Times Chennai, E Paper 03 August 2009

VOL: 3 ISSUE 10

Chennai, August 03, 2009

Azhagiri wants Madurai to be at par with Chennai Chennai,Aug 3: Union Minister for Chemicals andFertilizers M K Azhagiri today said all efforts were beingmade to usher in industrialisation of

with Karunanidhi. "I recently took up the matter of lack of industrialisationin southern districts and he has assured action.He

taken to reopen the closed Southern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation (SPIC)unit at Tuticorin. ‘My aim is to

southern districts ofTamil Nadu on the lines of the i n d u s t r i a l h u b Sriperumbudurnear here. Laying the foundation stone for a Higher Learning Centre atthe Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology(CIPET) here, Azhagiri, Madurai-based son of DMK president andChief Minister M Karunanidhi, said he had already taken up thematter

asked me toidentify proper land following which the state would make allefforts to set up industrial houses," Azhagiri, DMK's southern zone organiser, said. He said he had asked the Collectors of respectivedistricts to identify land for prospective projects. Azhagiri also said action would be

make Madurai on a par with Chennai and its suburbs in terms of industrial growth. I will do it at any cost and will ensure that the temple city and its adjoining areas are no inferior to any part of the State. Apart from being the DMK organising secretary for South, I would also like to become the industrial secretary for southern districts,’ he

EVMs cannot be tampered with, reasserts Election Commission New Delhi, Aug 3 : Amid charges of manipulation of electronic voting machines(EVMs), the Election Commission has reasserted that EVMs are fully tamper proof and even invited ''doubting parties'' all over the country to its headquarters this week for a demonstration of the machines so as to put the controversy at rest ''once and for all''. ''The Election Commission is fully alive to its onerous responsibility not to allow even a small shade of doubt about any aspect of its operation. While the commission

completely rejects the contention regarding the fallibility of the EVMs, it has now decided to go the extra mile by inviting all those who have expressed reservations about the machine to come and demonstrate the point made in their allegations,'' Election Commission Secretary R K Shrivastava said in a statement. Importantly, the Supreme Court recently disposed of a petition, raising questions about the use of EVMS in elections and asked the petitioners to approach

the election watchdog in this regard. The High Courts of different states are also seized of the issue. Mr Shrivastava said the demonstration of the EVMs would be done in the presence of a technical experts group as well engineers representing the EVM manufacturers and expressed the hope that it would once and for all set at rest any misgivings anywhere in the interest of the country's electoral democracy.

said. Responding to Tam i l n a d u P r i n c i p a l Secretary- Industries M F Farooqui’s request that Alagiri should strive hard like Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin in making Tamilnadu number- one in industrial growth, the Central Minister said he himself had requested Farooqui to give approval to start some industries in southern districts. He underlined the Centre's commitment

to ensuredevelopment of the state, and said such efforts ininstitutions like CIPET were aimed in that direction. T h e H i g h Learning Centre,which will come up over 12,600sq.mt, will be constructed at a cost of Rs 20 crore.It willoffer full time undergraduate and Ph.D programmes in P l a s t i c s t e c h n o l o g y, officials said. Ta m i l n a d u Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudy;

Minister for School Education Thangam Thennarasu; Chennai Corporation Mayor M Subramanian; Tambaram MLA S R Raja; Secretary to Government of IndiaC h e m i c a l s a n d Petrochemicals Department Bijoy Chatterjee; CIPET director- general S K Nayak; and Joint Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Neelkamal Darbari also spoke.

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Tamil Nadu

Hoax bomb call at Collectorate Tiruchirapalli, Aug 3 : An anonoymous bomb threat t o t h e Ti r u c h i r a p a l l i Collectorate here turned out be a hoax after a search by police today. Police said the telephone operator at the collectorate received an

anonymous call stating that bombs have been planted in the Collectorate premises and it would blast anytime. On information, police rushed to the collectorate and conducted a through

check with the help of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad. H o w e v e r, n o explosive item was found, police said. Police are inquiring to trace the caller.

'Aadi' celebrated Tiruchirapalli, Aug 3 : 'Aadi Peruku,' popularly known as 'Padinettam peruku,' the 18th day of Tamil month 'Aadi,' was celeberated in either bank of the river Cauveri in Salem, Erode, Karur, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, T i r u v a r u r a n d Nagapattinam districts of

Tamil Nadu with religious fervour, today. A large number of newly wedded couples went to the riverbed and offered special ''poojas'' for their prosperity, while unmarried women and teenaged girls offered special ''poojas'' for their early marriage.

In Tiruchirapalli city, since from the early hours, a large number of people offered prayers at Ammamandapam bathing ghat and Oyamari bathing ghat on either side of the river Cauveri.

Live telecast of polling through broadband connectivity Coimbatore,Aug 3 : The polling in all 393 booths inThondamuthur Assembly constituency would either be telecastlive through broadband connectivity to Chennai or recorded formonitoring purpose, District Collector P Umanath said today. Wherever there is broadband connectivity and internetfacility in booths, polling would be

telecast live to theoffice of chief electoral officer in Chennai through laptopsand where there i s n o f a c i l i t y, t h e procedure would berecorded and sent to Chennai, Umanath said. Ta l k i n g t o reporters after reviewing the security measuresat the counting centre at G C T, with Central poll observer,G S Dhananjay,

Umanath said 400 observers would be monitoringthe process in all the booths, including 27 sensitive ones. Asked about the reported complaints of code violation byvarious parties, he said they had been referred to theElection Commission. There are 22 candidates in the fray at Thondamuthur.

