L A T E S T      N E W S

No question of loss in coal block deals: Ministers

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday rejected its auditor's report on allocation of coal blocks in which it has indicated a Rs.1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) loss to the exchequer, saying the notion of presumptive loss is flawed. "If the coal is not being mined, there is no question of gain or loss...the notion of this presumptive loss is flawed," Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said at a joint press conference in New Delhi with Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal.

Chidambaram said there had been hardly any mining of coal from the allocated blocks which are taken into consideration by the auditor. "As long as coal remain in mother earth there is no loss," he said.

Out of the 57 blocks considered by the CAG, mining was carried out in only block.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) last week revealed that lack of transparency in the allocation of coal blocks to private players resulted in the loss of a whopping Rs.1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) to the exchequer.

Jaiswal said the government didn't agree with the CAG assessment. "We don't agree with the CAG report," he said.

Jaiswal said that he had asked the CAG to consult coal ministry official before preparing the final report. "But the CAG did not consult our officials," he said.

He said the CAG also did not take into consideration the views of attorney general and the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on coal mining.

Chidambaram said it was the UPA government which brought about a change in policy for transparency and for that it was now being blamed.

"If you did nothing you will not be blamed; if you tried to change you will be blamed - is that the standard by which we will conduct our public affairs," he asked.

Asked about the future coarse of action on coal block allocations, Chidambaram said the government will take the decision taking into consideration the reports and views of the CAG, the Attorney General and the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM).

The Finance Minister made a fervent appeal to the opposition, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to allow Parliament to function from Monday.

Chidambaram said the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was ready to make a statement and debate the issue in Parliament in whatever manner the Opposition wanted.

"The Prime Minister is willing to make a statement in Parliament. He is fully prepared to answer all the questions that may arise," Chidambaram said.

Both Houses of Parliament were repeatedly adjourned for the fourth consecutive day on Friday as the BJP kept up its demand for the Prime Minister's resignation over irregularities in allocation of coal blocks.

"We are disappointed that the BJP is unwilling to allow Parliament to function and unwilling to discuss the matter on the floor of the House," the Finance Minister said.

Law Minister Salman Khurshid addressed the press conference too. — IANS

SC turns down Swamy's pleas against PC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed both the petitions seeking a probe against Finance Minister P Chidambaram for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam on Friday.

A bench of justices G S Singhvi and K S Radhakrishnan, which had not issued notices to the government and Chidambaram so far, decided that the records submitted by the petitioners do not prove any criminal conspiracy hatched by Chidambaram.

Taking cognisance of the fact that Chidambaram held meetings with ex-telecom minister A Raja on the 2G spectrum allocation issue, the court said that such meetings do not prove any criminal conspiracy.

Swamy had moved the court challenging the trial court order which had held that Home Minister P Chidambaram did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy in the 2G scam and refused to make him an accused in the case.

The application filed by the NGO, submitted that a "thorough investigation" was required to probe the role of Chidambaram, who was the Finance Minister when spectrum was allocated to telecom companies during the tenure of A Raja as Telecom Minister in 2008.

I will file a review petition in SC, says Swamy

NEW DELHI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Friday said he will seek a review of the Supreme Court judgement dismissing his petition in the 2G spectrum case against Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

“I will seek a review of the judgement. I did not talk about conspiracy. I spoke about loss to the nation,” Mr Swamy said outside the Supreme Court shortly after his petition was rejected.

“It is a bad judgement. The Supreme Court never allowed me to complete my submissions,” he told reporters.

He said the court has given its verdict on issues which he never raised and not touched on the important aspect of huge loss to the nation.

The government quickly come out in strong defence of Mr Chidambaram. “Chidambaram has nothing to do with 2G case. Swamy is always involved in filing these kinds of petitions.

So, there is no ground for his petition. We will face him legally and politically if he tries to malign the Congress party,” Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy said.

Even if Mr Subramanian Swamy files a review petition in the Apex Court, it will be dismissed as he has no case, Mr Narayanasamy said. PTI

Armstrong to lose seven Tour de France titles

AUSTIN: Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong said on Thursday he would no longer fight doping charges by the US Anti-Doping Agency, which said it would strip him of his titles and ban him from competitive cycling. 

Armstrong, a cancer survivor long considered one of the all-time greats in his sport, made the announcement in a written statement as he faced a midnight deadline on Thursday to formally challenge the accusations against him. 

