Ravi promises support to Indian trafficking victims in US

About 100 Indian victims of human trafficking in the US have found support from Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi who has promised all help.

The workers, who Wednesday quit working for Signal International at Pascagoula shipyard in Mississippi, met in New Orleans, Louisiana, Saturday to discuss their course of action, said Stephen Boykewich, a media spokesperson for the New Orleans Workers' Centre for Racial Justice that is helping them.

The workers were recruited by Dewan Consultants of Mumbai, and brought by Signal, a marine construction company, to the US over a year ago and made to live and work in abysmal conditions.

''The workers demand the US to prosecute Signal for human trafficking and the Indian government to punish recruiter Sachin Dewan,'' said Saket Soni, director of the New Orleans Workers' Centre for Racial Justice.

Ravi has written to the Indian ambassador in the US, Ronen Sen, to investigate the matter and said his ministry would also issue a show-cause notice to Dewan.

The workers have thanked Ravi for his support and are inviting Ambassador Sen to New Orleans for a meeting.

''We will present evidence that Signal International and recruiters in both countries conspired to exploit hundreds of Indians in a labour trafficking scheme,'' said Sabulal Vijayan, a former employee of Signal and one of the rebelling workers' leaders, in a press release issued by Boykewich.

''We also want Ravi to direct Dewan and his associates to refrain from contacting the workers' families in India and intimidating them,'' added Vijayan.

Dewan Consultants has distanced itself from the controversy saying its contract with the workers had ended last year.

The workers Friday met officials of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They also plan to report themselves to the Department of Justice as trafficking victims. Their future course of action will depend on whether they are allowed to stay on and work, as victims of human trafficking generally are.

Besides those who quit, 200 other Indians are still working under similar conditions at the Pascagoula shipyard.

''They perhaps don't want to risk leaving at this stage, but will be welcome to join the action that other workers are planning,'' Boykewich said.

The workers, mainly welders and pipe-fitters, belong to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. They were lured with promises of green cards to agree to come on H2B visas meant for temporary workers to meet the labour shortage in the region caused by the Katrina Hurricane. They claim they paid up to $20,000 each to recruiters.

Signal brought almost 600 workers from India in end 2006 to Pascagoula and its other facility in Texas.

Soni said the Indian workers lived ''like pigs in a cage'' in a company-run ''work camp''.

One of the workers, Rajan Pazhambalakode, added, ''I've been a guest worker all my life. I've never seen these kinds of conditions. We stayed 24 people to a room, for which the company deducted $1,050 a month from our pay cheques.''

The nature of their visas prevented them from working for any other company, leaving the constant threat of deportation hanging over their heads.

Signal has denied the charges in a statement claiming it spent over $7 million to house the workers.

''Unfortunately, a few of the workers whom Signal had sponsored for H2B visas and recruited have made baseless and unfounded allegations against Signal concerning their employment and living conditions,'' it said in the statement.

Driven by the news that Signal is now recruiting fresh Indian workers through the Mumbai recruiter S. Mansur & Company, Vijayan and his colleagues are demanding that the Indian and US governments put a halt to this international trafficking ring.

News Source : Samachar

India scores a facile win

Santiago: India ended its league campaign on a good note with a 4-1 defeat of Chile en route to the final of the Olympic hockey qualifying tournament here on Saturday.

With a berth in the final already confirmed following Britain’s 4-0 win against Austria earlier in the day, the Indians played freely and with confidence, but missed far too many scoring opportunities.

Drag-flick specialist V. Ramachandra Raghunath was again in the thick of things scoring two goals (23rd minute, 61st), including one from India’s only penalty corner to take his tournament tally to 10.

Prabhjot Singh (9th) and Bharat Chhikara (23rd) scored one apiece. For Chile, which defended with great fortitude, Felipe Montegu converted its penalty corner in the 63rd minute much to the delight of the partisan crowd.

India finished second overall behind Great Britain with 12 points, followed by Austria (9), Russia (6), Chile (3) and Mexico (0).

India took time to get into its stride despite taking the lead in the ninth minute when Prabhjot deflected home a Bimal Lakra long corner hit.

Past the 23rd minute, Raghunath found the boards off a Prabhjot pass to give India a 2-0 lead that galvanised the side into more action.

Flowing move

Then followed probably the best phase of Indian display in this session when a flowing move down the middle orchestrated by Ignace Tirkey and Tushar Khandekar finally saw Chhikara letting fly from the right for the third goal.

