Battle with militants rages on at Pakistan's naval base

May 23 , 2011

An overnight battle with militants at Pakistan's naval aviation base erupted again after dawn on Monday, with blasts ringing out and choppers hovering overhead as security forces launched a counter-offensive.

"The operation still continues. It is not over yet," said one security official, eight hours after a group of up to 15 militants stormed the installation with guns and grenades, killing at least five people and blowing up a military aircraft. More than 30 troops entered the PNS Mehran base in the southern city of Karachi as the battle resumed and eight blasts were heard in the space of 30 minutes.

Eleven people were wounded in the attack on one of the country's most heavily guarded military installations, where jet fuel tanks appeared to have caught fire and exploded. "They were carrying guns, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and hand grenades. They hit the aircraft with an RPG," Navy spokeperson Commander Salman Ali said earlier. It was not immediately clear who was behind the raid. But Taliban militants, who have vowed to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces, have carried out several attacks since the al Qaeda leaders' death on May 2.

The assault started at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. The dead included one sailor, three firefighters and an Army ranger, Yasir said. The Karachi attack evoked memories of an assault on Pakistan's army headquarters in the town of Rawalpindi in 2009, and revived concerns that even the most well-guarded installations in the country remain vulnerable to militants.

A spokesperson said one P-3C Orion, a maritime patrol aircraft, had been destroyed and that intermittent gunfire was continuing.Interior Minister Rehman Malik said earlier the militants had attacked from the rear of the base. "We have been able to confine them to one building and an operation is underway either to kill or capture them."

Media reports said the attackers had made their way in through a sewer line, but that was not confirmed. The military's goal is to capture as many of the attackers alive as possible, Pakistan television reported. Pakistani military and paramilitary reinforcements poured in after the attack began, with four vehicles carrying about 10 troops each moving into the base.

Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani condemned the attack. "Such a cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism," Gilani said in a statement.

Pakistan has faced a wave of bombings and gun assaults over the last few years, some of them claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban. Others have been blamed on al Qaeda-linked militant groups once nurtured by the Pakistani military which have since slipped out of control.

The discovery that Laden was living in the garrison town of Abbottabad, not far from the Pakistan Military Academy, has revived suspicions that militants may be receiving help from some people within the security establishment.

Pakistan and the United States say the senior leadership in the country did not know Laden was in Abbottabad. Washington sees nuclear-armed Pakistan as a key, if troubled, ally in the region essential to its attempts to root out militant forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. "We condemn the attack and our sympathies are with the families of those injured or killed," the White House in Washington said in a statement.

On April 28, suspected militants detonated a roadside bomb in Karachi, killing four members of the navy, the third attack on the navy in a week. The attack came two days after two bombs hit buses carrying navy personnel, killing four people and wounding 56. Taliban insurgents took responsibility for the twin attacks.

Iceland's most active volcano starts erupting

May 22 , 2011

Reykjavik: Iceland's most active volcano has started erupting, scientists said on Saturday - just over a year after another eruption on the North Atlantic island shut down European air traffic for days.

Iceland's Meteorological Office confirmed that an eruption had begun at the Grimsvotn volcano, accompanied by a series of small earthquakes. Smoke could be seen rising from the volcano, which lies under the uninhabited Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland.

6.1 magnitude quake strikes near New Zealand

May 22 , 2011

Wellington: The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck near a group of South Pacific islands. There are no reports of damage or risk of tsunami.

A statement by the USGS says the quake struck Sunday 12 miles (19 kilometers) under the Kermadec Islands, a New Zealand group with no permanent population that lies 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) east of the city of Auckland.

Qaeda's new chief vows to avenge Osama's death

May 22 , 2011

London: Al Qaeda's new chief Saif al-Adel has vowed to launch a devastating terror attack on London to avenge Osama Bin Laden's death, prompting authorities in London to step up security at city's vital installations.

Al-Adel, 51, who was once bin Laden's security chief is determined to make Britain and the US pay for the killing of his dead boss, Taliban chiefs revealed on Saturday. He is ordering his followers to 'crush' the city.

Pakistan says wants China to build naval base

May 22 , 2011

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Saturday it wanted China to build it a naval base, in the latest sign of moves to strengthen ties with Beijing as relations with Washington falter.

The announcement from Pakistan's defence minister came a day after Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani returned from a four-day visit to China, Islamabad's biggest arms supplier.

Japan, China, South Korea hold summit in Tokyo

May 22 , 2011

Tokyo: The leaders of China and South Korea agreed on Sunday to bolster efforts to aid Japan's disaster recovery as they met with the Japanese prime minister to smooth over differences on Tokyo's handling of its post-tsunami nuclear crisis.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan hosted Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Sunday's summit. Japan hoped the meeting would present a unified front after Beijing and Seoul criticized its response to the nuclear crisis, and that it would lead to an easing of restrictions on the export of Japanese produce.

Bin Laden made recording shortly before his death - CTV News

Bin Laden made recording shortly before his death - CTV News

JNU student arrested over sex scandal

May 22 , 2011

New Delhi: The prime accused in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) MMS scandal has been arrested. The accused, 22-year-old Janardan Kumar had allegedly recorded a video-clip involving himself and a girl he shared an intimate relationship with.

