VOL: 2 ISSUE 63 April 01, 2009

SC clean chit to Karunanidhi,

Baalu in contempt case
New Delhi, April 01: :
The Supreme Court on
We d n e s d a y a b s o l v e d
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
M Karunanidhi and Union
Transport Minister TR
Baalu of the contempt of
b a n d h o n t h e notices to Karunanidhi, had told media on exchequer and the remarks saying, "It shows
Sethusamudram project Baalu, State Chief October 1 that only about government connived utter ignorance of the man
row despite the apex Secretary LK Tripathi, 50 transport buses plied with the organisers of the (Baalu). For the last 50
court restraining it from State DGP, the State in the state when it had a bandh and no action was years courts function on
doing so. Transport Minister and fleet of about 30,000 taken against a majority Sundays also. People who
The charge the State Transport buses. of the state government are governing the system
against Baalu was that Secretary for not According to the employees, who don't know its functioning.
implementing the petitioner, no action was abstained from work on They are intellectual
directions of the apex taken against the that day. giants."
court, issued during a leaders, who enforced Baalu had made The apex court
special sitting on a the bandh causing derogatory remarks had also observed that it
Sunday. tremendous hardship against Justice Aggarwal had become a practice for
The petitioner – and harassment to the for passing the orders on many persons holding high
AIADMK chief and former people of the state. Sunday. positions to make
Chief Minister J Loss of several While reserving insinuiations against the
Jayalalithaa – had also crores of rupees was its verdict, the SC had judiciary.
contended that Tripathi caused to the state reacted to Baalu’s

court charges for alleged he made contemptuous

violation of the apex court’s
order – dated September
30, 2008 – directing the
DMK and its allies not to
enforce state-wide bandh
on October 1 last year.
The SC had on
March 25 reserved its
verdict in the case which
also involved four others.
A bench of
Justices BN Agarwal and
GS Singhvi today
dismissed the petition on
the ground that the
AIADMK, which had filed
the contempt petition,
failed to establish the
allegation.
The AIADMK had
filed a petition alleging that
t h e Ta m i l N a d u
government organised the
allegations against
judges of the Supreme
Court and questioned
their integrity.
The ruling DMK
and its allies had given a
call for the state-wide
bandh in support of their
demand for the speedy
completion of the
Setusamudram Project.
The project had
hit a road block because
of the proposed
demolition of the Ram
Setu, which Hindus
believe was constructed
by Lord Ram to reach Sri
Lanka to free his wife
Sita from the captivity of
demon king Ravana.
The apex court
had issued showcause

LG appointed DMK's
Election Works Secretary
Chennai, April 01: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has
appointed rebel MDMK leader L Ganesan (MP), who had
recently merged his faction of MDMK with the DMK, as
party's Election Works Secretary.
Mr Ganesan would sort out problems arising in
connection with the May 13 Lok Sabha elections and the
coming Assembly elections in the state, in coordination
with the existing election work secretaries, DMK General
Secretary K Anbazhagan said.
He would receive election related complaints
from partymen and sort them out after consulting party
high command and office bearers at various levels, Mr
Anbazhagan said in a release here.
Mr Ganesan, the former Presidium Chairman
of the MDMK, was heading a separate faction along with
another rebel MDMK leader Gingee N Ramachandran
after they were expelled from the party.
The leaders merged their faction with the DMK
in the presence of its President and Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi on March 17, marking their homecoming.
Page 2 Times Chennai E-Paper
HCP filed challenging detention
of Nanjil Sampath under NSA
Chennai, April 01: Ms
Sasikala Sampath, wife of
Nanjil Sampath, MDMK
Propaganda Secretary,
detained under the
National Security Act
(NSA) filed a Habeas
Corpus Petition (HCP) in
the Madras High Court,
challenging the detention
of her husband and sought
the court to direct the state
government to release him
immediately.
In her petition, Ms
Sampath submitted that
the DMK government
arrested her husband and
remanded him to judicial
custody for his political
speech in support of LTTE
in Tiruppur.
''Sampath was
granted bail by a local
court, but to prevent his
release, the government
with a political motive
detained him under NSA,''
she said.
The petition is
likely to come up for
hearing on April 2 before a
division bench headed by
Mr Justice Elipe Dharma
Rao.
MDMK leader
Vaiko will appear in the
court as Ms Sampath's
counsel.
Marumalarchi
DMK functionary Nanjil
Sampath, who was
arrested on March 7 for
speaking in support of the
b a n n e d LT T E , w a s
detained under the
National Security Act
(NSA) on March 14.
The orders was
served on Nanjil
Sampath at the
Coimbatore Central
Prison where he was
lodged after he was
arrested on charges of
sedition, by a special
team from Tiruppur.
The Tiruppur
police registered a case
against Sampath, one of
the main speakers of the
Opposition MDMK,
based on his speech he
made at a meeting
organised by the
Students Federation of
India on the Sri Lankan
Tamils issue on March 1.
April 01, 2009
Royal Sundaram launches family health insurance
Chennai, April 01:
Royal Sundaram today
band is 18 years to 45
years in respect of adults
authorisations) at over
2,000 networked hospitals
announced the launch of and 91 days to 21 years across India, a 24-hour
Sampath was produced
Family Health Insurance for dependent children. helpline and ambulance
before a court in Tiruppur Online, a comprehensive Customers can also referral facility at no
and remanded in judicial health insurance policy renew online up to the additional cost.
custody. designed to protect the age of 70 years, a It has been
He is the third insured and his/her company release said. designed to ensure that the
prominent person to be family. N o insured and his family get
detained under the NSA, Customers documentation or the best medical treatment
after the Tamil Nadu could simply log into medical examination was at any time when they need
Government cracked the Royal Sundaram's required for buying the it. With the inclusion of
whip on Tamil Film Online "InstaBuy" facility policy online. Customers Family Health Insurance
Director Seeman and and get instant coverage can also avail Income Tax online, Royal Sundaram
Periyar Dravidar for themselves and their benefit under section 80 now offers the complete set
Kazhagam President family members D of the IT Act, it said. of health insurance
Kolathur Mani, by including spouse, The insured will products online, for both
invoking the provisions dependent children and also have access to individual and/or family, it
of NSA for their 'pro- dependent parents under value-added services like said.
LTTE' speeches. a single sum insured. cashless treatment
The entry age (subject to conditions and

I don't have an attitude

for politics:
Kamal Haasan
New Delhi, April 01: The
election season may be
witnessing many
celebrities from the world
of cinema making a jump
into the electoral arena but
South Indian superstar
Kamal Haasan says he
does not have the
inclination or attitude for
politics.
''Joining politics is
a matter of personal
choice. However, I don't
have an attitude for
politics,''Kamal Haasan
says.
In the capital in
connection with the
promotion of the dubbed
Hindi version of his South
Indian hit 'Dashavtaram',
Kamal said he had
received many offers from
political parties to contest
on their tickets but he did
not intend to enter the
political arena.
''There have
been many offers to enter
the political arena.
However, I feel
one should not enter
politics just for the heck of
it. There has to be a strong
commitment attached to
one's entry in politics,''the
actor-director said.
Asked for his
reaction as to why
superstars from the South
Indian cinema like N T
R a m a R a o , M
Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha
and Chiranjeevi had
managed big innings in
politics compared to their
counterparts from North
India, Kamal said,''I do
not think much should be
seen into this. Perhaps, it
has something to do with
the literacy factor in the
South.'' He may be
averse to joining politics
but he admits that in
today's scenario it was
difficult to be entirely
apolitical in one's
attitude.
''I have realised
that one cannot be totally
apolitical.
One has for
either vote in a person
one likes or vote out one
they do not like,''the
South Indian superstar
said.
The actor said
as a person he did have
his own agenda which he
quietly put across in his
films like 'Nayakan', 'Hey
Ram', 'Hindustani' and
'Dashavtaram'.
''I have my own
agenda which I quietly
put into my films.
