Times Chennai, E-paper, April 01, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 63

April 01, 2009

SC clean chit to Karunanidhi, Baalu in contempt case New Delhi, April 01: : The Supreme Court on We d n e s d a y a b s o l v e d Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and Union Transport Minister TR Baalu of the contempt of

b a n d h o n t h e Sethusamudram project row despite the apex court restraining it from doing so. The charge against Baalu was that

court charges for alleged violation of the apex court’s order – dated September 30, 2008 – directing the DMK and its allies not to enforce state-wide bandh on October 1 last year. The SC had on March 25 reserved its verdict in the case which also involved four others. A bench of Justices BN Agarwal and GS Singhvi today dismissed the petition on the ground that the AIADMK, which had filed the contempt petition, failed to establish the allegation. The AIADMK had filed a petition alleging that t h e Ta m i l N a d u government organised the

he made contemptuous allegations against judges of the Supreme Court and questioned their integrity. The ruling DMK and its allies had given a call for the state-wide bandh in support of their demand for the speedy completion of the Setusamudram Project. The project had hit a road block because of the proposed demolition of the Ram Setu, which Hindus believe was constructed by Lord Ram to reach Sri Lanka to free his wife Sita from the captivity of demon king Ravana. The apex court had issued showcause

LG appointed DMK's Election Works Secretary Chennai, April 01: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has appointed rebel MDMK leader L Ganesan (MP), who had recently merged his faction of MDMK with the DMK, as party's Election Works Secretary. Mr Ganesan would sort out problems arising in connection with the May 13 Lok Sabha elections and the coming Assembly elections in the state, in coordination with the existing election work secretaries, DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said. He would receive election related complaints from partymen and sort them out after consulting party high command and office bearers at various levels, Mr Anbazhagan said in a release here. Mr Ganesan, the former Presidium Chairman of the MDMK, was heading a separate faction along with another rebel MDMK leader Gingee N Ramachandran after they were expelled from the party. The leaders merged their faction with the DMK in the presence of its President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on March 17, marking their homecoming.

notices to Karunanidhi, Baalu, State Chief Secretary LK Tripathi, State DGP, the State Transport Minister and the State Transport Secretary for not implementing the directions of the apex court, issued during a special sitting on a Sunday. The petitioner – AIADMK chief and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa – had also contended that Tripathi

had told media on October 1 that only about 50 transport buses plied in the state when it had a fleet of about 30,000 buses. According to the petitioner, no action was taken against the leaders, who enforced the bandh causing tremendous hardship and harassment to the people of the state. Loss of several crores of rupees was caused to the state

exchequer and the government connived with the organisers of the bandh and no action was taken against a majority of the state government employees, who abstained from work on that day. Baalu had made derogatory remarks against Justice Aggarwal for passing the orders on Sunday. While reserving its verdict, the SC had reacted to Baalu’s

remarks saying, "It shows utter ignorance of the man (Baalu). For the last 50 years courts function on Sundays also. People who are governing the system don't know its functioning. They are intellectual giants." The apex court had also observed that it had become a practice for many persons holding high positions to make insinuiations against the judiciary.

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HCP filed challenging detention of Nanjil Sampath under NSA Chennai, April 01: Ms Sasikala Sampath, wife of Nanjil Sampath, MDMK Propaganda Secretary, detained under the National Security Act (NSA) filed a Habeas Corpus Petition (HCP) in the Madras High Court, challenging the detention of her husband and sought the court to direct the state government to release him immediately. In her petition, Ms Sampath submitted that the DMK government arrested her husband and remanded him to judicial custody for his political speech in support of LTTE in Tiruppur. ''Sampath was granted bail by a local court, but to prevent his release, the government with a political motive detained him under NSA,'' she said. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on April 2 before a division bench headed by Mr Justice Elipe Dharma

Rao. MDMK leader Vaiko will appear in the court as Ms Sampath's counsel. Marumalarchi DMK functionary Nanjil Sampath, who was arrested on March 7 for speaking in support of the b a n n e d LT T E , w a s detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on March 14. The orders was served on Nanjil Sampath at the Coimbatore Central Prison where he was lodged after he was arrested on charges of sedition, by a special team from Tiruppur. The Tiruppur police registered a case against Sampath, one of the main speakers of the Opposition MDMK, based on his speech he made at a meeting organised by the Students Federation of India on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue on March 1.

I don't have an attitude for politics: Kamal Haasan New Delhi, April 01: The election season may be witnessing many celebrities from the world of cinema making a jump into the electoral arena but South Indian superstar Kamal Haasan says he does not have the inclination or attitude for politics. ''Joining politics is a matter of personal choice. However, I don't have an attitude for politics,''Kamal Haasan says. In the capital in connection with the promotion of the dubbed Hindi version of his South Indian hit 'Dashavtaram', Kamal said he had received many offers from political parties to contest on their tickets but he did not intend to enter the political arena. ''There have been many offers to enter the political arena. However, I feel one should not enter politics just for the heck of it. There has to be a strong commitment attached to one's entry in politics,''the actor-director said. Asked for his reaction as to why superstars from the South Indian cinema like N T R a m a R a o , M Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha and Chiranjeevi had managed big innings in

politics compared to their counterparts from North India, Kamal said,''I do not think much should be seen into this. Perhaps, it has something to do with the literacy factor in the South.'' He may be averse to joining politics but he admits that in today's scenario it was difficult to be entirely apolitical in one's attitude. ''I have realised that one cannot be totally apolitical. One has for either vote in a person one likes or vote out one they do not like,''the South Indian superstar said. The actor said as a person he did have his own agenda which he quietly put across in his films like 'Nayakan', 'Hey Ram', 'Hindustani' and 'Dashavtaram'. ''I have my own agenda which I quietly put into my films. I do not shout out my message through my films but all the same it is there,''he said.

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Sampath was produced before a court in Tiruppur and remanded in judicial custody. He is the third prominent person to be detained under the NSA, after the Tamil Nadu Government cracked the whip on Tamil Film Director Seeman and Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam President Kolathur Mani, by invoking the provisions of NSA for their 'proLTTE' speeches.

April 01, 2009

Royal Sundaram launches family health insurance Chennai, April 01: Royal Sundaram today announced the launch of Family Health Insurance Online, a comprehensive health insurance policy designed to protect the insured and his/her family. Customers could simply log into Royal Sundaram's Online "InstaBuy" facility and get instant coverage for themselves and their family members including spouse, dependent children and dependent parents under a single sum insured. The entry age

band is 18 years to 45 years in respect of adults and 91 days to 21 years for dependent children. Customers can also renew online up to the age of 70 years, a company release said. N o documentation or medical examination was required for buying the policy online. Customers can also avail Income Tax benefit under section 80 D of the IT Act, it said. The insured will also have access to value-added services like cashless treatment (subject to conditions and

authorisations) at over 2,000 networked hospitals across India, a 24-hour helpline and ambulance referral facility at no additional cost. It has been designed to ensure that the insured and his family get the best medical treatment at any time when they need it. With the inclusion of Family Health Insurance online, Royal Sundaram now offers the complete set of health insurance products online, for both individual and/or family, it said.