He had then allegedly circulated the video after their relationship strained. Authorities had expelled Janardan and another fellow mate earlier this year after the incident came to light.

DCP (South), Chhaya Sharma said, "This case was registered and further investigation have led to now the arrest of Janardan who had gone to a place called Nawada in Bihar and was running a coaching center there."

As police launched its investigation, they found that Kumar had intimate relations with the girl whom he knew for some years, and had recorded an obscene video clipping involving the two.

The videography was then converted into a video file with the help of his friend Balbir and circulated in the campus when Kumar's relations with the girl had strained.

Police said further investigation is on to recover the laptop, camera and other accessories used in the incident.

Following the JNU internal inquiry, Kumar and Balbir were expelled while another student Rahul, whose room was used in the episode, was suspended in February.

JNU also filed an official complaint with the police while submitting a report of their own inquiry. 

'New Al-Qaeda head vows to avenge Osama’s death'

May 22 , 2011

LONDON: Al-Qaeda's new chief Saif al-Adel has vowed to launch a devastating terror attack on London to avenge Osama Bin Laden's death, prompting authorities here to step up security at city's vital installations.

Al-Adel, 51, who was once bin Laden's security chief is determined to make Britain and the US pay for the killing of his dead boss, Taliban chiefs revealed yesterday. He is ordering his followers to 'crush' the city.

Soon after being officially appointed caretaker chief of the terrorist group, al-Adel vowed to avenge the death of his former boss, Mail online reported.

"Our new leader has asked for a big plan for London," Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said. "He believes the UK is the backbone of Europe and must be crushed."

A poster released by the FBI shows a photo of Saif Al-Adel, one of America's most wanted terrorists.

Infosys to invest in a new campus in Shanghai

May 22 , 2011,

New Delhi: The country's second largest software exporter Infosys Technologies on Sunday said it plans to invest between $125-$150 million in its new campus in Shanghai, China.

"Infosys plans to invest between $125-$150 million in the new campus, one of the largest investments in China by a software company," the company said in a statement.

Infosys on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the new campus, which will be spread over 15 acres and will be developed over a period of three years.

With an overall seating capacity for 8,000 employees, the campus will have facilities for software development, labs, data centres, training facilities, food courts, a 1,500-seater auditorium, gym, and other recreational facilities.

The Shanghai campus will be the largest overseas software development centre of Infosys adhering to the highest environmental standards, it said.

"As the second largest economy in the world, China will lead the world in economic growth in the future and we see exciting times ahead. This large investment is a testimony to Infosys' commitment to China," Infosys Chief Mentor and Chairman of the Board NR Narayana Murthy said.

"We will use our enhanced capacity here to deliver high quality consulting and software services to the global markets as well as to our clients in China," he added.

Infosys Technologies (China) CEO Rangarajan Vellamore said with this investment and enhanced capability, the company aimed to lead service capability out of China to global and local markets.

"When this campus is completed we expect to have over 10,000 employees in Shanghai alone," Vellamore added. Infosys China was incorporated in 2004 and had revenues of over $78 million in fiscal year 2011.

The company has invested in development centres in Shanghai Pudong Zhangjiang HiTech Park, Hangzhou Binjiang HiTech Park, Beijing China Oversea Plaza, a sales office in Hong Kong and a global education centre in Jiaxing Science city.

Infosys China employs over 3,300 people in China and has already invested $23 million in capital and has office space for 4,200 people in China, the statement said.

Iceland volcano erupts, officials eye flight risks

May 22 , 2011

celand's most active volcano erupted on Saturday, hurling a plume of ash and smoke far into the sky, which aviation officials were closely monitoring after another volcano shut European airspace for days last year.

Authorities banned flights close to the Grimsvotn volcano but an official said the eruption was not expected to affect European airline traffic at least for the next 24 hours.

The plume from the Grimsvotn volcano shot 20 km (12 miles) into the sky. The website of newspaper Morgunbladid said the eruption was more powerful than its last in 2004.

"We have closed the area until we know better what effect the ash will have," said Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, spokesperson for the Isavia civil aviation authority which has imposed a flight ban of 120 nautical miles (222 km) around the area.

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull caused chaos when it erupted in April last year. Authorities halted flights due to fears that dust and ash would get into aircraft engines and cause accidents after the cloud was blown into European air traffic lanes. Grimsvotn lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland, the largest glacier in Europe. When it last erupted in 2004 trans-Atlantic flights had to be re-routed south of Iceland, but no airports were closed.

Gudmundsdottir said the winds in the area were strong and that Isavia and the Icelandic meteorological office were coordinating with Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC), which advise airlines about the movement of clouds of volcanic ash. There are two VAACs near Iceland, in London and the French city of Toulouse.

"It can be a big eruption, but it is unlikely to be like last year," Icelandic Met Office geologist Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson told Reuters, referring Eyjafjallajokull.He said the plume from Grimsvotn was going to the north and that the office's forecast for the next 24 hours was that ash would not affect European airline traffic. The volcano could erupt for several days, he added. One positive factor for air traffic was that the ash from this eruption was heavier, whereas the ash last year was lighter and so drifted further.

Domestic airline Icelandair said no traffic had been affected. "We do not expect the Grimsvotn eruption to affect air traffic to and from the country in any way," said Icelandair communications director Gudjon Arngrimsson.