I do not shout
out my message through
my films but all the same
it is there,''he said.
Read
Times Chennai
E-Paper
Today and
every day
April 01, 2009
New CII chief to promote
political donations by cheque
New Delhi, April 01: As
campaigning picks up for
the Lok Sabha elections,
the newly elected
President of industry body
CII, Venu Srinivasan, has
said he will promote a
transparent way of
donations to political
parties by business
houses.
"Companies
should do it (election
funding) transparently. If it
becomes transparent it is
good for the polity, good for
society," Mr. Srinivasan
told PTI.
He said the
Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) has been
promoting the idea of
transparency in political
donations. In any case, he
said, it has become difficult
for business houses to deal
only in cash.
"Companies have
shifted from cash
payments to cheques... the
cash (transactions) have
been reduced in the
economy considerably
Times Chennai E-Paper
since liberalisation... it
has become difficult to
deal with cash," he said.
T h e fiscal is likely to be poorer
Government monitoring
through different
taxes like
Banking Cash
Transaction Tax is
also a deterrent to
t h e c a s h
e c o n o m y, M r.
Srinivasan, who
is also Chairman
of Chennai-based
TVS Motor
Company Ltd,
said.
The CII chief
said the chamber would
like its members to
ensure that the money
given away to political
parties is properly
accounted for in their
books.
Some of the
country's well-respected
industrial houses have
already taken lead in
giving political donations
through cheques.
On the state of
the economy, he said
while the growth has
slowed down, the GDP
trends still remain in the
positive zone.
H o w e v e r, h e
remained cautious about
fiscal 2009-10 that began
today. "(The) growth in
the next year may not
meet our aspirations, but
I look at the world with
cautious optimism," he
News You Can Use
said.
Mr. Srinivasan
said the first-half of the
because of the high
g r o w t h i n t h e
comparative period the
previous year. However,
the economy is expected
to pick up in the second-
half of the financial year
2009-10.
"We have
already digested the
recession...We are still
growing," he said.
While the big
picture remains positive,
s e c t o r s l i k e
manufacturing, exports,
handicrafts, textile, gems
and jewellery remain
areas of concern.
After growing
by a robust 30 per cent till
September, exports have
been shrinking in the
second half. The
government estimates
do not project the
annualised shipments to
grow beyond 3-4 per
cent.
Mr. Srinivasan,
who is from the
automobile industry, said
it is early days to see a
recovery in the sector.
The commercial vehicles
segment is still reeling
under recessionary
trends.
-Agencies
NHAI expects over Rs 1,700-
cr toll collection
New Delhi, April 01
The National Highways
Authority of India (NHAI)
expects to exceed its toll
revenue target in the
2008-09 fiscal and cross
over Rs 1,700 crore on
the back of increased
collections.
"We expect a
toll collection of more
than Rs 1,700 crore for
the fiscal 2008-09 as
against a target of Rs
1,600 crore," an NHAI
official, who did not wish
to be named, told PTI.
Claiming that
the collection may even
surpass Rs 1,700 crore,
the official said collection
Free cash withdrawals from all
ATMs beginning today
New Delhi, April 01:
Beginning today, you
need not have to sweat it
out looking for an ATM of
your own bank as you
can use ATMs of your
Page 3
of data from various 2008-09 to Rs 1,600 crore
plazas indicated that the from previous fiscal's Rs
target was almost 1,400 crore, the official said
achieved sometime back pointing out that the
although the final figures achievement in 2007-08
are yet to be compiled. was Rs 1,415 crore.
The NHAI has "One of the key
witnessed increase in toll reasons that we could
collections from existing surpass the target is that
highways and its several new stretches
revenues have also were added for tolling
swelled up with the during the year," the official
addition of new toll said.
plazas in fresh highway As per a data,
stretches, including the only 6,212 km of the total
Golden Quadrilateral. national highway network
Enthused by of 66,000 km is currently
better results in toll tolled.
collection during fiscal
2007-08, the NHAI had -Agencies
increased the target for
withdrawal with the use without shelling out more,
of credit cards and at the central bank had said.
ATMs located outside Till yesterday,
India. banks were charging Rs 20
Last year on per transaction when a
March 10, the RBI had customer used the cash

New VVIP jets in IAF

New Delhi, April 01:
President Pratibha Patil on
Wednesday inducted the
new state-of-the-art VVIP
jets into the Indian Air
Force before embarking on
its maiden flight to Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh.
The new jets are
designed to work as an
office-in-the sky and also
as a command centre in
event of an emergency, like
a nuclear attack.
"The trip would
now be more business like.
We will get more time to
study, concentrate and
apply our minds as flight
will be more smooth," said
Ms. Patil at the ribbon
cutting ceremony.
Standing proud
on the tarmac, the
sparkling white Boeing
Business Jet has been
patterned on the US
President's famous Air
Force One aircraft and
comes equipped with a
wide range of security
cover and latest
communication devices.
"The aircraft has
some of the finest high
communication
systems," Air Chief
Marshal Pradeep Vasant
Naik.
The aircraft,
which can seat upto 60
passengers, has four
sections with the first one
being that of President
which is decorated with
light and dark wooden
panels with six leather
seats.
The section
also has a bedroom for
the President along with
a l l t h e m a j o r
entertainment and
communication facilities.
T h e n e w
Boeing 747/700
christened as 'Rajdoot' is
one of the three such
aircraft that have been
bought by the country to
cater to the VVIPs,
including the Prime
Minister.
The aircraft is
said to be equipped with
modern hi-tech missile
defence system which
includes a protection
suite and chaff
dispensers to ward off
It has a secure
satellite based
communication system
in addition to VHF
communication system
which helps the travelling choice without shelling come out with guidelines machine of any bank other
dignitary to be in touch out any extra money. limiting the fee charged than the one in which
with ground as and when Thanks to an by banks for using their he/she has an account
the need arises. RBI directive, much to the ATMs by clients of other with.
The jets, relief of common man, lenders to Rs 20. It had At the end of
powered by two CFM-56 banks have been also allowed the use of December 2007, there
engines respectively, prevented from charging ATM for purposes like were 32,342 ATMs in the
manufactured by US any fee for cash balance enquiry free of country and various banks
General Electric and withdrawals using ATM any charge. have entered into bilateral
French Snecma, are and debit cards issued by This was to and multi-lateral
designed to have long other banks from April 1 ensure greater arrangements with other
range flights and can onwards. transparency and to banks to have inter-bank
easily pull off 6,000 However, banks facilitate usage of any ATM networks.
nautical miles (11,100 can still charge extra for ATM installed within the
kms) with refueling. services like cash country by customers -Agencies
The planes can
fly at the height of 41,000
feet at a speed of 410
knots.
Upon entering,
one encounters luxurious
plush beige leather
interiors. The aircraft has
been specially
customised for the
The complete half yearly magazine
President, Prime Minister
and special guests and
for professional Education
senior ministers and can
accomodate 60 for details call
passengers in four

99400 24556
technology systems and is missile threats besides compartments.
equipped with excellent other security gadgets. -Agencies
Page 4
I will represent Kasab: Anjali Waghmare
Mumbai, April 01: Anjali
Waghmare, the lawyer
appointed to represent
captured 26/11 attacker
Ajmal Amir Kasab, has
agreed to fight the case of
the dreaded terrorist.
Confirming her
decision to justice Tahiliani,
who will preside over
Kasab’s trial, Waghmare
said, “I will continue as
Kasab’s lawyer and will
represent him in trial.”
Defending her
decision to defend Kasab,
Waghmare said, “I am an
Indian citizen and I have
taken Kasab’s case in the
country’s interest.”
She informed the
mediapersons she had told
that she will continue if the
government assures her
security. “The government
has kept its word and I
have kept mine,” she said
referring to government’s
decision to provide her with
Z security.
The lawyer also
adopted a conciliatory tone
towards those opposed to
her decision and who
attacked her house saying
that their reaction was
emotional and expressed
confidence that in due
course of time they will
support her decision.
