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Supreme Court upholds 27 per cent quota to OBCs
New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) In a major boost to reservation, the Supreme Court today upheld the Constitution amendment law providing for 27 per cent quota for OBCs in IITs, IIMs and other Central educational institutions but excluded the creamy layer from the benefit.
A five-judge Constitution bench by a unanimous verdict cleared the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 providing for the quota.
The bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan excluded the creamy layer among the OBCs from the quota benefit. PTI
40 injured in Assam market blast
Diphu (Assam), Apr 10 (PTI) At least 40 people were today injured, 18 of them seriously, when a cycle bomb ripped through a market in Howraghat town in central Assam's hill district of Karbi Anglong.
The Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF) detonated the bomb at 12.45 pm in the busy Howraghat vegetable market on Netaji Subhash Road.
Eighteen seriously injured persons had been referred to Nagaon civil Hospital in neighbouring Nagaon district. Others were discharged after first aid.
The police had received intelligence inputs that the KLNLF had plans to launch a series of explosions in the district at the behest of the ULFA with which it has close links, the sources said.
Two KLNLF militants were arrested by security forces on Tuesday. Jiten Hansie was nabbed from Manja area with a Chinese grenade while the other, Kangpura Rongpi alias Rang Rongpi, from Diphu. PTI
IIMs to defer admission list after SC order on OBC quota
New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) The final list of admissions to the six prestigious Indian Institutes of Management(IIM), which was to have been released tomorrow, will be delayed by at least one week following today's Supreme Court's verdict on OBC quota verdict in higher education.
The IIM position came even as Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh said efforts would be made to implement the OBC quota from the coming academic year itself. The verdict in effect gives the green signal to the Centre to go ahead with the reservation policy in elite educational institutions from 2008-09.
"In one or two days, I will tell you about the progress in infrastructure activities in various institutions", qa visibly happy Singh told reporters here.
In the case of the Indian Institutes of Technology(IIT), the assessment is that the implementation of the 27 per cent quota could be done in a "phased manner." IIM-A director Sameer Barua told PTI in Ahmedabad "We were to release the final list of candidates tommorow. But after the Supreme Court's order on OBC reservations, all the IIMs will have consultation and might defer the release of list by a week," The six IIMs were to release the list of admission on the same date, he said.
Regarding the implementation of court's order, Barua said "We would follow whatever the law of the land says" in remarks suggesting the IIMs would adhere to the government's policy.
"Awaiting official notification of the Human Resources Development Ministry, we have decided to defer the release of the list," IIM-C Director Shekhar Chaudhuri said. Once such a notification is received, Chaudhuri said "we will decide on the operational details as to how to select OBC candidates." The Congress and the Left parties are pressing for the implementation of OBC quotas in the coming year itself. PTI
ICPA threatens to file defamation suit against MP
New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) today threatened to file a defamation suit against Muslim League MP Abdul Wahab for calling a pilot a "glorified driver" after allegedly barging into the cockpit of an Air India aircraft two days back.
It also accused him of conducting a "serious" breach of security norms and endangering flying operations.
"We will file a defamation suit against the MP," ICPA president Kapil Raina told reporters here, adding that the lawmaker was responsible for "Level Four" threat by entering the cockpit.
He said Wahab has also breached the Indian Aircraft Rule 29, which lays down, "No person shall interfere with the commander or with members of the operating crew of an aircraft or tamper with the aircraft or its equipments or conduct himself in a disorderly manner with the passengers or crew." The MP was deplaned on Tuesday for allegedly "opening the cockpit door, entering it (cockpit) and abusing the pilot".
But Wahab, who was a resident of the UAE for the last 32 years, and shifted his base to Kerala after becoming a Rajya Sabha MP, maintained that he never entered the cockpit.
Meanwhile, an Air India official has stated that the pilot did not speak rudely to Wahab.
The lawmaker had threatened to move Parliament's Privileges Committee on the issue. PTI
Smith undaunted by dry pitch for Kanpur Test
M R Mishra
Kanpur, Apr 10 (PTI) Unfazed by the dry pitch provided for the third and final cricket Test, South African captain Graeme Smith today warned India that such a ploy could boomerang as his team had more bowling options at its disposal.
Smith, seeking to lead South Africa to a landmark Test series triumph on Indian soil, said his team was confident and prepared to face any challenge thrown at them.
"We are not worried about the pitch. We have to maintain our focus. For us, its just about executing our game plan well. I believe things have worked for us so far and it will work again," Smith said on the eve of the crucial game.
