L A T E S T      N E W S

Moody's forecast a cause for concern, says PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the downgrade of India's growth forecast by Moody's was a cause for concern but expressed hoped that India would better last year's 6.5 per cent economic growth.

"It is a cause of concern but one should not draw unwarranted conclusions," Singh told reporters when asked to comment on ratings agency Moody's analysis of the Indian economy.

Moody's research arm had scaled down its forecast for the country's economic growth this fiscal to 5.5 per cent earlier this week. However, Singh expressed hoped that India would better last year's 6.5 per cent of economic growth. — PTI

Protest against Assam riots turns violent in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The protest that was staged by several Muslim organizations on Saturday to condemn the alleged attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and the riots in Assam turned violent. Police had to fire in the air to disperse protesters. Some vehicles were torched, according to TV reports.

Led by Raza Academy, an organization working to promote Islamic culture, the protest was supported by other organizations like Sunni Jamaitul Ulma and Jamate Raza-e-Mustafa. They also condemned the riots and violence in Assam.

Sporting black badges, hundreds of members and activists of these organizations, earlier converged at the Azad Maidan and expressed concern over the massacre of the Muslim community.

Maulana Syed Moinuddin Ashraf, president of Jamia Qadriya Ashrafiya, has urged the the central and state governments to intervene.

"It is the responsibility of the Congress government to protect the Muslims, and for that matter each and every citizen," said the Maulana, who is also known as Moin Miyan.

"With regards to the massacre in Myanmar, we understand it is an external problem and that certainly should be taken care of, but what is happening in Assam reflects on the state of affairs of the country," he added.

"A large number of Muslims have been rendered homeless and are now living in camps," said Raza Academy chairman Saeed Noorie.

Noorie said they have already written to the government of Myanmar, the United Nations, the International Human Rights Organization, Organization of Islamic Countries, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to highlight the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar. — IANS

40 killed as bus falls into gorge in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: At least 40 persons were killed and 20 others injured when an overcrowded bus veered off the road and fell into a gorge near Rajera on Saturday, 8 km from the district headquarter of Chamba.

While 32 people died on the spot, eight injured persons succumbed to injuries on way to hospital.

The bus was on its way to Chamba from Dulera when it plunged into the gorge near Rajera, K C Shadyal, ADGP, Law and Order, said.

The injured have been admitted to hospital.

Rescue operations are in full swing, he said, adding the toll could rise.

Most of the deceased were from Chamba district.

Chief Minister P K Dhumal has expressed grief over the tragedy and directed the local administration to provide relief to the victims. — PTI

Ramdev threatens to intensify stir

NEW DELHI: As Baba Ramdev’s fast entered the third day on Saturday, the yoga guru threatened to intensify his stir if his demands on black money and Lokpal Bill are not met by the deadline set by him and decided to knock on the doors of the President to put pressure on the government. 

Baba Ramdev had set a three-day ultimatum, which ends on Saturday evening, to the government to address the issues raised by him when he launched his three-day fast on Thursday at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. 

“We will wait till evening (to hear from the government on our demands). Our three day deadline ends then. After that period is over, a roar will arise from this very Ramlila Maidan. 

“We have not been taking names. But after then, we will take names who were in fault in this looting of country’s wealth,” he said in the morning addressing the crowd, whose count has been on the decline since yesterday. 

After a meeting with his close aides to decide on the future course of action, he said he will submit support letters collected from gram sabhas and MPs to the President and urge him to put pressure on government to act. 

“We have gone to more than 1.25 lakh gram sabhas and got their support letters. We have also received support letters from 225 MPs. We will take these support letters to President, who is well versed with matters of economics. We will urge him to put pressure on government, so that it will act,” he said. 

Baba Ramdev also claimed that he has the support of many Congress MPs but they are “scared” of giving it in writing fearing suspension from the party. 

“Some have given the support letters, I would urge them not to just give in writing but also to air views in public. 

Then there would be more pressure on government and they would be forced. 

“Even if the government does not do anything, then the government will have to give answers to people. If the whole of India wants it, then why does not the government act? These are not imaginative or impossible demands. These are in public interest and then what is the problem?” Baba Ramdev said. 

He also said India’s standing in the world will increase if an honest person hoists the flag on Independence Day. 

“If a person with clean hands hoists the tricolour, it will raise the country’ prestige. But, if it is hoisted by some dishonest person, then it will be disgraceful. How can it be, that you have a tricolour in your hands and you do not have the tricolour in your heart,” he said. 

Baba Ramdev had said on Friday that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should show “political honesty and political will” on the issue of black money and tackling corruption. 

He had also said that he will not leave the protest venue without a “big decision” from government on steps to bring back black money and enactment of a strong Lokpal law. “Only after a big decision from the government, we will leave Ramlila Maidan,” he said. — PTI

Ansari sworn in as 14th Vice-President

NEW DELHI: Hamid Ansari was sworn-in as the Vice-President of the country for the second consecutive term by President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on Saturday.

Mr Ansari, 75, was administered the oath by the President at a grand ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He had defeated NDA candidate Jaswant Singh with a comfortable margin earlier this week for his re-election as Vice-President.

Mr Ansari had polled 490 first preference votes out of 728 valid votes cast in the election held on August. Jaswant Singh polled 238 votes.

Mr Ansari got more votes than he had secured in the 2007 election. He had the backing of the Congress and its allies in the UPA, including the Nationalist Congress Party, DMK and the National Conference.

After Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Mr Ansari is the only person to have been re-elected to the office. — PTI

Always welcomed Rahul’s entry into govt: Manmohan 

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he would welcome Rahul Gandhi’s entry into the government, remarks that come in the context of raging speculation over the possibility of a larger role for him in the government and the Congress.

“I have always said I would welcome Rahul’s entry into government,” Singh told reporters here.

Last month, Rahul had said that he would play a more proactive role in the Congress and the government, the timing of which would be decided by his two bosses — Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister.

Asked about possibility of a reshuffle of the Cabinet next month, the Prime Minister said, “You will come to know when it happens.” — PTI

Time, CNN suspend Fareed Zakaria for plagiarism

Washington: Time magazine and CNN have suspended their columnist and television host, Indian American journalist Fareed Zakaria, after he apologized for plagiarising sections of his column on gun control in the August 20 issue of Time.

Some passages in the column, "The Case for Gun Control," were similar to those in a longer article on guns in America by the historian Jill Lepore, which appeared in the April 23 issue of The New Yorker. The similarities in the texts were spotted by the conservative website NewsBusters, and quickly spread across the Internet after appearing on the media blog JimRomenesko.com.

India-born Zakaria, 48, issued a statement on Friday afternoon saying: "Media reporters have pointed out that paragraphs in my Time column this week bear close similarities to paragraphs in Jill Lepore's essay in the April 23 issue of The New Yorker. They are right. I made a terrible mistake. It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault. I apologize unreservedly to her, to my editors at Time, and to my readers."