Times Chennai E-paper, March 09, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 52

March 09, 2009

Sri Lankan Tamils issue

Jayalalithaa goes on fast; Slams Centre, DMK Chennai, March 09 Launching a daylong fast to express solidarity with the Sri

for not having any "genuine concern" for the Tamils in the island nation.

did not the Government send relief material such as food, medicines and clothes? The Centre, as

Lankan Tamils, AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa on Monday slammed the Centre and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu

"The UPA Government failed miserably by not despatching immediate humanitarian aid. Why

well as the ruling DMK (which is a constituent of t h e U PA ) h a v e n o genuine concerns for the ( S r i L a n k a n ) Ta m i l

Justice Gokhale sworn in Chief Justice of Madras High Court Chennai, March 09 Justice Hemant Laxman Gokhale was on Monday sworn-in as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. The Tamil Nadu

transferred to the Madras High Court in place of Chief Justice A K Ganguly who was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in December last year.

F i n a n c e Minister K Anbazhgan, Local Administration Minister M K Stalin, Chief Secretary K Sripathy, Home Secretary S Malathy, DGP KP Jain

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala administered the oath of office to Mr. Justice Gokhale at the Raj Bhavan here. Mr. Justice Gokhale, who was Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, had been

Those present at the swearing-in included Acting Chief J u s t i c e S J Mukhopadhyaya, other judges of the high court and representatives of various advocates' associations.

and City Police Commissioner K Radhakrishnan were also among those who attended the function. - Agencies

people," she said. Jayalalithaa said though the fast, aimed at pressuring the Centre to use its good offices with Sri Lanka to declare an immediate ceasefire in the island nation, "would not bring relief to the "hungerstruck Tamils," it would, however, convey the "sentiments and anger of the people of Tamil Nadu against the State and

Central governments." Announcing that her party would collect funds for the Sri Lankan Tamils, she made the first personal contribution of Rs five lakh. Describing the Congress and DMK's decision to continue their alliance as "borne out of absurd courage," Jayalalithaa, who had recently made a vain bid to woo Congress by

urging it to leave the "DMK quicksand," said the people will give a "drubbing" to the alliance in the elections. Besides party leaders and hundreds of workers, AIADMK ally and CPI state Secretary D Pandian also joined the fast being observed near the Chepauk cricket stadium. - Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Jayalalithaa endorses Tamils demand for autonomous homeland Chennai, March 09: Former Tamil Nadu Chief

Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today endorsed the Sri Lankan Tamils demand for a separate autonomous Tamil state homeland. Addressing party workers after commencing her day-long fast demanding immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka, she said the AIADMK supports the Tamils' struggle for an a u t o n o m o u s Ta m i l homeland within the federal set up of Sri Lanka.

''The AIADMK is endorsing the Lankan

Tamils' demand for a separate Tamil State with autonomous status. All Tamils in the island nation should be treated at par with Sinhalese and provided equal status in education and employment,'' she said. M s Jayalalithaa, however, said the AIADMK was opposed to the armed struggle, which had lost its way, and as a result of which thousands of innoceent people were

being wantonly killed. ' ' W e a r e distressed that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was brutally assassinated as a fall out of this armed struggle,'' she added. Accusing DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of trying to confuse the AIADMK's stand on Lankan Tamil issue, she blamed the Centre and the ruling DMK in the State for failing to ensure ceasefire in Sri Lanka. The fast was to press the Centre to ensure peace in the island nation, where security of a large number of civilian Tamils was under threat. ''Today's fast was to express the solidarity of the people of Tamil Nadu with the suffering innocent Lankan Tamils,'' she said. -Agencies

Malpractices alleged in TNPSC exams Chennai, March 09 Aspirants for the Group I Service jobs in the Tamil Nadu government have raised certain questions over the conduct of the examinations in 2007-08 by the Tamil Nadu P u b l i c S e r v i c e Commission (TNPSC) and have gone to court against it. One of their doubts is that there could have been a leak of the question papers, which they suspect helped candidates who were trained by one institute for the examination. The release of the marks of the preliminary examination itself had led to an avalanche of litigations in court, though the final list of candidates chosen for the services would be known only after the main examination and oral test were over. Candidates who failed to qualify for the mains alleged that several questions and answers in objective-type papers were wrongly worded or were wrong. The court, too, permitted 130 candidates to appear for the main exams, conceding that

several questions were wrong and wrong answer keys were given. TNPSC, which had, on a previous occasion, cancelled examinations when it realised that some questions were wrong did not go for a reexamination even after the court allowing petitioners to sit for the mains on the condition that a separate committee re-evaluated their preliminary exam papers. In the main examination, too, the candidates were in for a ruder shock as the question paper pattern was different from the previous years. ‘Though we were informed about the change in the syllabus earlier, there was no mention of the change in the question paper pattern,’’ said a candidate who had cleared the exam and is waiting for the posting. But it gave rise to an allegation that a commercial training centre’s model question papers that were given to

its students were similar to the TNPSC question papers. ``Forty students from that private centre have successfully cleared the main exams. While I am not doubting their individual competence, why did that particular centre alone change their model exam paper from the previous years?’’ asks a trainer from another private training centre. In its reply submitted to the court, the TNPSC said that the change in syllabus was announced over a year ago but agreed that the pattern was not revealed as it was up to the commission to ask the questions in the manner it deemed fit. They also pointed out that only 12 candidates had complained after writing the exam, showing an overall acceptance of the changed pattern. On charges of leaking out the exam paper pattern to a private institute, the commission denied the allegation. -Agencies

March 09, 2009

Woman caught for credit card fraud Chennai, March 09: The credit card fraud has become quiet common in this era where technology is changing e v e r y s e c o n d d a y. Recently a woman has been caught in Chennai for carrying out transactions with a credit card that did not belonged to her. The police arrested the lady when she was tried to purchase gold jewellary worth Rs 1.2 lakh by providing a fake credit card. At the same she also showed a fake driving license as a proof of her address. However the fraud was suspected by

the employees of Saravana Gold Jewellery where the accused had come to make the transactions. Deputy Commissioner of Police, S Muthusami informed that the shop employees called the bank before honouring the ICICI Visa card in the name of Fatima, produced to make the payment. The lady informed the police that the card was given to her by a man named Sasidhar, who promised to pay her a commission of Rs 3,000 for making the purchase. She said that she had met the man in a shopping mall and he called her up from a

public telephone booth and further asked to meet at a certain place. The police further told that the woman had three credit cards but she was caught in the first transactions only. The card she produced at the jewellery shop was originally issued to man called Gawtham in Mumbai. A conformation with the credit card fraud wing of the bank told the name of the original cardholder. The real name of the lady carrying out the fraud is Pavithra and is living in Chrompet. Police are investigating. -Agencies

TN withdraws police personnel from High Court premises Chennai, March 09: The Tamil Nadu government has withdrawn all police personnel deployed on security duty on the Madras High Court premises following instructions from new Chief Justice H L Gokhale. Official sources said High Court Registrar-General R Mala had written to the State Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary on March 7, demanding full police protection on the court premises in view of the new Chief Justice assuming office. As per her letter, the government had deployed full police protection on the court premises since y e s t e r d a y. P o l i c e personnel were also posted in all the four entrances of the High

Court. Meanwhile, the Joint Action Council (JAC) of advocates, c o m p r i s i n g representatives from various advocates associations, yesterday Mr Justice Gokhale and said there was no need for police protection. Providing police force on the court campus could be considered after the lawyers resumed work, they told the Chief Justice. Under the instructions of Justice Gokhale, the RegistrarGeneral requested the government to wirhdraw the police force from the court campus. Officials were scouting for a suitable location to house the High Court police station, which was torched by the rampaging advocates

during the February 19 clash between the lawyers and the police, outside the Court campus. Inspector of Police, Harikrishnan, attached to the police station, was already transferred to another station. In a related development, Chennai City Police Commissioner K Radhakrishnan held a meeting with Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors of Police at the Rajarathinam stadium here last evening. At the meeting, the police personnel were advised on how they should deal with advocates. The policemen were also advised not to get provoked. ''Some do's and dont's were are also issued to the police personnel,'' police sources told news agencies. - Agencies

Youth outfit felicitates five women in Chennai Chennai, March 09 Five women were felicitated by JCI Madras Dakshin, a Youth Federation, for their selfless contribution to a large section of the population on the occasion of the International Women’s Day here on Sunday. A member of the federation said that it was a perfect day to honour Anuradha Parakhat, director of SRM U n i v e r s i t y, A r u n a Raghavan, columnist and visiting faculty for many institutes, M a n g a l a m Balasubramanian, social and environment practitioner, Vasanth Raghuvir, chairman of Sakthi Foundation, and Vimala S, Assistant Commissioner of Police who shaped their life differently and felicitating them would encourage other women to tread their footsteps.