India began the second-half on a strong note, stringing together a few fluent moves while stepping up the pace. Adopting a ‘full-court press’, it kept Chile under pressure, but a goal eluded it.

Rajpal had the best of chances in the first 10 minutes of the half when he launched a lightning counter-attack, exchanging passes with Prabhjot. However, on entering the circle, Rajpal shot wide.

Rajpal had another great opportunity to score. Put through by Roshan Minz, he was way off the mark in the 53rd minute. Almost immediately, it was Prabhjot’s turn to muff a sitter by shooting straight at the goalkeeper.

Intent on attack, the Indians left their back open and Chile counter-attacked. However, an alert William Xalco intercepted inside the circle and sent Prabhjot on his way. Defender Ian Koppenberger, in desperation, brought down Prabhjot near the centre-line and was sent off with a yellow card in the 54th minute.

Third yellow card

Three minutes later, India received its third yellow card in two matches when Ajitesh Roy was given marching orders in the 57th minute for bringing down Cristobal Rodriguez.

The Chilean defence stood up well to the onslaughts, soaking in all the pressure, but a deliberate foul inside its own 25-yard area presented India a penalty corner in the 61st minute and Raghunath converted.

Chile went on the attack, but Prabhodh Tirkey came up with a great tackle.

However, the Indian skipper dilly-dallied rather than clearing the ball and the host went on to force a penalty corner. Montegu sounded the boards with a carpet shot to trigger celebrations in the packed stands.

Chile’s fightback came rather too late in the day as the Indians withstood an avalanche of attacks to come through without further damage.

In an inconsequential game, Russia recorded its second win in five matches by thrashing winless Mexico 9-1

Final league standings (read as team, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, goal difference, points): Great Britain 5 5 0 0 30 3 +27 15; India 5 4 0 1 39 8 +31 12; Austria 5 3 0 2 15 19 -4 9.

Russia 5 2 0 3 15 23 -8 6; Chile 5 1 0 4 10 14 -4 3; Mexico 5 0 0 5 3 45 -42 0.

News Source : Samachar

Lalu Prasad Yadav's effigy burnt in Thane

A group of north-Indian activists from Thane on Sunday burnt the effigy of Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav at the Wagle Estate Junction for making "provocative speeches" against Maharashtrians.

The activists were led by Dalbir Singh Sinar, the leader of Uttar Bharaitya Saurakshan Samiti.

According to the Samiti, they burnt the effigy to protest against the provocative speeches made by north-Indian leader against Maharashtrians which polluted the atmosphere here while the north Indians lived cordially in Maharashtra without any issues.

While the Srinagar police have registered offences against the mob, no arrests has been made so far in this connection.

News Source : Samachar

BJP-RSS activists attack CPI(M) HQ

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday condemned the “unprecedented” and “premeditated” attack on the party’s national headquarters here by activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and demanded the immediate arrest of those behind the incident.

Five Central Committee members of the party — Hari Singh Kang, Jogendra Sharma, P.M.S. Grewal, V. Srinivasa Rao and Kumar Shiralkar — and some party workers were injured when BJP-RSS activists pelted stones at A.K. Gopalan Bhawan here on Sunday. The incident evoked strong reactions from all political parties; they have demanded strong action against the culprits.

The incident took place in the afternoon when a meeting of the CPI(M)’s highest policy-making body — the Central Committee — was being held at the office. Panic gripped the entire Gole Market area where the building is situated. However, before more police personnel reached the spot, the attackers fled, leaving behind shattered window panes of the building and damaged cars parked on the premises.

Later, the police registered an FIR against senior BJP leaders, including its Delhi unit chief Harshvardhan, Mayor Aarti Mehra, and Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Jagdish Mukhi, and arrested 15 BJP leaders. Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat were among the prominent leaders who vehemently criticised the attack. Parties, including the constituents of the Left Front, the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party demanded severe action against the culprits.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Karat said it was the first time that the headquarters of a prominent national political party was attacked in such a brutal manner. “It was a premeditated attack by the BJP and RSS workers who are now frustrated because of our growing popularity and acceptance of our good work. We are shocked to see how a premeditated attack was carried out at our headquarters when our Central Committee meeting was on,” he said.