BCTP entitled to reject enrollment plea of law graduates Chennai, Aug. 03: The Bar Council of Tamil NaduPondichery (BCTP) has become the first statutory body in the country to reject the enrollment plea of law graduates, who completed direct post-graduate degree programme under the open university scheme. The legal basis for the tough action by the Council was based on an order by a division bench of the Madras High Court, which in February 2008 held that a master's degree obtained through the open university system, without a foundation degree or the basic degree, was invalid. The bench comprising Justices P K Misra and K K Sasidharan had also ruled that such a degree was not valid for any purpose, including employment. D Selvam, Chairman of the Enrollment Committee of the BCTP, told UNI that the enrollment applications of at least 34 candidates had been rejected and suitable recommendations were

forwarded to the Bar Council of India (BCI). M r R K Chandramohan, Chairman of the BCTP, said the Council resolved to adopt a no-nonsense stand on the issue, as the February 2008 order was upheld by the apex court recently. Besides these 34 candidates, another 130 practicing advocates were also facing a problem as they had completed direct PG degree from an open university. Prominent among them was famous educationalist Mr Jeppiaar. These 130 candidates were allowed to practice many years ago, with a condition that they would be stripped of their license if the case was decided against them. The enrollment committee also decided to dig up cases of all the direct PG holders who enrolled with the Council. According to official records of BCTI, four

practising advocates, all members of the Nagercoil Bar, had forged their degree certificates to join law courses in the early 1990s. Acting on a directive from a Division Bench, headed by Justice Elipe Dharma Rao, the committee studied the complaint received from the Nagercooil Bar and summoned the examination department authorities from the Madurai Kamaraj U n i v e r s i t y, w h o confirmed that the degree certificate and the marksheets submitted by the candidates were fake. ''Now the deception has been confirmed and we will send necessary recommendations to the BCI for appropriate action. We will submit a separate report before the bench also,'' Mr Selvam said.

August 03, 2009

Anna University Trichy to offer M E programmes Tiruchirapalli, Aug. 03: Anna University, Tiruchi, has decided to offer 12 M E programmes for the benefit of about 600 teachers in various affiliated engineering and polytechnic colleges, from the next academic year. In a press release here today, ViceC h a n c e l l o r V Ramachandran said the programmes, offered under modular-based credit banking scheme, would be conducted on

the main campus as well as the six constituent colleges at Panrutti, Pattukottai, Thirukuvalai, Ariyalur, Dindigul and Ramanathapuram. He said they were in touch with major industries in Tiruchirapalli region, including BHEL, Ordnance Factory and Golden Rock Railway Workshop. ''We have requested the industries to depute experts for h a n d l i n g t h e programmes,'' he added.

T h e M E programmes were being o ff e r e d i n S t r u c t u r a l Engineering, Thermal Engineering, CAD/CAM, M a n u f a c t u r i n g Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, Embedded System Te c h n o l o g i e s , Communication Systems, VLSI Design, Computer Science and Engineering, Software Engineering, Pervasive Computing Technologies and Systems Engineering and Operations Research.

August 03, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

Property tax payment via mobile phones soon Chennai, Aug. 03: The Chennai Corporation is planning to introduce payment of property tax through internet-enabled mobile phones from August. This follows the Corporation’s other initiatives, including accepting payments online, through electronic clearing and credit cards, to make paying bills easier for customers. “We are exploring multi-mode payments for the convenience of customers. The receipts will be available on the Corporation’s website,” said corporation commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni. T h e c i v i c administration approached a Bangalore-based private firm to develop a software to enable payment via mobile phones. The customer can use credit or debit cards. “The security levels offered are similar to those for ATM transactions

in banks,” sources said. This fiscal year, the corporation has to realise a targeted Rs 350 crore in property taxes. Though payments have to be made twice a year — for April to September and October to March — many customers do not pay on time. The corporation has a whopping Rs 425.61 crore in arrears, sources said. Commercial areas seem to lead the p a c k w i th N u n g a m bakkam having arrears of Rs 70.72 crore, Kilpauk Rs 61.78 crore and Kodambakkam Rs 54.73 c r o r e . To i m p r o v e collection, 10 Blackberry smartphones were provided in Nungambakkam zone last year. “Collectors managed to realise Rs 8.8 crore with the help of the phones, but the programme was not extended to other areas,” a senior official said.

All is not well in the revenue wing either, with officials sitting on 2,855 dishonoured cheques worth a total of Rs 2.37 crore for the last four years. “Reminders to defaulters have been fruitless,” sources said. The civic body, which has not hiked tax rates for more than a decade, is making efforts to better its financial position, but the sixth pay commission’s recent recommendations to raise pay for government staff has come as a blow. “We have engaged engineering staff, including junior engineers, assistant executive engineers, executive engineers, and sanitary staff, in tax collection from this month, though collection is the domain of the revenue wing,” said official sources.

Cycle rally creates awareness on Global warming Chennai, Aug. 03: More than 500 boys from the Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School today took out a cycle rally as part of the '99999 Lights out Campaign' to save ''Mother Earth'' and create an awareness on Global warming. The rally, with the theme ''Transport Simplicity Cycle Rally for Environmental Protection'' was flagged off by popular comedy actor Vivek in the presence of eminent people from various walks of life. At a time when the consequences of global war ming and climate changes were rapidly unfolding, people across the globe were opting to bicycle as an alternative mode of transport. ''It is time all of us revert back to a simpler lifestyle which will be the first step towards combating global warming by reducing atmospheric carbon levels to save our planet'', the organisers said. The rally which began at the Labour Statue off Marina culminated near the Gandhi Statue. The ninth and eleventh standard students of the Velammal School carried placards on the need to save Mother Earth and the impact of global warming. E x N o r a

International, a NGO in the field of Environment protection, in association with Velammal Educational Trust has launched the 99999 Lights out Campaign. The 'Save the Earth 99999 Lights out' campaign was to switch off lights for nine minutes at nine pm on the ninth day of ninth month (September) of the ninth year of this millennium (2009). Chennai City Corporation Mayor M Subramaniam, Velammal

Educational Trust CEO M V M Velmurugan, actor and comedian S Ve Sekar, Senior Advocate Ms Nalini Chidambaram, Exnora Founder M B Nirmal, Dansuese Swarnamalya, Radio Jockey Dheena, Actress Anu Hasan, Film director Vasanth, Mr Murali of Sri Krishna Sweets were among those who were present on the occasion. The rally was part of 60 mega events to be conducted in the run up to the September nine campaign.