Anuradha Parakhat had a message. She said that multitasking and trying to play the superwoman have taken a toll on women’s health.They should take breaks, enjoy life and do what they want without stressing themselves too much. A r u n a Raghavan has been working in a school which functions uniquely and in a child-friendly manner. In her school situated 300 km away from Chennai, only two hours are devoted to academics and the rest is playtime, music or activities time for students. I make sure students are updated with films as well. Except for those two hours of serious study, it is completely the will and wish of the student to plan how to spend the rest of his time in school. He is given a choice to

pursue any activity which interests him, she said. While Vimala fought a forceful fight for dowry-related issues, Mangala made sure that all the 21 wards, including slums in Pammal Municipality, follow the zero waste management programme. V a s a n t h Raghuvir has been behind one of the pioneering organizations, Sakthi Foundation, which is working towards the objective of a no-barrier environment for the differently-abled persons. As Vasanth was giving her felicitation speech, she poignantly remembered her son who lost his life in his college second year. He was a differently-abled talented child and it was after him that I started this organization to make a difference to this part of society, Vasanth said.

March 09, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

Page 3

New CJ reminds HC Bar of its responsibilities Chennai, March 09: Mr Justice H L Gokhale, who was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Madras High Court, today said the legal fraternity in Tamil Nadu was passing through a difficult phase. Replying to felicitations at the welcome ceremony at the Madras High Court, he said the citizens' expectations on the judiciary has increased. ''We have to meet the expectations of the common litigants'', he added. Without directly referring to the February 19 clash between the advocates and the police in

the court campus, Mr Justice Gokhale said the legal fraternity was passing through difficult times. ''The Bar had a great role to play in this court'', he said and quoted a couplet from Tamil epic 'Thirukkural' and appealed to advocates to follow it. E a r l i e r , Advocate General Masilamani welcomed him and said Mr Justice Gokhale has assumed office as the 43rd Chief Justice of the Madras High court. Government Advocates, and officer-

bearers of various Advocates Associations under the banner of Joint Action Committee (JAC), participated in the welcome ceremony. A lawyer Udaya Banu, belonging to the Congress SC/ST Advocates wing, created a flutter when he came to the function sporting a helmet. When asked about it he sarcastically said since he feared attack from the police, he was wearing it as a precautionary measure to protect himself. -Agencies

Last date for sending nominations extended Chennai, March 09 The last date for sending nominations for the Tamil Nadu Young Women Scientist Award2008 and the Lifetime Achievement Award for

Women-2008 has been extended up to March 31. A press release from Science City said that the application form is available on its website

transgender community. “I don’t agree with this. We want to mingle with the mainstream. We don’t want to be separated like this,” said Aasha Bharathi, president of the Tamil Nadu Aravanigal Association. “Using separate toilets will open t h e w a y f o r discrimination. We want to be considered as females. In our hearts, we are women.” But Lakhoni countered that the move was aimed at “extending recognition to the community and mainstreaming them”. Pointing out that the scheme was announced in the budget last month, he said a survey revealed that 99 per cent of the respondents did not want to use the same toilets as transgenders. Supporting the government’s decision, R o s e Ve n k a t e s a n , India’s first transgender TV host who anchors Ippadikku Rose, said it was a good start. “One of the most basic needs is toilets. It is a big problem, because not everyone has undergone a sex change. This is a good idea, but in the long run, I see a society where there is no difference and all

Chennai, March 09 : V. Vignesh and N Keerthivasan from GKM College of Engineering and Technology emerged as the winners at the first edition of 'Design ACE2009', State Level Engineering Design Contest conducted by Barry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR), concluded on March 7, 2009, in Chennai. The contest r e c e i v e d a n overwhelming response of more than 100 entries, out of which 15 teams got through to the finals. The valedictory function was presided by Dr. R. Radhakrishnan, Vice Chancellor, Anna University Coimbatore. The 3 month long contest is an

endeavor by BWIR to promote and encourage design capabilities among the engineering students. The contestants of 'Design ACE-2009' submitted one innovative design and a business problem design along with a short write-up. The finalists got an opportunity to present their models in front of jury for 15 minutes. The winners were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 30,000. B. Manoj and K. Ramkumar, PSG College of Technology won the Second Prize of Rs. 25000 while K.Y Balaji and S.Suganesh of Sona College of Technology stood third winning Rs. 20, 000. The top three teams, in

addition to the cash prizes w e r e o ff e r e d a p a i d internship at BWIR to work on real-time projects and licenses of SolidWorks. In addition to this, BWIR announced its plans of BWIR Academia Initiative Program 'Seeding new Talent Pool, for an innovative tomorrow'. Announcing this innovative industry-academia collaboration, Senthil Kumar, Vice President and Senior Partner Operations, BWIR said "This is our first step to bridge the divide between the industry practicalities and academic curriculums which would address the great demand for indigenous specialized engineering talent". -Agencies

Now reach Tirupati in just 30 minutes

www.sciencecitychennai .com. Scientists may also call Science City office on 24454054 or 24454034 for further details.

Civic move on toilets for transgenders sparks off debate Chennai, March 09 Besides “ladies” and “gents”, public lavatories in Chennai may soon offer a third option — for transgenders. The Chennai Municipal Corporation has set aside Rs 45 lakh for a pilot project to build three such lavatories for transgenders in the city. W h i l e t h e construction is expected to begin after the polls, the officials have already identified areas with a considerable transgender population in south and central Chennai. The first will be built in Saidapet, where it will cater to those living in Kothamedu, Theedeer Nagar and Athuma Nagar. Each lavatory, with both male and female urinals for those who have undergone sex change as well as those who are yet to do so, is estimated to cost about Rs 12-15 lakh. Muncipal Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said that more such toilets would be built, depending on the response. For the moment, the response has been rather mixed. While there are some who have welcomed the move, many feel that it would lead to more isolation of the

GKM College of Engineering and Technology Win 'Design ACE - 2009’

use the same toilets,” she said. Venkatesan uses the “ladies” toilets. She had issues when she was still transitioning from male to female, but her celebrity status ensured that she found acceptance quickly. However, Dr Lakshmibai, associated with the Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative that works with over 15,000 transgenders in the state, denounced the move. “On the one hand, we are trying to get them accepted as women and mainstream them, but this creates more isolation. If they have to use separate toilets, there are more chances of them getting victimised,” she said. With a population of a b o u t 3 0 , 0 0 0 t r a n s g e n d e r s , Tam i l Nadu has implemented several schemes for them, including the creation of welfare boards, separate voter identification cards and ration cards and free sex correction operations. R e c e n t l y, t h e s t a t e Government allocated Rs 1 crore for a group housing project for the community -Agencies

Chennai, March 09 Pay Rs 18,000 and reach Tirupati in 30 minutes from Chennai. This and many similar journeys will now be possible with the Chennai- based Indra Air Private Limited (IAPL) all set to launch copter charter services to select pilgrimage centres in south India. On March 12, the company will launch its charter service to Tirupati, according to W T S David, the general manager (commercial and operations), IAPL.