"We have a settled team now and we are more comfortable in handling everything thrown at us. The pressure will be more on India", he said.
After an innings victory in three days in Ahmedabad, the Proteas skipper knows the onus is on the hosts as the visitors are sitting pretty with a 1-0 lead in the series.
"Definitely, we are a more confident team now after winning in Ahmedabad. There will be less pressure on us. India has more question marks in terms of fitness and composition of the team," the South African opener said.
He said the pitch prepared for the match has opened up a lot of possibilities.
"With the pitch looking as it does, it has certainly opened up a lot of possibilities. We have got a lot of variety in our bowling. We also have spinners who can exploit the conditions." PTI
India get tailor-made track to plot South African downfall
M R Mishra
Kanpur, Apr 10 (PTI) Captain Anil Kumble will get one more day to regain full fitness as a nervous India go into the third and final cricket Test against South Africa here tomorrow seeking to capitalise on a pitch tailor-made to suit the home team's spinners.
The Indians, who suffered a humiliating drubbing in Ahmedabad, need to win the crucial match to level the three-Test series 1-1 and have been provided with a dry and grass-less track to plot South Africa's downfall at the Green Park stadium.
But the fitness of Kumble, laid low by a groin injury, is a worrying factor for the hosts and the Indian captain has decided to wait till tomorrow to decide on his participation.
"I will take a call tomorrow morning. I am not yet fully fit and I will see how I feel tomorrow," Kumble said.
There was, however, some good news for the Indians with pace sensation Ishant sharma, who missed the first two Tests because of injuries, being declared fit to bolster the fast bowling department.
Although the pitch has been designed to help the hosts, there is also a risk that the ploy could boomerang against the Indians as a strip with uneven bounce could be exploited by the South African pacemen who have proved quite a handful for the home team.
The Indians are toying with the idea of going into the match with three specialist spinners and a lot will depend on whether Kumble is declared fit or not. Kumble, if declared fit, and Harbhajan Singh have a big role to play while the third spinner's place may go to young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. PTI
Olympic torch relay takes altered route
Dharam Shourie
San Francisco, Apr 10 (PTI) Fearing violent anti-China protests from Tibetans and human rights activists and possible skirmishes between anti- and pro- Beijing demonstrators, authorities here changed and truncated the route of the Olympic torch at the last moment.
They also cancelled the closing ceremony planned at the end of relay which will now be held at an undisclosed venue for security reasons.
This left both demonstrators and American-Chinese who had come to cheer the torch disappointed but avoided any violent situations seen in Paris and London.
The torch was lit at McCovey Cove behind the schedule and first runner flanked by Chinese and American police headed away from the crowd into a warehouse on the waterfront.
The flame remained inside for more than half an hour and then it was taken in a van under heavy security to a location more than two kilometers away where a runner emerged with the torch.
The torch was then taken through alternative route and when it reached near its end where the closing ceremony was to be held, it was announced that the ceremony would also be held at an alternative site which was not disclosed because of security considerations.
A city spokesman defended the decision, saying that the authorities had decided to change the route taking into consideration the situation as it existed but refused to go into political repercussions. The police has done a wonderful job, he said. PTI
Markets end weak on global cues, Sensex down 95 points
Mumbai, Apr 10 (PTI) The markets closed weak today with the benchmark Sensex losing 95 points on negative global cues which triggered fag-end selling in heavyweight stocks, especially in banking sector.
The 30-share BSE bellwether settled the day at 15,695.10, a fall of 95.41 points, or 0.60 per cent, from its previous close.
The Sensex touched the intra-day high of 15,953.54 and dipped to a low of 15,655.20 points, reflecting volatile trade during the day.
The broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also eased by 14.05 points, or 0.30 per cent, to close at 4,733.00 from its last close of 4,747.05.
Heavyweight and the country's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank took a beating on aggressive selling. The bank's shares lost 4.25 per cent.
However, the Sensex's slide was mitigated by a sharp surge in shares of Reliance Energy. The blue-chip share jumped 6.5 per cent on reports that the company has bought a large chunk of its shares as part of the buy-back scheme commenced on March 25.
Asian markets were mixed throughout the day but European indices were very weak in their early trade. Key indices in France and Germany were down by more than 1.0 per cent while the key UK index traded 0.59 per cent lower.
Fresh purchases by foreign funds as well as domestic mutual funds helped the markets to show some stability in the major part of day, brokers said.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) made net purchases of Rs 1,890 crore in the last three days after April 4.