April 01, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

News You Can Use

New CII chief to promote political donations by cheque New Delhi, April 01: As campaigning picks up for the Lok Sabha elections, the newly elected President of industry body

CII, Venu Srinivasan, has said he will promote a transparent way of donations to political parties by business houses. "Companies should do it (election funding) transparently. If it becomes transparent it is good for the polity, good for society," Mr. Srinivasan told PTI. He said the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been promoting the idea of transparency in political donations. In any case, he said, it has become difficult for business houses to deal only in cash. "Companies have shifted from cash payments to cheques... the cash (transactions) have been reduced in the economy considerably

since liberalisation... it has become difficult to deal with cash," he said. T h e Government monitoring through different taxes like Banking Cash Transaction Tax is also a deterrent to t h e c a s h e c o n o m y, M r. Srinivasan, who is also Chairman of Chennai-based TVS Motor Company Ltd, said. The CII chief said the chamber would like its members to ensure that the money given away to political parties is properly accounted for in their books. Some of the country's well-respected industrial houses have already taken lead in giving political donations through cheques. On the state of the economy, he said while the growth has slowed down, the GDP trends still remain in the positive zone. H o w e v e r, h e remained cautious about fiscal 2009-10 that began today. "(The) growth in the next year may not meet our aspirations, but I look at the world with cautious optimism," he

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NHAI expects over Rs 1,700cr toll collection

said. Mr. Srinivasan said the first-half of the fiscal is likely to be poorer because of the high g r o w t h i n t h e comparative period the previous year. However, the economy is expected to pick up in the secondhalf of the financial year 2009-10. "We have already digested the recession...We are still growing," he said. While the big picture remains positive, s e c t o r s l i k e manufacturing, exports, handicrafts, textile, gems and jewellery remain areas of concern. After growing by a robust 30 per cent till September, exports have been shrinking in the second half. The government estimates do not project the annualised shipments to grow beyond 3-4 per cent. Mr. Srinivasan, who is from the automobile industry, said it is early days to see a recovery in the sector. The commercial vehicles segment is still reeling under recessionary trends.

New Delhi, April 01 The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) expects to exceed its toll revenue target in the 2008-09 fiscal and cross over Rs 1,700 crore on the back of increased collections. "We expect a toll collection of more than Rs 1,700 crore for the fiscal 2008-09 as against a target of Rs 1,600 crore," an NHAI official, who did not wish to be named, told PTI. Claiming that the collection may even surpass Rs 1,700 crore, the official said collection

of data from various plazas indicated that the target was almost achieved sometime back although the final figures are yet to be compiled. The NHAI has witnessed increase in toll collections from existing highways and its revenues have also swelled up with the addition of new toll plazas in fresh highway stretches, including the Golden Quadrilateral. Enthused by better results in toll collection during fiscal 2007-08, the NHAI had increased the target for

2008-09 to Rs 1,600 crore from previous fiscal's Rs 1,400 crore, the official said pointing out that the achievement in 2007-08 was Rs 1,415 crore. "One of the key reasons that we could surpass the target is that several new stretches were added for tolling during the year," the official said. As per a data, only 6,212 km of the total national highway network of 66,000 km is currently tolled. -Agencies

Free cash withdrawals from all ATMs beginning today New Delhi, April 01: Beginning today, you need not have to sweat it out looking for an ATM of your own bank as you can use ATMs of your

withdrawal with the use of credit cards and at ATMs located outside India. Last year on March 10, the RBI had

without shelling out more, the central bank had said. Till yesterday, banks were charging Rs 20 per transaction when a customer used the cash

choice without shelling out any extra money. Thanks to an RBI directive, much to the relief of common man, banks have been prevented from charging any fee for cash withdrawals using ATM and debit cards issued by other banks from April 1 onwards. However, banks can still charge extra for services like cash

come out with guidelines limiting the fee charged by banks for using their ATMs by clients of other lenders to Rs 20. It had also allowed the use of ATM for purposes like balance enquiry free of any charge. This was to ensure greater transparency and to facilitate usage of any ATM installed within the country by customers

machine of any bank other than the one in which he/she has an account with. At the end of December 2007, there were 32,342 ATMs in the country and various banks have entered into bilateral and multi-lateral arrangements with other banks to have inter-bank ATM networks.

-Agencies

New VVIP jets in IAF New Delhi, April 01: President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday inducted the new state-of-the-art VVIP jets into the Indian Air Force before embarking on its maiden flight to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The new jets are designed to work as an office-in-the sky and also as a command centre in event of an emergency, like a nuclear attack. "The trip would now be more business like. We will get more time to study, concentrate and apply our minds as flight will be more smooth," said Ms. Patil at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Standing proud on the tarmac, the sparkling white Boeing Business Jet has been patterned on the US President's famous Air Force One aircraft and comes equipped with a wide range of security cover and latest communication devices. "The aircraft has some of the finest high technology systems and is equipped with excellent

communication systems," Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik. The aircraft, which can seat upto 60 passengers, has four sections with the first one being that of President which is decorated with light and dark wooden panels with six leather seats. The section also has a bedroom for the President along with a l l t h e m a j o r entertainment and communication facilities. T h e n e w Boeing 747/700 christened as 'Rajdoot' is one of the three such aircraft that have been bought by the country to cater to the VVIPs, including the Prime Minister. The aircraft is said to be equipped with modern hi-tech missile defence system which includes a protection suite and chaff dispensers to ward off missile threats besides other security gadgets.

It has a secure satellite based communication system in addition to VHF communication system which helps the travelling dignitary to be in touch with ground as and when the need arises. The jets, powered by two CFM-56 engines respectively, manufactured by US General Electric and French Snecma, are designed to have long range flights and can easily pull off 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 kms) with refueling. The planes can fly at the height of 41,000 feet at a speed of 410 knots. Upon entering, one encounters luxurious plush beige leather interiors. The aircraft has been specially customised for the President, Prime Minister and special guests and senior ministers and can accomodate 60 passengers in four compartments. -Agencies

-Agencies

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National

I will represent Kasab: Anjali Waghmare Mumbai, April 01: Anjali Waghmare, the lawyer appointed to represent captured 26/11 attacker Ajmal Amir Kasab, has agreed to fight the case of the dreaded terrorist. Confirming her decision to justice Tahiliani, who will preside over Kasab’s trial, Waghmare said, “I will continue as Kasab’s lawyer and will represent him in trial.” Defending her decision to defend Kasab,

