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Govt seeks consensus on N-liability Bill
India rules out revival of Northern Alliance in Afghanistan
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Only the brightest welcome to UK
India, Brazil, SA to hold joint naval drill
Govt eyes more business through satellites
SC: Onus of proving handwriting can’t be shifted to accused
HC: Honour killings need urgent attention
Chhattisgarh evacuates 201 workers
Tharoors’ Dubai trip starts with flight snag
Jairam gave no indication of Vedanta rejection: Patnaik
Bangalore Stadium blasts New Delhi, August 24 The CBI has arrested a senior Ministry of Commerce and Industries and filed three cases against him, officials of three private companies, a tout and a private company on corruption charges.
Sajjan Case
Unease in BJP as Munde ‘cosies up’ to Yadavs
Jolt to ruling Cong in R’sthan civic polls
After flop show in politics, Chiru set to join movies
Sethu scheme on hold: Karuna
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Govt seeks consensus on N-liability Bill
New Delhi, August 24 A day after his meeting with BJP leader Arun Jaitely on the issue, Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan met Left leaders today and promised to consider their views to bring the Opposition on board. Subsequently, Chavan was closeted with his officials throughout the day as they struggled to arrive at a fresh formulation on the provision dealing with the liability of suppliers which would meet with the Opposition’s approval and ensure that the suppliers were not deterred from doing business in India. “We have worked hard to arrive at the widest possible consensus so far ... we will not allow it to collapse,” Chavan told The Tribune, adding that the government would move its amendments tomorrow. The minister had said yesterday that the government was willing to modify the language of the controversial clause 17(b) to accommodate the Opposition’s suggestions. The minister offered to consider the views of the Left parties during an hour-long meeting with CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury. CPI national secretary D Raja, who also met Chavan, said the minister had offered to take a fresh look at their amendments on suppliers’ liability when they were moved during the discussion in Parliament. The Left parties will take a final call on the issue tomorrow after studying the government’s fresh formulation. Both Left and the BJP have objected to the amended version of clause 17(b) of the Bill which, they said, dilutes the responsibility of suppliers in case of a nuclear accident. According to the Left parties, this not only goes “against the grain of the crucial recommendations of the Standing Committee, but also seeks to further dilute the provisions of the original Bill to protect the interests of foreign suppliers of nuclear equipment and domestic private players”. In the meeting, the Left questioned the need for joining the Convention on Supplementary Compensation, which has yet to be signed by most nuclear countries and capping of the liability at Rs 1,500 crore. Like the BJP, the Left parties have come down heavily on the government for its amendment, which says that the intent of the supplier will have to be proved in case of a nuclear accident, stating that it will be “impossible to ascribe liability to the supplier”.
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India rules out revival of Northern Alliance
New Delhi, August 24 Sources debunked reports in the media that New Delhi was quietly sounding out Russia and Iran, which have also expressed reservations over the process of integration of the Taliban into the mainstream of the Afghan society, that the remnants of the Northern Alliance, mostly comprising the Tajiks and Uzbeks, should be reactivated so that the Taliban could be kept at bay from any power-sharing arrangement in the embattled nation. Sources said India favoured a solution to the crisis in Afghanistan through a process that was “Afghan-led, Afghan-driven and Afghan-owned”. New Delhi supported a process that was transparent and inclusive. Of course, there were certain red lines that had been flagged to the international community, like the Taliban cadre willing to join the mainstream must abjure violence, cut links with the Al-Qaida, abide by the Afghan Constitution and participate in Afghan life. “India remains committed to assisting the people and the government of Afghanistan…we are for a peaceful, pluralistic, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan,” they added. The visiting minister met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this evening and briefed him on the evolving situation in his country. He will hold delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna tomorrow. With Kabul openly accusing Pakistan’s military establishment of harbouring the Taliban and the Al-Qaida, the two countries will discuss ways to combat the common threat. Krishna is likely to convey to the Afghan side that any process to reintegrate the Taliban should factor in India’s concerns in view of disturbing reports that Pakistan-supported militant outfits like the Haqqani network to target Indian assets in the war-torn country. Sources dismissed suggestion that India had become irrelevant in the Afghan quagmire and Pakistan had suddenly emerged as a nation being wooed by the entire West for finding a solution to the crisis there. New Delhi acknowledges the importance of Pakistan in arriving at a solution to the Afghan crisis since it happens to be a contiguous neighbour of Afghanistan. “At the same time, we maintain that Afghan insurgent groups must not be provided safe havens and sanctuaries beyond the country’s border,” sources added.