Monday through Friday

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Power shutdown on Aug. 04 Chennai, Aug. 03: Power supply will be suspended in the following areas from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Tuesday Aug. 04, for maintenance work. The supply will be resumed earlier if the works are completed before 5.00 pm says a TNEB release. Ambattur area: Srinivasapuram, N R S Road, Balaji Nagar, Mettu Street, Kaviya Nagar, Palla St, T V S N a g a r, A n n a i Nagar. Chintadripet area: Pallavan Nagar,

PATC Quarters. Mandaveli area: Mandeveli Street, Mosque St, West Circular Road. Kadaperi area: Durga Nagar, Lakshmipuram, Nagappa Nagar, CLC Works Road, CLC Lane, G S T R o a d , Thiruneermalai Main Road. K r i s h n a Nagar: Kalaivanar Colony, LIC Jeevan Beema Nagar, Radial House, Padi Pudhu Nagar, Collector Nagar, part of TVS Avenue. Periyamedu

area: Poonamalle High Road, Narayana Chetty St, Lala Kutti St, Ve e r a s a m y S t r e e t , Irusappan St, Karpura Mudali Street, Periyanna Maistry Street, Nabirkhan Zubedar Street, Kumarappan Street, Kattur Sadaiyappan Street, Pattunul Srdarjung Street, Muthugramani St E V Chetty St, V V Koil St, Central Railway Station. Otteri area: Mothilal Street, Sivarajapuram, Asirvadapuram.

Rights panel seeks compensation for staged-killing victim’s kin New Delhi, Aug 3: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Monday issued notice to t h e Ta m i l N a d u government and sought compensation for the family of a man who was killed in a staged shootout seven years back in the southern state. According to an NHRC spokesperson, the victim, Suresh, was shot by the police in Chennai in November 2002. Claiming that he was a habitual offender, the police said that on the

night of the incident, Suresh, who was riding his bike, was asked to stop but he threw a bomb at them instead. Police say they fired back killing him. “However, the additional district magistrate who probed the incident found that much of the police v e r s i o n w a s exaggerated. Taking note of this, the commission issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government because no matter what his record may have

been, there is no justification for killing him,” an NHRC official said. “The state government, in response, said that action against those police personnel was in process and a sum of Rs.100,000 was being considered as a compensation amount to the kin of of the victim. H o w e v e r, N H R C h a s s u g g e s t e d a compensatory amount of Rs.300,000 and a compliance report on the same within eight weeks,” the official added

India's nuke submarine reactor prototype of Kalpakkam reactor Chennai, Aug. 03: The atomic reactor, the heart of India's first indigenously built nuclear submarine 'INS Arihant' launched recently, is a prototype of a land-based reactor tested successfully for the past three years at the Kalpakkam atomic plant here, atomic scientists said on Sunday The on-board reactor to power the submarine is a miniature version of an indigenous compact propulsion reactor tested successfully, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told reporters. The 80 MW reactor is powered using highly enriched uranium. The major challenges for the atomic scientists were miniaturisation of the land based plant to fit it

into the restricted space of a submarine and also making it lightweight but strong enough to endure the shock due to depth discharge, Srikumar Banerjee, Director of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre(BARC) told reporters. "The reactor while withstanding the pitch and roll of a submarine should also be capable of accelerating and declerating at a quick pace--unlike a landbased power plant which

would ramp up speed in a gradual manner," he said. Kakodkar said it is a creditable achievement for the country's atomic scientists to indigenously build a submarine reactor since it "is not available for any cost". It is not just building a nuclear reactor to power a submarine for us but it is capacity building in the country to get into high technology areas, Kakodar said.

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Times Chennai E-Paper

National

Govt forced to withdraw Judges’ Assets Bill New Delhi, Aug. 03: The UPA government was on Monday forced to differ the introduction of the Judges’ Assets Bill in the Rajya Sabha owing to strong resistance from the Opposition parties including the Left. The opposition parties objected to the bill, which allows judges not to make their assets public, by calling it a violation of the right to equality. Referring to the Section 91 of the Constitution, BJP’s leader of the house, Arun Jaitley said, “There cannot two laws. On one hand you ask people contesting elections to declare their assets and on the other hand you allow judges (those who are holding public office) not to make their assets public.” Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat was also of the opinion that the Judges' Assets Bill was violative of the equality of all citizens. Amidst the din, the government contented that the assets of judges would be monitored by an internal mechanism created by the Supreme

Court. "There is no law, whatsoever that judges will have to declare their assets as a liability. There is an internal mechanism created by the Supreme Court in their resolution. The first resolution is on the values of the judicial system and next on the declaration of the assets. We find a lot of corruption in the judiciary… we need to deal with that. What could not be asserted for 60 years, I am asserting today. Our Judges Inquiry Bill will be very comprehensive bill. We are working a road map for judicial reforms," said Moily. B u t t h e Opposition was remained antagonistic to the bill and the government's lack of majority in the upper house forced Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily to withdraw the Bill. The house was later adjourned. The bill in its present form makes it mandatory for High Court and Supreme Court judges to disclose their assets to the President

every year. Named ‘The Judges (Declaration of Assets and Liabilities) Act, 2009’, the bill would however keep the judges’ disclosures confidential under normal circumstances and would be out of the ambit of the RTI Act. They could be accessed and made public only in special circumstances, like in case of any probe into judicial misconduct or impropriety against a judge. A senior Law Ministry official, however, said that the proposed law envisages disclosure of assets by judges to their respective chief justices. The High Court judges would disclose their assets to their respective chief justices, while the apex court judges would give annually the details of their assets to the Chief Justice of India, who, in turn would forward it to the President along with the details of their own assets.