“Soon, the services would be extended to Thiruvannamalai and Sabarimala,” he said. IAPL has imported the Enstrom 480B helicopter from the US. The aircraft, which can carry four passengers, can fly without refueling for three hours, said David, pointing out that the flying time to Thiruvannamalai is 20 minutes, while Tirupati is 30 minutes away and Sabarimala is two hours away. David said that

company plans to buy more aircraft soon, adding that a twinengine, sevenseater Bell 407, a sixseater Agusta 109 and a 12 seater-Cessna Caravan will be added to the company’s fleet. The finance controller of the company, C A Padmine, said political parties have shown great interest in chartering the copter for electioneering. “A demo was done in Hyderabad for political parties last week,” she said. -Agencies

Playing with snakes for students to move up the ladder Chennai, March 09 : Call it a turn back to the days of the Raj when India was called a land of the snake charmers but a private school here has hit upon a novel idea of removing examination blues from the minds of students of Class X with the help of the very same reptiles. The authorities at the Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School at suburban Kolathur brought snakes to the school premises with the help of the staff of the Guindy Snake Park to remove examination blues. More than 3,600 students, from Kindergarten to Class X, had the experience of a lifetime to learn about snakes whose very mention sent shivers down the spine. Billed as ''Stress Buster Regime'' ahead of Class X Board Examinations, beginning on March 18, the Snake Park staff displayed about 14 types of snakes, both poisonous and nonpoisonous, and allowed

the students to handle them. ''Defeat the fear before fear defeats you is the mantra behind this novel initiative to prevent stress from taking a toll on the performance of the s t u d e n t s i n examinations,'' School P r i n c i p a l B Purushothaman and senior Vice-Principal Kalaiarasi told UNI. Though Yoga and pranic healing sessions had become order of the day in schools to beat examrelated stress, this was for the first time a live demonstration with snakes, snake-related jokes and ''Snake Aasana'' were organised in a school. There was never a dull moment in the nearly three-hourlong demonstration as the Snake Park authorities led by Dr Kannan, Environment E d u c a t i o n a l O ff i c e r, exhibited various types of snakes and patiently answered a volley of questions raised by enthusiastic students. ''It's a learning experience as well for the

students as the event is also an awareness campaign to remove the myths and misgivings about snakes and snakebites,'' they said. ‘'Though the students have been preparing for the board exams for the last one-anda-half-years (learning Standard X portions from the second term of Standard IX), they are bit worried about their performance in the exams.'' A live-in demo with snakes would help them not only to remove exam fear but also light up their mind and make them stress-free when they sit for examinations, Mr Purushothaman said. The students were also taught ''Bhujangasana'' (cobra pose), a form of Asana, to relieve the stress. The idea, mooted by the school management, had gone down well with the students, and the school authorities oozed confidence that the Class X students would come out with flying colours by scoring good marks in the board exams. - Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

National

Congress will wait till last moment for pact with SP: Digvijay Singh

Break up may prove more costly for BJP than BJD New Delhi, March 09: The end of the 11year-old alliance between the BJP and the BJD may prove to be a lot more costly for the saffron party than Naveen Patnaik's Orissa-oriented regional outfit. To start with, the

BJP move to withdraw support to a government that has already completed its tenure is nothing more than an exercise in futility, according to political analysts. The step is also not likely to achieve President's Rule in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as Patnaik seems all set to win the trust vote in the 147member assembly on March 11. He has garnered the backing of one MLA each from the CPI(M) and CPI, two from the NCP, four from the JMM and seven independents, besides 61 from his own party to cobble together a strength of 76, two more than the requisite number. While at the national level, the BJD's snapping ties with BJP is being seen as a blow to L K Advani's prime ministerial aspirations, at the state level, Patnaik by dumping t h e s a ff r o n p a r t y i s expected to improve his secular credentials which

took a beating after the anti-Christian riots in Khandamal, the analysts feel. Given that the 2008 Khandamal civic poll results indicated that the BJP had lost popular ground, the BJD's pulling away seems to be less about seat s h a r i n g differences and more about ensuring that it can come to power again with the help of secular allies such as the left, NCP, JMM and others. At the national level, the snapping of BJP-BJD ties does seem to be a "game changer" - the term that CPI(M)'s Prakash Karat has used to describe the Orissa development. At one go, it may not help BJP's plans to emerge as leader of the largest combination postelections, while making the "Third Front" project looks a lot more real than what it seemed earlier, the analysts say. The BJD's lurch towards the Left may seem to be an alliance made on the rebound, but it would certainly not have done so if it was not convinced that the costs of a tie-up with the BJP is possibly more than the benefits. The alliance had yielded rich dividends to both the parties in all the assembly and Lok Sabha elections that the two had fought together in the past, so the break up is certainly not because of some minor differences of one or two seats here or there, they feel. The Biju Janata

Dal was formed on December 26, 1997 after the demise of Orissa strongman Biju Patnaik in April 1997 and the alliance with the BJP came into being in February 1998 through the efforts of the late Pramod Mahajan, who is surely being missed now by the saffron party. While the BJDBJP alliance contested Lok Sabha elections in 1998, 1999 and 2004, they went to assembly polls jointly in 2000 and 2004. In th e 2 0 0 4 assembly elections, the BJD got 61 seats while BJP won 32, together obtaining a comfortable majority of 93 members in 147-member Orissa Vidhan Sabha. The story was even better in the 2000 assembly polls when together they bagged 106 seats with BJD winning 68 and the BJP 38. In Lok Sabha elections too, the alliance has yielded rich dividends for both parties as together they have a won a majority of the 21 seats in the state all three times. In 2004, BJD got 11 while BJP won in seven constituencies leaving only two seats to the opposition Congress. JMM had won one seat. The alliance also proved fruitful for both the parties in 1999 Lok Sabha polls when Congress could win only one of the 21 seats. The analysts say that given this track record, the BJD's decision to go for a divorce is much more deep rooted than it is willing to admit. - Agencies

Kasab's trial via video conferencing Mumbai, March 09: Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested in the Mumbai terror strikes case, is likely to participate in court proceedings on Monday through video conferencing following a heightened theat perception about his security. Kasab, arrested on November 26, has never been produced in open court due to security concerns. He is presently lodged in a high security barrack of the Arthur Road

jail in central Mumbai. As Kasab is required to be present for court proceedings, but could not be brought to the court house in south Mumbai due to security concerns video conferencing will be arranged, sources said. The Mumbai police has filed its chargesheet against Kasab and two others, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, for their alleged involvement in the terror strikes in which over 160 persons were killed.

March 09, 2009

The prosecution today will be seeking the case to be committed from the magistrate's court to the special court which has been created to conduct the trial. The magistrate will also pass orders on a plea by Ansari and Ahmed, alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, to receive copies of the 11,000 page chargesheet in Urdu. The original copies are in English and Marathi. - Agencies

Gorakhpur, March 09: A day after the Samajwadi Party virtually ended the

possibility of an alliance with Sonia Gandhi's party, the Congress on Monday said it will wait till the last moment for an amicable seat sharing arrangement with the SP

for the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. "Doors will remain open till the last moment though we are prepared to contest from all seats. Yet, we will think on how many seats we can allot them (SP) like they have decided to leave us 6," Congress general secretary and UP in-charge Digvijay Singh said in a press conference here. Yesterday, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had pulled the plug on any alliance by announcing that his party would contest all but six seats in UP. However, the Congress general secretary today said that his party would make

every effort to keep communal forces at bay in UP and elsewhere and for that it would again seek the SP's support to check the division of votes during the coming elections but it would not compromise on its self-respect. He said his party was thankful to the SP for coming to its aid during the trust vote in the Lok Sabha after the Left withdrew support on the nuclear deal issue. Maintaining that UP would decide who would come to power at the Centre after the elections, he said there was no alternative to the Congress if a secular government has to be established. - Agencies