Pictures on local media websites showed a thick cloud of white smoke like a mushroom cloud over surrounding mountains. "Grimsvotn is a very powerful volcano, so we're monitoring it closely, even if the last few eruptions have been harmless," University of Iceland geophysicist Pall Einarsson was quoted as saying on the website of Morgunbladid. "We do not expect this to be a big one as it's coming from the same crater as the last three eruptions, which were all small," he added.

Japan quake reconstruction to cost $ 184 bn

May 22 , 2011

Tokyo: Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano said on Sunday the government may need to spend 10 trillion yen to 15 trillion yen ($184 billion) for reconstruction from the devastating earthquake that hit the country's northeast in March.

The government may need to issue bonds to meet the costs but should not do so without coming up with ways to pay for redemption, Yosano said, signalling that some form of tax hike would be inevitable.

"I understand those who say we need to issue bonds for quake (reconstruction). But we shouldn't borrow recklessly without thinking about how to pay the money back," Yosano told a television programme.

"If we were to issue bonds for reconstruction, we need to decide in how many years we would pay the money back and how. That's important in maintaining market trust in Japan's fiscal state," he said.

Japan is reeling from the triple disaster of an earthquake, tsunami and prolonged nuclear crisis, with the government struggling to find ways to pay for the biggest reconstruction effort since the aftermath of World War II.

Damage from the quake pushed Japan into recession with the economy shrinking much more than expected in the first quarter and set to contract again in April-June as power shortages and supply chain disruptions hit factory output.

The government earlier this month passed through parliament a 4-trillion-yen first extra budget to meet immediate disaster relief costs. It plans to compile a sizable second extra budget for reconstruction, although lawmakers are divided on how to pay for the spending.

Japan's public debt, at double the size of its $5 trillion economy, is the biggest among major industrialised economies, limiting room for additional fiscal stimulus.

But lawmakers are hesitant of raising tax, particularly the politically sensitive sales tax, for fear of scaring voters away, even as the cost of quake reconstruction adds to the huge social welfare spending for a rapidly ageing society. Yosano, regarded as a fiscal hawk, has said that raising tax is crucial for Japan to meet ballooning social welfare costs and fix the country's tattered finances.

  

Banks lost Rs 2,017 cr in fraud in 2009-10: CBI

May 22 , 2011

New Delhi: Over Rs 2,000 crore was lost by the country's banking sector in frauds during 2009-10 with more than 200 of these incidents involving deception of above one crore each, CBI Director A P Singh has said.

The CBI chief has warned the banks of latest trends emerging in banking frauds in areas like electronic payments, technology-related payments like RTGS, credit cards, ATM, cell banking, internet banking among others.

"Banking Sector has lost as much as Rs 1,883 crore and Rs 2,017 crore during 2008-09 and 2009-2010, respectively. These include over 200 frauds of above Rs one crore during each year," he said during the 'Third Conference of Central Vigilance Officers of 31 Public Sector Banks and Financial Institutions' at the CBI headquarters here.Singh said CBI's role was to investigate the criminality in bank frauds and it does not interfere in cases of prudent commercial judgement, even if such decisions involve risks or have resulted in losses to banks.

He called upon banks to adapt to changing technology and to sensitise its officers to new areas of fraud being used by scamsters.

Singh stated that involvement of banking officials in guiding investigating officers in scrutiny of financial statement, credit appraisal has enhanced the professionalism of CBI in detecting bank frauds. 

India’s real GDP growth likely to grow by 8.8 p.c.: CMIE

May 22 , 2011

 India’s real GDP growth is expected to grow by 8.8 per cent in FY’12 after having grown a tad faster, at 9 per cent in FY’11, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has said.

“In FY’12, the Indian economy is projected to grow at a brisk 8.8 per cent. The agricultural and allied sector is projected to grow by 3.3 per cent in FY’12, on top of the 5.4 per cent growth estimated in FY’11,” the city-based think-tank said in its monthly review.

Growth and inflation would remain high in FY’12, it observed.

Inflation has remained high long enough for even those who were the proponents of growth against low inflation till recently to start worrying about inflation. The Government has effectively backed RBI’s 50 basis point interest rate hike on recent policy. This was the seventh hike in interest rates by the Central bank in 11 months.

Inflation climbed down from its peak of 16 per cent year-on-year in January 2010, but it remained in double-digits till July. It has not fallen even much thereafter. Between August 2010 and March 2011, WPI-inflation was between 8.5 per cent and 9.5 per cent.

The Government has expressed fears that high inflation and high crude oil prices may hurt growth. They have therefore expressed solidarity with RBI’s hike in interest rates to rein in inflation.

According to analysts, inflation is influenced much more by global commodity price trends and by higher employment caused by new capacities than by the levels of interest hikes announced by the RBI.

We see significant new capacity additions in FY’12. Its corresponding new employment and higher wages is expected to drive capital formation and consumption growth in FY’12, CMIE noted.

The industrial sector, including construction, is projected to grow by 9.4 per cent during FY’12, as compared to 8.5 per cent estimated in FY’11. The growth in industrial production will be driven by a rise consumption and investment demand. Consumption demand will be driven by a rise in wages and fresh employment generation, it said.

Investment demand is expected to remain buoyant, as more and more projects move into the implementation stage, the leading research outfit said.