Despite Deora's defence, house adjourned over Reliance gas row New Delhi, Aug. 03 : India's lower house of parliament was adjourned for nearly two hours Monday when some members of the opposition alleged that Uttar Pradesh was not being given its due share of Reliance Industries' KrishnaGodavari gas even after Petroleum Minister Murli Deora explained the government stand on the matter. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the house after loud protests by members of the Samajwadi Party, who alleged the government was discriminating against Uttar Pradesh over supplying gas to the Dadri power project of Reliance Natural Resources. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Natural Resources and elder brother Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries are fighting a bitter legal battle over the supply and pricing of gas from the fields off the Andhra Pradesh coast. The dispute between the two Ambani brothers has been brewing for nearly five years now. The protests came after Deora issued a verbal statement saying the government would do

everything possible to protect public interest over the distribution of gas from the fields, being called one of the largest such discoveries in Asia in recent years. Glossing over the dispute between Mukesh and his brother Anil Ambani, who owns the RNRL, over gas allocation, the minister said: "We have nothing to do with the private dispute of companies or individuals." This provoked the opposition benches, especially the Samajwadi Party members, who were on their feet alleging the government was biased against Uttar Pradesh, since the Dadri power project, on the outskirts of New Delhi, was awaiting the gas for feedstock. Speaker Kumar asked the members to let the house run and then briefly continued with the day's business, including the introduction of three major legislations - the Companies Bill, Indian Trust (Amendment) Bill and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) (Amendment) Bill. B u t s h e w a s subsequently forced to adjourn the house as

Samajwadi Party members trooped into the well raising slogans against the government. "There has been no discrimination against Uttar Pradesh," Minister Deora said in the statement, ading that the state-run power utility NTPC had been allocated 450,000 units of gas per day for its Dadri unit. In the case of Anil Ambani's company, however, he said that the case was considered by an empowered group of ministers led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. "This plant is neither installed nor functional," he added. "The intention of the government is very clear. We will allocate gas to Dadri plant subject to availability and that Dadri plant will be treated on the same footing as other similar plants placed u n d e r s i m i l a r circumstances." The fields belonging to Reliance Industries in the KrishnaGodavari basin were producing 31 million units per day and within a year, it would go up to 81 million units, the minister told the house.

August 03, 2009

Parliament adjourned over Bundelkhand row New Delhi, Aug. 03: The move to set up a development board for Bundelkhand region allegedly without taking Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments into confidence paralysed proceedings in Parliament on Monday. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned within minutes as BSP and BJP members were on their feet demanding that the Bundelkhand issue be taken up straight away suspending the Question Hour. In the uproar in Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was heard

raising the issue of supply of gas for the Dadri Power project in Uttar Pradesh with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal seeking to pacify him saying a statement would be made during the day. The move to set up Bundelkhand Development Authority without consulting the state governments smacks of imperialism, BJP Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said. Members of BSP and Congress were also on their feet but their voices were drowned in the din. As the uproar continued for a while, Speaker Meira Kumar

adjourned the House till 12:00 noon. In the Rajya Sabha, after the obituary references were made, BSP members were up on their feet on the same issue. They were supported by the Left and the BJP and in the din nothing could be heard. Chairman Hamid Ansari pleaded for Question Hour to be taken up but his pleas went unheeded. "I am afraid, all this is against the rules. Members themselves are breaking the rules," he remarked. "I have no option but to adjourn the House till 1200 hours."

'CBI carrying out political conspiracy against me' New Delhi, Aug. 03: Former home minister Buta Singh Monday accused the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of executing a "political conspiracy" against him by "framing" his son Sarabjot alias Sweety Singh, who was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs.1 crore. "It is a political conspiracy against me and the CBI is responsible for masterminding it. CBI is not playing the role of an investigating agency. I and my son are being victimised," Buta Singh told reporters here. Buta Singh, who is now chairman of the National Commission

for Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), refused to identify the person or political party behind the whole episode. "I won't share it with the media and will disclose when the right time comes," he said. Sweety Singh was arrested Friday on charges of accepting a Rs.1 crore bribe -- the first instalment of the Rs.3 crore (Rs.30 million) that he had allegedly demanded from Nashikbased contractor Ramraj Patil to facilitate the withdrawal of a case against Patil. The case was being investigated b y t h e S C / S T commission that Buta Singh heads.

Sweety Singh has been remanded to police custody by a Mumbai court till August 5. According to the CBI, the corruption case against Sweety Singh follows a complaint from Patil. Patil alleged that Sweety Singh demanded a bribe of Rs.30 million to facilitate the withdrawal of a case filed against Patil by a group of conservancy workers employed by him (Patil). Patil is a garbage collection contractor with the Nashik Municipal Corporation. Some 100 workers complained he was not paying their wages and had taken a bank loan of Rs.100 million (Rs.10 crore) in their name.

PDP nervous and worried as it is out of power: Omar New Delhi, Aug. 03: Taking a dig at PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said opposition in the state is nervous and worried as they were finding it difficult to cope up with the fact that they were out of power. Emerging after half-an-hour long meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Parliament, Omar said "I honestly am not worried about the opposition giving me a chance. I do not expect them to give a chance. "People of Jammu and Kashmir

have given us a chance and not the opposition. It is to them we are accountable and we will remain accountable," Omar told reporters here. Omar said the opposition "is nervous and worried. They see themselves out of power for the next five and a half years and do not know how to cope with it." During his meeting with Gandhi, Omar and his cabinet colleagues discussed smooth functioning of the coalition government in the state. The meeting comes three days after Governor NN Vohra

rejected Omar's resignation in the wake of PDP's allegation that the chief minister was involved in the 2006 sex scandal in the state, a charge rubbished by the Centre. "I had come to discuss the smooth functioning of the coalition government," the 39-yearold Chief Minister said. Omar said he thanked the Congress President for her "wholehearted support" to the coalition in the state which included in particular the "record" allocations for Jammu and Kashmir by the Planning Commission.

August 03, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

World

Pak SC adjourns hearing on Saeed's case indefinitely Islamabad, Aug. 03 : Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday adjourned indefinitely the hearing of petitions challenging the release from detention of banned JuD chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, accused by India of being the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks. The Supreme Court's direction comes two days after India said there was "enough

evidence" to continue investigation against the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief in connection with the 26/11 attacks. The hearing of the two petitions filed by the Federal and Punjab governments has been adjourned indefinitely by the Supreme Court, Saeed's counsel A K Dogar told reporters. Sources said the move was apparently

linked to the resignation on Sunday of Punjab's Advocate General Raza Farooq, who was representing the provincial government in the hearings. The provincial government sought time from the Supreme Court to appoint a new Advocate General and asked for the hearing to be adjourned, sources said.