News Source : Samachar

Congress sounds poll bugle on waiver pitch

Congress on Sunday consecrated the "Rs 65,000 crore farm loan waiver" as its plank for the coming electoral battles, with party chief Sonia Gandhi taking centrestage to call it the party's "duty" towards farmers and PM Manmohan Singh urging workers to tell "each and every farmer" about mega debt relief as gift from Sonia.

That Congress would play big on the multicrore debt relief was evident even before the finance minister unveiled it in his Budget speech on February 29. But the sharp pitch of Sunday's farmers' rally in the capital and the volley of self-congratulatory statements left little doubt that UPA's final budget was an election manifesto.

Not only were both Sonia and Singh ballistic on Congress's concern for farmers, they were also belligerent in blaming the BJP for farm sickness. So much so that Sonia dubbed the saffron show of concern as shedding "crocodile tears".

Though she was blunt at critics in saying they were like the "pot calling the kettle black", the statement was just ambiguous enough to include in its broad sweep the Left and UNPA, who have joined hands to target the Centre on farmers' issues. The bid to appropriate the community saw Sonia assert the party ahead of the coalition: "If somebody is really concerned about farmers, it is us, Congress, UPA government."

Farmers apart, the rally's consequence lay in Sonia Gandhi choosing to touch on terrorism, believed to be the party's soft spot. Sonia said Congress did not care for a certificate from a home minister who was in charge during the worst terror strikes in the country's history and "extended hospitality" to terror agents. Though she stopped barely short of naming BJP's PM candidate LK Advani, Congress appears to be veering towards playing a budget-rejuvenated 'aam admi' against the saffron poll plank of terror in elections. Interestingly, the nuclear deal was not mentioned by any leader.

Enveloped in negativity owing to a string of poll defeats and backing down to Left's aggression to visible deflation of morale of its cadres, Congress managers feel that the loan waiver has resulted in a goodwill among rural poor which, if tapped well, can mark a turnaround in its fortunes.

News Source : Samachar

Killing fields of Kerala’s Keshpur

Kannur, the northern Kerala district that sent shockwaves all the way to Delhi today, is to the CPM what Nagpur is to the RSS.

Kannur can also be called Kerala’s Keshpur, a place synonymous with political vendetta and bloodshed in Bengal.

Once known for stirring legends whose overriding theme was vendetta and clan rivalry, Kannur was the cradle of Marxism in Kerala, where the world’s first elected communist government came to power in 1957.

Feudalism, poverty and a complex caste system helped Left leaders make easy inroads and, by the fifties, the district had turned into a Red fort.

In the early sixties, the Nagpur-headquartered RSS, backed by a Mangalore business lobby, started sneaking into the communist bastion. Things took a bloody turn in 1968 when Left cadres killed an RSS activist.

Since then, it has been a battle for supremacy as the two outfits focused on forming party villages where opponents were unwelcome.

Both nurtured “killing squads” and, after every round, they would tally the “goal” — the term used to settle scores.

The recent history of killings started in Kannur in 1977, after the countrywide Emergency was lifted. The Marxists, many of whom suffered at the hands of police, targeted Congress workers who, they alleged, had betrayed them.

However, once the CPM-Congress clashes subsided, violence broke out between the CPM and the RSS.

In the latest round of clashes, seven political workers have died. Five of the dead were BJP workers and two were from the ruling CPM, while several others were injured in the retaliatory strikes that started after a local RSS leader was attacked by a group of alleged Left activists last Wednesday.

A seriously injured M.P. Sumesh is battling for life at a hospital in Kozhikode.

The RSS hit back within half an hour by killing a CPM worker, triggering more violence that spread to other areas as seething cadres sought out rival activists and attacked their homes.

The cycle of violence is similar to the bloodletting in West Midnapore’s Keshpur between 1998 and 2001 when the CPM and the Trinamul Congress were locked in a turf war. But unlike in Keshpur, where the violence has ended, Kannur has been smouldering for nearly half a century, accounting for over 250 murders.

The epicentre of the trouble — Thalassery — happens to be the constituency of state home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The bloodletting had become so frequent in the seventies that ground-zero Thalassery was often referred to as Thalachchedi, which means “behead” in Malayalam.

Many maimed victims, still seen on the streets of Thalassery and Panoor, are walking reminders of the culture of political intolerance.

The eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth battle between the CPM and the RSS caught national attention when K.T. Jayakrishnan, a schoolteacher, was stabbed to death before his students in 1999.

The fresh clashes have come at a time two efficient officers, A. Hemachandran, who was inspector-general (northern range), and Kochi commissioner Manoj Abraham, who was given additional charge of Kannur, have been shunted out.

Abraham, who made a name for himself by cracking down on New Year hooliganism in Kochi, was specially brought in to clean up Kannur but lasted less than five days in his new job.

News Source : Samachar

Rejected by royals, applauded here

A film which sparked such protests in the UK that it had to be withdrawn from a royal charity gala screening has been shown for the first time in India at the MAMI festival.

Brick Lane, the adaptation of the Monica Ali bestseller, was screened to a packed house on Saturday, as part of the festival’s Film India Worldwide section.

Traders in London’s Brick Lane, famed for its Bangladeshi restaurants, had forced the producers to shoot the film elsewhere after a fierce campaign saying it portrayed Bangladeshis as backward. Last October, the film was pulled from premiering at the Royal Film Performance because the royal family was worried about the controversy and the event, which normally raises millions of rupees for people working in the film industry, was cancelled.

The movie revolves around Nazneen, a Bangladeshi villager who moves to East London for an arranged marriage and ends up having an affair with a market trader.

Lead actress Tannishtha Chatterjee, a Bengali who lives in Mumbai, told HT after the screening, that the film does not have clichés. “I met a lot of women in and around Brick Lane with similar stories to tell,” she said. “But this film was not about an Asian woman battered by her husband, but about a woman who finds her own solutions in life.”

Chatterjee (29) said it was universal story about displacement and a woman finding a voice. “I think the message of the film was to show that in any journey, when you take a big decision, there is a sense of liberation as well as of loss.”

Chatterjee said she was “overwhelmed” by the response at MAMI. “I have been surprised that despite being in a secluded location, this year’s MAMI festival has been running packed shows. It shows there is an interest in India from all quarters.”

News Source : Samachar

DMK candidates for Rajya Sabha polls

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Sunday announced its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, slated for March 26.

A.A. Jinnah, advocate, and Vasanthi Stanley, member of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, are the DMK nominees, according to a release issued by party president M. Karunanidhi.

The announcement came a few days after Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss urged the DMK to field only one candidate and sought a Rajya Sabha seat for his party. On Friday, Mr Karunanidhi said while the DMK and the Congress would contest two seats each, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) would be given one seat.

Elections are to be held for six Rajya Sabha seats from the State later this month. Filing of nominations began on Saturday. The date of polls is March 26 in the event of a contest.

Born in Tiruvarur, Mr.Jinnah (67), has been a practising advocate since 1970. He was imprisoned for a year for his participation in the anti-Hindi agitation in the late 1970s.

He was a Trustee at the Chennai Port Trust and Member of the Regional Film Censor Board, Chennai.

A post-graduate in English and native of Srivilliputhur, Mrs. Stanley (45) worked as the Assistant Commercial Tax Officer in the Commercial Tax Department for 20 years.

She entered politics in 1995 and held various party posts. At present, she is the Deputy Secretary of the south Chennai unit of the DMK.

Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday appealed to Dr. Ramadoss to accept the DMK president’s stand on the Rajya Sabha seat issue and help strengthen the Democratic Progressive Alliance. Earlier, he met Mr. Karunanidhi.

Mr. Chidambaram told reporters that he was happy over allotment of an additional seat to the Congress.

News Source : Samachar

Maya set to join forces with don

Mayavati has agreed to tie up with don-turned-politician D.P. Yadav, in a turnaround from her avowed policy that her party would have nothing to do with criminals.

Yadav’s Rashtriya Parivartan Dal is set to merge with the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party, taking its tally to 212 in the 403-member Assembly.

With Yadav’s party having only him and wife Umlesh as MLAs, the switchover has not attracted the anti- defection law. Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar, from the BSP, has approved the merger.

The chief minister, who had promised to rid Uttar Pradesh of mafia politics in the run-up to last year’s Assembly polls, did not say why Yadav had become acceptable to her.

Rivals were quick to dub her crusade against the mafia a sham, saying she was encouraging goons opposed to the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.

“Mayavati’s claims that she is against anti-socials now sound hollow,” Samajwadi leader Ambika Chaudhary said.