Waghmare said, “I am an Indian citizen and I have taken Kasab’s case in the country’s interest.” She informed the mediapersons she had told that she will continue if the government assures her security. “The government has kept its word and I have kept mine,” she said referring to government’s decision to provide her with Z security. The lawyer also adopted a conciliatory tone towards those opposed to her decision and who attacked her house saying that their reaction was emotional and expressed confidence that in due course of time they will support her decision. She however said that she was shocked by the attack. The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, in a U turn,

said that it has no problem wid Waghmare supporting Kasab and added that it won’t come in the way of her job. According to sources, the lawyer was under immense pressure to withdraw from the case. H o w e v e r, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam rubbished the pressure theories and said, “Anjali Waghmare has decided

on her own to fight the case.” He also welcomed her decision and said, “It is a good decision, now the 26/11 trial can move forward.” Welcoming the decision, senior lawyer Majid Menon said, “It’s a good news. We needed a stable lawyer to represent Kasab.” On Tuesday, Waghmare had asked the Special Court in Mumbai for a day to consider her position following protests outside her home by Shiv Sena activists. E a r l i e r, t h e lawyer had said she was pulling out of the case following an attack on her house by Shiv Sainiks on Monday night. "Owing to public sentiment, I withdraw from the Kasab case,"

she had said. Recounting the horror, Waghmare told the court that nearly 300 people and not 100 as claimed earlier attacked her house last night. The judge had said that it is the mandate of law that Kasab be defended in the court. On Monday night, activists belonging to Shiv Sena staged a protest and pelted stones at Waghmare’s residence at Warli Camp area of the city, police said. Waghmare was unhurt in the attack and police resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the mob. The situation was brought under control. Shiv Sainiks arrested The police arrested nine Shiv Sainiks, including a Corporator, in connection with the incident. All of them were sent to oneday custody. "Nine Sena workers were held for unlawful assembly and house tresspass. They were holding protest outside Waghmare's residence in Worli Police Camp," senior police inspector BV Worlikar said. "They seem to be upset against Wa g h m a r e , w h o i s representing Kasab. They were shouting slogans against her," J o i n t P o l i c e Commissioner KL Prasad (Law and Order) said. On March 23, Kasab, who had earlier sought consular access from Pakistan, had requested the court to provide a lawyer at the expense of the state, in the absence of a response from Islamabad. -Agencies

I was threatened by a cabinet minister's aide: Sanjay New Delhi, April 01: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has confirmed that he was being threatened by a Union Minister's aide of "dire consequences" if he joined SP even as Congress dismissed the allegations as completely "baseless". " Ye s I c a n confirm that I was threatened by a senior aide of a Cabinet Minister and warned of dire consequences," he told a news channel in a joint interview with SP general secretary Amar Singh. Dutt, who was barred by Supreme Court from contesting the LS polls, however, refused to reveal the name of the person. "I will reveal everything at the appropriate time. No one can stop me from being with Samajwadi Party," he

asserted. Meanwhile, Congress today dismissed Dutt's allegations, terming it as completely "baseless". "I think it is a self-serving claim. I would it dismiss as completely baseless unless they come out w i t h a n y t h i n g substantial," she said. In the joint interview, Singh said the "counsel of a very senior minister had also threatened Sanjay Dutt from joining SP". "Sanjay was told clearly that should he take such a step, even his bail could be cancelled," Singh said, adding "there are certain managers of Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister who were against Sanjay joining SP."

Dutt confirmed Singh's charges. He contended that "I am not saying that there is a conspiracy against me, but there are people who are scared of my contesting from Lucknow." -Agencies

April 01, 2009

Varun moves SC against detention under NSA New Delhi, April 01: With the possibility of an extended detention looming large, young B J P l e a d e r Va r u n Gandhi on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

The Supreme Court is expected to take up his plea for hearing tomorrow. Va r u n w a s being held illegally by the state government, his lawyer, former additional solicitor general Mukul Rohtagi, told a bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan. Rohtagi told the bench that he was in the process of filing a Habeas Corpus petition to bring Varun Gandhi to the court. The Habeas Corpus special petition is filed when a person goes missing and foul play is suspected. Varun, who is in the eye of a storm for his alleged anti-Muslim utterances, was booked

under the NSA for inciting communal tensions, disruption of peace and on grounds of public administration. Conviction under Section 3(2) of NSA may result in him being under detention for upto one year. Under the provisions of the NSA, a person cannot get bail at least f o r s i x months and i f t h i s happens Varun has to remain in jail till elections are over. Howe v e r, N S A c a n n o t debar a person from contesting elections. Even if one is detained, the person can make a representation against the order, which goes to an advisory committee, the chairman of which is normally a sitting judge of a High Court. Va r u n i s currently lodged in the Etah jail in Uttar Pradesh. He was moved to the Etah Jail from Pilibhit early today, following Intelligence Bureau warning that Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company was looking to eliminate him. According to reports, the IB i n t e r c e p t e d a conversation between

underworld don Chota Shaqueel and his sharp shooter Rashid Malabari about eliminating Varun Gandhi. But the politics over the issue continues unabated with the BJP now constituting a panel led by its former president M Venkaiah Naidu to assess the situation on the ground and report back to its top leadership. " W h a t i s happening with Varun Gandhi is unfortunate. He is being harassed and the BJP condemns it," party president Rajnath Singh said at a rally in Raipur today. "The BJP is politically and legally rallying behind Varun Gandhi," he added. "His detention under the NSA is shameful. It is the joint act of the Congress and BSP. Where do they want to lead the country?" asked Rajnath. According to sources, Singh has deputed Naidu and UP BJP chief Ramapathi Tripathi to visit Gandhi in Etah jail tomorrow. On the other hand, Varun’s mother Maneka, who was in Etah to visit her son, said that transferring Varun from one jail to another was “illegal and dangerous” as “there was no need for it”. She expressed concern at the security and safety of her son and said, “This is a political conspiracy against Vaun.” -Agencies

Fernandes files nomination as independent Patna, April 01 :Veteran socialist leader George Fernandes, denied a ticket by the Janata Dal (United) ((JD(U)), on Wednesday filed his nomination p a p e r s a s a n independent candidate from Muzaffarpur constituency in Bihar, hours after he was reported to have taken ill. Mr. Fernandes, 78, was accompanied by JD(U) MP Digvijay Singh, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, former MP Ram Jeevan Singh and dozens of other socialist leaders. Besides, hundreds of his

supporters were present when he filed the papers. Mr. Fernandes had earlier said he would not fight as an independent but as a party candidate. He arrived in Patna on Tuesday from New Delhi and left soon for Muzaffarpur, 70 km from here. The JD(U) denied him a nomination on the grounds of his "advancing years and failing health." But Fernandes said some people were behind spreading rumours that he was not well and insisted he could contest elections. "It is a

big lie, I am healthy," he said. However, early on W e d n e s d a y, h e w a s reported to be feeling weak. "Fernandes was unwell last night, and when he got up he avoided his morning walk. He suffered a bad stomach and felt weak," Ram Jeevan Singh said. The official JD(U) candidate from Muzaffarpur, Jai Prakash Nishad, is effectively facing a revolt within the party and from workers of alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party. -Agencies