Japan opposition maintains strong lead ahead of vote: Poll Tokyo, Aug. 03: Japan's main opposition has maintained its strong lead over Prime Minister Taro Aso's party ahead of Parliamentary Elections on August 30, according to a poll published on Monday. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they intended to vote for the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) against 22 percent for the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Asashi Shimbun daily said. In the election, 180 seats in the 480-

member lower house are selected by proportional representation, while 300 legislators are directly elected. The Asahi polled 1,037 eligible voters at the weekend. Aso on Friday pledged to fix the recession-hit economy and create millions of jobs as he unveiled the policy pledges of his party, which has ruled Japan almost without a break for more than half a century. To win over undecided voters, who

make up a third of the electorate according to polls, Aso promised measures including free pre-school education and steps to boost the economy, which is stuck in its worst post-war slump. The centre-left DPJ, which has never governed Japan, has pledged higher social welfare spending, a foreign policy more independent of the United States, and steeper greenhouse gas cuts.

Sands hid fate of Gulf War pilot lost since '91 Washington, Aug. 03: Navy pilot Michael "Scott" Speicher was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the Gulf War in 1991, and it was there he apparently was buried by Bedouins, the sand hiding him from the world's mightiest military. For nearly two decades, the family Speicher left behind, from outside Jacksonville, Fla, pushed the Defence Department to find out what had happened to him. On Sunday, the Pentagon disclosed that Marines had recovered Speicher's bones and skeletal fragments — enough for a positive identification. Shot down over west-central Iraq on a combat mission in his FA18 Hornet on January 17, 1991, Speicher was declared killed by the Pentagon hours later. Defence Secretary Dick Cheney went on television and announced the US had suffered its first casualty of the war. But 10 years later, the Navy changed his status to missing in action, citing an absence of evidence that Speicher had died. In October 2002, the

Navy switched his status to "missing/captured," although it has never said what evidence it had that he ever was in captivity. More reviews followed, without definitive answers. His story never waned in Jacksonville. A large banner flying outside a firefighters' credit union has a photo of him with the words ‘Free Scott Speicher’. At his church, a memorial was put up in his honour. The tennis complex at his alma mater, Florida State University, was named for him. A high school classmate who helped form the group ‘Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher’ said on Sunday his biggest fear was that Speicher had been taken alive and tortured. "This whole thing has been so surreal for all of the people who have known Scott," said Nels Jensen, 52, who now lives in Arkansas. Jensen said the group was frustrated the military didn't initially send a search and rescue team after the crash, and then grew more

perplexed as reports of his possible capture emerged. "Never again will our military likely not send out a search and rescue party for a downed serviceman," Jensen said. In a statement i s s u e d o n S u n d a y, Speicher's family said, "We find some solace in having transformed the search process, so that no serviceman or woman is ever, ever, left behind again." President Barack Obama thanked the Marines who recovered Speicher's remains. "As with all our service men and women considered Missing in Action, we remain steadfast in our determination to bring our American heroes home," he said. Former president George HW Bush, who was commander in chief in 1991, said, "We already knew he was a hero, one who helped lead our way to a historic victory in the Gulf, but now his family and countrymen know — and history will finally record — that he was one of the

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Hillary Clinton to tackle African hot spots Washington, Aug. 03: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton embarks on Monday on a seven-nation tour of Africa to affirm the Obama administration's commitment to tackling trouble spots across the continent from Somalia and Zimbabwe to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia. Hillary kicks off the 11-day trip — her longest overseas journey to date as the top US diplomat — in Kenya where she will address an African trade and development forum, meet top Kenyan officials and see the beleaguered President of lawless Somalia's interim government. Kenya, the homeland of President Barack Obama's late father, is struggling to overcome political and tribal divisions laid bare in early 2008 after disputed elections between the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. Obama, on a visit to Kenya in 2006, had urged Kenyans not to let those differences mar their democratic development, and US officials say Hillary will repeat that message with Kibaki and Odinga, who became Prime Minister in a power-sharing deal that ended the crisis. O ff i c i a l s s a y she will also offer US support to Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, whose embattled government is trying to face down Islamist extremists accused of links with al Qaeda who threaten to

destabilise the Horn of Africa region. "We think that the problems in southern Somalia have started to bleed regionally and internationally," the top US diplomat for Africa, Johnnie Carson, said last week. He noted that violence in Somalia, which has not had a functioning central authority since 1991, has led to an exodus of refugees that has strained the capacity of its neighbours, notably Kenya. Hillary then travels to South Africa, where she will urge President Jacob Zuma's government to do more to press neighbouring Zimbabwe, in the throes of economic crisis, to fully implement a political pact between President Robert Mugabe and former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. In Pretoria, Johannesburg and Capetown, Hillary will also underscore the importance of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and pledge continuing US backing for health care initiatives in Africa, some of which have been led by her husband's private foundation. Hillary will then visit oil-rich Angola, one of southern Africa's largest energy producers and a major supplier of crude and national gas to the US market. Angola has in recent years been courted by China, and Hillary's trip there is intended to strengthen its ties with the US. From Angola, Hillary heads to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been

wracked by violence since genocidal forces from Rwanda fled into its eastern mountains 15 years ago. At its height, the conflict involved half a dozen of the country's neighbours. While a 2003 peace deal reduced the fighting, the army and rebel groups continue to attack villages and mutilate and kill civilians, often using rape as a weapon of war. Hillary will visit Goma in eastern Congo and press Congolese authorities and a UN peacekeeping force there to step up efforts to end the epidemic of gender-based violence. After Congo, the Secretary will move on to Nigeria, another major US energy supplier that has been struggling with rampant corruption. Last week's violence between police and an Islamist sect killed more than 700 people. Hillary plans to address both issues in Abuja, where she will also discuss the importance of good governance and praise Nigeria's role as a leader and major troop contributor to regional and UN peacekeeping missions. In Liberia, which is recovering from 20 years of civil strife, Hillary will show US support for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the only female African President, and offer backing for development and security reform. Hillary’s last stop will be Cape Verde, a group of nine small islands off Senegal with a population of less than half a million that is often hailed as a success story for African democracy despite its lack of natural resources.