She however said
that she was shocked by
the attack.
The Shiv Sena,
meanwhile, in a U turn,
I was threatened by a cabinet
minister's aide: Sanjay
New Delhi, April 01:
Bollywood actor Sanjay
Dutt has confirmed that he
was being threatened by a
Union Minister's aide of
"dire consequences" if he
joined SP even as
Congress dismissed the
allegations as completely
"baseless".
" Ye s I c a n
confirm that I was
threatened by a senior aide
of a Cabinet Minister and
warned of dire
consequences," he told a
news channel in a joint
interview with SP general
secretary Amar Singh.
Dutt, who was
barred by Supreme Court
from contesting the LS
polls, however, refused to
reveal the name of the
person.
"I will reveal
everything at the
appropriate time. No one
can stop me from being
with Samajwadi Party," he
Times Chennai E-Paper
said that it has no
problem wid Waghmare
supporting Kasab and
added that it won’t come
in the way of her job.
According to
sources, the lawyer was
under immense pressure
to withdraw from the
case.
H o w e v e r,
Special Public
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam
rubbished the pressure
theories and said, “Anjali
Waghmare has decided
on her own to fight the
case.” He also welcomed
her decision and said, “It
is a good decision, now
the 26/11 trial can move
forward.”
Welcoming the
decision, senior lawyer
Majid Menon said, “It’s a
good news. We needed a
stable lawyer to
represent Kasab.”
On Tuesday,
Waghmare had asked
the Special Court in
Mumbai for a day to
consider her position
following protests
outside her home by Shiv
Sena activists.
E a r l i e r, t h e
lawyer had said she was
pulling out of the case
following an attack on her
house by Shiv Sainiks on
Monday night.
"Owing to public
sentiment, I withdraw
from the Kasab case,"
asserted.
Meanwhile,
Congress today
dismissed Dutt's
allegations, terming it as
completely "baseless".
"I think it is a
self-serving claim. I
would it dismiss as
completely baseless
unless they come out
w i t h a n y t h i n g
substantial," she said.
In the joint
interview, Singh said the
"counsel of a very senior
minister had also
threatened Sanjay Dutt
from joining SP".
"Sanjay was
told clearly that should
he take such a step, even
his bail could be
cancelled," Singh said,
adding "there are certain
managers of Sonia
Gandhi and the Prime
Minister who were
against Sanjay joining
SP."
National
she had said.
Recounting the
horror, Waghmare told
the court that nearly 300
people and not 100 as
claimed earlier attacked
her house last night.
The judge had
said that it is the mandate
of law that Kasab be
defended in the court.
On Monday
night, activists belonging
to Shiv Sena staged a
protest and pelted stones
at Waghmare’s residence
at Warli Camp area of the
city, police said.
Waghmare was
unhurt in the attack and
police resorted to a mild
lathicharge to disperse
the mob. The situation
was brought under
control.
Shiv Sainiks arrested
The police
arrested nine Shiv
Sainiks, including a
Corporator, in connection
with the incident. All of
them were sent to one-
day custody.
"Nine Sena
workers were held for
unlawful assembly and
house tresspass. They
were holding protest
outside Waghmare's
residence in Worli Police
Camp," senior police
inspector BV Worlikar
said.
"They seem to
be upset against
Wa g h m a r e , w h o i s
representing Kasab.
They were shouting
slogans against her,"
J o i n t P o l i c e
Commissioner KL Prasad
(Law and Order) said.
On March 23,
Kasab, who had earlier
sought consular access
from Pakistan, had
requested the court to
provide a lawyer at the
expense of the state, in
the absence of a
response from
Islamabad.
-Agencies
Dutt confirmed
Singh's charges. He
contended that "I am not
saying that there is a
conspiracy against me,
but there are people who
are scared of my
contesting from
Lucknow."
-Agencies
Jaswant denies distributing cash during campaign
Jaisalmer, April 01:
Senior BJP leader
Jaswant Singh on
Wednesday denied that
he had distributed cash
during an election
meeting at Gagaria
village in Rajasthan's
Barmer district.
Related Stories
Jaswant cash-
for-vote: DM submits
preliminary report He
said helping the needy
Varun moves SC against
detention under NSA
New Delhi, April 01:
With the possibility of an
extended detention
looming large, young
B J P l e a d e r Va r u n
Gandhi on Wednesday
moved the Supreme
Court against his
detention under the
National Security Act
(NSA).
The Supreme
Court is expected to take
up his plea for hearing
tomorrow.
Va r u n w a s
being held illegally by the
state government, his
lawyer, former additional
solicitor general Mukul
Rohtagi, told a bench
headed by Chief Justice
KG Balakrishnan.
Rohtagi told the
bench that he was in the
process of filing a
Habeas Corpus petition
to bring Varun Gandhi to
the court. The Habeas
Corpus special petition is
filed when a person goes
missing and foul play is
suspected.
Varun, who is in
the eye of a storm for his
alleged anti-Muslim
utterances, was booked
Fernandes files nomination as independent
Patna, April 01
:Veteran socialist leader
George Fernandes,
denied a ticket by the
Janata Dal (United)
((JD(U)), on Wednesday
filed his nomination
p a p e r s a s a n
independent candidate
from Muzaffarpur
constituency in Bihar,
hours after he was
reported to have taken ill.
Mr. Fernandes,
78, was accompanied by
JD(U) MP Digvijay Singh,
former Bihar chief
minister Jagannath
Mishra, former MP Ram
Jeevan Singh and
dozens of other socialist
leaders. Besides,
hundreds of his
was his duty and his
family has been helping
the poor, but claimed that
neither he nor any other
BJP leader had violated
the model code of
conduct by distributing
currency notes.
Singh and BJP
MP from Tonk Lok Sabha
seat Kailash Meghwal
were yesterday accused
of handing Rs 10,000 to a
woman and distributing
under the NSA for inciting
communal tensions,
disruption of peace and
on grounds of public
administration.
Conviction under Section
3(2) of NSA may result in
him being under
detention for upto one
year.
Under the
provisions
of the NSA,
a person
cannot get
bail at least
f o r s i x
months and
i f t h i s
happens
Varun has
to remain in
jail till
elections
are over.
Howe
v e r, N S A
c a n n o t
debar a person from
contesting elections.
Even if one is detained,
the person can make a
representation against
the order, which goes to
an advisory committee,
the chairman of which is
normally a sitting judge of
a High Court.
Va r u n i s
currently lodged in the
Etah jail in Uttar Pradesh.
He was moved to the
Etah Jail from Pilibhit
early today, following
Intelligence Bureau
warning that Dawood
Ibrahim’s D-Company
was looking to eliminate
him.
According to
reports, the IB
i n t e r c e p t e d a
conversation between
supporters were present
when he filed the papers.
Mr. Fernandes
had earlier said he would
not fight as an
independent but as a
party candidate. He
arrived in Patna on
Tuesday from New Delhi
and left soon for
Muzaffarpur, 70 km from
here.
The JD(U)
denied him a nomination
on the grounds of his
"advancing years and
failing health."
But Fernandes
said some people were
behind spreading
rumours that he was not
well and insisted he could
contest elections. "It is a
food packets among
people in violation of the
model code of conduct at
Gagaria where he had
gone to campaign for his
son Manvendra Singh.
"Prima facie Rs
10,000 was given to a
woman on the dias by the
two leaders who also
distributed 6,000 food
packets among the
people at the meeting,”
State's Chief Election
April 01, 2009
underworld don Chota
Shaqueel and his sharp
shooter Rashid Malabari
about eliminating Varun
Gandhi.
But the politics
over the issue continues
unabated with the BJP now
constituting a panel led by
its former president M
Venkaiah Naidu to assess
the situation on the ground
and report back to its top
leadership.
" W h a t i s
happening with Varun
Gandhi is unfortunate. He
is being harassed and the
BJP condemns it," party
president Rajnath Singh
said at a rally in Raipur
today.