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Only the brightest welcome to UK Chandigarh, August 24 The new Immigration laws that will be effective from November this year want all new entrants under family or spouse clause to attain a minimum level of proficiency in spoken and written English. Immigration minister of the United Kingdom, Damian Green, who was on a day visit to the city to explain the changes in the UK’s immigration policies, defended the English proficiency clause, saying it was necessary for cohesion of new entrants in the British society. Talking to The Tribune, he said there had been worries and serious concerns over young women or men coming to the United Kingdom, who because of their failure to speak or understand English, find it hard to assimilate themselves in the new environs. “Further, they transmit this disadvantage to their children also. It is hugely important requirement,” he said. He also admitted that the number of such marriages, with partners drawn from India and the UK, had been on the decrease. Forced marriage was an offence in the UK and action was initiated in case such a marriage was reported, he added. He said the previous Labour government did some good work on organised and forced marriages. Some changes in immigration rules may have been necessitated because of the outcome of work on organised and arranged marriages. Damian Green met Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Director General of Police PS Gill to extend his gratitude for the cooperation that the UK enjoys from Punjab in addressing illegal migration and returning irregular migrants from the UK. He said cases of extradition and also of political asylum from India were negligible. Talking about changes in immigration policy about professionals, he reiterated that the UK limited the intake globally and the best in each required field would be welcome. He said, as of today, mathematic teachers besides some other trade categories were on demand list. Students completing their studies and aspiring for permanent settlement might not be able to do so as Tier-I had no such provision. The Punjab Police had been helping the UK Border Agency in the fight against unscrupulous agents and attempts to use fraudulent means to get UK visas and facilitating the return of irregular migrants to Punjab, he said. “I am also here in India to explain the changes to the UK’s immigration system and the reasons for them. Many highly skilled people from Punjab and other parts of India have been coming to the UK for years. Britain has benefited from this migration and will continue to do so. “But this migration must be controlled in order to maximise the benefits, both for the UK and those who are coming to work and live there. The UK government is committed to reducing migration and currently consulting on limiting economic migration. We have also decided to keep in place the zero limits on unskilled migration. But the UK continues to attract the brightest and the best - the investors and the entrepreneurs - people that make our economies grow. There is no contradiction in wanting to reduce migration and wanting to encourage inward investment and talented migrants. We can do both,” he said. He added that many people from Punjab visit their families or come to the UK as tourists every year. “I welcome this and will be looking at how we can make our visa processes more effectively to support tourism to the UK,” he said, adding that efforts were being made to ensure that these routes were used properly and not to evade the immigration rules.
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India, Brazil, SA to hold joint naval drill
New Delhi, August 24 Having initially involved only basic operations, the current interaction would feature advanced aspects of the naval warfare, including anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine operations. The Indian Navy has been conducting formalised exercises annually with several foreign navies over the past several years, such as the “VARUNA” series with the French Navy, the “INDRA” series with the Russian Navy and the “KONKAN” series with the Royal Navy (UK). The professional skills and experiences exchanged during these interactions enhance cooperation and lead to better understanding of finer nuances of naval operations as well as disaster management and combating maritime threats of terrorism and piracy. With the success of such interactions, the scale of complexity of these exercises is growing by the year. Four Indian warships, INS-Mysore, Tabar, Ganga and Aditya, are deployed on a goodwill visit to several maritime nations of Africa and South Indian Ocean. These will move on for the exercise with Brazil and South Africa.
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Govt eyes more business through satellites
Bangalore, August 24 For, the four-day exhibition and conference on space technologies, equipment and products starting in Bangalore tomorrow is slated to discuss commercialisation of space. However, this does not mean that the Space Expo 2010 - the second such event in Bangalore and claimed to be the only exhibition of its kind in Asia - will discuss selling pieces of real estates in Mars and Moon. The subjects that will figure in the conference are launching services for satellites, lending out satellite signals, imageries, technology transfer, and so on. “In the last Space Expo held in 2008, around 100 business to business (B2B) meetings had taken place. There were also two instances of technology transfer agreements reached between different agencies”, a deputy manager of the Antrix Corporation, commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told The Tribune. The Antrix representative said more than 100 B2B meetings had been lined up already for the conference starting tomorrow. The ISRO has already launched 25 foreign satellites on a commercial basis with its workhorse PSLV rocket. It will attempt to market itself in a big way in the exhibition, which it is jointly organising with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Antrix Corporation. The event is also supported by Ministry of Earth Sciences with active participation from Brahmos and Defence Research and Development Oeganisation (DRDO). The support provided by the last two agencies is a pointer to the defence establishment’s interest in space-faring technologies. “Bengaluru Space Expo 2010 will showcase the latest technological advances, equipment, software solutions, related products and technical services (for space exploration).The exhibition will help address the issues disaster management, transport infrastructure guidance, space security besides the other important aspects, including logistics management, telemedicine, agricultural guidance and commercialisation of satellites, while projecting India as satellite launching pad for various countries,” a press release of the organisers said.