Projects worth Rs. 8 lakh crore are scheduled to be commissioned in FY’12 as compared to Rs. 2.7 lakh crore in FY’11. This is expected to push up activities in the construction sector. The sector is projected to grow by 10.5 per cent during the current fiscal, as compared to an estimated 9.8 per cent in FY’11, it stated.

The growth in the services sector and its segments is projected to marginally moderate in FY’12. The sector is projected to expand by 9.9 per cent as compared to an estimated 10.2 per cent in FY’11.

Private final consumption expenditure is projected to grow by a healthy 7.5 per cent and gross fixed capital formation by 14.6 per cent in FY’12 in real terms, CMIE said.

West Bengal: New CM, new work culture

May 22 , 2011

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee was on foot again to the Writers' Buildings - and this time she caused a flutter by turning up for work on a Saturday - something the staff at the state secretariat are not used to.

Apart from holding meetings with her ministers, Banerjee utilised the day touring the different blocks of the building and seeing things for herself at the State's power citadel.

The West Bengal chief minister said, "If you do the work well, others will follow you. But you must know how to work. Political affiliations often pose hurdles in government's work."

Taking cue from Chief Minister, ministers who have just been allotted portfolios also tried to create an impression. They attended to guests, accepted congratulations and made seemingly tall promises…

Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said, "The facilities that Londan has and the way it is maintained, we have to build Kolkata in the same way."

Sports Minister Madan Mitra said, "I will speak to the corporate companies, the corporate sector to promote and sponsor four sportsmen in each field of sports." Irrigation Minister Manas Bhuinya said, "I have talked with the additional chief secretary of my department, all officers… I have told them I will not mean who you are but I will mean what you are doing." Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu said, "The interference of college unions during admissions must stop. Unions can do their politics after admissions are over."

A significant start, many would say even as doubts prevailed among Banerjee's well wishers about her ability to sustain the effort.

"The bustle behind me suggests that Saturday is like any other working day for the new government of West Bengal. And if morning shows the day, the Babus of Writers' Buildings will have to re-plan their weekends from now on. 

Kanimozhi innocent, we will win: MK

May 22 , 2011

CHENNAI: Asserting that his daughter DMK MP Kanimozhi was completely innocent as far as the money transfer relating to Kalaignar TV went, DMK president M Karunanidhi on Saturday described her arrest as the resultant effect of a plot created by those who had been nursing animosity against his family.

Indicating that the DMK cadre should get ready for an araporattam (struggle), Karunanidhi, in his letter to the party cadre said “in the end we will win”.

“I am writing this letter at a time when the DMK had faced big electoral loss... I don’t want to go into the question as to who was responsible for this defeat... whether the number of constituencies received by exerting pressure or the Election Commission that adopted extraordinary conditions in Tamil Nadu”, he said.

Karunanidhi revealed that Kanimozhi became a stakeholder in Kalaignar TV only upon his insistence.

“Apart from becoming a shareholder, Kanimozhi has not committed any mistake”, Karunanidhi said and added that despite the argument  made by a senior advocate that the shareholders of a company need not be held responsible for the day-to-day affairs as well as the company’s financial issues, the court had arrested Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV’s CEO Sharad Kumar.

When Dayalu Ammal withdrew from Sun TV, she got Rs100 crore and after deducting the income tax, she got Rs 77.5 crore and of this, Kanimozhi got Rs 2 crore. It was only with this money, that Kanimozhi became one of the shareholders of Kalaignar TV, he said.

Observing that he had been born into a wealthy family in Tirukkuvalai village, Karunanidhi said that during his long public life, he had donated crores of rupees earned from his work in the film industry to charitable activities.

Besides, the DMK chief reiterated that he had never adopted any fraudulent means to amass wealth.

UPA-II turns two: a reason to celebrate?

May 22, 2011

New Delhi: The Prime Minister will host a dinner for the Congress allies on the occasion of the UPA-II's second anniversary. But with scams and controversies refusing to die down, the question is whether there is actually much to celebrate.

In these two years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi have been busier defending their government in the face of scams and controversies, leaving little time for governance. But as it completes two years, it hopes that its report card will present a brighter side.

It began on a bad note when the Prime Minister was forced to take A Raja as the telecom minister under pressure from the DMK and it was this pressure which has dented the Prime Minister's image. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was pulled up by the court, questioned by the CAG, attacked by the BJP and was forced to make a statement in Parliament, and with attack being the best form of defence, the Prime Minister lashed out at Advani.

The Government was forced to agree to a Joint Parliamentary Committee not before a washout of the winter session and loss of face.

What is even worse is that its ministers have been seen as non performers and even the mini Cabinet reshuffle saw no fresh faces, following which the Prime Minister faced flak and promised a real reshuffle soon.

The Commonwealth Games brought more embarrassment, caught in controversies even as it was on. Many of its key organisers like Suresh Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot are now behind bars.

One may question why does the UPA want to come with a report card, but government sources say that it hopes that a list of its achievements could help erase the controversies.

Sources have said that the report card, apart from mentioning its achievements, will not shy away from talking about corruption. 

Borders row: Angry Israel PM to take on Obama

May21 , 2011

WASHINGTON: US president Barack Obama opened White House talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, as both men waged a public row over the shape of an elusive peace with the Palestinians. 

