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India condemns assassination bid on Karzai
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) India today condemned the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, describing it as an "dastardly" act and asked the international community to show zero tolerance for terrorism.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee expressed relief that Karzai was unhurt.
"India condemns the dastardly attack in Kabul," he said.
Mukherjee also underscored the need for the international community to show zero tolerance for terrorism.
Karzai escaped unharmed after militants attacked a high-profile military parade in Kabul with explosions and gunfire, killing at least one and wounding 11 including legislators. PTI
No country can give in writing not to undertake N-tests: BJP
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal, BJP today said no country can give in writing that it will not undertake nuclear tests in future.
"No country can...Has any other country said that hereafter we will have no further tests. Has US given any such undertaking, has any other country which has so much nuclear weaponry said it in writing.
"It is one thing to voluntarily give it up but to say it in writing as part of a treaty is another," Leader of Opposition L K Advani told Asianet channel in an interview.
Asked about the Congressmen projecting Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister, he said he would not like to comment on it.
When asked about dynastic politics, he said he found such a trend in most parties but in BJP it was not the case.
He cited the example of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had humble beginnings as the son of a school teacher and reached the top and same was the case with him.
Asked about the Left parties' opposition to BJP, he said BJP did not believe in politics of untouchability while the Left parties practised it.
He said the Left parties were being hypocritical by aligning with Congress just to keep the BJP out. PTI
I have forgiven Harbhajan: Sreesanth
Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 27 (PTI) Still in a state of shock after being punched by one of his Indian team mates, Kerala pacer S Sreesanth said he has no bitter feeling towards Harbhajan Singh and he has forgiven the volatile off-spinner.
The spunky Kerala speedster said he had actually gone to shake hands with Harbhajan after Friday's Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians when the temperamental off-spinner hit him.
"Bhajji is like an elder brother and I have forgiven him," Sreesanth said in an interview to Asianet channel.
"I went to shake hands with him after the play was over but I did not expect such kind of response. It was not just a slap but something like a punch," he said.
And still, Sreesanth claimed, he does not hold any ill feeling towards Harbhajan.
"I have to forget it. Whatever happened is over. I'm not the kind of a guy who would nurse grudges. Of course I was hurt...It was totally unexpected and I have nothing more to say," Sreesanth said.
He said Harbhajan was not in the best of his moods after the Mumbai side he was leading crashed to their third successive defeat in the IPL. But still his behavious stunned him.
"Mumbai had lost three matches in a row and Bhajji was very angry. Still it was unbelievable." Sreesanth will appear in tomorrow's disciplinary hearing in Delhi where Match Referee Farokh Engineer would hear both the sides before announcing his verdict.
Sreesanth said he was trying to concentrate on his game.
"I have to continue playing and concentrate on my game," he said. PTI
Camera did catch Bhajji slapping Sree: Modi
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Video footage in tomorrow's crucial disciplinary hearing is certain to go against Harbhajan Singh, who allegedly punched S Sreesanth, with IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi today disclosing that the camera did "pick up something".
"Yes, cameras were rolling. We have this thing of camera rolling out for 10 minutes even after the match. Yes, it did pick up something," Modi told NDTV.
Harbhajan continues to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons and last time he featured in the Sydney racism row that involved Andrew Symonds, the BCCI had to employ all its energy to save him.
Modi, however, did not find the slapping row involving the volatile spinner an embarrassment for the Board.
Not ready to equate both incidents, Modi said, "I think you can't muddle both things. There it was one player against another. Here Harbhajan is not saying he has not done anything. He's saying he has been provoked.
"See, even (Manchester duo Wayne) Rooney and (Cristian) Ronaldo had difference when they played for their respective countries," he argued.
Modi even went on to derive something positive out of the slapping row.
"It's important to understand that here (at IPL), players play for the team not just for the sake of it. It just goes to show that they take it to heart and want to win.
"However, they have pledged the MCC Spirit of Cricket and you can't assault another player. You just can't cross the line," he added. PTI
Obama, Clinton tied ahead of key primary in Indiana
Washington, Apr 27 (PTI) A new "poll of polls" shows that Barack Obama is tied with Hillary Clinton in Indiana ahead of the May 6 primary, the next crucial battleground that could decide the rancorous Democratic presidential race.
Obama is tied with Clinton at 45 per cent, with 10 per cent of respondents unsure, according to the Indiana Democratic poll, an average of campaign surveys.
The CNN "poll of polls" consists of three surveys: Research 2000 (April 23-24), ARG (April 23-24), and The Indianapolis Star (April 20-23). All polls include interviews conducted after the Pennsylvania primary, which Clinton won on April 22 by about 55 per cent to 45 per cent staving off elimination.
The Research 2000 poll released showed Obama, 47, leading Clinton by one percentage point, 48 per cent to 47 per cent. The candidates are statistically tied given that poll's margin of error of plus or minus 5 per cent, it said.
The survey also shows both candidates are strong with constituencies that backed them in other states: Clinton, 61, who hopes to be the first woman US president, easily wins among senior citizens and women, while Obama has the advantage with young voters.
With the campaign settled into a seemingly endless slugfest, roughly two-thirds of people in a separate survey done by the Pew Research Center said the race has gone on "too long," CNN said on its website.
Half of those polled said the campaign has become "too negative." And the candidates aren't the only ones fighting fatigue: More than a third said the closest race in a generation is "too dull." Obama is leading the delegate list with 1,705 delegates to Clinton's 1,575. They are aiming to reach 2,025 delegates to clinch the Democratic Party nomination in August. PTI
Putin appears with wife at Easter service
Vinay Shukla
Moscow, Apr 27 (PTI) Days after strongly rejecting reports about his divorce and plans to marry a young former gymnast, outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare public appearance with his wife Lyudmila at the Easter service in a local cathedral.
Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter in accordance with the Julian calendar, 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Putin, who generally attends Christmas and Easter services without his wife, made an exception last night by bringing Lyudmila along for the mass in the wake of a recent tabloid report about his divorce.
"There is not a single word of truth in what you mentioned," he told reporters recently, responding to a question about 'Moskovsky Korrespondent' tabloid's report claiming that he planned to wed Olympic rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabayeva on June 15 and had divorced his wife in February. PTI
Pak movie featuring Nandita Das to be screened at Tribeca fest
Islamabad, Apr 26 (PTI) A movie starring Indian actress Nandita Das and based on the real-life story of a seven-year- old Pakistani Hindu boy and his father who accidentally cross the border and are jailed will be screened at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
"Ramchand Pakistani", which hopes to bring the two nations closer by showcasing the emotional turmoil that ordinary people on both sides of the border experience because of the strained political relations, has an apt tagline -- "Two nations Poised for War. One Family Torn Apart".
The film will be screened along with 79 other films from 41 countries at the festival, which began today and will be on till May 4. The film is likely to be released in India and Pakistan soon.
The movie by first-time Pakistani feature filmmaker Mehreen Jabbar stars Nandita Das as the woman whose husband and son are jailed for being "spies". Das plays Champa, the woman whose seven-year-old son Ramchand and husband disappear from their village near Nagarparkar, located along the border with India.
The film revolves around Ramchand, who grows up in an Indian prison with his father, but with no memory of his mother.
"The story is deeply rooted in the complex relationships that characterise interactions between Pakistan and India, and Muslims and Hindus," Jabbar said.
"Ramchand Pakistani" was recently awarded the Global Film Initiative Grant, an initiative to support films that promote "cross-cultural understanding". (More)
Jackie Chan keen on working with Kamal Haasan
Chennai, Apr 25 (PTI) Hollywood action hero Jackie Chan is keen on working with Indian great Kamal Haasan.
Chan, who was here at the audio release of Haasan's magnum opus "Dasavathaaram" today, said India has been one of his favourite places.
It was nothing less than a dream line-up at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadiun here with Chan, Amitabh Bachchan, Haasan and Mammootty coming together.
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was also present on the occasion, which was electrified with the presence of Bollywood heartthrob Mallika Sherawat, 'Dream Girl' Hema Malini, Jayapradha and south Indian actors Asin and Vijay.
Cheering up the audience, who had turned up in large numbers to see their favourite stars, Chan said "I have seen some scenes of the movie ('Dasavathaaram'). The acting is excellent. I do not act but do action in the movie," he said.
Bachchan said he has a deep emotional connection with the city as he received his first award from Karunanidhi here years ago. PTI
Rape: Low convictions, a major worry
Anurag Sharma
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Rape, molestation and abductions, the crimes are numerous but low conviction rates for the same is one of the major reason for the growing number of offences against women, point out experts.
"Apart from other factors, the low conviction rate in the cases of rape or molestation is the biggest worry we have today. There is hardly any deterrence. Law should provide fast track courts to deal with such cases," says Girija Vyas, Chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW).
While there were 37,000 cases of molestation and eve-teasing in 2006-07, the conviction rate for such crimes, is below 30 per cent. For rape it is just a dismal 27 per cent.
Brinda Karat, All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), member says, "I have raised the issue in the Parliament several times that there is a need to step up conviction rate in rape cases drastically. Poor legal system, wrong understanding of policemen in these cases and lengthy procedures especially in child rape where after horrifying rounds of investigation the victim starts feeling that she is an accused and should not have registered the case, are few reasons for low conviction rate."
"In every 10 hours, a girl of the age of 1-10 is being raped in India. We are raising this issue and have demanded enforcement of stringent laws by government," she adds.
Reacting to a recent incident in which a minor was raped by a constable and his accomplice in a moving car in the national capital, Vyas says, "This is a special case and it should be dealt with a fast track court. On many occasions, complains do not get registered on time and then it is very difficult to prove that rape actually happened. It should be registered within 24 hours of the incident." PTI
Indians still skeptical about yoga as cure: B K S Iyengar
Annie Samson
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Despite a host of celebrity gurus plus a wide variety of instructional videos and CDs on yoga, Indians are still not ready to embrace the ancient practice, relying instead more on medicines for cures to various ailments, says noted yoga exponent B K S Iyengar.
At a time when various exponents from Baba Ramdev to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty are propagating their own styles of the art of breathing right people here are not paying heed to the ancient practice, feels Iyengar, also known as 'Guruji.' India, considered to be the birthplace of the ancient art of yoga, is still lagging behind in the practice claims the guru who has made Iyengar yoga a celebrated name worldwide.
The 90-plus Padma Vibushan awardee says, "In India, there are more people who are drug addicts, I mean those addicted to medicines. Everybody wants to take medicines for their ailments. This is not so when compared to those in western countries where they have taken to yoga." He claims that the regular practice of Iyengar Yoga can cure even those afflicted with extremely serious medical conditions and is known to use various props such as belts, ropes and wooden gadgets to make the performance of 'asanas' easy for physical handicapped patients.
When asked about various controversies that is currently plaguing the ancient practice. "There is no controversy about my form of yoga, 20 million students across the world who are my students. There may be many practitioners today but yoga is one. The trunk of the tree is one there may be many branches," says Iyengar. PTI
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