Jaswant denies distributing cash during campaign Jaisalmer, April 01: Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Wednesday denied that he had distributed cash during an election meeting at Gagaria village in Rajasthan's Barmer district. Related Stories Jaswant cashfor-vote: DM submits preliminary report He said helping the needy

was his duty and his family has been helping the poor, but claimed that neither he nor any other BJP leader had violated the model code of conduct by distributing currency notes. Singh and BJP MP from Tonk Lok Sabha seat Kailash Meghwal were yesterday accused of handing Rs 10,000 to a woman and distributing

food packets among people in violation of the model code of conduct at Gagaria where he had gone to campaign for his son Manvendra Singh. "Prima facie Rs 10,000 was given to a woman on the dias by the two leaders who also distributed 6,000 food packets among the people at the meeting,” State's Chief Election

Officer (CEO) Vinod Zutshi said yesterday after receiving a report from Barmer Collector Ravi Jain on the episode. The complaint against the two leaders has been forwarded to the Election Commission, he said. -Agencies

April 01, 2009

World

Times Chennai E-Paper

Pakistan epicentre of world terrorism: PM London, April 01: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Pakistan as the "epicentre of terrorism in the world" and said it had failed to take effective action against militants, in an interview published Wednesday. Speaking to the Financial Times, Singh said Islamabad was either "unable" or "unwilling" to

control Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkare-Taiba, which New Delhi accuses of staging the November attacks on Mumbai that killed 165 people. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating," he said. Singh said that despite pledges by Pakistan throughout the

AfPak a responsibility of world; not us alone: US

past decade that it would not be a launch pad for attacks against India, "in practice no effective action has been taken to control terror." He added: "We all know the epicentre of terrorism in the world today is Pakistan. The world community has to come to grips with this reality."

India concerned at Pakistan's 'soft touch' on Mumbai attack London, April 01: India is "anguished" by Pakistan's "soft touch" in bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to book and is concerned at the possibility of the recent Lahore-style attacks on its own soil. "We feel there is a very soft touch approach," said an Indian official accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the G20 summit here, when asked about New Delhi's stand on Pakistan's approach in investigating the Mumbai terror attacks. "This is causing us a great deal of anguish," the official said. The official, who requested anonymity, said enough evidence had been given to Islamabad that the identified masterminds behind the attacks were in Pakistan and that those who had carried out the attacks were Pakistani nationals. "The best thing for us will be if they are handed over to us. Otherwise they should be tried as per the laws of their land," the official said. "That is only fair." Prior to leaving for London, the Prime Minister had asked Pakistan to show some "visible results" on how it

has dealt with the information India has shared with Islamabad on those responsible for the Mumbai savagery -- if Islamabad wanted the composite dialogue process to resume. "Pakistan has to prove (it) is doing all that is possible," Manmohan Singh said, responding to President Asif Ali Zardari's suggestion that the two countries resume the dialogue process, frozen since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that left over 170 people dead "Pakistan should show visible results on the 26/11 probe," he had said. Referring to the most recent Islamist militant attack on a police academy near Lahore, another official in the Prime Minister's delegation to G20 said that India had "no joy whatsoever" over the killings and that the media should not make any such insinuation. "Pakistan and India have a common objective of eliminating terrorism. Pakistan has to come to grips with this problem," he said, adding that the lesson for India was that terror was not a

diffused phenomenon. "What the recent attacks have shown is terrorism and extremism are fused and un-segmented," he said. "We are concerned that every day when we look at these incidents, we feel these can happen on our soil also." It was for this reason, he said, that the prime minister had been pushing for Indian intelligence agencies to be agile, beef up their network and spruce up their ability to gather crucial information. Manmohan Singh, who will be holding bilateral talks with US President Barrack Obama on the margins of the G20 meet Thursday, has said that issues like terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan will be on t h e a g e n d a . Officials said a lot of preparatory work had gone into the meeting. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Tr e a s u r y S e c r e t a r y Timothy Geithner were expected to participate in the meeting. -Agencies

'Pak wrong to think India gaining control in Afghan' Washington, April 01: The ruling establishment in Pakistan wrongly believes that India is increasingly gaining control in Afghanistan, Senator John McCain has said. "India is very interesting, in my view, because there is a view in Pakistan that the Indians are taking control of the economy and forging close a l l i a n c e s w i t h Afghanistan," McCain said at a seminar on 'The Path to Success in Afghanistan' organised by the Foreign Policy Initiative, a Washington-based think

tank yesterday. "I don't think that's true, but there is that belief, and part of it is based on this deepseated animosity that exists between Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said. This, McCain said reminds him that, still, if you ask the majority of the Pakistani people and military, they would probably say that the greater threat to their security is still India, as opposed to Afghanistan, which then makes understandable some of

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their lack of movement of troops, lack of efforts significant efforts to assert - reassert control in certain parts of the border areas. So, the relation a m o n g A f g h a n neighbours is complex, he added. "But I think that if we begin to succeed in Afghanistan and restore control and then all of the things that follow that, then I think their neighbours will behave in a more responsible fashion," he said. -Agencies

Washington, April 01: Solving the problem of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan is the responsibility of the entire world community and not the United States alone, a s e n i o r O b a m a administration official has said. "There's a genuine recognition that this region and these countries are not simply a concern of just the United States, but instead a concern of the world," W h i t e H o u s e spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said on Board Air Force One en-route to London. S i m i l a r

statements, in this regard, were made by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at The Hague during the international meeting on Afghanistan. "The Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) was pleased with what she heard in public and in p r i v a t e a b o u t commitments to resolving the concerns that we have in this region of the world," he said. " W e a l l recognise the need to support the people of Afghanistan as they build up their security services, strengthen

their economy and institutions, and work with their neighbours to build a safer region," Clinton had told reporters at The Hague. Gibbs said The Hague conference has brought the world together on a platform on this issue. "As you know, the President committed at the beginning of his administration to reviewing our policy -- not simply as one that relates to Afghanistan or one that relates to Pakistan, but one that relates to the region as the whole," he said. -Agencies