Yadav’s entry comes a month after the arrest of Samajwadi MP Atiq Ahmad in connection with the murder of BSP legislator Raju Pal in January 2005. Mayavati has also accused him of “plotting to kill” her.

But Yadav, who had crossed over from the BSP to the Samajwadi Party in 1998 before switching to other parties, appears less of a threat. His son Vikas is an accused in the Nitish Katara murder and has been found guilty of involvement in the Jessica Lal killing.

The MLA from Badaun’s Sahswan — his wife represents nearby Bisauli — has blamed the media and his rivals for hatching a conspiracy to implicate him and his son in fake cases.

“My son is in jail (in the Jessica Lal case) for several years only because of political reasons,” Yadav said.

The BJP had offered Yadav a ticket in 2004 but withdrew it following protests from several senior leaders. The Samajwadi Party has also kept him at bay since 2000.

Yadav, who has over 28 criminal cases against him and is known to wield muscle power in the western districts of Uttar Pradesh, claimed he was “a victim of political adversaries and those who were jealous” of his business.

“I don’t think it is proper to hold any one guilty unless it is proved in court,” he said.

Yadav’s party had fielded three candidates in last year’s polls. Vikas had also contested but lost.

Having slammed the BSP when he left it in 1998, Yadav lost no time in making a quick turnaround.

He said he had “always appreciated” the BSP ideology, especially the ideals of founder Kanshi Ram. He recalled that he had won the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat on the party’s ticket earlier.

“The Sarva Samaj ideals of Mayavati has drawn international attention and all parties now fear losing their votes (to the BSP),” he added.

News Source : Samachar

Paralysed techie meets his mother

It was an atmosphere charged with emotions when mother of Manjunath Kalmani, paralysed neck down since a car crash in the United States, came all the way from their village in Karnataka to meet him in New Delhi.

"I hope my son's treatment is taken care of. We do not have the financial means to take care of him," a tearful Vidyavati said after meeting her son.

Manjunath, a promising software engineer had his life rudely interrupted at the age of 27, when he was reduced to the status of an invalid living under the care of nurses in an alien land after meeting with a car accident.

All he can do now is speak in a rasping whisper.

"Our nodal officer received information from the Indian Embassy that there is a patient Manjunath coming from USA. He arrived and was in very critical condition, having all sorts of problems and I think his brother is not very inclined to come here to see the patient," his doctor, Dr Jagdish Prasad, said.

Kalmani is on a ventilator suffered a brain stroke after the accident and underwent an emergency operation. He is paralysed neck down.

He cannot even breath on his own due to the paralysis and is on a ventilator. Kalmani's brother works in a cooperative society and his father is a farmer in Karnataka while his mother Vidyavati is a housewife.

He was brought to India in an air ambulance after spending four years in US hospitals following the expiry of his visa.

News Source : Samachar

In 4 yrs, Govinda spoke in Parliament for 2 minutes

Actor-politician Govinda is known for being late on film sets but it appears that his bad habit has crept into his political career as well.

In 2004, when he defeated the BJP heavyweight Ram Naik from Mumbai North many saw at it as a second innings for Govinda.

However, the actor’s political stint has been totally uneventful. Here’s a look at how he fares as a parliamentarian.

• Parliament records show that he has attended only 10 per cent of all Parliament sessions in the last four years.
• He had had a relatively good year in 2005, attending 15 sessions out of 85.
• In 2006, his attendance fell to seven out of 77.
• 2007 saw the worst with the actor attending only two sessions out of 66.
• This year, when the Congress leadership was glowing in its apparent dream budget, Govinda decided to give that the miss too. His account is yet to open this year in Parliament.
• Parliament records also show that the actor has spoken only twice in the House – on May 10 and 11, 2005, for a minute each during Zero Hour.

News Source : Samachar

Suchitra Sen discharged from hospital

Legendary Bengali film actress of yesteryears, Suchitra Sen was on Sunday night discharged from a city hospital where she was admitted with fever and chest infection two weeks ago.

Hospital sources said Sen was discharged at 9.55 pm and was taken to her home in an ambulance amidst tight security.
The cabin in the nursing home's ICU and all entrances was under tight security in view of a woman's attempt to enter her cabin during her stay there.

The 77-year-old reclusive actress, who has often been compared to Greta Garbo who also preferred to remain in her cocoons, has not been seen in public since her retirement from the film world in the late 1970's.