Release Rs 5 lakh cr recession aid to people: CPIM to Centre Hyderabad, March 09: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member and Andhra Pradesh unit Secretary B V Raghavulu has demanded that the Centre immediately come out with a Rs five lakh crore relief package to aid people in these troubled times. "The global economic recession has left a tremendous impact on our economy as well and left lakhs of people jobless. The food security of the people has also been threatened. It is high time that the

government come out with a massive relief package," Raghavulu told a press conference here on Monday. T h e U S government had been implementing a massive relief package while the Chinese government announced a Rs 25 lakh crore package, he pointed out while asking the Union government to announce a Rs 5 lakh crore package for Indians. "Schemes like t h e C a s h Tr a n s f e r Scheme mooted by the Telugu Desam Party are

needed in this time of crisis. Such safety net programmes are very essential. The Centre should in fact release grants to the state governments to implement such schemes," Raghavulu said. T h e C P M Politburo Member also wanted the Centre to release funds to the state road transport corporations to purchase new buses. "This will revitalise the automobile industry and provide more jobs," he said. - Agencies

Conviction can be based even on “deficient" evidence: Supreme Court New Delhi, March 09: The Supreme Court has held that an accused can be convicted even on deficient evidence as long as the same was credible and cogent. "It is the duty of court to separate grain from chaff. Where chaff can be separated from grain, it would be open to the court to convict an a c c u s e d notwithstanding, the fact that evidence has been found to be deficient, or to be not wholly credible," a bench of Justices Arijit P a s a y a t a n d Mukundakam Sharma observed. The apex court passed the ruling while dismissing the appeal of Mani alias Udattu Man and six others convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Tamil Nadu for the murder of one Prabha. The deceased was hacked to death by the accused due to previous enmity. Even though seven of the prosecution witnesses turned hostile, the sessions court convicted the accused on the basis

of the eyewitness account of Murugammal, mother of the deceased. However, one of the accused was acquitted of the charge.The Madras High Court confirmed the sentence following which the accused appealed in the apex court. Incidentally, the accused were acquitted in the earlier murder of Prabha's younger brother Babu. In the appeal before the apex court, Mani and the other accused took the plea that as seven of the witnessess failed to support the prosecution's theory and one of the accused had been acquitted, they too were entitled to acquittal under the maxim "falsus in uno falsus in omnibus" (if part of the evidence is unbelievable then the rest should also be discarded)." The same maxim is employed in some of the advanced countries, they argued. Rejecting the argument, the apex court observed that the maxim has no application in India and the witness/ witnesses

cannot be branded as liars. According to the apex court, the maxim has neither general acceptance nor has occupied the status of rule of law in the country. “It is merely a rule of caution. All that it amounts to, is that in such cases testimony may be disregarded, and not that it must be disregarded. The doctrince merely involves the question of weight of evidence which a court may apply in a given set of circumstances, but is not what may be called a mandatory rule of evidence," the bench observed. Evidence in each case has to be appraised as to what extent it is worthy of accpetance, the apex court said. "Merely because in some respects the court considers the same to be insufficient for placing reliance on the testimony of a witness, it does not necessarily follow as a matter of law that it must be disregarded in all aspects," the bench observed, while upholding the conviction and sentence. - Agencies

March 09, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

World

Kayani warns Zardari as Pak slips deeper into chaos Islamabad, March 09: The threat of another coup is looming over Pakistan, with Army

Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani reportedly issuing a warning to President Asif Ali Zardari demanding restoration of order in the country. R e p o r t s appearing in the Pakistani media on Monday claimed that Zardari has been given a deadline of March 16 by

Kayani to get things back on track in the country, especially in the North West Frontier Province w h e r e t h e government recently signed a ‘peace deal’ w i t h t h e Tal i b a n imposing Sharia in large parts of the area, including the picturesque Swat Valley. Kayani was forced to issue warning to Zardari at the behest of the United States, which is believed to be upset with the President, reports stated. The US administration is of the view that Zardari is busy settling personal scores with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has also upped the ante against the

President following the Supreme Court’s election ban on him. The March 16 deadline holds significance as the Opposition is planning a long march in the national capital against the government on that day. The warning to restore comes just days after the attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in the heart of Lahore. While the attackers have yet to be identified, speculation has been rife that elements in the Pakistani military could have been behind the incident to further destabililse the civilian government. -Agencies

Brown visits troops in N Ireland post attack Antrim, N Ireland, March 09: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited troops in Northern Ireland on Monday after a republican splinter group killed two British soldiers in the worst attack in the province in a decade. Police ramped up the hunt for the killers of the two soldiers who were shot dead late on Saturday as they collected pizzas at the gates of an army base near Antrim, a commuter town outside Belfast. "You never stood a chance, gunned down by cowardly scum," read one of wreaths of flowers laid outside the barracks. Brown has promised to "bring the murderers to justice" and on Monday visited the army base where the attack took place. The soldiers were the first British troops to be killed in the province since 1997. A caller to the Dublin-based Sunday Tribune newspaper on Sunday claimed responsibility for the shooting in the name of the South Antrim brigade of the Real IRA. A splinter group that left the main Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Real IRA wants a united Ireland and the withdrawal of all British troops from the province. Former foes across the sectarian divide vowed the killings would not plunge the province back into violence seen before a 1998 peace deal ended 30 years of conflict, known as "The Troubles," which killed over 3,600 people. The IRA, which fought British rule for decades and drew support from the minority Roman Catholic community, and

pro-British Protestant guerrilla groups agreed to ceasefires under the 1998 deal. Despite a power-sharing pact between IRA ally Sinn Fein and pro-British Democratic Unionist Party in 2007, which cemented the 1998 accord, sporadic violence has continued. "A vast majority of people in Northern Ireland want to stick with the peace, want to stick with the political process," British Home Secretary (Interior Minister) Jacqui Smith said on Monday. "It's extremely important that that happens as well as we catch these people," Smith told station GMTV. The weekend shooting followed a police warning last week that the threat from IRA splinter groups was again high. The Real IRA carried out the deadliest single bombing of Northern Ireland's sectarian violence in the market town of Omagh in

August 1998. Twentynine people were killed. At the end of January police defused a 300-pound (140 kg) car bomb been left by dissident republicans in a Northern Irish village. " A n y resumption of violence in Northern Ireland will cause inestimable damage to the peace process, prevent foreign investment and contribute to rising unemployment," the Dublin-based Irish Times wrote in a editorial. "There should be no return to the dark days of the past," it said. British troops stood down in 2007 after their 38-year role supporting police in the province, ending their longest military operation ever. A maximum of 5,000 military personnel as part of a "peacetime garrison" is stationed in Northern Ireland. The two soldiers who were killed were in their 20s and due to fly out for duty in Afghanistan. - Agencies

'Protest in China, police targeted' Beijing, March 09: Small explosive devices on Monday hit a police car and a fire truck following a protest in a Tibetan area of western China, state media reported, adding there were no fatalities. The protest in Tibetan-populated Golog prefecture of Qinghai province involved dozens of people and was triggered by anger over police stopping a resident at a road checkpoint for an identity check, Xinhua news agency said. Xinhua did not identify the protesters as Tibetans.It came amid high tensions in Tibet and Tibetan-populated areas of western China, such as Golog, ahead of Tuesday's 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. -Agencies