US plans $ 2.8 bn military aid to Pakistan: report Washington, April 01: The US is planning a USD 2.8 billion military aid to Pakistan to successfully fight terrorism, but Wa s h i n g t o n w o u l d ensure that the money is not spent in a way that would give Islamabad a greater capacity to attack a n o t h e r c o u n t r y, primarily India, a media report said. The Obama Administration is planning to propose to the Congress a USD 2.8 billion military aid to Pakistan, in addition to the USD 7.5 billion nonmilitary aid in the next five years as proposed in the Kerry-Lugar Bill, the FOX News said quoting unnamed Defence Department officials. The officials said the US would have control over the spending of money under this fund, who would ensure that the money is not spent in a way that would give Pakistan a greater capacity to attack

a n o t h e r c o u n t r y, primarily India, it reported. This has been one of the major concern of India in the past, wherein US funds to fight against terrorism, has been used to purchase fighter jets, primarily aimed at India. In an interview to FOX News, US Central Command chief General David Petraeus said the plan for militaryaid will be called the " P a k i s t a n i Counterinsurgency Capability Fund". It said the military aid of USD 2.8 billion would be distributed over five years, with the first USD 400 million of it added to the fiscal year 2009 supplemental request for war fighting. Another USD 700 million would be in the fiscal 2010 base budget. For each of the fiscal from 2011 to 2013, Pakistan would receive USD 575 million, the

report said. Bruce Riedel, chairman of the Interagency Policy Review on Pakistan and Afghanistan, had earlier said: "In the course of implementing this new strategy, General Petraeus and CENTCOM will study exactly what Pakistan's military needs are that are best related to the counterinsurgency fight." The White Paper of the Interagency Policy Group, stresses on the need to strengthen the US efforts to develop and operationally enable Pakistani security forces so that they are capable of succeeding sustained counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. "In part this will include increased US military assistance for helicopters to provide air mobility, night vision equipment, and training and equipment specifically for Pakistani Special Operation Forces and their Frontier Cops," the White Paper said

Dhaka prepares national defence policy Dhaka, April 01: Bangladesh is readying its first draft of a national defence policy, a minister has said. " T h e government has already prepared a draft policy on national defence by forming a council. It will be finalised on consultation with competent people," Air Vice Marshal (retd.) A.K. Khandaker, planning minister, told the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) Tuesday. Preparing a national defence policy has been discussed for a long time but none of the previous governments

completed the task, The Daily Star newspaper said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, in its election manifesto issued last December, had promised to prepare the country's first defence policy to strengthen the defence forces. Replying to a query of Awami League (AL) lawmaker Nasimul A l a m C h o w d h u r y, Khandaker, a former Bangladesh Air Force chief and in charge of the defence ministry for the parliamentary business, said the government has

initiated steps to formulate a national defence policy in keeping with the poll pledge. The South Asian nation that won its independence in 1971 after a liberation war with Pakistan, has a standing army estimated at 250,000, besides air force and the navy. Its border guard, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), with a strength of 67,000 is in the process of being dismantled and raised afresh after its troopers mutinied in February over low wages and poor working conditions.

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Continue fiscal stimulus: PM to G20 London, April 01: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged the world economies to continue with stimulus packages till 2010 and avoid all kinds of protectionism including in the financial sector to battle the global economic slowdown. When asked about India's stand on fiscal stimulus, Singh told a newspaper in an interview: "I've seen a letter from the Managing Director of the IMF saying that the stimulus that has been planned in the year 2009 by major economies amounts to 2 per cent of (world) GDP. "This is probably adequate but it's necessary to ensure that stimulus is sustained and maintained in the year 2010." Singh, who is here to attend the second meeting of the leaders of the G-20 in about a month,

said, "Protectionism has to be avoided -protectionism not only on the goods but also in the area of s e r v i c e s . F i n a n c i a l protectionism is also bad and should be avoided." "Some action by the developed c o u n t r i e s particularly the withdrawal of capital resources f r o m t h e developing countries by the banks of the developed countries is e q u a l l y worrisome. " W e h a v e entirely agreed that protectionism of all sorts including financial protectionism has to be

avoided. Although some countries have taken action, in practice the

impact of what has been done has not been reversed," he added. -Agencies

Maruti to phase out M800, Omni by 2015-16 New Delhi, April 01: Maruti 800 - the small car that revolutionised personal transport in modern India - will take a bow starting next year and

be phased out by 2016, when the country is expected to embrace new emission norms, Maruti Suzuki India said Wednesday. Along with the

M800, MSI will also be phasing out its second oldest model, the utility van Omni. In the initial phase, the two models will be done away with in

11 cities from next year, where the Bharat StageIV emission norms (which is equivalent to Euro-IV norms) will become applicable. "Once Euro-IV

emission norms is applied across the country, which is likely to happen around 2015-16, then M800 and Omni may not be a saleable product. We will have to eventually phase (them) out then," MSI Chairman R C Bhargava told. The company would not upgrade the engines of these two models to meet better emission standards, he said while also ruling out their replacements. "We regularly introduce new models in the market, but at present there is no plan to bring out substitutes for these two cars," he added. -Agencies

300 Satyam staff join Bank of America: Report Mumbai, April 01: About 250-300 employees at fraud-hit Indian outsourcer Satyam Computer Services are joining Bank of America, a newspaper

said on Wednesday. The employees were working on a Satyam project for Merrill Lynch, which was taken over by the U.S. bank after it was

hit by the subprime crisis last year, it said. The project was not renewed by Merrill after Satyam was caught in India's biggest corporate scandal and the work of managing its database and providing infrastructure support would now be done in house, the paper said. The first of these employees will join Bank of America between April 2 and 8, it said, adding they have been given salary increases of around 10 percent and joining bonuses. A spokeswoman for Satyam said: "The report is speculative." An official

April 01, 2009

Business

at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in India said she could not immediately comment. Satyam, whose market value has slid to $505.6 million from $7 billion last May, is in the midst of a bidding process to find a new buyer. It plunged into a crisis in January after its founder quit as chairman revealing profits had been falsified for years. I n d i a n e n g i n e e r i n g conglomerate Larsen & Toubro and mid-sized o u t s o u r c e r Te c h Mahindra are among the suitors, and local media have said U.S. private equity WL Ross & Co was also among the bidders. -Agencies

Corporation Bank slashes lending rate to 12% Mumbai, April 01: Staterun lender Corporation Bank today joined the league of 12 other public sector lenders in cutting its benchmark lending rate from Wednesday. In a filing to the B o m b a y S t o c k Exchange, the bank said that the Corporation Bank Benchmark Advance Rate (COBAR) has been revised downward by 50 basis points to 12 per cent from 12.5 per cent per annum with effect from today. As many as 13 state-run lenders,

including Corporation Bank, are set to cut their prime lending rates in the range of 25-50 basis points. Eight state-run lenders that have decided to reduce prime lending rate by 50 basis points, are Canara Bank, Central Bank, Vijaya Bank, OBC, Union Bank, Bank of Baroda, UCO Bank and Punjab & Sind Bank. Four banks other banks -- Allahabad Bank, United Bank, Dena Bank and Andhra Bank -would lower prime

lending rates by 25 basis points from today. Besides, privatesector lender Citi Bank also decided to cut its mortgage prime lending rate by 50 basis points to 13.75 per cent. Meanwhile, the country's second largest public-sector lender Punjab National Bank has announced a cut in interest rates by 50-100 bps on fixed deposits of less than three years effective from today. -Agencies