very first patriots to give his life in the liberation of Kuwait." Crews first visited the site in 1995. They found wings, the canopy and unexploded ordnance, but the cockpit and Speicher were missing. Investigators excavated a potential grave site in Baghdad in 2005, tracked down Iraqis said to have information about Speicher and made numerous other inquiries. Officials said on Sunday that they got new information last month from an Iraqi citizen, prompting Marines stationed in the western province of Anbar to visit a location in the desert that was believed to be the crash site. The Iraqi said

he knew of two other Iraqis who recalled an American jet crashing and the remains of the pilot being buried in the desert, the Pentagon said. "One of these Iraqi citizens stated that they were present when Capt Speicher was found dead at the crash site by Bedouins and his remains buried," the Defence Department said in a statement. The military recovered bones and multiple skeletal fragments and Speicher was positively identified by matching a jawbone and dental records, said Rear Adm Frank Thorp. He said the Iraqis told investigators that the Bedouins had buried

Speicher. It was unclear whether the military had information on how soon Speicher died after the crash. Some had said they believed Speicher ejected from the plane and was captured by Iraqi forces, and the initials were seen as a potential clue he might have survived. There also were reports of sightings. While dental records have confirmed the remains to be those of Speicher, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, Md, is running DNA tests on the remains recovered and comparing them with DNA reference samples previously provided by family members.

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Business

Bharti-MTN extend exclusive talks period till August 31 New Delhi, Aug. 03 : Telecom firm Bharti Airtel on Monday said it has extended the exclusive talk period with South Africabased MTN for a potential transaction till August 31, as talks are still inconclusive. Bharti had announced on May 25, that it has entered into exclusive talks with MTN for exploring a potential transaction in share-swap and cash deal to create a 23-billion-dollar entity. But the period for exclusive talks between them expired on July 31. "As discussions between the parties regarding the potential transaction are continuing,

both parties have agreed to extend the exclusivity period up to August 31, 2009," Bharti said in a statement. As per the proposal, Bharti would acquire 49 per cent shareholding in MTN and in turn MTN and its shareholders would acquire about 36 per cent economic interest in the Indian firm. To a query on reasons for extending the talks, a Bharti spokesperson declined to elaborate. "No decisions or agreement to acquire any share or implement the transactions have been made by the boards of

either Bharti or MTN and the discussion may or may not lead to any transaction," the statement said. "The structure and terms of the potential transaction may be adjusted to reflect further discussion between the parties." Bharti and MTN had agreed to discuss the potential transaction with one another until July 31, 2009. The potential transaction would create a leading telecom service provider with a combined revenue of over 20 billion dollar and combined customer base of over 20 million.

Exports decline by 27.7 pc in June New Delhi, Aug. 03 : India's exports declined by 27.7 per cent in June over the same month last year, contracting for the ninth m o n t h i n a r o w, a s overseas shipments were hit by a slowdown in major global markets like the US and Europe. Exports dropped to USD 12.81 billion in June from $17.73 billion in the same month last year, according to the government data released

on Monday. Imports too dipped for the sixth straight month by 29.3 per cent to $18.97 billion in June over the year-ago month. Trade deficit was $6.16 billion in the third month of the financial year 2009-10 against $9.12 billion in June 2008. E x p o r t s plunged by 29.2 per cent to $11.01 billion in May

from $15.55 billion in the year-ago period. The exports during April-June period dipped by 31.3 per cent to $35.43 billion from $51.54 billion in the same period last year. Overseas shipments grew by a meagre 3.4 per cent to $168.7 billion in 2008-09 after being hit by the global slowdown in the second half of the previous fiscal.

SIB revises interest rates on NRE, FCNR deposits Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 03 : Kerala-based South Indian Bank (SIB) has revised interest rates on FCNR and NRE deposits from August 1. The NRE term deposit interest rates for one year to less than two years had been fixed at 3.25 per cent from 3.36 per cent, two years to less than 3 years duration at 3.31 per cent, up from 3.28 per cent.

The interest rate on deposits upto three years and inclusive of 10 years had been raised to 3.92 per cent from 3.87 per cent. The revised interest rate for an FCNR deposit in US dollars of two years to less than three years duration had been increased to 2.56 per cent from 2.53 per cent.

The three year to less than four years FCNR deposits will have a new interest rate of 3.17 per cent as against 3.12 per cent earlier, while the 4 years to less than 5 years duration deposit will attract 3.64 per cent, up from 3.57 per cent and for five years increased to four per cent against 3.93 per cent, a press release said here on Monday.

L&T bags Rs 5,300 crore projects from ONGC Mumbai, Aug. 03 : Engineering firm Larsen & Toubro on Monday said it has bagged two orders worth Rs 5,300 crore ($1.18 billion) from staterun Oil & Natural Gas Corporation for offshore hydrocarbon projects. "The company secured a turnkey order for the Mumbai High North (MHN) process platform and living quarters project, with an additional order for supply of process gas compression modules to be installed in the same complex," L&T said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Under the contract, L&T will be responsible for survey, engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning for major process, living quarters and twin flare platforms, all connected by bridges, it said. It said over 80,000 tonnes of structures, process facilities and utilities would be erected in the high seas. The projects will be completed within 33 months. "This contract affirms L&T's capabilities as a reliable single

source to execute critical projects for oil companies and hydrocarbon sector since the early 90's," L&T CMD AM Naik said. T h e M H N process platform of ONGC will cater to most of the hydrocarbon production from the Mumbai High North field. It will host outgoing gaslift pipelines and oil export lines. The platform will have a well-fluid processing capacity of 23,877 barrels of oil per day and 2.56 million standard cubic metres per day of gas, L&T