"The BJP is
politically and legally
rallying behind Varun
Gandhi," he added.
"His detention
under the NSA is shameful.
It is the joint act of the
Congress and BSP. Where
do they want to lead the
country?" asked Rajnath.
According to
sources, Singh has
deputed Naidu and UP BJP
chief Ramapathi Tripathi to
visit Gandhi in Etah jail
tomorrow.
On the other
hand, Varun’s mother
Maneka, who was in Etah
to visit her son, said that
transferring Varun from
one jail to another was
“illegal and dangerous” as
“there was no need for it”.
She expressed concern at
the security and safety of
her son and said, “This is a
political conspiracy against
Vaun.”
-Agencies
big lie, I am healthy," he
said.
However, early on
W e d n e s d a y, h e w a s
reported to be feeling
weak.
"Fernandes was
unwell last night, and when
he got up he avoided his
morning walk. He suffered
a bad stomach and felt
weak," Ram Jeevan Singh
said.
The official JD(U)
candidate from
Muzaffarpur, Jai Prakash
Nishad, is effectively facing
a revolt within the party and
from workers of alliance
partner Bharatiya Janata
Party.
-Agencies
Officer (CEO) Vinod Zutshi
said yesterday after
receiving a report from
Barmer Collector Ravi Jain
on the episode.
The complaint
against the two leaders has
been forwarded to the
Election Commission, he
said.
-Agencies
April 01, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper
Pakistan epicentre of world
terrorism: PM
London, April 01: Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
described Pakistan as the
"epicentre of terrorism in
the world" and said it had
failed to take effective
action against militants, in
an interview published
Wednesday.
Speaking to the
Financial Times, Singh
said Islamabad was either
"unable" or "unwilling" to
India concerned at Pakistan's
'soft touch' on Mumbai attack
London, April 01: India is
"anguished" by Pakistan's
"soft touch" in bringing the
perpetrators of the Mumbai
terror attacks to book and
is concerned at the
possibility of the recent
Lahore-style attacks on its
own soil.
"We feel there is a
very soft touch approach,"
said an Indian official
accompanying Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
to the G20 summit here,
when asked about New
Delhi's stand on Pakistan's
approach in investigating
the Mumbai terror attacks.
"This is causing
us a great deal of anguish,"
the official said.
The official, who
requested anonymity, said
enough evidence had been
given to Islamabad that the
identified masterminds
behind the attacks were in
Pakistan and that those
who had carried out the
attacks were Pakistani
nationals.
"The best thing
for us will be if they are
handed over to us.
Otherwise they should be
tried as per the laws of their
land," the official said.
"That is only fair."
Prior to leaving
for London, the Prime
Minister had asked
Pakistan to show some
"visible results" on how it
'Pak wrong to think India gaining
control in Afghan'
Washington, April 01:
The ruling establishment in
Pakistan wrongly believes
that India is increasingly
gaining control in
Afghanistan, Senator John
McCain has said.
"India is very
interesting, in my view,
because there is a view in
Pakistan that the Indians
are taking control of the
economy and forging close
a l l i a n c e s w i t h
Afghanistan," McCain said
at a seminar on 'The Path
to Success in Afghanistan'
organised by the Foreign
Policy Initiative, a
Washington-based think
control Pakistan-based
terrorist group Lashkar-
e-Taiba, which New Delhi
accuses of staging the
November attacks on
Mumbai that killed 165
people.
"The proof of
the pudding is in the
eating," he said.
Singh said that
despite pledges by
Pakistan throughout the
has dealt with the
information India has
shared with Islamabad
on those responsible for
the Mumbai savagery -- if
Islamabad wanted the
composite dialogue
process to resume.
"Pakistan has to
prove (it) is doing all that
is possible," Manmohan
Singh said, responding to
President Asif Ali
Zardari's suggestion that
the two countries resume
the dialogue process,
frozen since the
November 2008 Mumbai
attacks that left over 170
people dead
"Pakistan
should show visible
results on the 26/11
probe," he had said.
Referring to the
most recent Islamist
militant attack on a police
academy near Lahore,
another official in the
Prime Minister's
delegation to G20 said
that India had "no joy
whatsoever" over the
killings and that the
media should not make
any such insinuation.
"Pakistan and
India have a common
objective of eliminating
terrorism. Pakistan has
to come to grips with this
problem," he said, adding
that the lesson for India
was that terror was not a
tank yesterday.
"I don't think
that's true, but there is
that belief, and part of it is
based on this deep-
seated animosity that
exists between
Afghanistan and
Pakistan," he said.
This, McCain
said reminds him that,
still, if you ask the
majority of the Pakistani
people and military, they
would probably say that
the greater threat to their
security is still India, as
opposed to Afghanistan,
which then makes
understandable some of
World
past decade that it would
not be a launch pad for
attacks against India, "in
practice no effective
action has been taken to
control terror."
He added: "We
all know the epicentre of
terrorism in the world
today is Pakistan. The
world community has to
come to grips with this
reality."
diffused phenomenon.
"What the
recent attacks have
shown is terrorism and
extremism are fused and
un-segmented," he said.
"We are concerned that
every day when we look
at these incidents, we feel
these can happen on our
soil also."
It was for this
reason, he said, that the
prime minister had been
pushing for Indian
intelligence agencies to
be agile, beef up their
network and spruce up
their ability to gather
crucial information.
Manmohan
Singh, who will be holding
bilateral talks with US
President Barrack
Obama on the margins of
the G20 meet Thursday,
has said that issues like
terrorism and the
situation in Afghanistan
and Pakistan will be on
t h e a g e n d a .
Officials said a
lot of preparatory work
had gone into the
meeting. US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton and
Tr e a s u r y S e c r e t a r y
Timothy Geithner were
expected to participate in
the meeting.
-Agencies
their lack of movement of
troops, lack of efforts -
significant efforts to
assert - reassert control in
certain parts of the border
areas.
So, the relation
a m o n g A f g h a n
neighbours is complex,
he added.
"But I think that if
we begin to succeed in
Afghanistan and restore
control and then all of the
things that follow that,
then I think their
neighbours will behave in
a more responsible
fashion," he said.
-Agencies
AfPak a responsibility of world;
not us alone: US
Washington, April 01:
Solving the problem of
terrorism in Afghanistan
and Pakistan is the
responsibility of the entire
world community and not
the United States alone, a
s e n i o r O b a m a
administration official has
said.
"There's a
genuine recognition that
this region and these
countries are not simply a
concern of just the United
States, but instead a
concern of the world,"
W h i t e H o u s e
spokesman, Robert
Gibbs, said on Board Air
Force One en-route to
London.
S i m i l a r
US plans $ 2.8 bn military
aid to Pakistan: report
Washington, April 01:
The US is planning a
USD 2.8 billion military
aid to Pakistan to
successfully fight
terrorism, but
Wa s h i n g t o n w o u l d
ensure that the money is
not spent in a way that
would give Islamabad a
greater capacity to attack
a n o t h e r c o u n t r y,
primarily India, a media
report said.
The Obama
Administration
is planning to propose to
the Congress a USD 2.8
billion military aid to
Pakistan, in addition to
the USD 7.5 billion non-
military aid in the next
five years as proposed in
the Kerry-Lugar Bill, the
FOX News said quoting
unnamed Defence
Department officials.
The officials
said the US would have
control over the spending
of money under this fund,
who would ensure that
the money is not spent in
a way that would give
Pakistan a greater
capacity to attack
Dhaka prepares national defence policy
Dhaka, April 01:
Bangladesh is readying
its first draft of a national
defence policy, a minister
has said.
" T h e
government has already
prepared a draft policy on
national defence by
forming a council. It will
be finalised on
consultation with
competent people," Air
Vice Marshal (retd.) A.K.
Khandaker, planning
minister, told the Jatiya
Sangsad (parliament)
Tuesday.
Preparing a
national defence policy
has been discussed for a
long time but none of the
previous governments
statements, in this
regard, were made by
the US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, at The
Hague during the
international meeting on
Afghanistan.