Samsung partners BSNL, MTNL for 3G services New Delhi, April 01: Korean electronic major Samsung today said it has partnered state-run telecos BSNL and MTNL to provide high-end handsets for their 3G services and is looking at up to 45 per cent of its total sales being generated from multimedia and touch screen phones. "We have partnered BSNL and MTNL to promote 3G services in India. We are currently giving a special bundling offer for BSNL

consumers on our select handsets for 3G services," Samsung India Electronics President and CEO Jung Soo Shin said here. He said, "We have also provided handsets to MTNL to offer 3G services in Delhi." Samsung today launched an 8 mega pixel touchscreen, 3G enabled phone 'Ultra' priced at Rs 27,500 in India. The handset is capable of offering speedy internet access,

video telephony, streaming and multimedia services. " S a m s u n g already has four touchscreen phones available in the Indian market, all of these are 3G enabled," Shin said. "We are looking at touchscreen and multimedia phone portfolio to contribute 40-45 per cent of our total sales by the end of the year," Samsung Telecom Division Country Head Sunil Dutt said. -Agencies

Tata will make Nano in Singur: W Bengal official Kuala Lumpur, April 01: We s t B e n g a l t o d a y claimed that the world's cheapest wheels, Nano, will be made in Singur, although car maker Tata Motors had stomped out of the eastern Indian state in a huff last year. "West Bengal lost the opportunity of being Nano's number one plant. However, Nano will definitely be made in West Bengal as the low-cost car needs at least four to five plants," the state's Principal Industry Secretary Sabyasachi Sen told here.

He, however, did not state by when this would happen. Tata Motors, which chose Sanand in Gujarat as the alternative site to manufacture the subUSD 2,500 car Nano, still has its plant in Singur. C o m p a n y Chairman Ratan Tata, at the commercial launch of the people's car on March 23, had said that the factory shell was still intact in Singur - from where it quit over a land row fuelled by opposition Trinamool Congress party. "Their plant

(Tata's) in Singur is almost ready," Sen said while seeking to explain the events leading to Tata Motors exit from the state. "Tata did not want to delay, it wanted to be in the market with the car before other small car makers entered the scene. Tatas also did not want any aggressive tactic to deal with the situation... they have a global reputation," said Sen, who is here to woo Malaysian auto component makers to set up shop in West Bengal. -Agencies

Govt. abolishes banking transaction tax New Delhi, April 01 Taxpayers will not have to pay levy on withdrawal of cash from banks with the government withdrawing the Banking Cash Transaction Tax (BCTT) from on Wednesday. T h e government had introduced 0.1 per cent BCCT in 2005 on cash withdrawals of more than Rs 50,000 (individuals) and Rs 1,00,000 for others in a single day from non-savings bank account maintained with any scheduled bank. The tax has

been withdrawn from April 1 following an announcement made by the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in his budget speech for 200809, sources said. In his Budget s p e e c h , M r . Chidamabram had said, "The BCTT has served a very useful purpose in enlarging the information system of the Income Tax Department. Since the information is also being gathered through other instruments introduced in the last few years, I

propose to withdraw this tax with effect from April 1, 2009." The levy was introduced in 2005 to track unaccounted money and trace its source and destination. Though BCTT was not introduced with the intention of revenue generation, the levy, as per the revised estimates, contributed to the exchequer Rs 600 crore during 2008-09. The BCCT collection was Rs 550 crore for 2007-08. -Agencies

April 01, 2009

Sports

Times Chennai E-Paper

Crouch to lead England in World Cup qualifier London, April 01: Fabio Capello has confirmed that Peter Crouch will lead England's attack in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine after once again dashing Michael Owen's hopes of an international recall. An injury to Darren Bent offered the Italian an opportunity to draft Owen into the squad as experienced back-up for Crouch and Wayne Rooney. But he opted instead to call up Gabriel Agbonlahor, despite the Aston Villa's forward's club performances having dipped of late. To t t e n h a m forward Bent had himself been a late call-up to the squad after Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole suffered injuries in Saturday's 4-0 friendly win over Slovakia. That underlined how far Owen has fallen down the pecking order although Capello again insisted that the injuryplagued Newcastle forward's England career could be revived once he starts playing regularly for his club. " I n e v e r y interview I've said the door

for all the England players is open," Capello said. "I respect Owen but I chose Agbonlahor because he has played a lot of games." Rio Ferdinand, who returned to training after missing the Slovakia match with a back strain, declared himself fit to start alongside John Terry in central defence. Capello will also have Shaun WrightPhillips, who missed Saturday's game with an ankle injury, available, although Aaron Lennon is expected to get the nod on the right flank with Steven Gerrard supporting Rooney and Crouch from the left. With four straight wins in group six, England will be in a very strong position to reach next year's finals in South Africa if they can beat Ukraine, the only team they have yet to face. The impressive win over Slovakia augured well for England's chances and Capello expects Ukraine to play a similar style. "It will be a very dangerous game, they

Venezuela stun 10-man Colombia to keep hopes alive

play very well on the counter attack," the Italian said. "It will be very tough.” "I was very happy after the Slovakia match, our movement with and without the ball was very good and we created a lot of good chances. For me it was a good test." C a p e l l o believes Ukraine's tendency to lay back and try and hit teams on the counter makes the match ideally suited for Crouch. "I think the most important thing is the movement of Gerrard, Lennon or Beckham and Rooney," he said. "The movement near Crouch is very important.” "He can do the same movement and press like (Emile) Heskey. B u t t h e movement of the players around him will be very important.” "All the players will be important. We have to play like a team, a group, this is the most important thing. Not a single player." -Agencies

Pak board faces Rs 12 million lawsuit Karachi, April 01: The Pakistan Cricket Board is facing a Rs 12 million lawsuit by the owner of a security agency who has accused the PCB of evicting his office at the National Stadium against the terms of contract. According to details, Ikram Sehgal, who owns a high profile security a g e n c y, h a s c l a i m e d around Rs 12 million from the board after a clean up operation carried out at the national stadium in January to remove encroachments from the area inside the stadium boundary.