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'LeT replaces Al Qaeda as biggest threat to US' Islamabad, March 09: Indicative of the growing clout of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) despite an apparent crackdown by the Pakistani authorities, US security experts believe that the terror group and not Al Qaeda has emerged as the main threat and could well stage the next major attack on the American mainland. "We are and should be concerned about the threat LeT poses, given its global network," Juan Zarate, deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism in the Bush administration, told the Chicago Tribune in an interview published Sunday. According to Zarate, the FBI and other US intelligence agencies had been focussing on the LeT as the next big threat to US security even before the Nov 2629, 2008, Mumbai terror attacks. T h e Tr i b u n e quoted US authorities as saying that the LeT was in many ways a bigger threat than the Al Qaeda, whose leadership was on the run from numerous Predator strikes in the Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas. Z a r a t e ' s remarks come amidst reports that the LeT had got a new set of commanders to replace Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah who the Pakistani authorities detained after the Mumbai carnage that India has blamed on the terror group. Pakistani investigators initially pointed to an LeT

hand in last week's attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore but later ascribed it to the Al Qaeda. "We are and should be concerned about the threat LeT poses, given its global network," Zarate told the Tribune. "It doesn't just reside in South Asia. It is an organisation that has potential reach all over the world, including the US," he added. Bruce Riedel, chairman of the Obama administration's Pakistan-Afghanistan strategy review team, said he believed such a "global jihadist syndicate" of disaffected young Pakistanis was the most likely mechanism for launching an attack on US soil. The Mumbai attacks, according to Riedel, was only the latest of several such by such militants on soft targets frequented by Americans, including hotels in Kabul and Islamabad. The Mumbai mayhem had claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners six of them American citizen. India had subsequently given the FBI access to Ajmal Amir Kasab, the sole terrorist captured alive during the carnage. India says Kasab and nine other LeT operatives, all of whom were killed during the attacks that lasted for over 60 hours, had staged the assault. India had also asked the FBI to examine evidence collected from five GPS phones used for

coordinating the attack, requesting the FBI to analyse the data. The FBI established that the attack was mounted from the sea. The Tribune said that Washington wanted Pakistan to not only dismantle LeT but also other similar groups founded during the Afghan war or later to participate in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Quoting US and allied intelligence sources, the report claimed that potentially tens of thousands of Pakistanis had been trained in the LeT's guerrilla camps in Pakistan, many of whom had gone on to fight for the Al Qaeda. This includes a small number of US residents, some of who are believed to have returned home. Nearly a dozen Americans, including many members of the so-called Virginia Jihad Network, have been convicted in US courts of training at LeT camps and conspiring to provide material support to the group. The US is also concerned about the thousands of disaffected Westerners and Pakistanis in Britain and other countries in Europe who travel frequently to Pakistan, the newspaper said. Citizens of these countries do not need a visa for coming to the US. An unknown number of those have trained in LeT camps, and after getting "indoctrinated in its hatred of the West and returning home, they were free to travel to the United States with virtually no background check", the Tribune said. - Agenices

China deploys extra troops along Tibet border Beijing, March 09: China said Monday it had deployed extra soldiers along Tibet's border as part of ramped up security measures ahead of the 50th anniversary of a failed anti-Chinese uprising. Residents in the Himalayan region's capital, Lhasa, also reported seeing armed security forces patrolling the city, as tensions rose ahead of Tuesday's failed uprising that forced Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama into exile. Chinese state media reported a protest

involving dozens of people in a Tibetanpopulated region of northwest China, which saw small handmade explosives damaged a police car and firetruck, but not killed anyone. The report by Xinhua news agency did not specifically identify the protesters as Ti b e t a n s , a n d l o c a l authorities were unavailable for comment. However Tibetan authorities made it clear they were bracing for potential widespread unrest for Tuesday's anniversary. " To p r o t e c t

stability in Tibet, we have deployed military troops to strengthen controls at entry points and on key r o a d s a l o n g Ti b e t ' s (international) border," said Fu Hongyu, a top border control official. "We will go all-out to maintain security and stability," Fu said in comments carried by Xinhua. China has previously warned that exiled groups may seek to destabilise Tibet from across the border in Nepal or India. - Agenices

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Times Chennai E-Paper

'Pakistan's Nuke-bomb prevented India from attacking it after 26/11' Kolkata, March 09: Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons prevented India from attacking that country after the terror strikes in Mumbai and the attack on Parliament, former army chief Gen Shankar Roychowdhury has said. "Do nuclear weapons deter? Of course, they do. Pakistan's nuclear weapons deterred India from attacking that country after the Mumbai strikes," he told a seminar here on 'Nuclear Risk Reduction and Conflict Resolve.'

It was due to Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons that India stopped short of a military retaliation following the attack on Parliament in 2001, Roychowdhury said. Stressing the need for nuclear disarmament, he said in 1988 the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had proposed a 20-year plan for it. Commissioner in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC) Lt Gen V R

March 09, 2009

News You Can Use

Raghavan said Pakistan's nuclear weapons were in safe hands. " B y a l l indications, Pakistan's nuclear weapons, are in safe hands and under tight control. But nobody can say what will happen if the system breaks down. There is concern i n t h e We s t a b o u t whether the system in Pakistan can be sustained only through aid," Raghavan said on Saturday. - Agencies

NASA's Mars Rover changes route Washington, March 09: Loose soil piled against the northern edge of a low plateau called "Home Plate" has blocked NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit from taking the shortest

the opposite side of Mars. Both rovers landed on Mars in 2004 for what were originally planned as three-month missions there. Spirit spent

route toward its southward destinations for the upcoming Martian summer and following winter. The rover has begun a trek skirting at least partway around the plateau instead of directly over it. However, Spirit has also gotten a jump start on its summer science plans, examining a silica-rich outcrop that adds information about a long-gone environment that had hot water or steam. E v e n a circuitous route to the destinations chosen for Spirit would be much shorter than the overland expedition Spirit's twin, Opportunity, is making on

2008 on the northern edge of Home Plate, a flat-topped deposit about the size of a baseball field, composed of hardened ash and rising about 1.5 meters (5 feet) above the ground around it. There, the north-facing tilt positioned Spirit's solar arrays to catch enough sunshine for the rover to survive the six-monthlong Martian winter. The scientists and engineers who operate the rovers chose as 2009 destinations a steep mound called "Von Braun" and an irregular, 45-meter-wide (150-footwide) bowl called "Goddard." These side-by-

India to remain among top outsourcing destinations: Moody's New Delhi, March 09: At a time when US President Barack Obama is coming down heavily on outsourcing, global financial firm Moody's has said India will remain a top outsourcing destination. "India will remain a top outsourcing destination because of its tech-savvy and Englishproficient urban workforce whose wages are much lower than their western counterparts," Moody's economy.com economist Sherman Chan told reporters. Sherman further said that India's outsourcing industry will certainly be hurt by this global downturn, as

demand for IT support or telemarketing has weakened significantly in recent months. However, it will recover well after the global economy rebounds, though the recovery is expected to be gradual as businesses will remain cautious with investment plans, she added. In his first address to the joint session of the US Congress last month, Obama had stated his administration would end tax breaks for corporations that ship the US jobs overseas. On asked whether increase in

protectionism of the domestic industry in the US and the developed countries is hitting the Indian outsourcing badly, Sherman said, "I don't think businesses leave India mainly because of protectionist sentiment." "A more likely reason is that activity is being scaled back in the light of a slowing global economy," she added. The USD 40billion Indian software and BPO export industry, mainly driven by outsourcing, draws 60 per cent of its revenues from the US. - Agencies

'Holy powder' makes membranes behave Washington, March 09: It has been used in India for centuries to treat wounds and infections. And, now scientists in the US have discovered that "holy powder" turmeric can make human cell membranes behave for better health. A t e a m a t Michigan University, led by Indian-origin researcher A y y a l u s a m y R a m a m o o r t h y, h a s claimed that curcumin acts as a disciplinarian, inserting itself into cell membranes and making them more orderly, a move that helps improve cells' resistance to infection and malignancy. In fact, the scientists have found curcumin regulates the

action of membrane proteins "indirectly", by changing the physical properties of the membrane. " T h e membrane goes from being crazy and floppy to being more disciplined and ordered, so that information flow through it can be controlled," Prof Ramamoorthy wrote in the 'Journal of the American Chemical Society'. In their study, the scientists used a technique called solidstate NMR spectroscopy to reveal atom-level details of these important molecules and the membranous milieu in which they operate. "Probing h i g h resolution intermolecular

side features offer a promising area to examine while energy is adequate during the Martian summer and also to provide the next north-facing winter haven beginning in late 2009. Von Braun and Goddard intrigue scientists as sites where Spirit may find more evidence about an explosive mix of water and volcanism in the area's distant past. They are side-byside, about 200 meters, or yards, south of where Spirit is now. In January and February this year, Spirit descended from Home Plate and drove eastward about 15 meters (about 50 feet) toward a less steep on-ramp. "Spirit could not make progress in the last two attempts to get up onto Home Plate," said John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, project manager for both rovers. "Alternatively, we are driving Spirit around Home Plate to the east. Spirit will have to go around a couple of small ridges that extend to the northeast, and then see whether a route east of Home Plate looks traversable. If that route proves not to be traversable, a route around the west side of Home Plate is still an option," he added. - Agencies