"The Secretary
of State (Hillary Clinton)
was pleased with what
she heard in public and in
p r i v a t e a b o u t
commitments to
resolving the concerns
that we have in this
region of the world," he
said.
" W e
recognise the need to
a l l
support the people of
Afghanistan as they build
up their security
services, strengthen
a n o t h e r c o u n t r y,
primarily India, it
reported.
This has been
one of the major concern
of India in the past,
wherein US funds to fight
against terrorism, has
been used to purchase
fighter jets, primarily
aimed at India.
In an interview
to FOX News, US
Central Command chief
General David Petraeus
said the plan for military-
aid will be called the
" P a k i s t a n i
Counterinsurgency
Capability Fund".
It said the
military aid of USD 2.8
billion would be
distributed over five
years, with the first USD
400 million of it added to
the fiscal year 2009
supplemental request for
war fighting. Another
USD 700 million would
be in the fiscal 2010 base
budget.
For each of the
fiscal from 2011 to 2013,
Pakistan would receive
USD 575 million, the
completed the task, The
Daily Star newspaper
said.
Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina's Awami
League party, in its
election manifesto
issued last December,
had promised to prepare
the country's first
defence policy to
strengthen the defence
forces.
Replying to a
query of Awami League
(AL) lawmaker Nasimul
A l a m C h o w d h u r y,
Khandaker, a former
Bangladesh Air Force
chief and in charge of the
defence ministry for the
parliamentary business,
said the government has
Page 5
their economy and
institutions, and work with
their neighbours to build a
safer region," Clinton had
told reporters at The
Hague.
Gibbs said The
Hague conference has
brought the world together
on a platform on this issue.
"As you know, the
President committed at the
beginning of his
administration to reviewing
our policy -- not simply as
one that relates to
Afghanistan or one that
relates to Pakistan, but one
that relates to the region as
the whole," he said.
-Agencies
report said.
Bruce Riedel,
chairman of the
Interagency Policy Review
on Pakistan and
Afghanistan, had earlier
said: "In the course of
implementing this new
strategy, General Petraeus
and CENTCOM will study
exactly what Pakistan's
military needs are that are
best related to the
counterinsurgency fight."
The White Paper of the
Interagency Policy Group,
stresses on the need to
strengthen the US efforts to
develop and operationally
enable Pakistani security
forces so that they are
capable of succeeding
sustained counterterrorism
and counterinsurgency.
"In part this will
include increased US
military assistance for
helicopters to provide air
mobility, night vision
equipment, and training
and equipment specifically
for Pakistani Special
Operation Forces and their
Frontier Cops," the White
Paper said
initiated steps to formulate
a national defence policy in
keeping with the poll
pledge.
The South Asian
nation that won its
independence in 1971
after a liberation war with
Pakistan, has a standing
army estimated at
250,000, besides air force
and the navy.
Its border guard,
the Bangladesh Rifles
(BDR), with a strength of
67,000 is in the process of
being dismantled and
raised afresh after its
troopers mutinied in
February over low wages
and poor working
conditions.
 Page 6
Continue fiscal stimulus: PM to G20
London, April 01: Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh has urged the world
economies to continue with
stimulus packages till 2010
and avoid all kinds of
protectionism including in
the financial sector to battle
the global economic
slowdown.
When asked about India's
stand on fiscal stimulus,
Singh told a newspaper in
an interview: "I've seen a
letter from the Managing
Director of the IMF saying
that the stimulus that has
been planned in the year
2009 by major economies
amounts to 2 per cent of
(world) GDP.
"This is probably adequate
but it's necessary to ensure
that stimulus is sustained
and maintained in the year
2010."
Singh, who is
here to attend the second
meeting of the leaders of
the G-20 in about a month,
Maruti to phase out M800,
Omni by 2015-16
New Delhi, April 01:
Maruti 800 - the small car
that revolutionised
personal transport in
modern India - will take a
bow starting next year and
be phased out by 2016,
when the country is
expected to embrace new
emission norms, Maruti
Suzuki India said
Wednesday.
Along with the
300 Satyam staff join Bank
of America: Report
Mumbai, April 01: About
250-300 employees at
fraud-hit Indian outsourcer
Satyam Computer
Services are joining Bank
of America, a newspaper
said on Wednesday.
The employees
were working on a Satyam
project for Merrill Lynch,
which was taken over by
the U.S. bank after it was
Times Chennai E-Paper
said, "Protectionism has
to be avoided --
protectionism not only on
the goods but
also in the area of
s e r v i c e s .
F i n a n c i a l
protectionism is
also bad and
should be
avoided."
"Some action by
the developed
c o u n t r i e s
particularly the
withdrawal of
capital resources
f r o m t h e
developing
countries by the
banks of the
developed
countries is
e q u a l l y
worrisome.
" W e h a v e
entirely agreed that
protectionism of all sorts
including financial
protectionism has to be
M800, MSI will also be
phasing out its second
oldest model, the utility
van Omni. In the initial
phase, the two models
will be done away with in
11 cities from next year,
where the Bharat Stage-
IV emission norms
(which is equivalent to
Euro-IV norms) will
become applicable.
"Once Euro-IV
hit by the subprime crisis
last year, it said.
The project was
not renewed by Merrill
after Satyam was caught
in India's biggest
corporate scandal and
the work of managing its
database and providing
infrastructure support
would now be done in
house, the paper said.
The first of
these employees will join
Bank of America
between April 2 and 8, it
said, adding they have
been given salary
increases of around 10
percent and joining
bonuses.
A have said U.S. private
spokeswoman for
Satyam said: "The report
is speculative." An official
Business
avoided. Although some
countries have taken
action, in practice the
impact of what has been
done has not been
reversed," he added.
-Agencies
emission norms is
applied across the
country, which is likely to
happen around 2015-16,
then M800 and Omni may
not be a saleable product.
We will have to eventually
phase (them) out then,"
MSI Chairman R C
Bhargava told.
The company
would not upgrade the
engines of these two
models to meet better
emission standards, he
said while also ruling out
their replacements.
"We regularly
introduce new models in
the market, but at present
there is no plan to bring
out substitutes for these
two cars," he added.
-Agencies
at Bank of America-Merrill
Lynch in India said she
could not immediately
comment. Satyam,
whose market value has
slid to $505.6 million from
$7 billion last May, is in
the midst of a bidding
process to find a new
buyer. It plunged into a
crisis in January after its
founder quit as chairman
revealing profits had
been falsified for years.
I n d i a n
e n g i n e e r i n g
conglomerate Larsen &
Toubro and mid-sized
o u t s o u r c e r Te c h
Mahindra are among the
suitors, and local media
equity WL Ross & Co was
also among the bidders.
-Agencies
Corporation Bank slashes
lending rate to 12%
Mumbai, April 01: State-
run lender Corporation
Bank today joined the
league of 12 other public
sector lenders in cutting
its benchmark lending
rate from Wednesday.
In a filing to the
B o m b a y S t o c k
Exchange, the bank said
that the Corporation
Bank Benchmark
Advance Rate (COBAR)
has been revised
downward by 50 basis
points to 12 per cent from
12.5 per cent per annum
with effect from today.
As many as 13
state-run lenders,
Samsung partners BSNL, MTNL
for 3G services
New Delhi, April 01:
Korean electronic major
Samsung today said it
has partnered state-run
telecos BSNL and MTNL
to provide high-end
handsets for their 3G
services and is looking at
up to 45 per cent of its
total sales being
generated from
multimedia and touch
screen phones.
"We have
partnered BSNL and
MTNL to promote 3G
services in India. We are
currently giving a special
bundling offer for BSNL
Tata will make Nano in
Singur: W Bengal official
Kuala Lumpur, April 01:
We s t B e n g a l t o d a y
claimed that the world's
cheapest wheels, Nano,
will be made in Singur,
although car maker Tata
Motors had stomped out
of the eastern Indian
state in a huff last year.
