed a minute's silence in his memory.
"There has been no official ceremony, gathering or live telecast during Clarke's burial as per his desire," a senior official said as the British-born writer, who died on Wednesday aged 90 due to respiratory complications and heart failure, was buried in a cemetery of his adopted family with whom he lived for decades.
An atheist, Clarke, who had donated six strands of his hair so that they can be sent into the space where he hoped aliens would one day make his clone, had in his will forbidden any religious ceremony or speeches at his funeral.
The simple ceremony was attended by his close relatives and a few others.
Music from scientific fiction thrillers played in the background as hundreds of avid fans as well as political and religious leaders filed past Clarke's body laid on a bed decorated with a white linen cloth at his residence.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse had placed a wreath on Clarke's body on Wednesday.
In his several decades of writing career, Clarke, who was knighted in 1998, brought out more than 100 books and about a 1000 short stories besides essays on space travel, underwater exploration and communication technologies.
Clark, more known as a visionary science fiction writer, lived in Sri Lanka from 1956 until his death, having emigrated to the country when it was still known as Ceylon.
He held citizenship of both the U K and Sri Lanka. PTI
Malaysian govt warned of discontent among ethnic Indians
Jaishree Subramanian
Kuala Lumpur, March 22 (PTI) Demanding that the Malaysian government take "immediate and concrete" actions to help uplift the ethnic Indians, a grouping that is part of the ruling coalition today warned that the community will not tolerate any delay in fulfilling of election promises.
Taking an agressive stand, Samy Vellu, president of Malaysian Indian Congress which suffered a humiliating defeat in the March 8 general elections, asked the government to quickly implement programmes promised to Indians before the polls.
"Any further delay would only cause anxiety and unhappiness among the Indians," the chief of the ethnic Indian grouping said in a statement here, addding "we want the Indian community to move forward with the other communities." The ruling coalition, which was voted back to power but with a dented majority, faced unprecedented street protests by the ethnic-Indians since November against their alleged marginalisation.
Vellu, 72, had vociferously defended the protests and the crackdown on NGO Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) which led the protests.
However, the growing dissatisfaction among the ethnic Indian community was visible in the elections as the MIC could retain only three of its nine seats and even Vellu lost from Sungei Siput after holding the seat for eight terms.
Ethnic Indians form 7.8 per cent of the 27 million population of the country.
Vellu said that the MIC and the Indian community would not tolerate any excuse or delay by the authorities in implementing programmes already agreed upon. PTI
Digest of domestic news for the week Mar 15 - Mar 21, 2008
Saturday
Panaji: The death of British teenaged girl Scarlett Keeling sparks trading of charges between her mother Fiona Mackeown and Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik with Fiona accusing him of having nexus with drug mafia and Naik responding by demanding a probe into Fiona's source of income and frequent trips to Karnataka.
New Delhi: Around 50 Tibetans are detained in the national capital this morning as they tried to storm the Chinese Embassy building here to protest the violent crackdown on monks in Tibet's capital Lhasa.
Sunday Mcleodganj (HP): The Dalai Lama accuses China of unleashing a 'cultural genocide' in Tibet and demands an impartial international probe into the situation in violence-hit Lhasa.
Lucknow: Two years after it was constituted, the All-India Muslim Women Personal Law Board comes out with a new "Shariat nikahnama" that makes registration of marriages compulsory, accords several rights to the wife and is applicable to both Shias and Sunnis.
Monday New Delhi: India seeks consular access to Sarabjit Singh facing execution on April one as efforts to seek reprieve for him intensified with his sister making a desperate plea to save her "innocent" brother.
New Delhi: Government and the Left parties decide to hold discussions next month on the draft India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA after the allies were briefed on the outcome of the negotiations in Vienna.
New Delhi: The purchase of a 36-year-old US warship rocks the Parliament with the Left parties demanding a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on whether there was a restraining clause in the procurement of the vessel, barring its use in case of a conflict. Tuesday Dharamshala (HP): Facing increasing criticism for his 'Middle way' policy, the Dalai Lama threatens to quit as the head of the Tibetan exile movement if the unrest in Tibet got out of control and rejected Chinese charges that he was inciting violence there.
New Delhi: Suspended Inspector General of Police Ravi Kant Sharma is convicted for murder of Delhi journalist Shivani Bhatnagar by a city court which held him as the "main conspirator" in the sensational nine-year-old case.
New Delhi: Facing execution on April one in Lahore on terror charges, Sarabjit Singh is clinging to hope as India appealed for his clemency on humanitarian grounds but there was no encouraging response from Pakistan.
Wednesday Shillong: Donkupar Roy, heading the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance, is sworn in as chief minister of the state along with a six-member team, ending the 10-day stint of D D Lapang who resigned due to lack of numbers.
New Delhi: Sarabjit Singh, on death row in Pakistan, gets a one-month breather with his hanging being put off till April 30 by President Pervez Musharraf following India's appeal for clemency on humanitarian grounds.
Kolkata: Controversial Bangladesh author Taslima Nasreen leaves India to an unknown destination and reaches London, as she voiced her bitterness against the Indian government accusing it of being no better than "religious fundamentalists."
Thursday Pokhran(Rajasthan): India stages one of the biggest military wargames in Rajasthan's Thar desert but the showcase event is marred by tragedy when a mortar explodes killing three soldiers and seriously injuring another two.