Sustained buying interest in the small-cap and mid-cap indicated increased participation of retail investors.
Bank shares were the worst affected. Its index fell 241 points, or 2.94 per cent.
Oil & Gas shares, however, were major gainers despite soaring crude oil prices. PTI
Markets close weak, Sensex down by 95 points
Mumbai, Apr 10 (PTI) In choppy deals, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today ended lower by nearly 95 points on fag-end selling in heavyweight stocks, especially in banking sector.
The 30-share Sensex, which gained 202 points in the previous day's trading, today closed with a loss of 95.41 points at 15,695.10.
The index touched the day's high of 15,953.54 and dip to a low of 15,655.20.
Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty fell by 14.05 points at 4,733.00, after touching a low of 4,720.90 and a high of 4,799.50 points during the day.
Banking shares suffered the most as the sector's index plunged by 240.66 points at 7,951.60, followed by realty index by 76.36 points at 7216.40.
Healthcare index fell by 41.31 points at 3922.56, teck index by 38.98 points at 3,032.29, information technology by 28.46 points at 3,676.63, auto index by 14.53 points at 4,403.12 and FMCG index by 11.46 points at 2,349.74.
Mid-cap index rose by 89.95 points at 8,l031.06 and small-cap index by 7.45 points at 6478.96.
A major fall in the market barometer was averted as oil and gas index rose by 155.71 points at 10,726.74, metal index by 75.99 points at 13854.95, capital goods index by 36.66 points at 12,899.13 and power index by 12.10 points at 3100.03. PTI
Gold gains Rs 270; zooms past Rs 12,000 mark
New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) Ahead of the coming marriage season, Gold prices zoomed past the Rs 12,000 mark by gaining Rs 270 to Rs 12,210 per ten gram on the bullion today on brisk-buying by stockists sparked by firming global trend.
Trading activity surged after reports of the metal soaring to highest this month in the overseas markets on weakening dollar and rising crude oil prices.
In Asia, the bullion for immediate delivery gained 1.41 dollars to 935.41 dollars and silver rose to 18.218 dollar.
Marketmen said the buying pressure picked up ahead of the marriage season boosted the trading sentiment to some extent.
They said the firming global trend also remained the driving force behind the precious metals' gain, including silver and its coins.
Silver ready shot up by Rs 900 at Rs 24,000 per kilo and weekly-based delivery by Rs 340 at Rs 23,110 per kilo. Silver coins spurted by Rs 200 at Rs 26,700 for buying and Rs 26,800 for selling of 100 pieces.
Standard gold and ornaments shot up by Rs 270 each at Rs 12,210 and Rs 12,060 per ten gram respectively. Sovereign was higher by Rs 25 at Rs 9,925 per piece of eight gram. PTI
US House passes resolution against China
Washington, Apr 10 (PTI) The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution asking China to end its crackdown on non-violent protests in Tibet, release the Tibetans imprisoned in peaceful demonstrations and allow unfettered access to international monitors and journalists there.
The resolution, sponsored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was adopted by a vote of 413-1.
The resolution cited growing resentment in Tibet against Chinese laws and policies that have "severely eroded the ability of Tibetans to preserve their distinctive language, culture and religious identity." "Most insulting of all is that China insists that the torch go through Tibet... The world should not allow that to happen," Pelosi said.
A similar Resolution has been introduced in the Senate stressing that opening of further Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States should be contingent on Beijing allowing America to establish an office in Lhasa.
The resolution comes amidst protests worldwide, including in the US, over China's human rights record and the staging of the summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Demonstrations over Tibet have been held along the path of the Olympic torch in Paris, London and in San Francisco and several international leaders have suggested a possible boycott of the opening ceremonies.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condolezzaa Rice has said that Washington wants to open a consulate in Tibet in order to gain full access to developments there.
"We are looking at the possibility of a consulate in Tibet," Rice told a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing.
"We pressed for consular access for diplomats into Tibet," she said, adding "We had some limited access. Frankly it wasn't good enough". PTI
Nepal votes in landmark polls today
Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Apr 10 (PTI) Nepal voted today in a landmark constituent assembly election that will decide the fate of the centuries-old monarchy and the future political system of the Himalayan nation.
Polling started at 0700 hours (0645 IST) and will end at 1700 hours (1645 IST), election officials said. Some 6,000 candidates are contesting the election under proportionate voting system while 4,021 candidates are in the fray under direct voting system.
Altogether 55 political parties are participating in the crucial polls in which some 17.6 million people are eligible to vote.