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough,'" the American cyclist said in the statement, which was posted on his website, Lancearmstrong.com. 

"For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," he said. 

A short time later a spokeswoman for the USADA, Annie Skinner, said the agency would strip Armstrong of his seven titles and ban him from the sport of professional cycling for life. 

"It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes," Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive officer, said in a written statement released to Reuters by the agency. 

"This is a heartbreaking example of how the win-at-all-costs culture of sport, if left unchecked, will overtake fair, safe and honest competition, but for clean athletes, it is a reassuring reminder that there is hope for future generations to compete on a level playing field without the use of performance-enhancing drugs," he said. 

If the USADA strips Armstrong of his titles he would become one of the highest-profile athletes to face such a sanction, at least since Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was disqualified from the 1988 Seoul Olympics after winning the gold medal in the 100m race. 

The Texas-born Armstrong, who retired from professional cycling last year but remains the face of his anti-cancer charity, Livestrong, has long denied that he used performance enhancing drugs to help fuel his brilliant career.

He maintained that emphatic denial in the statement issued on Thursday, stressing that there was no physical evidence to support what he called Tygart's "outlandish and heinous claims." 

Armstrong, who never failed a doping test, said he would "jump at the chance" to put the allegations to rest once and for all, but refused to participate in the USADA process, which he called "one-sided and unfair." 

He disputed the agency's authority to take away his titles. 

"Today I will turn the page," he said. "I will no longer address this issue regardless of the circumstances." 

Armstrong, 40, has been one of the most successful and controversial cyclists of all time, returning to the sport after beating cancer to win the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times in succession from 1999 to 2005. 

Livestrong, known for its popular yellow bracelets, takes its inspiration from his achievements and recovery from illness. 

The USADA, a quasi-governmental agency created by the U.S. Congress in 2000, formally charged Armstrong in June with doping and taking part in a conspiracy with members of his championship teams. Five other cyclists have been accused of conspiring with Armstrong over the course of 14 years to hide doping activity. 

The agency said in a letter to Armstrong that it has blood samples from 2009 and 2010 that are "fully consistent" with doping. 

In the letter, which was published in the Washington Post, the agency said it also has at least 10 former teammates and colleagues of Armstrong who will testify he used doping drugs during races from 1999 to 2005. 

Earlier this month a federal judge dismissed Armstrong's effort to block the probe, despite a contention by his attorneys that USADA gathered evidence by threatening to ruin the careers of fellow cyclists who have agreed to testify against him. 

Armstrong's lawyers also argued that the agency's rules violate his right to a fair trial and that it lacks proper jurisdiction to charge him. 

In February, the Justice Department dropped an investigation centred on whether Armstrong and his teammates cheated the sponsor of their bike racing team, the U.S. Postal Service, with a secret doping program. 

Armstrong's attorneys say he has "passed every drug test ever administered to him in his career - a total of 500 to 600 tests ... more drug tests than any athlete in history." 

They say the International Cycling Union has proper jurisdiction in the case. — Reuters

Michelle Obama visits Sikh victims' kin

US First Lady Michelle Obama has travelled to Oak Creek City in Wisconsin to meet the victims of the Gurdwara shooting, which the Sikh community leaders said her visit goes a long way to assuage the feelings of hundreds of Sikh families across the nation.

It's my honour to be here with you," the First Lady told them in almost in whisper when she met them in private, away from the media glare, at Oak Creek High School, according to a White House pool report. "I'm sorry it's under these circumstances, but I am anxious to meet with the families and lend whatever support I can," she said.

The First Lady spent about 30 minutes with the Sikh families. In addition, the family of Oak Creek Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot more than eight times by white supremacist Wade Michael Page, met privately with her in a separate room.

The Gurdwara secretary, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, and the Oak Creek Mayor Stephen Scaffidi greeted a somber first lady in a hallway of the school, where more than 3,000 mourners turned out this month for a funeral for the six Sikhs murdered by white supremacist gunman.

"It is very nice of you to come and share our grief. This means a lot to all of us and helps the situation. We truly appreciate for you to take time to visit all the affected families and convey your condolences and feelings," Dhaliwal said.

"First lady was very gracious. She told me that 'please let me know if I can do anything to help'," he said.

Families began to line up in the hallway outside the gymnasium about 20 minutes before the visit of Michelle Obama and those who planned to attend said that they were looking forward to her visit.