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SC: Onus of proving handwriting can’t be
New Delhi, August 24 This onus could not be shifted to the accused by asking him to prove that the handwriting was not his, a Bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and MK Sharma ruled. “When the trial court chose to rely on the report of the handwriting expert, it ought to have examined the handwriting expert in order to give an opportunity to the appellant and the other accused to cross-examine the said expert,” the apex court pointed out. Also, there was nothing on record to show that the appellant and the other respondents had admitted the report of the handwriting expert, the Bench explained while setting aside the conviction of a Haryana electricity department employee by the Special Judge of Yamuna Nagar at Jagadhari on corruption charges. He had been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three years and slapped with a fine of Rs 2,000.
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It continues to rain misery in the north
New Delhi, August 24 In Haryana, more low-lying areas were inundated by the swollen Yamuna river, especially in Sonepat district, where the authorities have issued a flood alert and asked people living along the river bank to shift to safer locations. Over 3.25 lakh cusecs of water was released into the river recently from Hathni Kund barrage near Yamunanagar which caused extensive damage to crops. Delhiites woke up to another rainy morning today which brought with it attendant problems of waterlogging and traffic snarls in several areas. River Yamuna continued to flow above the danger level as people living close to the river bank have been evacuated and shifted to camps set up in safer areas. The city received an overnight rainfall of 20.8 mm while rain gauges measured 6.3 mm rainfall during the day. The maximum stood at 31.7 deg C, two notches below normal, while the minimum was recorded at 25.6 deg C. In Uttar Pradesh, three persons perished in incessant rains in Barabanki district while one person was killed in rain-related incident in Azamgarh. Flash floods played havoc in Lakhimpur disrupting railway traffic while more than three dozen villages were marooned by Ghaghra river in Barabanki district. Several villages in Sadar and Amritpur tehsils of Farukkhabad district were also submerged in flood water. Heavy rains across Uttarakhand caused landslides in Tehri, Uttarkashi and Rudhprayag districts. Five people were killed when their vehicle was hit by boulders rolling down the mountain and it fell into a gorge near Chamba. — PTI
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HC: Honour killings need urgent attention
Chandigarh, August 24 The high court has already asserted it is in favour of day-to-day proceedings in Mor's case. Only recently, the high court had observed: The trial of the case be preferably taken up on day-to-day basis in view of the urgency involved in the case. As the a bunch of petitions seeking justice for Mor came up for hearing, Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Ajay Tewari asserted in the open court: "We have no doubt in our mind that the issue of honour killing requires urgent attention of the court". At the same time the Bench clarified: But, direction for conclusion of trial within three months at present exigencies of work is not possible to be complied with. The assertion is significant as in India at least 1,000 women are believed to be killed annually in the name of honour. The high court has already called for attention to the issue and expressed hope that the practice would be "stamped out" like sati with state and society's intervention. Expressing concern over the matter, the high court ruled: "We are of the view that the problem of honour killing needs attention of all concerned. The issued is linked to gender equality and women empowerment, which is one of the goals included in the millennium development goals of the international conference of 199 countries in the year 2000."
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Chhattisgarh evacuates 201 workers Facing flak at home for repeated Naxal attacks on its residents, the Chhattisgarh Government has come to the rescue of its workers trapped in flood-ravaged Leh, thousands of km away. Responding to distress calls of labour contractors in Ladakh which saw its worst floods this August 6, the state government chartered a special aircraft to fly 95 affected labourers out of Leh. Another 16, including women and children, were evacuated later on other flights. As many as 201 workers from Chattisgarh have been flown back till Monday to New Delhi from where a special coach of the Indian Railways has ferried them home to Bilaspur and onwards. The entire effort cost the state more than Rs 15 lakh, of which Rs 8.10 lakh were paid to Air India for the chartered flight alone. Importantly, Air India offered the state a concessional rate of Rs 9000 per passenger when the return flight fare from Leh was jacked up by operators to Rs 20,000. It all began when local labour contractors from the district started making desperate calls to their people in Janjgeer Chapa district which sends maximum migrant workforce from Chhattisgarh to Leh every year. “We learnt of the tragedy involving our workers and immediately constituted a taskforce to rescue them. Back in Leh, people were helping those they knew. Our workers needed us and we came,” Ashok Tiwari, Additional Collector, Janjgeer Chapa, told The Tribune in Leh, where he surveyed the losses suffered by Chhattisgarh workers. The state has lost 18 workers in the tragedy.