The country has witnessed a violence-marred campaign for the crucial elections to elect a body that will rewrite the Constitution and decide the fate of the 239-year-old monarchy.
The vote is a key step towards culmination of the peace process that started with the signing of a November 2006 deal following which the Maoist rebels ended their decade-long insurgency and joined the political mainstream.
The common agenda of the ruling Seven Party Alliance for the election is to abolish monarchy and establish a federal democratic republic.
Maoist chief Prachanda voted in Chitwan district, 100 kilometres southwest of Kathmandu soon after polls opened. PTI
Eight killed, 20 injured in explosion in Pak market
Lahore, Apr 10 (PTI) At least eight people were killed and 20 others injured in a blast caused by a gas cylinder in a scrap market in this eastern Pakistani city today.
Police said a gas cylinder blew up in a godown at the market in Misri Shah area shortly before 3 pm (local time), causing widespread damage to the building.
Several of the dead were blown to pieces while some of the injured lost their limbs. Ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the market to ferry the injured to nearby hospitals. Eight bodies were taken to the Mayo Hospital, TV channels reported.
The death toll could rise as several of the 20 injured were in a critical condition, doctors said.
Officials said they feared some persons could be buried under the debris of the godown, the roof of which was blown up in the explosion.
There were also reports that several shops in the scrap market handled ordinance and ammunition.
One of the traders at the market said some workers were cutting metal with a gas cutter when there was leak from a cylinder and it blew up.
City police chief Malik Iqbal ruled out involvement of terrorists in the incident and said the blast was caused by a gas cylinder. PTI
PM Putin to have more powers than predecessors
Moscow, Apr 10 (PTI) Outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to step into the boots of the country's prime minister on May 8, a day after the inauguration of his successor, will have more powers than all his post-Communist predecessors, according to a media report.
Russian presidential envoys in the country's seven federal districts would be made accountable to the cabinet, boosting the prime minister's regional clout, business daily Vedomosti reported today.
Eight years ago at the start of his presidency, Putin had introduced the institute of envoys combining 89 regions of the country in seven federal districts to restore the governance after the Yeltsin-era chaos.
However, at the time of introducing envoys in the federal districts, Putin had made it clear that this arrangement, mainly to bring the regional laws and legislations in line with the federal laws and statute, will remain in force till a new president was installed in the Kremlin.
Since then, envoys - Putin's eyes and ears in the regions - have enjoyed substantial powers, ensuring regional legislation's compliance with federal laws, and advising the president on candidates for governorships.
According to Vedomosti the envoys could now focus on economic issues and would report to the government led by Putin.
"The envoys should be above all efficient managers," a Kremlin source was quoted as saying by the daily.
It did not rule out that current presidential envoys will lose their jobs as hardly any of them is an expert in economy. PTI
Aamir Khan to receive special Dinanath Mangeshkar award
Mumbai, Apr 10 (PTI) Actor-director Aamir Khan will receive a special award from Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratisthan for his services to Indian cinema.
Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar will present the award to the actor in a programme on April 24 on the 66th death anniversary of Master Dinanath Mangeshkar, Pratishthan Trustee Hridaynath Mangeshkar told reporters here last night.
"Aamir has been experimenting a lot in the films he acts in as well as directing and producing. He does not attend any awards functions nor accepts prizes. When we called him to convey our decision, he readily agreed", Mangeshkar said.
The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a memento.
The Pratisthan will also honour noted actor Dr Shriram Lagoo for his contribution to cinema and theatre. The other award winners are Malini Rajurkar (classical music) and Mohan Tondwalkar (best drama in Marathi theatre Shamburaje). Dr K R Toraskar of Ulhas Pratisthan will get Anandmai Puraskar for his social work and Shankar Abhyankar will get the Vagvilasini award for his contribution to literature, he said.
Mangeshkar said the Trust organises various theatre, music and dance programmes in memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar. PTI
Film festival to help boost Indo-UAE ties
Dubai, Apr 9 (PTI) With a view to boost Indo-UAE ties, a festival showcasing nine award-winning Indian films is being organised in Abu Dhabi.
The five-day event which began on Monday has been jointly organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and the Indian embassy in the UAE.
Inaugurating the festival, Indian Ambassador, Talmiz Ahmad, said the screening of award-winning films from India will help deepen the relationship between the two countries by providing an opportunity to UAE nationals to have an insight into the Indian culture.