Cancer cure may be within 5yrs

interactions in the messy membrane environment has been a major challenge to commonly used biophysical t e c h n i q u e s , " Ramamoorthy said. The team is now planning to study a variety of curcumin derivatives, some of which have enhanced potency. "We want to see how these various derivatives interact with the membrane, to see if the interactions are the same as observed. Such a study could lead to development of compounds to treat infection and other diseases," he said. -Agencies

London, March 09: Researchers in London have discovered a way to stop cancer cells from spreading, which may prevent about 90 percent patients. Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research, a constituent college of the University of London, say that rather than concentrating on stopping the formation on tumours, they focussed on singling out the enzyme that allows cancer to spread throughout the body. T h e researchers say that their groundbreaking study led to the discovery that an enzyme called LOX is crucial in promoting the spread of

the disease throughout a patient’s body. L e a d researcher Dr. Janine Erler said called her team’s discovery “the crucial missing piece in the jigsaw we have been searching for”. She claimed that her team was the first to have identified any such key enzyme. “This discovery provides real hope that we can -develop a drug to fight it. If we can interrupt the body’s ability to prepare new locations for the cancer to spread to, we can prevent metastasis,” the Daily Express quoted her as saying. While studying breast cancer in mice,

Janine’s team have found that in the absence of the LOX enzyme, full name lysyl oxidase, new environments in the body would be too hostile for the cancer to grow. The research group, which includes scientists from Stanford University in America, are confident that it will apply to humans and other cancer types. Janine and her colleagues now plant to use their findings to develop drugs that can block this enzyme. She hopes that this discovery will lead to a potential new treatment for cancer within five years. - Agencies

March 09, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

Business

TVS unveils 'Scooty Streak' Chennai, March 09 Keeping with its intention to lead innovation in the scooter segment for young girls, TVS Motor Company today unveiled

level, would be a no compromise option for girls as it provided the right mix of performance, style, convenient and comfort.

Mr. R. Dilip, Vice President Sales, TVS Motor Company with the newly launched Scooty Streak

all new "stylish and futuristic" TVS Scooty Streak and signed on Tennis sensation Sania Mirza as ambassador. Addressing a press conference here, Mr R Dileep, Vice President (Marketing) said the Scooty Streak, taking the popular Scooty brand to the next

"This is the most stylish scooter for young girls. The LiTech engine makes the Scooty Streak light, zippy and the most fuel efficient bike in its class," he said adding Scooty Streak will be available in five colours and priced at Rs 36,480 (Ex showroom) in

the city. It comes with broad anti-skid tyres that provide enhanced wet braking stability and is equipped with an external fuel fil at the rear for refuelling. The Company has signed on Tennis star Sania to endorse the Scooty Streak" as she emanates the brand attributes of being self sufficient and is a young achiever," Mr Dileep said. This was the fourth offering from Scooty and with this, TVS offers, urban commuters, the widest choice for an easy, safe and fuel efficient commute in the gearless scooter segment, he added. Answering a question, he said the global meltdown has not affected the two-wheeler sector as it had affected the other sectors. “The growth did come down from 15 per cent to five per cent, but we are doing good," he said. -Agencies

World Bank says global economy will shrink in 2009 New York , March 09 : The World Bank said that the global economy will shrink this year for the first time since World War II and that the global financial crisis will make it tougher for poor and developing nations to access needed financing. Trade is forecast to fall to its lowest point in 80 years in 2009, as economic hardship ripples across the globe, the bank said. The most drastic trade slowdowns are expected in East Asia, where growth had been robust, the bank said in a paper prepared for a

meeting of finance ministers and central bank officials next week. The impact on the poorest countries will be severe, the bank said, predicting that a group of 129 countries face a shortfall of $270 to $700 billion this year. The bank, which offers lowinterest loans and grants to developing nations, warned international financial institutions will not be able to cover even the low end of that estimate. Only onequarter of those vulnerable countries will be able to ease the

economic downturn through job creation or "safety net" programs, the bank said yesterday. T h e ramifications of the growing financial crisis on the world's poorest nations will likely remain for some time, the bank said. Because richer nations are borrowing more, developing nations are being squeezed out and many financial organizations that have provided financing to lower-income countries "have virtually disappeared." -Agencies

Jet introduces daily flight between Mumbai-Kuwait Dubai,

March 09 Journey for passengers from India and Kuwait is set to get easier with Jet Airways on Monday announcing new direct flight between the Arab nation and Mumbai. The airlines will operate new flight aboard a state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft from March 29, a statement said. "Jet Airways has already established itself as a formidable brand in the intensely competitive India-Gulf sector in a relatively short period of time, on account of the warmth of its service and

quality of its in-flight product," CEO of Jet Airways, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, said. " W e a r e confident that the new Mumbai-Kuwait service will prove similarly p o p u l a r w i t h passengers," he added. Informing about the schedule, the statement said that flight 9W 572 will leave Mumbai at 1900 hrs and reach Kuwait at 2030 hrs. Flight 9W 571 will then depart from Kuwait at 2130 hrs and land in Mumbai at 0400 hrs. The flight would be the airline's second daily service to Kuwait

f r o m I n d i a , complementing it's existing Kochi-Kuwait service. In addition to Kuwait, the airways also flies daily from India to Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the Middle East. The airways, which currently operates over 370 flights daily, operates a fleet of 87 aircrafts to 63 destinations including New York (both JFK and N e w a r k ) , To r o n t o , Brussels, London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala L u m p u r, C o l o m b o , Bangkok, Kathmandu and Dhaka.

Page 7

Satyam starts bidding process; L&T, Hindujas show interest Mumbai, March 09 I T m a j o r Satyam Computer on Monday started the competitive bidding process for selling a 51 per cent stake to an investor while Hinduja Group and engineering major Larsen & Toubro reiterated their interest in the company. The company, which recently got SEBI approval to sell up to 51 per cent, on Monday issued an expression of interest, according to which there is no floor price for the bidders and the interested investor will have to register with the company by March 12. The bidders will have to submit detailed EoIs, along with proof of availabilty of funds of at least Rs 1,500 crore, by

March 20, Satyam said in a statement. T h e engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro, the largest single shareholder in the IT firm, said it will take a decision on bidding for Satyam before March 12. "We will take a decision based on the guidelines that have been issued. We will decide before March 12," a company spokesperson said.. The Spice Group Chairman B K Modi said his company will bid for Satyam Computer, while conglomerate Hinduja Group said it is looking at bidding for the troubled firm but yet to take a decision. "We are looking at that (bidding for Satyam) ... we have to

take a decision," Hinduja Group CFO Prabal Banerjee said. Mr. Modi said Spice Corp will have no problem in submitting cash proof of Rs 1,500 crore as the company has got enough funds in the bank. "It is a good start and we will bid before Thursday," Mr. Modi said. Satyam said that based on the submitted EoIs, eligible bidders will be short-listed and given access to certain business, financial and legal diligence material of the company provided they sign a non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreement with Satyam. The process of stake sale involves 31 per cent fresh equity shares and 20 per cent via open offer. -Agencies

First Nano to roll out of Gujarat plant by end 2010 Ahmedabad,March 09 : The first Nano the world's cheapest car is expected to roll out of t h e Ta t a G r o u p ' s Rs.2,000 crore ($3.86 billion) Sanand plant in Gujarat by end 2010, company officials said on Monday. Work is on at full

swing at the project site in Sanand, about 45 km from Ahmedabad, with the construction of plant buildings using preengineered steel structures for the ancillary units spread in an area of 65,000 square metres already underway. Ahmedabadbased pre-engineered steel structure building manufacturer Phenix