"West Bengal
lost the opportunity of
being Nano's number
one plant. However,
Nano will definitely be
made in West Bengal as
the low-cost car needs at
least four to five plants,"
the state's Principal
Industry Secretary
Sabyasachi Sen told
here.
Govt. abolishes banking transaction tax
New Delhi, April 01
Taxpayers will not have to
pay levy on withdrawal of
cash from banks with the
government withdrawing
the Banking Cash
Transaction Tax (BCTT)
from on Wednesday.
T h e s p e e c h ,
government had
introduced 0.1 per cent
BCCT in 2005 on cash
withdrawals of more than
Rs 50,000 (individuals)
and Rs 1,00,000 for
others in a single day
from non-savings bank
account maintained with
any scheduled bank.
The tax has
including Corporation
Bank, are set to cut their
prime lending rates in the
range of 25-50 basis
points.
Eight state-run
lenders that have
decided to reduce prime
lending rate by 50 basis
points, are Canara Bank,
Central Bank, Vijaya
Bank, OBC, Union Bank,
Bank of Baroda, UCO
Bank and Punjab & Sind
Bank.
Four banks
other banks -- Allahabad
Bank, United Bank, Dena
Bank and Andhra Bank --
would lower prime
consumers on our select
handsets for 3G
services," Samsung
India Electronics
President and CEO Jung
Soo Shin said here.
He said, "We
have also provided
handsets to MTNL to
offer 3G services in
Delhi."
Samsung today
launched an 8 mega
pixel touchscreen, 3G
enabled phone 'Ultra'
priced at Rs 27,500 in
India. The handset is
capable of offering
speedy internet access,
He, however,
did not state by when this
would happen. Tata
Motors, which chose
Sanand in Gujarat as the
alternative site to
manufacture the sub-
USD 2,500 car Nano, still
has its plant in Singur.
C o m p a n y
Chairman Ratan Tata, at
the commercial launch of
the people's car on
March 23, had said that
the factory shell was still
intact in Singur - from
where it quit over a land
row fuelled by opposition
Trinamool Congress
party.
"Their plant
been withdrawn from
April 1 following an
announcement made by
the then Finance Minister
P. Chidambaram in his
budget speech for 2008-
09, sources said.
In his Budget
M r .
Chidamabram had said,
"The BCTT has served a
very useful purpose in
enlarging the information
system of the Income Tax
Department. Since the
information is also being
gathered through other
instruments introduced in
the last few years, I
April 01, 2009
lending rates by 25 basis
points from today.
Besides, private-
sector lender Citi Bank also
decided to cut its mortgage
prime lending rate by 50
basis points to 13.75 per
cent.
Meanwhile, the
country's second largest
public-sector lender
Punjab National Bank has
announced a cut in interest
rates by 50-100 bps on
fixed deposits of less than
three years effective from
today.
-Agencies
video telephony, streaming
and multimedia services.
" S a m s u n g
already has four
touchscreen phones
available in the Indian
market, all of these are 3G
enabled," Shin said.
"We are looking at
touchscreen and
multimedia phone portfolio
to contribute 40-45 per
cent of our total sales by
the end of the year,"
Samsung Telecom Division
Country Head Sunil Dutt
said.
-Agencies
(Tata's) in Singur is almost
ready," Sen said while
seeking to explain the
events leading to Tata
Motors exit from the state.
"Tata did not
want to delay, it wanted to
be in the market with the
car before other small car
makers entered the scene.
Tatas also did not want any
aggressive tactic to deal
with the situation... they
have a global reputation,"
said Sen, who is here to
woo Malaysian auto
component makers to set
up shop in West Bengal.
-Agencies
propose to withdraw this
tax with effect from April 1,
2009."
The levy was
introduced in 2005 to track
unaccounted money and
trace its source and
destination.
Though BCTT
was not introduced with
the intention of revenue
generation, the levy, as per
the revised estimates,
contributed to the
exchequer Rs 600 crore
during 2008-09. The BCCT
collection was Rs 550
crore for 2007-08.
-Agencies
April 01, 2009
Crouch to lead England in
World Cup qualifier
London, April 01: Fabio
Capello has confirmed that
Peter Crouch will lead
England's attack in
Wednesday's World Cup
qualifier against Ukraine
after once again dashing
Michael Owen's hopes of
an international recall.
An injury to
Darren Bent offered the
Italian an opportunity to
draft Owen into the squad
as experienced back-up for
Crouch and Wayne
Rooney.
But he opted
instead to call up Gabriel
Agbonlahor, despite the
Aston Villa's forward's club
performances having
dipped of late.
To t t e n h a m
forward Bent had himself
been a late call-up to the
squad after Emile Heskey
and Carlton Cole suffered
injuries in Saturday's 4-0
friendly win over Slovakia.
That underlined
how far Owen has fallen
down the pecking order
although Capello again
insisted that the injury-
plagued Newcastle
forward's England career
could be revived once he
starts playing regularly for
his club.
" I n e v e r y
interview I've said the door
Pak board faces Rs 12 million lawsuit
Karachi, April 01: The
Pakistan Cricket Board is
facing a Rs 12 million
lawsuit by the owner of a
security agency who has
accused the PCB of
evicting his office at the
National Stadium against
the terms of contract.
According to
details, Ikram Sehgal, who
owns a high profile security
a g e n c y, h a s c l a i m e d
around Rs 12 million from
the board after a clean up
operation carried out at the
national stadium in
January to remove
encroachments from the
area inside the stadium
boundary.
Kuznetsova reaches semi-finals
Miami, April 01: Russian
eighth seed Svetlana
Kuznetsova reached the
Sony Ericsson Open semi-
finals after holding off a
spirited challenge from
Danish teenager Caroline
Wozniacki to win 6-4, 6-7,
6-1.
Kuznetsova
dominated the first set and
took a 5-2 lead in the
second but 18-year-old
Wozniacki, the WTA's new-
comer of the year for 2008,
mounted a desperate bid to
stay alive.
She fought back
to 5-5, saved a series of
Times Chennai E-Paper
for all the England
players is open," Capello
said.
"I respect Owen
but I chose Agbonlahor
because he has played a
lot of games." Rio
Ferdinand, who returned
to training after missing
the Slovakia match with a
back strain, declared
himself fit to start
alongside John Terry in
central defence.
Capello will also
have Shaun Wright-
Phillips, who missed
Saturday's game with an
ankle injury, available,
although Aaron Lennon
is expected to get the nod
on the right flank with
Steven Gerrard
supporting Rooney and
Crouch from the left.
With four
straight wins in group six,
England will be in a very
strong position to reach
next year's finals in South
Africa if they can beat
Ukraine, the only team
they have yet to face.
The impressive
win over Slovakia
augured well for
England's chances and
Capello expects Ukraine
to play a similar style.
"It will be a very
dangerous game, they
“Sehgal has
claimed through his legal
notice that the board
violated the terms of the
contract by bulldozing his
office and sheds inside
the stadium boundary
wall,” one source said.
S e h g a l ` s
security agency was
evicted from the stadium
property before the one-
day matches against Sri
Lanka with the board
claiming he had
encroached upon extra
land and violated his
contractual terms.
“Sehgal is an
influential personality
and now he has put the
match points and won the
tiebreak but then paid the
price for her exertions in
the Florida heat and
struggled in the deciding
set.
Kuznetsova will
face Victoria Azarenka in
the last four after the 11th
seed from Belarus eased
to a 6-1, 6-0 win over
Samantha Stosur of
Australia.
The Russian
was exhausted at the end
of the three sets in
intense heat and blamed
the temperature for her
struggle in the second.
Sports
play very well on the
counter attack," the
Italian said.
"It will be very
tough.”
"I was very
happy after the Slovakia
match, our movement
with and without the ball
was very good and we
created a lot of good
chances. For me it was a
good test."
C a p e l l o
believes Ukraine's
tendency to lay back and
try and hit teams on the
counter makes the match
ideally suited for Crouch.