August 03, 2009

IBM and Tally partnership set to revolutionize ERP buying for the Mid-Market Chennai Aug. 03: IBM a n d Ta l l y t o d a y announced a first-time agreement to deliver Tally's ERP 9 Gold on IBM's Smart Business platform. By combining Tally's leadership in the ERP market for small and mid-sized companies with IBM’s technology strength and reach, a Noteworthy new solution has been introduced to the dynamic Indian midmarket. The IBM and Tally solution stands out in its ability to offer an open, simplified IT experience that reduces the complexity of managing IT and drastically reduces the s u p p o r t a n d management burden of these solutions - a key cost and time expense for small and medium businesses. The combined solution would be 10 times more cost effective for the customer. IBM delivers this solution complete with all necessary

hardware, software, and services tested and optimized so it is up and r u n n i n g q u i c k l y. Available starting at less than RS 5 lakh, it can provide all of the fundamental capabilities needed to run a small or medium business including PBX, email, calendaring, instant messaging. Tally is the volume leader in the midmarket ERP space with their ERP 9 product shipping over +100,000 l i c e n s e s a y e a r. Tally.ERP 9 provides accounting, finance, inventory management, remote access, statutory compliance capabilities, integrated support centre a n d s e c u r i t y management. Tally also allows for quick customization and extensions on the platform, thereby allowing customers to tailor the product to their specific business requirements. Customers who choose Tally.ERP 9 on Smart Business will

enjoy major benefits over traditional platforms including faster implementation, simplified administration, automatic problem reporting and updates. In addition, IBM will stand behind the total solution providing a single point of contact to resolve any technical issues. This announcement comes at a time when signs of an economic recovery are prompting aggressive Indian businesses to position themselves for growth. The right ERP solution such as Tally's powerful, yet flexible ERP coupled with IBM's Smart Business provides companies with a significant competitive edge. "IBM is excited to add this market leading solution to our Smart Business portfolio. This could be a significant driver of IBM's mid-market solutions business", said S h a n k a r A n n a s w a m y, Regional General Manager, India - South Asia.

No bailout for private airlines: Govt New Delhi, Aug. 03: Even as private airlines called off their planned August 18 strike on Sunday night, the government stood firm and ruled out any financial bailout for them. Talking to reporters, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said, “There is no question of a financial bailout of private airlines.” Reasoning the decision, Patel said that “we are not even bailing out Air India which is o w n e d b y t h e government”. The minister however said that he will try to help the airlines in every possible way as it is an important sector of the economy. He also acknowledged that the g o v e r n m e n t understands the difficulties faced by the

industry. O n S u n d a y, facing the threat of stern government action, private airlines, which carry about one lakh domestic passengers each day, called off their proposed August 18 strike giving relief to air travellers. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) called off the strike after two more private carriers pulled out of the planned unprecedented stoppage. The FIA, which gave the strike call on Friday, announced the decision in view of the "agitating public sentiments" and the potential inconvenience to thousands of passengers and the g o v e r n m e n t ' s "willingness" to enter into

a dialogue. The Federation on behalf of Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways, Go Air, Spicejet and Indigo hoped that talks with the government will lead to redressal of problems faced by the aviation industry. After budget carrier Indigo pulled out of the strike on Saturday, another budget airline Spicejet broke ranks last night and decided to operate all flights on August 18. MDLR, which is not a FIA member, said it will operate the flights as per schedule on the day of the strike call. The private airlines’ operators in India have consistently been demanding a financial bailout by the government in view of the mounting losses.

Bajaj Auto sales fall marginally in July New Delhi, Aug. 03: Country's second largest two- wheeler maker Bajaj on Monday reported a marginal decline in its motorcycle sales at 1,68,163 units in July, even as it plans to step up domestic bike production by 25 percent in August. The company had sold 1,68,971 units in July last year, Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) said in a statement. Total two-wheeler sales

during the month also declined marginally at 1,68,731 units compared with 1,69,971 units in the same period a year ago, it added. BAL's exports, however, went up by 1.98 percent to 68,585 units in July from 67,253 units a year ago. The company's total vehicle sales stood at 1,92,835 units last month compared to 1,93,704 units in the same period a

year ago, the statement said. "Bajaj plans to step up its domestic motorcycle production by about 25 percent in August, 2009, in response to the strong demand," the company said, without giving details. The company sold about 10,000 units of its new 100cc Discover DTS-Si since its launch on July 17. It is expecting the sales to double in August.

August 03, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

SPORTS

Querrey wins second ATP title in Los Angeles Los Angeles, Aug. 03: American Sam Querrey shrugged off a nervous second set to clinch his second ATP title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Australian qualifier Carsten Ball at the LA Open on Sunday. Heavily favoured to beat a player ranked 205th who had never won on the circuit until this week, the sixth seed broke his opponent twice in the third set before ending the final in one hour, 27 minutes. Querrey, who had upset top-seeded German Tommy Haas in the semifinals, powered down his 11th ace of the match to wrap up victory on a sunbaked afternoon at the LA Tennis Center before thrusting his right arm into the air in celebration. It was a case of third time lucky for the Californian world number 32, who had been beaten in the final of his last two ATP events. "This has been one of my favourite tournaments the last four years and it's so great to

win here," a beaming Querrey, 21, said in a courtside interview after ending Ball's fairytale run in Los Angeles. "I've also got to congratulate Carsten. He had an unbelievable week and I think we are going to see a lot more of him. He came out of the qualifying, which you don't see too often, and made it all the way to the finals." Left-hander Ball, a resident of nearby Newport Beach, had to come through three matches of qualifying to book his place in the main draw and did not drop a set until Sunday's final. In the opening set, breaks were traded in the fifth and sixth games before Querrey secured a key break in the ninth, ending a protracted rally with a backhand winner with Ball stranded at the net. Q u e r r e y appeared to tighten up while serving for the set in the 10th, trailing 0-30 and later squandering two advantage points before

clinching the set when a Ball backhand sailed wide. The second set went with serve until the eighth game when Q u e r r e y, l o o k i n g increasingly vulnerable, was broken after Ball hit a rasping backhand service return winner down the line. Bidding to become the first Australian champion in Los Angeles since Rod Laver in 1970, Ball comfortably held in the ninth to level the match at one-set all. Q u e r r e y, h o w e v e r, r e g a i n e d control in the third set, breaking his opponent in the second game after Ball dumped a forehand into the net. Ball was again broken in the sixth after making an unforced error on his backhand and Querrey held serve to claim a second title on the circuit, following his triumph in Las Vegas last year.