Mohammed Khalaf Al-Mazroueim, Director-General of the ADACH, described the festival as not only a celebration of cinema but a celebration of the Indo-UAE cultural dialogue. Film directors T V Chandran and Girish Kasaravalli as well as actor Navya Nair were also present at the opening.
The two directors said, India is a multi-lingual and multi-cultural country and some of the regional films seek to capture the nuances of those cultural divergences in an intense manner.
It is important to show those films to the people outside the country so that they will have a better understanding of the life and cultures of the people in different parts of India, they said.
"All films to be screened fall outside of the commercial criteria and reflect the underlying reality of the Indian life at multiple levels, according to the festival director," said B Shamnad.
Some films made by the people from UAE will also be screened during the festival. PTI
I want a break from serious direction, says Benegal
Sabi Hussain
New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI) He is the most prolific director among the present lot in Indian film industry, who revived the filmmaking with his serious kind of cinema like 'Ankur', 'Nishant', 'Manthan' and 'Bhumika', but the celebrated director wants to take a break from the serious direction for a while.
Five-time national award winner director, Shyam Benegal, feels that in last few years lots of serious cinema has been done by him and the time has come to do something different.
"For the last few years, I was feeling the urge that I need to take a break from serious direction and try something different. A lot of serious cinema has been done by me in these years and the time is ripe for a change," the noted director told PTI.
So, the director is taking a shot with comedy after a span of almost 25 years and is ready with his soon to be released movie 'Mahadev Ka Sajjanpur' starring Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Rao. But, the director feels that it is very difficult to make a comedy film and it is not an easy job.
This film is based on the letter writers in village post offices and their importance in the rural scenario.
The director is currently busy in giving shape to his new idea- an international film based on the life of Noor Inayat Khan, the courageous Indian woman who was a secret agent in World War II and was awarded the "George Cross" for her bravery. PTI
First verse of Quran, in 6,000 different styles
Wasfia Jalali
New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) His inclination towards calligraphy was realized way back in school, when he frequently labelled the notebooks of his classmates with their names written in beautiful artistic forms.
However, for 60-year old Hashim Akhtar Naqvi, an architect by profession and calligrapher by interest, the inclination became a life-long devotion when he took upon the task of writing the first verse of the Holy Quran in as many stylised forms as possible.
At last count, the Lucknow based artist had already written the verse in over 6000 styles. What more! His innovative faculties are still as enthusiastic as they were when he started the work, ensuring that he can smoothly go on to add more to his stock.
Recognised by the Limca Book of records for his unique venture, the collection of the artist was recently displayed in the capital at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, as part of the programme, 'Aqeedat ke Rang', an exhibition of expressions of devotion in Islam.
"When I started blending the verse into artistic designs, I felt I would hardly be able to proceed beyond 8 or 10 forms. But the ideas kept coming and the verse kept repeating itself through my fingers until there was a collection of over 6000 styles, and the venture has not yet ended," says Naqvi.
The Arabic verse, "Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim", translated as, "In the Name of Allah, most beneficient, most merciful", which is recited by Muslims before performing any major or minor task is also represented by the number 786. PTI
Responsible tourism, the new buzz
Snehesh Alex Philip
New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) With India becoming a hot spot for tourists from across the world, "responsible tourism" is the new buzz that is floating around.
Even as India continues to attract lakhs of tourists because of its splendid historical architecture and rich culture along with beautiful beaches in Goa to reliving the royal experience in Rajhasthan, rural tourism or what now is called 'responsible tourism' is gaining popularity.
On offer is the skilled diversity of art, craft, cultural and natural heritage... Enabling visitor interactions with the local communitys way of life at rural sites across India.
Experts associated with this initiative say that special attention has been given to the community's understanding of visitor needs.
"There is overarching focus on sustainable practices, hygiene and sanitation, and signage, interpretation and local guides to tactfully unveil local history," says Mayura Balasubramanian, UNDP Project Support Officer, Endogenous Tourism.
She adds that packaged programmes will provide insights to rural art and craft imparted by skilled artisans and artistes, together with accommodation created using local material, local style and local skill or in home-stays providing local cuisine.
For entertainment purpose, you have the village entertainment groups who disclose history and culture, natural and oral treasures. PTI
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The sensex closed at 15695.10, down 95.41
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1 U.S. $ = 39.925 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.3979 INR
1 British Pound = 79.061 INR
1 Canadian $ = 39.186 INR
1 Singapore $ = 29.432 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 10.870 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 10.646 INR
1 Euro = 63.383 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 10.972 INR
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