Sen, who featured in romantic partnerships on screen with late Bengali megastar Uttam Kumar from the 50s to the 70s and in Hindi films like 'Aandhi', was admitted to the nursing home on February 25 night.

She was, also admitted in the second week of October last.

News Source : Samachar

Ishant Sharma owes it to coach Sharvan

Wiry but athletic, ambitious but realistic too; 6ft 4in, but very down to earth; Ishant Sharma is a phenomenon, the latest rage in cricket, and a nightmare for a batsman like Ricky Ponting.

The success in Australia has changed his life. “I have hardly had time to meet my friends and spend time with my family.” He is not complaining but just making a point as he pulls up his car at a quiet corner for us to talk. His coach, Sharvan Kumar, is, fittingly, in the navigator’s seat.

When Ishant first came to Sharvan three years ago, it was not for cricket. Manvinder Singh, a Railways cricketer, brought the 16-year-old with a request — he needed admission to a school where he could also pursue his cricket. Ganga International School was Sharvan’s choice. Two days of practice at the school, and three days at the Ramjas Sports and Mountaineering Institute ground in West Patel Nagar, some hard work under scorching sun for months, and Ishant was on the right track.

“Sir, please mention Manvinder gave me the first break,” says Ishant at the outset. A good sign that he has not forgotten to remember his well-wishers. “I owe Sharvan Sir all my cricket,” Ishant quickly adds.

Eventful journey

It has been an eventful journey for Ishant from the time he came under Sharvan’s guidance. “He was tall and looked sharp, had a good action. He was wayward but he showed the spark,” says Sharvan of his first meeting with the talented fast bowler.

Natural high arm action, a natural instinct to bowl in-swing, not the best run up but “fantastic” release of the ball. For Sharvan, this gangling speedster is the best advertisement of raw talent. “This is just the beginning. I expect him to develop into a meaner and craftier bowler.”

“His confidence was stunning,” recalls Sharvan. Within six months of regular practice, Ishant was bowling for Delhi under-17, claiming 14 wickets in a match against Haryana. He was picked for under-19 too and played a game of North Zone one-day league for the senior side.

Last season was a landmark leap for this 19-year-old. He bowled for Delhi, tirelessly in the matches, in the ‘nets’, and bowled long spells for the under-19 squad too. He was picked for the under-22 team but mercifully spared, following a request from his coach. Ishant’s progress was rapid.

“I am glad he is learning fast. There is encouragement at every step. His overall game has matured,” gushes Sharvan. That he is a good learner is established. Ishant has worked hard on his run up, pace, line and length. He is not aiming to improve by bowling close to the stumps.

“It is tough,” confesses Ishant. “I want to become a complete fast bowler. I always concentrate on line and length, variations without compromising on pace. I know speed is my strength.”

Reflecting on the Australian tour, Ishant is candid, “I was told it would be very tough. I had made a promise to myself that I would make the most of it. I had to learn on and off the field and there was no place for any distractions. I was not going to allow my cricket to be dominated.” Ishant gets an affectionate pat from Sharvan.

Sharing the dressing room with senior players was a blessing. “I was amazed by their hunger and self-belief to succeed. That was the best lesson I learnt on the Australian tour.”

Ishant remembers his coach and family at every peak that he scales. “I know the value of my coach and my family. I know I can bank on them always. If they push me, it is for my benefit. I know it is just the beginning,” says Ishant, giving ample insight into his maturity.

He is reminded of the importance of education. “No compromise on pace, no compromise on education either. Have extra classes but study,” warns Sharvan. There is another gem too. “Be game fit, not gym fit.” Which means an hour of intense training daily.

On the stardom, he blushes, “I am enjoying it. It can get taxing at times when my privacy is invaded. But I know people wish me well,” he smiles, obliging a kid, who is gasping, having chased the car almost a kilometre for his hero’s autograph.

News Source : Samachar

Unchecked influx straining Mumbai: Deshmukh

Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Sunday said that unchecked influx into the city has put considerable strain on Mumbai's infrastructure.

"Public amenities such as water, suburban rail network have to bear the burden (of influx). But we cannot stop people from coming to Mumbai," the CM said at a press conference after his meeting with the Opposition on the eve of the budget session of the state legislature.

On MNS's anti-north Indian stir, he said he received a slew of complaints from industrialists, saying production had been affected up to 50%. Many north Indian migrants have fled Nashik and Pune.