“Sehgal has claimed through his legal notice that the board violated the terms of the contract by bulldozing his office and sheds inside the stadium boundary wall,” one source said. S e h g a l ` s security agency was evicted from the stadium property before the oneday matches against Sri Lanka with the board claiming he had encroached upon extra land and violated his contractual terms. “Sehgal is an influential personality and now he has put the

board under pressure since the board is already facing a possible financial crunch,” one source said. He said Sehgal was due to meet with the PCB Chief Operating Officer this week to resolve the issue out of court. “Apparently the board is in a fix as their director human resources didn`t read the contractual terms with Sehgal`s company before approving the eviction operation from the stadium," the source added. -Agencies

Kuznetsova reaches semi-finals Miami, April 01: Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the Sony Ericsson Open semifinals after holding off a spirited challenge from Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki to win 6-4, 6-7, 6-1. Kuznetsova dominated the first set and took a 5-2 lead in the second but 18-year-old Wozniacki, the WTA's newcomer of the year for 2008, mounted a desperate bid to stay alive. She fought back to 5-5, saved a series of

match points and won the tiebreak but then paid the price for her exertions in the Florida heat and struggled in the deciding set. Kuznetsova will face Victoria Azarenka in the last four after the 11th seed from Belarus eased to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Samantha Stosur of Australia. The Russian was exhausted at the end of the three sets in intense heat and blamed the temperature for her struggle in the second.

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"I saw Caroline and she was fine," the former US Open champion told reporters. "The heat didn't disturb her. I know she was feeling much better than myself.” "I knew though that I was playing a better game and doing the right things, so I was very happy to win this match, especially in the conditions that we played in." -Agencies

Venezuela, April 01: Venezuela scored twice in the last 15 minutes, including a stunning Juan Arango free kick, to beat 10-man Colombia 2-0 and keep alive their chances of qualifying for their first World Cup. Nicolas Fedor, who plays for Salamanca in the Spanish second division, broke the deadlock when he turned in a low cross from Anyelo Pena in the 77th minute, only two minutes after coming on as a substitute. Four minutes later Arango curled a free-kick in off the

underside of the crossbar as the hosts made Colombia pay for their ultra-defensive tactics. Colombia, who have scored only six goals in their 12 World Cup qualifiers, had midfielder Abel Aguilar sent off in the 27th minute for a violent lunge at Alejandro Moreno. H o w e v e r, i t made little difference as they were incapable of putting any sort of attacking moves together before or after his dismissal. The win left Venezuela with 13 points from 12 games in the 10team group, one behind

Colombia, three behind fifth-placed Uruguay and five behind fourth-placed Brazil. The top four teams qualify directly for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the fifth play off against the fourth CONCACAF team. Uruguay visit Chile on Wednesday while Brazil host Peru. Ve n e z u e l a ' s chances nearly all came from Arango's left foot. The captain was close three times in the first half, all from outside the penalty area, and misse. -Agencies

Shearer to become Newcastle manager London, April 01: Former England and Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer will manage Newcastle United for the remainder of the season, according to television reports. Shearer, 38, who has been working as a TV pundit with the BBC, will take over from caretaker Chris Hughton, who has been standing in for manager Joe Kinnear. Kinnear, 62, has been recovering from triple heart bypass surgery s i n c e F e b r u a r y. It was reported late on Tuesday that Shearer would take over as manager while a club source told Reuters that

Shearer would hold a news conference on Thursday and that the club would make no other comment. Newcastle are third from bottom in the Premier League and facing relegation for the first time since they were promoted back to the top tier of English soccer in 1993. They have already had three managers this season. Kevin Keegan resigned as manager in September when Hughton took over as caretaker for three w e e k s . Kinnear was announced as interim

manager at the end of September and was in control of the team until the beginning of February when he was admitted to hospital with a heart condition. Hughton then resumed control with Colin Calderwood as his assistant, but in the five league matches since then Newcastle have drawn two and lost three and dropped from 13th place to 18th and into the relegation zone. Shearer was offered a position on Newcastle's coaching staff when Keegan became manager early in 2008 but turned it down. -Agencies

Nadal advances to Miami quarter-finals Miami, April 01: Rafael Nadal survived a stiff challenge to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP and WTA tournament with straight-set triumphs. Nadal needed two tiebreaks to beat the pesky Wawrinka in the two hour, 42 minutes marathon match. Wawrinka jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set before Nadal clinched

it 7-4 in the final tiebreak. Nadal and Wawrinka traded blows in the first set then Nadal stepped up his game in that tiebreak winning 7-2. Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova became the first semi-finalist in the women's draw by beating Danish 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1. The 2006

champion will play in the semi-finals Thursday against No. 11 Victoria Azarenka, who beat unseeded Samantha Stosur 6-1, 6-0. Nadal's victory means eight of the top 10 seeds are into the quarterfinals for the first time in the tournament's 25-year history. It is also the first time there are eight seeds in the quarter finals. -Agencies

On target in Corinthians win Rio de Janeiro, April 01: Ronaldo was on target again as Corinthians cruised to a 3-0 win over Ituano in the Paulista championship. The 2002 World Cup winner swept the ball home in the 26th minute to notch his fifth goal for the club after the Ituano defence was caught out by a quicklytaken free kick. Corinthians had taken

the lead with a Jorge Henrique header in the second minute and went further ahead when midfielder Cristian scored from a free kick four minutes before halftime. The win kept Corinthians second in the table and guaranteed them a place in the semifinals of the Paulista, the biggest of the regional tournaments which kick off the Brazilian season.

L e a d e r s Palmeiras were held to a 11 draw at Oeste, who went ahead when Ademar chipped the ball over Marcos early in the second half. Vanderlei Luxemburgo's team levelled when Mauricio Ramos headed in from Cleiton Xavier in the 70th minute. -Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

A mere touch of an object can make you buy it

Rahman to be awarded an Honorary Degree in July Chennai, April 01: A R Rahman has been identified for an Honorary Degree by Middlesex University, London. Joe Victor , Regional Director of

Middlesex University, met A.R. Rahman and T.Selvakumar, Co-Founder & CEO of KM Music Conservatory in Chennai and put forward his University's intend to award an Honorary Doctorate for Mr. A.R.Rahman, at a Graduation Ceremony to be held at Middlesex University, London in July 2009. K M M u s i c Conservatory along with Audio Media Education, began in July 2008, to be the first music conservatory in India to specialize in both Western, Indian music and

music technology. The school hopes to train Indian students in Western music P e r f o r m a n c e , Composition and Music Technology at an internationally competitive level, as well as to one day provide India with its own s y m p h o n y o r c h e s t r a comprised of its own musicians. T h e Conservatory has initiated a dialogue with the Regional Director South Asia of M i d d l e s e x University, London to explore the possibility of developing an Academic Articulation for the Bachelor of Arts Honours Programmed for Music Composition and Music Performance. The Degree from Middlesex University is of three years duration. The aim of KMC will be to explore the possibility of offering the first two years of the Middlesex Programme at t h e K M M u s i c Conservatory in Chennai while the final year will take place at the

Middlesex University in London. This Courses are planned to start from January 2010. A b o u t Middlesex University, London Middlesex University is a prestigious institution located in the North of London and has received the highest possible ratings, across all of its programs, from the UK Quality Assurance Agency. The University prides itself in its aim to produce students who make economic, cultural, and social contributions in a growing global community and has affiliated itself to partner institutions across the Globe. This year the Regional Office of Middlesex University is celebrating its tenth anniversary in India. Admissions into KM Music Conservatory's Preparatory Program and Foundation Program are currently open. Applicants for entrance into the degree program must have a twelfth standard or equivalent education level and have completed one year in the KM Music Conservatory Foundation Program. -Agencies