Varco Pruden had been given the Rs.50 crore ($9.66 million) contract for constructing the paint shop and the ancillary plant buildings. The entire work is targeted to be completed by end of this month (March 2009), the officials said. Nearly 4,000 tonnes of steel components would be used i n t h e construction of the buildings, which are designed with a heavy load b e a r i n g capacity with a mainframe structure supporting the entire load. The ancillary plants would be of various sizes as different units would have specific kind of requirements, the officials said. The work of shifting the various components of the unfinished plant at Singur in West Bengal would take almost a year given the the distance involved and the complex nature

of the machinery and the plant components to be dismantled from the Singur site where the company had invested close to Rs.1,500 crore ($2.9 billion), the officials added. T a t a h a d announced shifting of the Nano project site from West Bengal October 2008 following the campaign launched by Mamata Banerjee-led Tr i n a m o o l C o n g r e s s against the setting up of the small car project at Singur. The Tata Group finally zeroed on Gujarat after evaluating the possibility of setting up the plant for the small car in M a h a r a s h t r a , Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The Narendra Modi government allocated 1,100 acres of land at Sanand, close to national highway number no.8 which goes to the Kandla, Mundhra and Dholera ports. The Nano plant in Sanand is expected to produce 250,000 cars per annum. -Agencies

Indian auto sales up 10.61 percent New Delhi , March 09 : I n d i a n a u t o m o b i l e manufacturers sold 1.04 million vehicles in Feburary, up 10.61 percent from 942,955 units sold in the same period last year, official data showed on Monday. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM)

said passenger vehicle sales (excluding exports) during the month of February were 145,019, up 15.02 percent from 126,077 vehicles sold in the same period in 2008. To t a l c o m m e r c i a l vehicles (domestic) sold in the period under review were 31,069, down 31.68 percent from 45,478 units sold in the

year-ago period. Domestic twowheeler sales in February totalled 836,926 up 12.66 percent from 742,856 units sold in the corresponding period last year. Three-wheelers including goods carriers sold 29,989 up from 5.06 percent from 28,544. -Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Sports

New Zealand drop Southee, recall Thompson Christchurch, March 09: New Zealand dropped paceman Tim

Southee and drafted in all rounder Ewen Thompson in the 12-man squad announced for the fourth cricket one-dayer against India to be played at the Seddon Park, Hamilton. Southee paid the price of becoming New Zealand`s most expensive bowler by conceding 0-105 as India raced to 392 for four in the third one-dayer yesterday. Thomson, who made his international

debut in the Twenty20 series against the West Indies in December,

replaced injured Ian Butler. Butler, who has been laid low by a thigh strain, will be available for selection for the fifth ODI to be played in Auckland (March 14). Chairman of the selection panel, Glenn Turner, said: "Ian Butler was omitted due to injury, after suffering a thigh strain during last night`s ODI at Christchurch. But he is likely to be available

Tendulkar ruled out of Hamilton ODI Hamilton, March 09:

for consideration for the final ODI in Auckland on Saturday. The squad for that game would be named after the Hamilton match." Skipper Daniel Vettori, who missed the match to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, will also rejoin the team in Hamilton. P e t e r McGlashan has been r e t a i n e d a s wicketkeeper while Brendon McCullum will continue to play as a batsman. India lead the series 2-0, with one match being washed out at Wellington. The squad: Daniel Vettori (Captain), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Kyle Mills, Iain O`Brien, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Ewen Thompson. -Agencies

Even India is unsafe Former New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe said India has joined Pakistan as an unsafe country to tour due to terror strikes on its major cities like Mumbai and Delhi last year. We at Zeecric bring to you the excerpts: "The time has come for the cricketing world to accept that touring Pakistan is an absolute no go zone ever again. While sad for their talented top cricketers, Pakistan is completely unsafe and contemplation of playing there again has got to stop. But they are not alone.” "In May last year, just 24 hours before I flew with the IPL Royal Challengers to Jaipur for a nothing Twenty20 match, eight bombs went off threeminutes apart killing over 100 civilians and tourists as it ripped through the crowded Pink Palace," Crowe wrote in a local daily. "We were forced to play the match a day later in front of an empty stadium and 3000 soldiers. It was a joke to be told to

play and an affront to the families of those killed," he said. "That`s why you can`t just isolate Pakistan. Lives have been taken on a regular basis from terror attacks in India over the last year in major cities like Mumbai in November the worst Bangalore in July and Delhi in September. These were significant and show it`s happening almost monthly," Crowe said. "Having toured all around India with the IPL, the worst and scariest aspect is that when you leave your hotel you have no further control on anything. Once you start travelling by road you are at the mercy of every little tuktuk, every intersection and every traffic jam," Crowe added. The former Kiwi captain admitted that terror attacks were possible anywhere in the world but said probability was much higher in the sub-continent. “ M a y b e ,

March 09, 2009

though, someone, even the most famous of all, Sachin Tendulkar, might get severely hurt or disabled from a flying piece of shrapnel or glass.” "Yes, it could happen in London, or Paris, or Madrid, as it did in the most alarming manner of all in New York. But the reality is that the odds and the feeling of those odds shortening are against you in the subcontinent," he said. Crowe vowed never to return to Pakistan in the wake of the terror attack on Sri Lankan players in Lahore, saying he could no longer trust "anyone" in the strife-torn country. "Bottom line is that never again will anyone trust anyone or anything in that environment. There is no longer a thing called a "guarantee". That`s now hogwash," he said. -Agencies

India’s bid to

seal the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand at Hamilton suffered a jolt when batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar pulled out of the fourth ODI. Tendulkar was forced to retire-hurt midway during his fabulous unbeaten 163 run-knock at Christchurch on Sunday after pulling his abdominal muscles. He had suffered the injury during the second ODI. -Agencies

Argentina to recall Nalbandian Buenos Aires, March 09: Argentina's top two players Juan Martin del Potro and David Nalbandian will be recalled for the Davis Cup quarter-finals after missing this weekend's win over the Netherlands, team captain Modesto Vazquez said. "Del Potro and Nalbandian said that they would be present if we qualified for the quarterfinals and obviously they are confirmed because they are the two most important players we have," said Vazquez. "In the next few

weeks, we will decide who will complete the team." Nalbandian pulled out of the tie with a viral infection while Del Potro asked not to be picked, declining a second request to play after Nalbandian had withdrawn. Del Potro's absence came amid speculation the pair had fallen out during last year's 3-1 final defeat to Spain and Vazquez told a news conference he would to try to set up a meeting between them to clear the air. Juan Ignacio

Chela, who played against the Netherlands, agreed that a meeting was needed. "I wasn't in the team last year but obviously something broke down and it has to be fixed," he said. Argentina, beaten finalists twice in the last three years, took an unassailable 3-0 lead over the Netherlands on Saturday and won Sunday's reverse singles to complete a 5-0 win. They visit the Czech Republic for their quarterfinal. -Agencies

Medley

March 09, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

Brits think it's ok to slap wife London, March 09: One in five British adults reckon it is all right if a man physically abuses his wife or girlfriend, a new survey has revealed. According to them, it is acceptable if she merely wears ''sexy clothes'' in public. The survey found 14 percent reckon blokes are justified in lashing out if a partner is ''nagging or moaning''. And 10 per cent believe it is ok for them to hit a lover who flirts with another man. The figures has emerged in a Government survey on domestic violence - which quizzed both men and women. They figures have revealed that 50 percent of the public think a woman is at least partly at fault for being raped if she

does not clearly say ''no''. A third believe she is partly responsible if she is drunk and a quarter think she should take some of the blame if she wears sexy clothing. H o m e Secretary Jacqui Smith was ''shocked'' to see the findings, according to the officials. They come as she launches a groundbreaking crusade to stop violence against women. A register of abusive partners, to be monitored by police, could be set up. This will allow cops to warn women who start dating thugs with a history of violence. GPs will be asked to do more to spot signs of domestic

violence when they see women patients. And schools will teach pupils about the problem. Ministers are also looking at powers to ban abusive partners from the home for two weeks. "Violence against women and girls is unacceptable. We've already made real progress, with domestic incidents more than halving in the past 12 years. But I want to start a national debate on what more we can do," the Sun quoted Smith, as saying. The survey also revealed that a third of people know a woman who has suffered violence from a man she knows. -Agencies