Netanyahu arrived at the White House with the two leaders embroiled in another spat, the latest to test their tense relationship, at a time of high significance as the Middle East is rocked by "Arab Spring Revolts." The Israeli PM, on a trip which will see him embraced by Republicans opposed to the US leader's Israel policy, quarreled with the suggested parameters of peace deal laid out by Obama on Thursday. 

Obama said that territorial lines in place before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war combined with land-swaps should be the basis for talks on a peace deal with the Palestinians. Netanyahu has long opposed such a formulation, and his office issued a blunt statement saying such a scheme would leave it "indefensible" and would isolate major Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 

The prime minister arrived in Washington at dawn, with an aide saying his tough line was motivated by worries that Obama did not understand the threats Israel faces as popular revolts sweep the region.

Pakistan: 16 killed in NATO tanker blast

May21, 2011

Landi Kotal: At least 16 people were killed early on Saturday when an explosion in northwest Pakistan hit a truck carrying fuel supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan, officials said. 

"The tanker was on fire because of a blast late in the night. There was another blast early in the morning in the same tanker and 16 people who gathered near it to collect oil were killed," a senior local administration official said. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
Local administrator Abdul Nabi Khan said the incident occurred early Saturday in the Landi Kotal area of Khyber tribal region. 

According to Khan, at first, the tanker caught fire. After it appeared the blaze was under control, people tried to take the tanker's fuel. Then the blast occurred. Separately, in the Torkham area of Khyber at the Afghan border, 14 NATO tankers were damaged in a bombing. No one was hurt. Many vehicles carrying supplies for Western troops in Afghanistan travel through Pakistan.

The Hindu : News / International : China, Pakistan move closer as Gilani visit ends

The Hindu : News / International : China, Pakistan move closer as Gilani visit ends

Kalmadi was mastermind of TSR scam: CBI

May21,2011

NEW DELHI: The CBI squarely named arrestedCommonwealth Games chief organizer Suresh Kalmadi as the "mastermind" in fixing and inflating costs of a timing, scoring and results contract awarded to a Swiss firm that caused a loss of Rs 95 crore. 

In the first chargesheet it filed in a Games-related case on Friday, CBI countered Kalmadi's claim that the controversial contract awarded to a Swiss firm was cleared by an executive board and the sports ministry, maintaining the Pune MP was "the supreme authority in the Organising Committee having overriding powers". 

Agency sources said they were tracing an elaborate conspiracy that began at the Commonwealth Youth Games organized by Kalmadi at his parliamentary constituency of Pune where event organizer Wizcraft was asked to facilitate an appearance by Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty. 

A partner in the plan was a firm Gem International – now named as a conspirator along withSwiss Timing Omega and Kalmadi and his Organizing Committee associates. Gem forked out Rs 72 lakh for the event and Rs 18 lakh was allegedly paid to Shetty. Later, after it won the timing, scoring and results contract, Swiss Timing allegedly paid Rs 23 crore to Gem, seen to be an exercise in routing the money. 

The agency said the buck stopped with Kalmadi as prime accused as he oversaw forgeries and tender conditions were tweaked to benefit Swiss Timing at his behest by his aides Lalit Bhanot and V K Verma, who were arrested in February. 

Along with Kalmadi, Bhanot and Verma, the 60-page chargesheet on the Rs 141 crore contract names former OC treasurer M Jaychandran and five others. Two companies -- Swiss Timing Omega and AKR Constructions -- have been indicted. 

The agency is likely to next file a chargesheet in the Queen Baton's Relay case involving allegedly illegal payments to British firm AM Cars and AM Films. Jaychandran was arrested in the case and is on bail with two other former OC officials. Kalmadi is likely to be main accused in this case as well. 

The two private entities – Swiss Timing and AKR Constructions – have been chargesheeted for routing payments and conspiring with OC officials with the final sub-contractor carrying out the work awarded for a fraction of the deal. 

The CBI court of judge Talwant Singh is due to take cognizance of the chargesheet on Monday. The agency has been helped by two former OC officials, one of whom V K Gautam was believed to be close to Kalmadi. He along with Sujit Panigraphi are among the main prosecution witnesses. The other important testimony is that of Rahul Bhatnagar, a senior official in the sports ministry. 

Kalmadi and his associates decided to award the contract to Swiss Timing before a tender was floated and the terms were changed after its issuance to specifically ensure the firm won the deal. A much lower Rs 62 crore bid by Spanish firm MSL was rejected. Swiss Timing's bid was accepted despite a 2:2 split in the evaluation committee, investigation has revealed. 

"They (the officials) had a pre-planned design to give contract to Swiss Timing, much before Expression of Interest and Request for Proposal (RPF) was issued and they had done forgeries, manipulations and machinations to give award to Switzerland based company." 

Since it could not find direct evidence of money trail, the agency cited circumstantial and documentary evidence in a bid to nail him for cheating, forgery and other charges. It said that he had himself "manipulated the eligibility criteria for the TSR contract to favour Swiss Timing." 

The agency based its chargesheet on the statement of around 70 witnesses and several documents including a forged contract and expression of interest and a hand-written note recovered from Kalmadi's house stating the TSR contract would go to Swiss Timing. 