The Opposition Shiv Sena-BJP leaders have asked for a white paper on Maharashtra's "precarious" fiscal condition. "The state is reeling under a staggering debt of Rs 1,50,00,00 crore. The government bonds have no takers.

The ruling Democratic Front government should bring out a white paper on the state's precarious fiscal condition," said BJP leader and former finance minister Eknath Khadse.

News Source : Samachar

India fails to make it to Olympic hockey

Scoring twice in the first-half, Britain ended India's Olympic dreams with a 2-0 win in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at Santiago.

Barry Middleton (4th minute) and Richard Mantell (10th) struck for Britain who then showed the discipline and character to withstand intense pressure to emerge deserving winners while qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Eight time gold medallists India thus failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928.

While the Britain players celebrated to the accompaniment of the song "We are the Champions", the Indian, heads bowed, shoulders slumped, could only watch the jubilant scenes of a team that played smarter if not better hockey.
On the day, it was Britain who showed a lot of steel in dealing with the massive pressure they were subjected to by the Indian forwards. The difference was that Britain, who had beaten India 3-2 in the league, capitalized on the two early chances that came their way, while the Indians did not.

In contrast, India could never really settle down and the two yellow cards to their key players, midfielder Sardara Singh and forward Prabhjot Singh filled their cup of woe. It brought the number of yellow cards to five in three matches.

India also blew five penalty corners with neither Ramachandra Raghunath with his drag-flicks nor Dilip Tirkey with his direct hits able to convert. In fact, their set-piece drill in the second-half was rather pathetic, as the ball was not even stopped cleanly.

News Source : Samachar

Prabhakaran makes public appearance to pay homage to Sivanesan

Making his first public appearance after claims of his injuries surfaced over three months back, elusive Tiger supremo V Prabhakaran paid homage to a slain pro-LTTE lawmaker in the rebel-held Wanni area in Sri Lanka's embattled North.

Attired in his Army fatigue with a Tiger emblem in his cap and sporting a steel wrist watch, the well-built 54-year-old Prabhakaran offered floral tributes to K Sivanesan, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP who was killed in a roadside bomb attack on Saturday, according to the photographs released by the LTTE.

A small group of people around Prabhakaran stood in rapt attention with hands crossed in awe and respect during the homage-paying ceremony at an undisclosed location in Wanni. It was not known when the event happened.

Prabhakaran is seen in the photographs with trim black mustaches and light black smudges above his cheeks. Earlier, in a statement, Prabhakaran had conferred the honour of mamanitan (great man) on Sivanesan while alleging that the TNA MP was killed in an explosion carried out by Sri Lankan security forces.

News Source : Samachar

Parents of missing 19-year-old girl fear she was sold to a Thane brothel

The Mumbra police arrested four youths on Sunday for kidnapping a 19-year-old girl after she refused to marry one of them. According to the police, the girl had managed to call up her parents and told them she had been kidnapped and sold to a man who was taking her away. The girl’s parents — Rakesh Singh and Kusumlata Rathod — fear their daughter might have been sold to a brothel in Thane.

On February 29, while Rakesh was at a handloom mill in Bhiwandi where he works, Kusumlata had gone to visit a few relatives leaving their daughter Geeta alone at home. When Kusumlata returned, she found Geeta missing from the house.

“We waited for her to return till late in the evening and then filed a missing complaint at Mumbra police station. We could find her at all the possible places and after police sent wireless messages. On March 1, Geeta called up from Thane, saying she was kidnapped by their neighbours Sachin Jadhav, Nitin Jadhav, Jyoti Landage and Deepak Landage. She told us that she has been sold to some unknown person who was taking her away,” Rakesh said.

SACHIN LIKED GEETA

Sachin had proposed to Geeta in January. However, Geeta’s parents refused the proposal as she was too young. Rakesh said, “When Sachin reacted angrily, we had a small tiff. I think he wanted to take revenge. On the day Geeta was kidnapped, some people had seen her leaving with Jyoti, who must have helped Sachin in kidnapping Geeta.”

The girl’s father then informed the police about Geeta’s phone call. The police registered a case of kidnapping and managed to arrest all the four accused on Sunday.

K P Mali, police inspector and investigation officer in the case, said, “Our first priority is to locate Geeta now. We have interrogated the accused, but they have not given any clues as yet. We are tracing the number from where Geeta had made the call.”