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Tharoors’ Dubai trip starts with flight snag
Thiruvananthapuram, August 24 According to Airline sources, the aircraft (A 330-220) developed some problems in its hydraulic system and returned 40 minutes after its take off. It took after again later in the afternoon.
— PTI
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Jairam gave no indication of Vedanta rejection: Patnaik
New Delhi, August 24 “I hope this is not politics,” he said when asked whether there was any politics behind the Centre’s decision. Patnaik said his government would undertake a “detailed examination” of the ministry’s refusal and take correct and appropriate steps on the matter. He said the state government had worked on Supreme Court directives while making progress on the mining project. After the setback, the state government now appears to be trying to give Vedanta alternative bauxite mining. The stalling of the Orissa project comes at a time when Vedanta Resources is attempting to take control of Cairn Energy India, a deal that is expected to push the company’s stake in the oil market. Sources, however, say it may not be smooth sailing for UK-based Anil Agarwal as he tries to take over Cairn India. Considering Vedanta has no expertise in the oil sector, there are indications of clear discomfort within the government at the prospect of the Agarwal -owned group buying stake in Cairn India, the deal cannot go through without the government’s approval and now it appears that the government may ask big state-run energy companies like ONGC and GAIL to form a consortium to counter Vedanta’s bid for Cairn India. Anil Agarwal is learnt to have called up Petroleum Minister Murli Deora following reports that the government is reluctant to allow the Vedanta deal to go through. Deora is learnt to have told Agarwal that his ministry had still not received any formal notification from the UK-based Cairn Energy that it wishes to sell its stake in its Indian arm.
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Bangalore Stadium blasts Bangalore, August 24 “Inquiry (in the 2008 bomb blasts) is in progress. We are confident that we will get the full information (on the conspiracy),” Acharya told reporters here when asked about the update on the interrogation of Madani. He said, “The interrogation has revealed his role in the cricket stadium blasts”. Acharya said Madani's links with other main accused in the 2008 blast case had been “established” during interrogation. One woman was killed and 20 others were injured in the blast. Two low-intensity explosions near a packed Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium less than an hour before an IPL match left 15 persons, including five securitymen, injured. The explosives placed behind a plastic board near the wall outside the stadium, venue for the tie, went off 45 minutes before the start at 4 pm. Another small explosion took place near the stadium. Acharya indicated that the police might seek extension of the custody of Madani. However, Madani denied having given any statement admitting his involvement in the twin explosions at Chinnaswamy Stadium or any other blast, to the Bangalore police during interrogation. “Madani has clearly denied his involvement in any blast and said he has not made any statement about his involvement in any blast, to the Bangalore police,” his counsel P Usman said.
— PTI
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Commerce ministry official held on graft charge
New Delhi, August 24 The CBI said today that RK
Jain, Director (Anti-Dumping) in the ministry, was arrested following registration of cases and evidence linking him to taking bribes. Jain belongs to the Indian Costs and Accounts
Service. Jain, who was responsible for dealing with complaints of non-compliance of anti-dumping provisions by delinquent companies, sought and received undue favour from the firms. In another case, it came to light that Jain was in league with a tout and the director of Shivam Iron & Steel Company,
Jharkhand, and abused his position to get coal linkage for the firm from the Ministry of Coal.
— TNS
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Sajjan Case New Delhi, August 24 “We expect that the government would instruct either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General of India to defend the CBI before the SC on 27th August 2010,” Phoolka said in a letter sent to the PM and the CBI.