OC officials to be chargesheeted include Surjit Lal, A S V Prasad and three private persons – promoters of Faridabad-based Gem International A K Madan and Purushottam Arya and MD ofHyderabad based AKR Constructions A Krishna Reddy. CBI has charged all of them for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, use of forged documents and prevention of corruption act. 

Reddy, Madan and Arya are on the run and CBI is looking for them armed with non-bailable warrants. 

The two firms Swiss Timing and Gem conspired with OC officials. "They then conspired with A K Reddy of AKR Constructions and raised highly inflated and bogus invoices for Rs 11 crore for temporary cabling work for justifying the huge payment received from Swiss Timing," said the chargesheet.

China, Pakistan move closer as Gilani visit ends

May 21 , 2011

China signalled its intent to deepen strategic ties with Pakistan and back the country’s counterterrorism efforts against international pressure, with the “all-weather” allies signing a number of defence agreements to mark the conclusion of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s four-day visit.

Pakistani officials confirmed on Friday that China agreed to speed up the delivery of 50 JF-17 fighter jets to the country, a deal analysts said underscored the importance of Chinese assistance to Islamabad at a time when relations with Washington have come under strains, with some U.S. legislators calling for a scaling back support.

A joint statement issued on Friday said China believed that Pakistan’s “efforts for promoting peace and stability in South Asia should be recognised and supported.”

It also reiterated Chinese support to Pakistan in the wake of criticism following the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden, repeating Beijing’s displeasure at the United States for violating Pakistan’s sovereignty by conducting the raid in Abbottabad.

China believed “Pakistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected,” the statement said, adding that China “recognised the tremendous efforts and the great sacrifice that Pakistan has made in fighting terrorism,”

On Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao also voiced strong support for Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy in talks with Mr. Gilani, pushing back against recent international criticism.

In talks earlier this week, Chinese officials told Mr. Gilani they had taken up the country’s concerns over the May 2 raid in meetings with U.S. officials, calling on them to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Chinese officials said “there should be no harm to the Pakistani sovereignty and the US should understand and appreciate concerns of Pakistan,” Mr. Gilani told reporters.

While his visit has been seen as underscoring the deepening ties between the two countries, Chinese analysts downplayed its significance on the rest of the region, and particularly on the two countries’ relations with the U.S.

“The focus of this visit was the sixtieth anniversary of ties between the two countries, and to deepen economic and trade ties” and not defence or terrorism, Rong Ying, vice president of the China Institute for International Studies (CIIS), told The Hindu.

He, however, added that “China has made clear that Pakistan’s policy on counterterrorism is based on national conditions and interests.”

“This,” he said, “has to be respected by relevant countries.”

DMK’s first daughter Kanimozhi sent to jail

May 21, 2011

New Delhi A CBI court today ordered the immediate arrest of DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum scam, calling the allegations against her “very grave” and the “magnitude of the crime enormous”. She was “in conspiracy with accused A Raja as far as grant of licence and allotment of spectrum to Swan Telecom is concerned”, the court observed, dismissing her bail plea.

Along with her, Special CBI Judge O P Saini also sent Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar to Tihar jail, where other accused in the scam are already lodged.
“Kumar and Kanimozhi were involved in a dubious transaction to transfer Rs 200 crore as quid pro quo from DB Group companies to Kalaignar TV disguising it as a genuine business transaction,” the 144-page order said. “The role of both accused is clear from the above incriminating material... the magnitude of the crime is enormous. The allegations are very grave. The supporting evidence is also on record.”
The judge dismissed the contention that being a woman, Kanimozhi should be granted bail.
“Considering the magnitude of the crime and the allegations against her, I am unable to show any consideration to her on this ground, though I wish I could show some consideration, considering her extremely dignified conduct in the court.”
Making a note of the statement of public witness G Rajendran before the CBI, Saini said: “He states that the meeting of board of directors of Kalaignar TV held on 13.2.2009 in which Sharad Kumar was authorised to raise funds from Cineyug Limited up to Rs 200 crore was attended by Kumar and Kanimozhi.”
The CBI has charged Kanimozi with criminal conspiracy (Section 120 B of IPC) and under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Rejecting the defence contention that the Rajya Sabha MP did not play an active role in Kalaignar TV affairs, Judge Saini said she was “an initial director of the company and resigned only for the reason that her clearance from MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) was pending... she was also widely covered by the Kalaignar Seithigal (News) channel”.
The judge also noted that “considering that many witnesses are employees of Kalaignar TV, there is every apprehension that the witnesses may be influenced if the accused is relealsed on bail”.
The judge relied on statements of three witnesses before the CBI: Asservatham Achary, the additional private secretary of A Raja; G Rajendran, General Manager (Finance), Kalaignar TV; and P Amritham, Additional Director, Kalaignar.
Achary said Kanimozhi was an active brain behind Kalaignar TV and frequently visited the camp office of A Raja, where company work was discussed. Rajendran testified that shares subscription and shareholders’ agreement dated 19.12.2008 was executed between Cineyug Films and Kalaignar TV and its three promoters, M K Dayalu, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and Sharad Kumar. The agreement was also signed by the trio. Amritham pointed out that Kanimozhi was Director (Kalaignar TV) from 6.6.2007 to 20.6.2007.
About Kumar, the order said: “He has signed all the agreements purportedly signed with Cineyug Films and other relevant documents, not only on behalf of the company but also on behalf of himself and other directors/shareholders of the company.”
Rejecting the defence argument that since the duo were produced following summons they could not be taken into custody, the order said: “When an accused appears in court in response to summons issued by it, he surrenders himself to the custody of the court.”
“By way of abundant caution,” Saini also added that his observations were “tentative” and did not “tantamount to expression of opinion on the merit of the case”.