Indian women prefer arranged marriage: Survey Chennai, March 09: Majority of young women in the country prefer arranged marriages with parents' consent while only less than one fourth opts for the "love" route to choose their life partners, a survey said. The survey of women in the age group of 20-30 carried out in various cities, including the four metros, by leading matrimony portal Bharatmatrimony, also revealed that 59% of the respondents consider parent's decision the most important priority in finalising marriage. Only 20% of the respondents felt that

profession was the most important aspect in finalising their life partner while ten% said caste was the most important priority and 11% said family nuclear or joint family - was the most preferred. About 49% preferred arranged marriage while 33 per cent 'arranged love marriage' and a meagre 18% of the respondents favoured 'love' marriage. The survey titled "Woman and Marriage" was conducted by ahead of the Women's Day and 1,058 respondents were covered in Chennai,

Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Madurai, Mysore, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore and Jaipur, a release said here today. On the right age for a woman to get married, about 71 per cent said 2124 was the ideal age for marriage. I n t e r e s t i n g l y, the survey said that about 93% of women were interested to study or work after marriage. The survey also said that about 55% women prefer to search life partners through contacts via friends and relatives. -Agencies

Coming soon: Cow urine soft drink Kanpur, March 09: Come summers and markets would see the launch of a new soft drink made from cow's urine, which is considered sacred in parts of the country. Media reports say that a hard line Hindu outfit, known for its opposition to "corrupting" Western food imports, is all set to launch this soft drink. Reports say that the bovine beverage is undergoing laboratory tests for the next two to three months and the specific date for its commercial release is not known as yet. Nor are the different flavours known as yet, but manufacturers said the liquid produced by cows is being mixed with products such as aloe vera and gooseberry to fight diseases such as diabetes

and cancer. "This soft drink has been made from cow urine. One bottle contains around five to six milliliters of cow urine. We have used other useful herbs also. This soft drink not only has cooling properties, but also cures various other diseases," said Ramanuj Mishra, In charge, r e s e a r c h a n d development of the cow urine soft drink. Many Hindus consider cow urine to have medicinal properties and it is often drunk in religious festivals. The organization said it had not decided on a name or a price for the drink. Purushottam, an officer-in-charge of the soft drink

manufacturing unit in Kanpur said the product will be sold nationwide and that it will beat other soft drinks like Pepsi and Coke. "We are sure that this will sell like hot cakes. This soft drink is beneficial for everybody. The MNCs that are selling various soft drinks caution customers about various ingredients. But our soft drinks has only benefits to offer and we are sure people will buy it," said Purushottam. Many Hindu groups feel that foreign imports such as Pepsi and Coca Cola in the past, have a corrupting influence and see these products as a tool of Western imperialism. -Agencies

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Couples don't talk for 10 days/yr London, March 09: An average married couple has two arguments a week, which result in the “silent treatment” for two hours and 14 minutes each time, a new UK poll has shown. The survey showed that couples spend almost ten days a year not speaking to each other after domestic rows. And the top reasons behind the cold war were – saying the wrong thing and taking each other for granted, the study found. Christine Northam, a counsellor with Relate, said the pace of modern life meant c o u p l e s w e r e increasingly prone to rowing. "It doesn't

surprise me that people spend this amount of time not speaking to each other because life is so busy nowadays that the pressures on modern couples are pretty horrendous," The Scotsman quoted her, as saying. "It's very easy to snap at one another when you're stressed and especially if you live in a big city, where you never get peace. "Couples have to be very disciplined about spending time together at the weekends and planning bits of their lives together so they don''t become overwhelmed by chores and work. "Communicatio n is the key to it. Lots of couples I work with don't h a v e t i m e t o

communicate or they're so tired that they just veg out in front of the telly and don't speak to each other,” she added. S o m e fundamental issues too made it to the list like – disagreements over child rearing, being shunned in the bedroom, jealousy over friendships and never going out as a couple. A spokesman for market research company Onepoll.com, which surveyed 3,000 married people, said silence can sometimes be best for both parties. "It's better to give each other the silent treatment than have a raging row as it gives you a chance to calm down and think about things," he said. -Agencies

Times Chennai E-Paper

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Jaya's fast only for political mileage: Karunanidhi Chennai, March 09 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today accused AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa of observing fast, not to express solidarity with the suffering

Lankan Tamils, but to launch an attack against the DMK government and achieve political mileage in the run up to the May 13 Lok Sabha elections. On placards put up at the fasting venue, ''decrying the DMK government and inefficient Chief Minister'', Mr Karunanidhi, in a statement here, said this clearly showed that Ms Jayalalithaa and her partymen have gathered to express their anger against him and the DMK g o ve rn ment a n d not against the killings of the Lankan Tamils. ''Their anger is not against the killings of the Lankan Tamils, the Lankan government, which launched an offensive against the Tamils or the Centre, but against me and my government,'' he alleged, adding Ms Jayalalithaa's intention behind calling for the fast was exposed at the fasting venue itself. On collection of funds by the AIADMK, by keeping Hundis in the fasting venues, the DMK leader said, when the government collected funds, through cheques and released the list of contributors on daily basis, Ms Jayalalithaa had accused him of squandering the money for his family. However, when he issued a legal notice, warning a defamation case against her, she beat a h a sty re tre a t a n d clarified that she had only

quoted what people were saying, he said. O n M s Jayalalithaa's statement before launching her fast, accusing the Centre and State governments of failing to provide humanitarian aid to the Tamils and that the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre and the DMK government in the State had no genuine concern for the T a m i l s , M r Karunanidhi said this was in total contrast to the stand she had taken earlier. He pointed out that in her statement on October 15, 2008, she had described the attack on Tamils by the Lankan forces as internal affair of Sri Lanka and India had no right to intervene. I f I n d i a intervened in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka, there was scope for other countries intervening in India's affair and the world would not accept a country interfering with the affairs of other countries, he said. Ms Jayalalithaa has now made a volte face and launched an attack against the Lankan government as the Lok Sabha elections were round the corner, he claimed. On CPI leader A B Bardhan accusing the AIADMK leader of embarassing both the Congress and the DMK by extending indirect invitation to the Congress by asking it to severe ties with the DMK, Mr Karunanidhi said, while Ms J a y a l a l i th a a d e n i e d having invited the Congress, the Left Party leader said she had extended an indirect invitation. However, Ms Jayalalithaa's invitation embarassed neither the Congress nor the DMK. ''The real embarassment is only for Mr Bardhan as the AIADMK leader had extended the invitation, after finalising alliance with the Left Parties,'' Mr Karunanidhi said. -Agencies

March 09, 2009

TRAI lowers termination charges; mobile tariffs to come down New Delhi March 09 : T e l e c o m regulator TRAI on Monday slashed termination charges by 33 per cent, a move which would result in bringing down the mobile tariffs for consumers. Te r m i n a t i o n charges are paid by one

operator to another on whose network the call ends. The regulator has reduced the termination charges on local calls to 20 paise a minute from existing 30 paise. T h e n e w operators such as

Datacom, Unitech, Shyam-Sistema and Loop Telecom among others were demanding 0-10 paise per minute termination charge whereas the existing GSM operators were opposing any reduction in the charges, fearing there revenue would take

a hit. The international calls made overseas to India are going to be costlier as the regulator has increased the termination charge for incoming international call to 40 paise from existing 30 paise per minute. -Agencies

Students find Plus Two physics exam "tough” Chennai, March 09 P l u s Tw o students of Tamil Nadu state Board, who sat for the Physics examination today complained to their teachers about a question, awarding five marks, being asked from a lesson which was ''out

of portion'' and said the paper itself was ''tough''. A f t e r completing four language papers, the students started facing the ''litmus test''. But they had a nightmarish experience in the first examination itself.

The three mark and five mark questions were tough, though the one mark and ten mark questions were relatively easy, they contended. Atleast one of the five mark questions, which had to be answered compulsorily, was asked from a topic

which was ''out of portion'', they said. The textbook said the compulsory question would be asked from three lessons in particular But it was asked from ''out of portion'', the students said. ‘'The three mark questions are also vague'', they complained.