Jaipur: A controversial bill banning religious conversion, which was returned by the then Governor Pratibha Patil in 2006, is passed by the Rajasthan assembly amid stormy protests and walkout by opposition Congress.
Chandigarh: Pakistani national Khalid Mehmood was suffering from chronic liver disease and died due to "medical problems", a preliminary probe concludes after circumstances of his death generated a controversy in the neighbouring country.
Friday New Delhi: Tibetan protesters storm the Chinese Embassy here, taking the security personnel by surprise and scaling the walls of the high-security complex.
Dharamsala: Calling Chinese "oppression" in Tibet as a "challenge to the world's conscience", US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants the international community to denounce the recent crackdown saying "we can't talk of human rights if we don't speak against China." PTI
Its not only Bips,Bollywood is bowled over by Bangla music too
Amit Das
New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) Its not only Bengali beauties but the Bengali rock and fusion music too is catching the fancy of Bollywood music directors but some bands feel their compositions are being 'lifted', leaving them in limbo.
Rabindranath Tagore's compositions have always been popular in the tinsel town but now with the growing popularity of Bengali rock and fusion bands, this genre of music from the region also seems to finding favour from bollywood music directors.
While composers like Shantanu moitra are still successfully using Rabindra Sangeet in films like "Parineeta" and "Lage Raho Munnabhai, the new age composers like Pritam Chakrabarty are ripping in Bengali rock to cater to the changing taste buds of bollywood music aficionados.
"Bangla band music has now become a mainstream entertainment form. We strike a chord with the youth and progressive thinkers. Industry has accepted bands as a genre in itself. It gained recognition in Kolkata in the 90's and now even bollywood has also woken up," says Vikram Banerjee, guitarist of 'Krosswindz', the band which originally released the song, "prithibi ta...", which was later adapted as 'Na jane koi...' in Anurag Basu's 'Gangster'.
Pritam, who has so far composed two Hindi songs based on Bengali rock music, is also upbeat about the trend.
"People are enjoying the music and now even many band singers are also singing in Bollywood. For example, Rupam, the lead vocalist of Fossils, a rock band in Kolkata has sung a song for my upcoming film, Jannat," he says.
However, there are some bands who feel let down. PTI
Art, the safest investment on long term basis, say experts
Snehesh Alex Philip
New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) With volatile markets being the trend and interest rates low on return, art seems to have come back as the safest investment option for many, says leading art curators and investment analysts.
"Art is the only commodity other than gold which is constant in giving steady returns from the very beginning. Art can make its own money over a period of time," says Neville Tuli of Osian, one of the largest art auction houses in the country.
"This means, art should not be taken as a short investment of just few months. Give it some time and this does not mean lifetime but at least around three years. It will give you good returns," he adds.
While paintings were earlier bought because of interest in such forms of art, experts say that many are now coming forward for just pure investment purposes.
"If you pick out good paintings and study their progress in the last few years, you will find out that they have given very good returns. In some cases, certain pieces of art has given 100 per cent returns and more," says Minal Vazirani of Saffronart, an auction house cum gallery.
Agrees, S Kalra, a leather exporter who regularly invests in art. "I had a Rameshwar Broota's painting with me which I had bought for a very small amount in 2000. I sold the painting in 2004 and it gave me a return of around 75 per cent," he says.
Though Kalra did make a decent profit, he ruefully adds, "I should have waited a little longer. The same painting would have given me more than 100 per cent return now." PTI
Not much knowledge about classical music among young:Manna Dey
Bangalore, Mar 21 (PTI): The doyen of Hindi film music, Manna Dey has lamented the lack of knowledge about Hindustani classical music among young singers and said that some obsecne songs made a mockery of music.
"Music is not totally out. While some have awareness and knowledge in general, it is lacking among the young singers of today", he told PTI.
"There is no knowledge about swar (notes), laya (tempo) and tal (rhythm) among young singers. For this it is necessary that they are guided and trained by good masters",he told PTI.
Manna Dey said good film music is an amalgamation of lyrics and melody. "Obscene songs like Choli ke peeche kya hai make a mockery of music itself", he said.
Reflecting on the Hindi film music scenario, he said the fifties and sixties was the golden era of music, while the early seventies had melodious music. The 1998-2008 period saw a lull, but some composers are now making good songs, he said.
"Among young singers, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan are good", he said.
The 89-year old singer said he still practices for two hours daily. "I also believe in good health and being physically fit". PTI
Soha to be show-caused for getting gun license while underage
Gurgaon, Mar 18 (PTI) Actress Soha Ali Khan, daughter of former ctricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, faces trouble for her father allegedly using a gun issued in her name to kill a black buck near here with the Haryana authorities deciding to issue her a show-cause on the charge of violating the Arms Act.
The actress was issued the gun license in November 1996, when she was only eighteen-years-and-one-month-old, whereas the minimum age limit for getting a gun license is 21 years, Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Gupta said.
The show cause will ask her how she obtained a gun license when she was still underage for it, Gupta said.
Gupta said the file containing documents related to the issuance of the license to her were also missing from government records and added that an FIR would be lodged against unnamed persons in this regard.
He said Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi took the permission for carrying .22 bore rifle no. 91501 "as retainer" on January 7, 2000 for which license was issued to Soha.
Mansur Ali Khan had allegedly used the same weapon in June 2005 for hunting down and killing a black buck in Jhajjar district, said the official. PTI
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