Mega satellite GSAT-8 successfully put into transfer orbit

May 21, 2011

Country's mega geo-stationary satellite GSAT-8 was successfully deployed in an elliptical geo-synchronous transfer orbit on early Saturday by the Ariane-VA-202 rocket, an official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. "The 3.1-tonne satellite was injected in the GTO 31 minutes afte The space agency's master control facility (MCF) at Hasan, about 180 km from Bangalore, started receiving the signals from GSAT-8 within minutes after it entered the geo-synchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The MCF also took command and control of the heavy satellite.The satellite will be gradually put into the 36,000-km geosynchronous orbit over the next couple of days and its antenna and solar panels will be deployed."The MCF will test and monitor the health parameters of the payloads by June 1. It will be available for DTH services from July 1," ISRO director S Satish said.Along with GSAT-8, the space agency sent the global position system (GPS) aided geo augmented navigation (Gagan) as an additional payload to improve the accuracy of the US' GPS. 

20May 2011

20May 2011

20May 2011

18May 2011

18May 2011

ULFA keen on talks: Chidambaram

 Agartala: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said ULFA leaders had expressed their willingness to resume peace talks.

“ULFA leaders met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and expressed willingness to resume peace talks. We advised them to prepare a document on the basis of which talks would start soon to reach an honourable solution to the problem,” the Minister said. “We will start talks with [Arabinda] Rajkhowa and his friends. Paresh Barua should come back to India for the talks.”

 

Governor invites Mamata to form government

KOLKATA: Governor M. K. Narayanan has issued an order appointing Mamata Banerjee as Chief Minister of West Bengal.

This is “in exercise of the power conferred on him [the Governor] by Article 164 (1) of the Constitution of India,” said a statement issued by the Governor's secretariat at Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday.

Ms. Banerjee, along with other members of her Ministry, will be sworn in by the Governor on Friday. The ceremony will commence at 1.01 p.m.

Mr. Narayanan had invited Trinamool Congress chief Ms. Banerjee, to form a new government in the State in a letter on Monday, a day after the Trinamool Congress leadership had formally staked its claim to do so, submitting a list of 184 newly-elected MLAs of the party.

Ms. Banerjee had been unanimously elected leader of the Trinamool Congress Legislature Party on Sunday. She had announced then that her Ministry would be, for now, “small” in size.

The Congress with which the Trinamool Congress had forged an electoral alliance has already submitted a letter of support to the government to be headed by Ms. Banerjee.

Though Ms. Banerjee, who had called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday, has invited the Congress to be part of her new government, a final word on the matter is awaited.

She had also invited both Ms. Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the swearing-in ceremony. But neither of the two leaders is likely to attend because of commitments.

Mamata meets Somnath

Ms. Banerjee called on the former Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, at his residence here late on Tuesday evening.

Arrangements have begun in earnest within the Raj Bhavan compounds in preparations for the swearing-in ceremony to which nearly 3,200 persons from various walks of life have been invited.

Last function as Railway Minister

Staff Reporter writes:

In what was her last function as Union Railway Minister, Ms. Banerjee on Tuesday thanked every member of the “railway family” for the “support and cooperation” extended to her in the last two years, and promised her successor all possible help for the all-round development of the Railways.

With Ms. Banerjee all set to become the next Chief Minister, the cabinet berth for Railways will most probably be handed over to a Trinamool Congress nominee. Party MP and Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy is being touted as the frontrunner.

Pointing out that both the State government and the Railways Ministry will henceforth be overseen by the Trinamool, Ms. Banerjee said both would “make giant strides towards development simultaneously.”

“The Railways and the West Bengal government are now linked to each other and will remarkable progress by working together. I will extend a helping hand to my colleague and successor for the development of the Railways alongside running the State government,” she said amid applause from the audience at the Howrah station, where she flagged off seven trains and laid the foundation for a host of projects.

Claiming that ‘Vision 2020' she prepared for the Railways was enough to keep it on the development track for the next 20 years, Ms. Banerjee said her successor would work on the same lines.

India and Uzbekistan to firm up communication, security links

NEW DELHI: Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov arrived here to hold talks on strengthening security, communication and energy links.

This would be the first high level India-Uzbekistan interaction after the killing of Osama bin Laden, whose ideology had caused violence and mayhem in several Central Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan, which is contiguous to Afghanistan.

The convergence of views on Afghanistan, Uzbekistan's efforts to enhance ties with South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, and its bid to diversify customers for gas and oil will occupy centre stage during talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr. Karimov, who is on his fourth visit to India.

Afghanistan situation

The views of Uzbekistan and India converge on regional security especially with respect to the situation in Afghanistan. Tashkent agrees with New Delhi's reasoning of winnowing the bad Taliban from the good and then going in for reconciliation with sections that have repudiated the al-Qaeda ideology of militancy and violence to usher a universal Islamic caliphate.