Triumphant Bartoli aiming for top five Stanford, Aug. 03: France's Marion Bartoli was aiming for higher accolades and hoping to break into the world's top five after she upset seventimes grand slam champion Venus Williams to win the Stanford Classic on Sunday. "If I keep playing like this...I'll have a good chance to do well at the US Open and then keep the same level throughout the year, then I can be in the top five," said Bartoli, who will

rise to number 13 when the new rankings are issued on Monday. The Stanford title was Bartoli's fifth overall, but the first time the 24-year-old has won a WTA premier level event and she said her success can be attributed to her improved physical condition and her maturity. "I know what to do on the big points, I know what my strengths are, and I improved my

weaknesses as well," she said. "I've also improved my movement a lot and physically to be able to hang in there against these types of players it's important to me mentally." "What makes me special is that I'm really mentally tough." "To beat Venus means a lot to me and I know I can beat the best players when I'm on and focused. "

New Zealand head to Sri Lanka following safety checks Wellington, Aug. 03: New Zealand set off for their tour of Sri Lanka on Monday after receiving assurances about their safety. The New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) visited Sri Lanka last month to check on arrangements before giving players the goahead to proceed after they were promised extra security. "We`ve requested a few changes and now it`s at a level where we`re confident we can travel there safely," NZCPA boss Heath Mills said. " W e h a v e a

comprehensive security wing around the team, our guys will have a couple of hundred security officers around them at all times." The first tour match is on Friday, followed by two tests, two Twenty20 internationals and a one-day international triangular series involving India. The odds are heavily stacked against New Zealand, who have not played a Test since April, with the side in a rebuilding phase after welcoming back players banned for joining the

Indian Cricket League. Captain Daniel Vettori said they were going full of hope but with realistic expectations. " Yo u a l w a y s want to go into a series wanting to win but if we could pull off a couple of draws or win the series 10, that would be an exciting result for this team," he said.

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Anand finishes tied third in Mainz Mainz (Germany), Aug. 03: World champion Vi s w a n a t h a n A n a n d continued to struggle with his form and settled for a tied third place finish in the Grenkeleasing world rapid chess championship here. After being eliminated in the prelims of the annual event that he had won 11 times earlier, Anand did not quite motivate himself to play well for the third place and all the four games against German Arkadiz Naiditsch ended

in draws leaving the third place to be shared by both of them. Meanwhile, Armenian Levon Aronian won his maiden title on Mainz soil with a clinical performance against Ian Nepomniatchchi of Russia in the finals. The former world junior champion from Armenia scored victories in the first two games itself and then sealed the event and the winner's jacket in his favour with a draw in the third game of the four-

games final. Nepomniachtchi also drew the fourth game, leaving the scoreline to read 3-1 in favour of Aronian. Anand failed to overcome his poor form and his play in the match for the third place against Naiditsch was strangely uninspired and lacked punch. "Well, as there is not that much at stake in the match for third place, it is very difficult to motivate oneself," Anand said later at the press conference.

Former Pak cricketers want pace sensation Aamer to be handled with care Lahore, Aug. 03: Former Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Zahid has urged selectors, captain and coach to handle young pace sensation Mohammad Aamer with care. "I`m very impressed with Aamer, he is a very talented cricketer, but I worry a lot about him," Zahid said. "He`s a very young man, only 17 years of age, and he`s bowling at 90 mph plus. Also, physically he doesn`t look strong enough yet to be playing so much international cricket, especially Test cricket.” "The selectors are selecting him for all three forms of the game, which I think is too much

for him. I`d rather they didn`t play him in a lot of Test cricket at this stage of his career which is physically so demanding especially for a fast bowler," Zahid said. Z a h i d ` s reservations are justified after a serious back injury cut short his own international career. He represented Pakistan in five Tests and 11 ODIs, and was recognised as one of Pakistan`s quickest ever bowlers. Zahid, 33, was worried whether Aamer`s lean body could take the pressure of bowling fast "day in, day out". "The skipper, coach and the selectors need to come up with a plan for Aamer for the next couple of years, take proper care of him

and ensure he is still a potent force for years to come and not suffering from burnt out," said Zahid. "They need to ensure that he is getting plenty of rest, maybe intentionally missing oneday matches and Test matches. Aamer is Pakistan`s ace as far as fast bowling is concerned and they can least afford to get this boy injured". While former Pakistan captains Ramiz Raja and Waqar Younis have also expressed their concerns on Aamer`s workload on air as commentators during the ongoing series in Sri Lanka. Wa s i m A k r a m said Aamer would need to put on weight to add more power to his bowling.

Harmison brushes retirement rumours, hopes for a Test recall Warwickshire, Aug. 03: England fast bowler Steve Harmison has given formal notice that he intends to bowl on in the hope of a Test recall, contrary to reports that he plans to retire at the end of the current Ashes series. “I have no intention of retiring from Test cricket. The idea that I see this series as a chance of a farewell is not in my thoughts. As

much as I love playing for Durham, I’m desperate to play against Australia,” Harmison was quoted as saying on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing third Ashes Test. “You can’t overestimate how desperate. I’d have given everything to have played at Lord’s, to be playing now in Birmingham and to play in Leeds. I’m champing at the bit again and the

way I’m bowling at the minute, I’d be a handful against any opposition,” he added. Harmison has taken 49 first-class wickets this summer, and still harbours hopes of appearing against Australia in the Ashes. His recall, however, looks remote after England awarded an incremental contract – one below a central contract – to his Durham colleague, Graham Onions.

MS Gill comes out in favour of WADA code New Delhi, Aug. 03: MS Gill, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports on Monday came out in support of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) anti doping code, saying that all sports bodies will have to adopt it. The controversial whereabouts clause in the WADA anti-doping code has resulted in

protests from the Indian cricket players as well as the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), over the past few days, who have termed it as unjust and infringement on the players’ right to privacy. Ta l k i n g t o reporters during a Conference of State Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports, Gill said that

the code does not amount to a violation of players’ right to privacy and that the players should co-operate with the governing body.. “World AntiDoping Agency's 'whereabout' clause is not infringement on players' privacy,” Gill said. “ A l l sportspersons should cooperate with World AntiDoping Agency,” he added.

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Times Chennai E-Paper

August 03, 2009

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