Orkut, Facebook, MP3 format-Delhi BJP to try it all New Delhi, April 01: Don't be surprised if the next call on your cell phone is from your area candidate or you come across a very catchy ring tone promoting BJP with the IT cell of the Delhi unit of the party coming out with a blue print to extensively use hitechnology to its advantage. Va l u e a d d e d services on mobile phones such as SMS and e-mail campaigns, blogs, conversion of all the promotional songs into MP3 format and using social networking sitesFacebook and Orkut- are some of the methods to be used in the campaigning for Lok Sabha polls next month, according to the blue print. Convenor of IT cell Vivek Goel said "almost a l l t h e s e v e n constituencies in the capital have substantial number of young voters and the party plans to use the high technology to best of its advantage to get them." "The use of email, webcasts, SMS,

MMS, blogs and social networking sites will help us connect with the young voters and we are encouraging our candidates to use these mediums," Goel told PTI. He said IT cell is also encouraging candidates to create their websites and blogs through which they will be able to communicate with the media as well as netsavvy citizens. The party also plans to use the interactive voice response or IVR which is a computerised phone system that enables a telephone caller to get answers to standard inquiries through automated process. As per the plan, the party will also seek to use bluetooth technology through which voters can receive contents such as video clips, music and other information on their mobile phones. The IT cell also plans to convert all the promotional songs into MP3 format and upload

April 01, 2009

them on websites of party leaders. Mr. Goel said the party will also launch an SMS campaign which will be divided into four phases. "SMS campaign remains a major communications opportunity and we will use it to the hilt." He said the party may also use the voice SMS also for the campaign. At the national level also, the BJP is trying to exploit the cyber space to a great extent as it is using Google's AdWords and AdSense to promote the party on more than 30,000 websites and blogs. The Congress is also not far behind as it also plans to use Google technologies for advertisements on various popular websites. B J P h a d launched a web campaign "Advani for PM" recently, spread over 2,000 websites worldwide. -Agencies

Washington, April 01: Want to avoid making unnecessary purchases? Well, then keep your hands off the object, for a new study has shown that merely touching an item increases the feelings of ownership people have for the object, prompting them to purchase it. In 2003 Illinois state attorney general's office had warned holiday shoppers to be cautious of retailers who encourage them to hold objects and imagine the objects as their own when shopping. In the present study authors Joann Peck from University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Suzanne B Shu from

UCLA sought to determine whether touching something increases perceived ownership. " I n o u r research, we have evidence that the warning from the attorney general is valid,” said the authors. We find that merely touching an object increases the feelings of ownership a person has for the object. This, in turn, results in a person being willing to pay more for most objects that they touch versus objects that they cannot touch. "We also find that when touch is unavailable, such as shopping online, having

people imagine owning a product increases their perception of ownership and how much they are willing to pay for a product," they added. If people have a positive or neutral response to touching an object, they are willing to pay more for it. "Our findings that consumers respond effectively to the combination of no-touch and ownership imagery suggests a remarkable opportunity for online retailers to increase perceived ownership and purchase," wrote the authors. T h e s t u d y appears in the Journal of Consumer Research. -Agencies

UN climate talks: Save the forests -- but how? Bonn, April 01: Deforestation, one of the main drivers of global warming, has barged its way to the heart of UN climate talks, which resumed in Bonn this week. But which makes the better incentive for saving the carbon-absorbing tropical woodlands: market mechanisms or public funding? This question has split nations, divided green groups and tossed in yet another factor to bedevil efforts to agree a pact by year's end for tackling climate change. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation -- an effort known as REDD -emerged last year as a key element in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. It owes its rise to scientists' warnings that destruction of tropical forests cannot be ignored by policymakers, for it now accounts for a fifth of all greenhousegas emissions. Logging and ground clearance are especially concentrated in Brazil and Indonesia. They each account for about one third of forestrelated emissions, making them the world's top carbon polluters after China and the United States. "There is broad consensus now that the post-2012 agreement will include some sort of incentives for tropical countries to reduce their deforestation," said Steve Schwartzman of Environmental Defense, an advocacy group based in Washington. "The issue is, w h a t k i n d o f mechanism? And that is where the polemics start," he said. The United States and a coalition of around 20 small rain-

forest nations, led by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, are demanding that deforestation "credits" be added to carbon markets, say sources. Under carbon trading -- an innovation of the Kyoto Protocol that will be superseded by the treaty -- companies in industrialised nations can offset obligations to slash CO2 emissions by funding certified carbonreduction projects in the developing world. For this to work properly, the price of carbon has to be high enough to create a juicy enough carrot for investing in clean and renewable technologies. But many green groups, along with the European Union (EU), fear that an influx of deforestation offsets would cause carbon prices to plummet. A s t u d y commissioned by G r e e n p e a c e International, unveiled in B o n n o n T u e s d a y, predicted that introducing forest credits would depress carbon prices by 75 percent, starving developing countries of clean investment. "Of the many options for forest financing currently on the table, this one ranks as t h e w o r s t , " Greenpeace's Roman Czebiniak said. "Forests are the wild card in these negotiations -- it could be used to bring us closer to our goals, or to water them down." Schwartzman couldn't disagree more. "We think it's a terrible idea to preclude the option of creating positive economic value for standing forests," he said. Protecting forests through other methods is bound to fail, he argued. Direct grants or carbon levies in rich

nations would either fail to generate enough cash or would be vulnerable to mismanagement, poor accountability or corruption. "There is now a 40-year history of public sector international development assistance in the forestry sector -- in Indonesia, in the Amazon -which has been entirely unsuccessful in reducing deforestation," he said. By contrast, Schwartzman contended, a company facing a legal obligation to comply with emission caps has a strong incentive to be sure the carbon credit it is buying corresponds to reality. F o r K i m Carstensen, leader of the WWF's global climate initiative, both market and public funding mechanisms are necessary, but not all at once. "The initial stages need to be funded by public mechanisms, not tradable credits. Markets are not a good option now because in the near term we don't see any credible REDD units coming into existence," he said. Only five years ago, Brazil opposed any discussion of deforestation at the UN forum. But in December, it announced a national target to reduce its deforestation by 71 percent by 2017, using a 10-year average up to 2006 as a benchmark. It has opened a fund to receive i n t e r n a t i o n a l compensation, and has recently received the first 110 million of a USD 1 billion pledge -- contingent of continuing progress in forest protection -- from Norway. The key, argues Schwartzman, is that both donor and recipient nations have to have national emissions caps in place, otherwise they will simply shift the carbon pollution from one location to another. -Agencies

April 01, 2009

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