At the receiving end of an al-Qaeda inspired militancy, Uzbekistan has cracked down ruthlessly and nearly decimated the feared Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan especially after the Andijan stand-off with its security forces in 2005.

In opening up communication links, India will be especially interested in two proposed routes that would bypass Pakistan and the restive southern Afghanistan while giving it access to Central Asia. Both originate from Tashkent, pass through Termez in Uzbekistan and Mazar-e-Sharief in Afghanistan. They then branch off from the western Afghan city of Herat.

The proposed western spur goes to Delaram, follows the India-built road till the Iran border and, if the missing links are put in place, connects to the Iranian port of Chabar. The second alternative would pass through Iran's Sangan and Kerman cities before ending at the Banda Abbas port.

In both cases, India will have to ship its goods to the Iranian ports and then transport them by land into Afghanistan and Central Asian countries that lie in the north and the east.

Currently, part of the route in Uzbekistan is used by the NATO to send supplies to its forces in Afghanistan.

Another promising area of cooperation is energy. National companies have reached an understanding over sourcing underground coal gasification technology from Uzbekistan and are likely to sign a pact over identifying blocks for exploration, said senior Ministry of External Affairs official Ajay Bisaria.

The Gas Authority of India Limited is engaged in talks with Uzbekneftgas for scouting for gas in Karakal-Pakistan region.

 

18May 2011

Maoists kill 5 CRPF men in Chhattisgarh

At least five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in an ambush by the Maoists in the rebel-dominated Dantewada area of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday night.

Initial reports said the CRPF men were in a vehicle which was blown up by a landmine planted by the Maoists.

Details of the incident that occurred near Sukma are awaited.

Last year there were some major attacks on men in uniform in the region by the Maoists.

On May 17 of 2010, a landmine blast had killed more than 40 people, including civilians and Special Police Officials (SPOs).

The attack had occurred just a month after Dantewada witnessed the killing of 76 CRPF men in April that year.

Recall Bhardwaj, demands BJP

New Delhi: The battle between Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and the BJP government, led by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, has reached the flashpoint, with BJP president Nitin Gadkari parading the BJP MLAs before President Pratibha Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Tuesday. They requested her not to impose President's rule in the State.

The leaders wanted the “immediate recall” of Mr. Bhardwaj claiming that he was functioning against the spirit of the Constitution.

The delegation, which included the Chief Minsiter and 114 MLAs of the BJP (some were absent with prior permission), also consisted of party seniors Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, MPs and MLCs.

Later, Mr. Gadkari told journalists that Ms. Patil was informed by the delegation that Mr. Bhardwaj's decision recommending President's rule was "undemocratic and unconstitutional and President's rule should not be imposed on the State. We sought protection from the President [against invoking Article 356 of the Constitution] and asked her not to take any action on the recommendation of the Governor."

He said the BJP government had the support of 122 MLAs, including Mr. Yeddyurappa and the Speaker. Since the President is the guardian of the Constitution, the BJP wanted to take the issue to her.

Mr. Gadkari said he apprised the President of the Governor's actions and how he had recommended President's rule despite Mr. Yeddyurappa enjoying the majority. "Since he has time and again acted against the Constitution he should be called back. We told the President that she should exercise her powers to recall the Governor."

A memorandum presented by the BJP to the President claimed that the "dignity and prestige of the office of Governor in Karnataka has suffered a great deal."

Earlier in the day, addressing the MLAs, Mr. Gadkari praised Mr. Yeddyurappa and said the party would emerge “101 per cent” victorious in the battle with Mr. Bhardwaj. "We are a majority government, a popular government ...We will definitely win as we are going through the democratic process," he said.

 

Free rice distribution scheme from June 1

CHENNAI: The scheme of free distribution of 20 kg rice to beneficiaries under the public distribution system (PDS) will come into force on June 1.

At present, rice is given at Re. 1 a kg to those who are entitled to receive the commodity. As per the existing norms, rice of four kg per adult and two kg per child is supplied subject to a minimum of 12 kg and a maximum of 20 kg per month per card except in the Nilgiris where the minimum will be 16 kg and the maximum 24 kg.

According to a government order issued on Tuesday, the existing norms will continue.

In the case of Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries, rice of 35 kg will be given free.

The government order follows the announcement of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday on her first visit to the Secretariat. Her party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, had made an electoral promise regarding the provision of rice free.

Sources say that the latest decision of the government will cover 18.62 lakh AAY beneficiaries and 1.83 crore card holders who are entitled to rice. This will result in an increase of the food subsidy by Rs.500 crore.

As for the Chief Minister's another announcement on the marriage assistance schemes, an official explains that under the scheme for educated poor women, prospective beneficiaries belonging to tribal communities should have passed fifth standard, and 10th standard in respect of other communities. Apart from Rs. 25,000, four gram gold for making sacred thread would be given. In respect of the scheme for graduate women or diploma holders, the assistance of Rs. 50,000 and four gram gold would be given. The limit on parental annual income for the two schemes is Rs. 24,000.

Approximately, 1.7 lakh women are expected to be covered under the two schemes. This would cost about Rs.290 crore additionally to the exchequer.

The government has issued another order, increasing the duration of maternity leave to married women government servants from 90 days to 180 days, which may be spread over from the pre-confinement rest to post-confinement recuperation at the option of the servant.