"I think the most
important thing is the
movement of Gerrard,
Lennon or Beckham and
Rooney," he said.
"The movement
near Crouch is very
important.” "He can do
the same movement and
press like (Emile)
Heskey.
B u t t h e
movement of the players
around him will be very
important.”
"All the players
will be important. We
have to play like a team, a
group, this is the most
important thing. Not a
single player."
-Agencies
board under pressure
since the board is already
facing a possible financial
crunch,” one source said.
He said Sehgal was due
to meet with the PCB
Chief Operating Officer
this week to resolve the
issue out of court.
“Apparently the
board is in a fix as their
director human resources
didn`t read the
contractual terms with
Sehgal`s company
before approving the
eviction operation from
the stadium," the source
added.
-Agencies
"I saw Caroline
and she was fine," the
former US Open
champion told reporters.
"The heat didn't
disturb her. I know she
was feeling much better
than myself.”
"I knew though
that I was playing a better
game and doing the right
things, so I was very
happy to win this match,
especially in the
conditions that we played
in."
-Agencies
Venezuela stun 10-man Colombia
to keep hopes alive
Venezuela, April 01:
Venezuela scored twice
in the last 15 minutes,
including a stunning
Juan Arango free kick, to
beat 10-man Colombia
2-0 and keep alive their
chances of qualifying for
their first World Cup.
Nicolas Fedor,
who plays for Salamanca
in the Spanish second
division, broke the
deadlock when he turned
in a low cross from
Anyelo Pena in the 77th
minute, only two minutes
after coming on as a
substitute.
Four minutes
later Arango curled a
free-kick in off the
Shearer to become Newcastle manager
London, April 01:
Former England and
Newcastle United
captain Alan Shearer will
manage Newcastle
United for the remainder
of the season, according
to television reports.
Shearer, 38,
who has been working as
a TV pundit with the BBC,
will take over from
caretaker Chris Hughton,
who has been standing in
for manager Joe Kinnear.
Kinnear, 62, has been
recovering from triple
heart bypass surgery
s i n c e F e b r u a r y.
It was reported
late on Tuesday that
Shearer would take over
as manager while a club
source told Reuters that
Nadal advances to Miami quarter-finals
Miami, April 01: Rafael
Nadal survived a stiff
challenge to reach the
quarter-finals of the ATP
and WTA tournament
with straight-set
triumphs.
Nadal needed
two tiebreaks to beat the
pesky Wawrinka in the
two hour, 42 minutes
marathon match.
Wawrinka jumped out to
a 3-1 lead in the second
set before Nadal clinched
On target in Corinthians win
Rio de Janeiro, April
01: Ronaldo was on
target again as
Corinthians cruised to a
3-0 win over Ituano in the
Paulista championship.
The 2002 World
Cup winner swept the
ball home in the 26th
minute to notch his fifth
goal for the club after the
Ituano defence was
caught out by a quickly-
taken free kick.
Corinthians had taken
underside of the
crossbar as the hosts
made Colombia pay for
their ultra-defensive
tactics. Colombia, who
have scored only six
goals in their 12 World
Cup qualifiers, had
midfielder Abel Aguilar
sent off in the 27th
minute for a violent lunge
at Alejandro Moreno.
H o w e v e r, i t
made little difference as
they were incapable of
putting any sort of
attacking moves
together before or after
his dismissal. The win left
Venezuela with 13 points
from 12 games in the 10-
team group, one behind
Shearer would hold a
news conference on
Thursday and that the
club would make no other
comment.
Newcastle are
third from bottom in the
Premier League and
facing relegation for the
first time since they were
promoted back to the top
tier of English soccer in
1993.
They have
already had three
managers this season.
Kevin Keegan resigned
as manager in
September when
Hughton took over as
caretaker for three
w e e k s .
Kinnear was
announced as interim
it 7-4 in the final tiebreak.
Nadal and
Wawrinka traded blows in
the first set then Nadal
stepped up his game in
that tiebreak winning 7-2.
Russian eighth
seed Svetlana
Kuznetsova became the
first semi-finalist in the
women's draw by beating
Danish 13th seed
Caroline Wozniacki 6-4,
6-7 (5/7), 6-1.
The 2006
the lead with a Jorge
Henrique header in the
second minute and went
further ahead when
midfielder Cristian
scored from a free kick
four minutes before
halftime. The win kept
Corinthians second in the
table and guaranteed
them a place in the semi-
finals of the Paulista, the
biggest of the regional
tournaments which kick
off the Brazilian season.
Page 7
Colombia, three behind
fifth-placed Uruguay and
five behind fourth-placed
Brazil.
The top four
teams qualify directly for
the 2010 World Cup in
South Africa and the fifth
play off against the fourth
CONCACAF team.
Uruguay visit Chile on
Wednesday while Brazil
host Peru.
Ve n e z u e l a ' s
chances nearly all came
from Arango's left foot. The
captain was close three
times in the first half, all
from outside the penalty
area, and misse.
-Agencies
manager at the end of
September and was in
control of the team until the
beginning of February
when he was admitted to
hospital with a heart
condition.
Hughton then
resumed control with Colin
Calderwood as his
assistant, but in the five
league matches since then
Newcastle have drawn two
and lost three and dropped
from 13th place to 18th and
into the relegation zone.
Shearer was
offered a position on
Newcastle's coaching staff
when Keegan became
manager early in 2008 but
turned it down.
-Agencies
champion will play in the
semi-finals Thursday
against No. 11 Victoria
Azarenka, who beat
unseeded Samantha
Stosur 6-1, 6-0.
Nadal's victory
means eight of the top 10
seeds are into the quarter-
finals for the first time in the
tournament's 25-year
history. It is also the first
time there are eight seeds
in the quarter finals.
-Agencies
L e a d e r s
Palmeiras were held to a 1-
1 draw at Oeste, who went
ahead when Ademar
chipped the ball over
Marcos early in the second
half. Vanderlei
Luxemburgo's team
levelled when Mauricio
Ramos headed in from
Cleiton Xavier in the 70th
minute.
-Agencies
Page 8 Times Chennai E-Paper
Rahman to be awarded an
Honorary Degree in July
Chennai, April 01: A R
music technology. The
Rahman has been school hopes to train
identified for an Honorary Indian students in
Degree by Middlesex Western music
University, London. Joe P e r f o r m a n c e ,
Victor , Regional Director of Composition and Music
Technology at an
internationally
competitive level,
as well as to one
day provide India
with its own
s y m p h o n y
o r c h e s t r a
comprised of its
own musicians.
T h e produce students who
Conservatory has
initiated a
dialogue with the
Regional Director
South Asia of
M i d d l e s e x
University,
Middlesex University, met
A.R. Rahman and
London to explore
the possibility of
T.Selvakumar, Co-Founder developing an Academic
& CEO of KM Music Articulation for the
Bachelor of Arts Honours
Conservatory in Chennai
and put forward his Programmed for Music
University's intend to award Composition and Music
an Honorary Doctorate for Performance.