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Unease in BJP as Munde ‘cosies up’ to Yadavs
New Delhi, August 24 Munde’s whole-hearted participation in the ‘Mock Parliament’ on August 20 inside the Lok Sabha has upset many in the BJP. The party parliamentary party chairman LK Advani couldn’t contain his annoyance at Munde’s act and dispatched his secretary Deepak Chopra to summon Munde and gave the Maharashtra leader a good dressing down. The MPs, led by Lalu and Mulayam, had held a Mock Parliament to press for a salary hike and protest against government’s refusal to hold a proper discussion on the Indian Medical Council Bill. Advani and other top BJP leaders were annoyed over the party MPs meekly joining an agitation led by the Yadav duo. So overawed was Munde of the Yadav fraternity that in the Mock Parliament when they offered to make him the Prime Minister he respectfully withdrew and offered this jointly to the two Yadavs. Some BJP insiders recalled that when Munde spoke to support the caste census in Parliament he also put in a couple of phrases appreciating the Yadavs for leading the OBC movement in the North. Munde’s comment had come only a day after his party colleague and BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar had chosen to insult Lalu pointedly. Kumar, who refused to speak a word on caste census that day, did not apologise for his conduct. All noticed the contrast. For one, Munde forcefully advocated caste census, on which opinions were divided in the BJP. To add insult to BJP’s injury, he went out of his way to eulogise Lalu and Mulayam. Formally, BJP leaders try to play it down saying: “He is only doing OBC politics.” But privately some of them agree that Munde seems to be moving in the same direction as former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who identified himself so much with the OBC cause that he had to eventually leave the BJP. Another OBC leader, Uma Bharti, followed a similar track and she too had to go out of the BJP. But the OBC MPs in the BJP seem to have gained more self-confidence in the intervening years. One of them recalled how when the forum was first floated under the patronage of stalwarts like Nitish Kumar and Kalyan Singh, the latter was forbidden from attending the first meeting of the forum in Parliament House.
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Jolt to ruling Cong in R’sthan civic polls
Jaipur, August 24 Out of the 126 municipal bodies, the BJP captured top posts in 57 while the Congress managed to get its chairpersons in 49. The remaining 20 were bagged by other political parties like the BSP and Independents. What has come as a rude shock for the Congress is the fact that out of the 16 state ministers’ constituencies the voters in as many as 13 constituencies handed lead to the BJP. As if it wasn’t enough the Congress has fared poorly in the constituencies represented by four Union ministers too. The only face-saver for the ruling party came in Ajmer where it bagged the mayor’s seat, though there too the BJP managed to get more ward members elected than the Congress, boosting its chances of forming the board. With the Congress’ winning streak in the state coming to a halt, the functioning of top leadership has come under the scanner. Voices of dissent are being heard against Gehlot who is yet to accommodate party leaders and workers through political appointments even after completing one-and-a-half years in power. In fact, state Congress vice-president Hari Singh’s outburst against him on the eve of civic polls had given adequate hint as to what lies in store for the Congress. Questions are also being raised over the functioning of Union Rural Development Minister and state Congress chief CP Joshi.
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After flop show in politics, Chiru set to join movies
Hyderabad, August 24 “He will certainly be starring in a film this year and it could be released before his next birthday (August 22),” Chiranjeevi’s actor-son Ramcharan Teja has announced, bringing cheers to millions of his fans. Incidentally, the forthcoming venture will be Chiranjeevi’s 150th film. The last time he donned the greasepaint was for “Shankar Dada Zindabad,” a Telugu remake of the Bollywood hit “Lagey Raho Munnabhai”. The megastar’s political journey in the last two years has been a bumpy ride. Despite being a hugely popular actor, Chiranjeevi had failed to convert his star power into votes. As a result, his Praja Rajyam Party bombed at the ballot box in the 2009 elections. Promising “social justice and change”, Chiranjeevi conducted hugely successful road shows, reminiscent of the NTR magic, and raising hopes that he might emerge as an alternative to the two main contenders for power-Congress and Telugu Desam Party. However, his political show turned out to be a flop. The PRP drew blank in the Lok Sabha while managing to win just 18 seats in the 294-member Assembly. Since then, the party’s support base been steadily eroding amid reports that the 55-year-old actor is warming up to the ruling Congress for a long-term alliance. Though Chiranjeevi politely turned down the demand from his fans to get back to films in the past, the artiste in him was rekindled while he was watching the promos of ‘Robot’ starring Tamil superstar Rajnikanth and Bollywood diva Aiswarya Rai in the lead. During the film’s audio release function, Chiranjeevi spoke of his desire to get back to the silver screen.
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Sethu scheme on hold: Karuna
Chennai, August 24 Talking to reporters after the DMK MPs meeting today, he thanked Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for clearing the air on apprehensions of strain in the relationship between the Congress and the DMK and asserting that the alliance would continue. "I am very happy that the Congress is adhering to alliance dharma", he added.
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Orissa
Government to undertake ‘detailed examination’ of Environment Ministry’s
refusal