Mr. A.R.Rahman, at a The Degree
Graduation Ceremony to from Middlesex
be held at Middlesex University is of three
University, London in July years duration. The aim
2009. of KMC will be to explore
the possibility of offering
K M M u s i c
Conservatory along with the first two years of the
Audio Media Education, Middlesex Programme at
began in July 2008, to be t h e K M M u s i c
the first music conservatory Conservatory in Chennai
in India to specialize in both while the final year will
Western, Indian music and take place at the
Orkut, Facebook, MP3 format--
Delhi BJP to try it all
New Delhi, April 01: Don't MMS, blogs and social
be surprised if the next call networking sites will help
on your cell phone is from us connect with the
your area candidate or you young voters and we are
come across a very catchy encouraging our
ring tone promoting BJP candidates to use these
with the IT cell of the Delhi mediums," Goel told PTI.
unit of the party coming out He said IT cell is also
with a blue print to encouraging candidates
extensively use hi- to create their websites
technology to its and blogs through which
advantage. they will be able to
Va l u e a d d e d communicate with the
services on mobile phones media as well as net-
such as SMS and e-mail savvy citizens.
campaigns, blogs, The party also
conversion of all the plans to use the
promotional songs into interactive voice
MP3 format and using response or IVR which is
social networking sites- a computerised phone
Facebook and Orkut- are system that enables a
some of the methods to be telephone caller to get
used in the campaigning for answers to standard
Lok Sabha polls next inquiries through
month, according to the automated process.
blue print. As per the plan,
Convenor of IT the party will also seek to
cell Vivek Goel said "almost use bluetooth
a l l t h e s e v e n technology through
constituencies in the which voters can receive
capital have substantial contents such as video
number of young voters clips, music and other
and the party plans to use information on their
the high technology to best mobile phones.
of its advantage to get The IT cell also
them." plans to convert all the
"The use of e- promotional songs into
mail, webcasts, SMS, MP3 format and upload
Middlesex University in
London. This Courses
are planned to start from
January 2010.
A b o u t
Middlesex University,
London Middlesex
University is a prestigious
institution located in the
North of London and has
received the highest
possible ratings, across
all of its programs, from
the UK Quality Assurance
Agency. The University
prides itself in its aim to
make economic, cultural,
and social contributions
in a growing global
community and has
affiliated itself to partner
institutions across the
Globe.
This year the
Regional Office of
Middlesex University is
celebrating its tenth
anniversary in India.
Admissions into
KM Music Conservatory's
Preparatory Program and
Foundation Program are
currently open.
Applicants for entrance
into the degree program
must have a twelfth
standard or equivalent
education level and have
completed one year in the
KM Music Conservatory
Foundation Program.
-Agencies
them on websites of
party leaders.
Mr. Goel said
the party will also launch
an SMS campaign which
will be divided into four
phases. "SMS campaign
remains a major
communications
opportunity and we will
use it to the hilt." He said
the party may also use
the voice SMS also for
the campaign.
At the national
level also, the BJP is
trying to exploit the cyber
space to a great extent
as it is using Google's
AdWords and AdSense
to promote the party on
more than 30,000
websites and blogs.
The Congress
is also not far behind as it
also plans to use Google
technologies for
advertisements on
various popular
websites.
B J P h a d
launched a web
campaign "Advani for
PM" recently, spread
over 2,000 websites
worldwide.
-Agencies
Medley
A mere touch of an object
can make you buy it
Washington, April 01:
Want to avoid making
unnecessary purchases?
Well, then keep your
hands off the object, for a
new study has shown
that merely touching an
item increases the
feelings of ownership
people have for the
object, prompting them to
purchase it.
In 2003 Illinois
state attorney general's
office had warned holiday
shoppers to be cautious
of retailers who
encourage them to hold
objects and imagine the
objects as their own
when shopping.
In the present
study authors Joann
Peck from University of
Wisconsin-Madison) and
Suzanne B Shu from
UN climate talks: Save the forests -- but how?
Bonn, April 01:
Deforestation, one of the
main drivers of global
warming, has barged its
way to the heart of UN
climate talks, which
resumed in Bonn this
week.
But which
makes the better
incentive for saving the
carbon-absorbing
tropical woodlands:
market mechanisms or
public funding?
This question
has split nations, divided
green groups and tossed
in yet another factor to
bedevil efforts to agree a
pact by year's end for
tackling climate change.
Reducing
emissions from
deforestation and forest
degradation -- an effort
known as REDD --
emerged last year as a
key element in the UN
Framework Convention
on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) negotiations.
It owes its rise to
scientists' warnings that
destruction of tropical
forests cannot be
ignored by policymakers,
for it now accounts for a
fifth of all greenhouse-
gas emissions.
Logging and
ground clearance are
especially concentrated
in Brazil and Indonesia.
They each account for
about one third of forest-
related emissions,
making them the world's
top carbon polluters after
China and the United
States.
"There is broad
consensus now that the
post-2012 agreement
will include some sort of
incentives for tropical
countries to reduce their
deforestation," said
Steve Schwartzman of
Environmental Defense,
an advocacy group
based in Washington.
"The issue is,
w h a t k i n d o f
mechanism? And that is
where the polemics
start," he said.
The United
States and a coalition of
around 20 small rain-
UCLA sought to
determine whether
touching something
increases perceived
ownership.
" I n o u r
research, we have
evidence that the
warning from the attorney
general is valid,” said the
authors.
We find that
merely touching an
object increases the
feelings of ownership a
person has for the object.
This, in turn, results in a
person being willing to
pay more for most
objects that they touch
versus objects that they
cannot touch.
"We also find
that when touch is
unavailable, such as
shopping online, having
forest nations, led by
Papua New Guinea and
Costa Rica, are
demanding that
deforestation "credits" be
added to carbon
markets, say sources.
Under carbon
trading -- an innovation of
the Kyoto Protocol that
will be superseded by the
treaty -- companies in
industrialised nations
can offset obligations to
slash CO2 emissions by
funding certified carbon-
reduction projects in the
developing world.
For this to work
properly, the price of
carbon has to be high
enough to create a juicy
enough carrot for
investing in clean and
renewable technologies.
But many green
groups, along with the
European Union (EU),
fear that an influx of
deforestation offsets
would cause carbon
prices to plummet.
A s t u d y
commissioned by
G r e e n p e a c e
International, unveiled in
B o n n o n T u e s d a y,
predicted that
introducing forest credits
would depress carbon
prices by 75 percent,
starving developing
countries of clean
investment.
"Of the many
options for forest
financing currently on the
table, this one ranks as
t h e w o r s t , "
Greenpeace's Roman
Czebiniak said.
"Forests are the
wild card in these
negotiations -- it could be
used to bring us closer to
our goals, or to water
them down."
Schwartzman
couldn't disagree more.
"We think it's a terrible
idea to preclude the
option of creating
positive economic value
for standing forests," he
said.
Protecting
forests through other
methods is bound to fail,
he argued. Direct grants
or carbon levies in rich
April 01, 2009
people imagine owning a
product increases their
perception of ownership
and how much they are
willing to pay for a product,"
they added.
If people have a
positive or neutral
response to touching an
object, they are willing to
pay more for it.
"Our findings that
consumers respond
effectively to the
combination of no-touch
and ownership imagery
suggests a remarkable
opportunity for online
retailers to increase
perceived ownership and
purchase," wrote the
authors.
T h e s t u d y
appears in the Journal of
Consumer Research.
-Agencies
nations would either fail to
generate enough cash or
would be vulnerable to
mismanagement, poor
accountability or
corruption.
"There is now a
40-year history of public
sector international
development assistance in
the forestry sector -- in
Indonesia, in the Amazon --
which has been entirely
unsuccessful in reducing
deforestation," he said.
By contrast,
Schwartzman contended,
a company facing a legal
obligation to comply with
emission caps has a strong
incentive to be sure the
carbon credit it is buying
corresponds to reality.
F o r K i m
Carstensen, leader of the
WWF's global climate
initiative, both market and
public funding mechanisms
are necessary, but not all at
once.
"The initial stages
need to be funded by public
mechanisms, not tradable
credits. Markets are not a
good option now because
in the near term we don't
see any credible REDD
units coming into
existence," he said.
Only five years
ago, Brazil opposed any
discussion of deforestation
at the UN forum. But in
December, it announced a
national target to reduce its
deforestation by 71 percent
by 2017, using a 10-year
average up to 2006 as a
benchmark.
It has opened a
fund to receive
i n t e r n a t i o n a l
compensation, and has
recently received the first
110 million of a USD 1
billion pledge -- contingent
of continuing progress in
forest protection -- from
Norway.
The key, argues
Schwartzman, is that both
donor and recipient nations
have to have national
emissions caps in place,
otherwise they will simply
shift the carbon pollution
from one location to
another.
-Agencies
April 01, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper Page 9

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