Meanwhile, Rakesh, Kusumlata and their son Suresh are doing the rounds of red light areas across the city. Kusumlata said, “I want my daughter back and I’m ready to go to any part of the world in search of her.”

News Source : Samachar

Zardari, Nawaz Sharif clinch deal

In an act of unprecedented statesmanship, Pakistan’s two main democratic parties on Sunday resolved the differences dogging their power sharing talks to announce they would form a historic coalition government and demanded that President Pervez Musharraf convene the new National Assembly without delay.

The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) will join the Pakistan People’s Party-led government at the Centre, while the PPP will join a PML(N)-led government in Punjab. The two parties have agreed that the superior judges sacked in the November 3, 2007 emergency imposed by the retired General Musharraf will be restored within a month of government formation, through a resolution of Parliament.

The agreement came exactly a year after General Musharraf’s first attempt to remove the then Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhary, on March 9 last.

“We feel we are standing on the verge of making history,” said PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari at a joint press conference with PML (N) leader Nawaz Sharif at Bhurban in Murree, where the two met in the afternoon.

Mr. Sharif said that by giving substantial victories to both parties, the people had mandated that they should join hands and work together.

“Musharraf saab says it is a hung verdict and no party has won. It may be a hung verdict, but it is against him, and it is against dictatorial rule. He must accept this reality, accept the people’s verdict and he must not create any obstacles in the path of government formation,” said Mr. Sharif.

A joint “summit declaration” signed by the two leaders before a massive media assembly said: “The coalition partners are ready to form the governments and the National and Provincial Assemblies should be convened immediately.”

The PPP is expected to announce its prime ministerial candidate in the next couple of days. Significantly, the joint declaration also states that that the prime ministerial nominee of the PPP will be “fully supported” by all coalition partners, and that “it was suggested by the PML(N) that the prime ministerial candidate should be one who can deliver on the joint agenda of the coalition.”

This appears to indicate that PPP deputy leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim may not be in the running, and that the party may settle for a candidate from Punjab. In a sign of a rift in the making between him and the PPP leader, Mr. Fahim told television channels that he was not invited to the Bhurban meeting.

News Source : Samachar

70% want to talk to BPO agents of opposite sex: Study

If you dial a call centre, whose voice do you want to hear at the other end? Amitabh Bachchan’s baritone was the overwhelming answer in a recent survey on call centres.

While Bachchan was voted favourite-celebrity-to-answer-a-call by both men and women, there were gender differences when it came to the other questions. To start with, the men said they preferred talking to women and the women customers said they preferred talking to men. The survey thus confirmed what has long been an open secret.

The study was conducted by Avaya GlobalConnect and the Sydney-based research firm callcentres.net. Questionnaires were emailed to 300 respondents in India who had recently used the services of a call centre. They were from various income groups.

Exactly 70% said that they preferred talking to an agent of the opposite sex. And almost one-third were more demanding—they wanted the agents to be both of the opposite sex and younger than them.

The study comes at a time when a number of banks and telecom companies have begun diverting their customer-query traffic to their call centres rather than have people visiting their outlets.

Even government monoliths like the Indian Railways and state-owned telecom companies, which have a less-than-shining record of customer service, are setting up call centres to address queries. The customers don’t seem to mind with 58% saying that interacting with call centres made life easy.

More than gender, it was the age groups that responded in different ways. The youngsters or Generation Y (16 to 30 years) had the most complaints and said it was usually a problematic process.

They also had the lowest service expectations from the men and women at the other end of the phone. Middle-aged customers or the Baby Boomers (46 to 61 years) had the highest expectations about service quality.

The Silent Generation (62 to 82 years), surprisingly, found the least problems with call centres. They were more than happy to speak to a number of different people on the same call, as long as it helped resolve their problem.

What did customers look for in an agent? Once again there was a gender difference: for males it was being helpful, while for females, intelligence was most sought after.

News Source : Samachar

BCCI acts on CA's demand, bars Bhajji from speaking out

The BCCI has told off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to stop talking to the media on the just-concluded tour of Australia where he was involved in the racism controversy.

"Yes, we received a mail from Cricket Australia about Harbhajan Singh. He has been told not to talk to the media on the Australian tour. He has to accept our directive," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah on Sunday.

Harbhajan was found guilty of using abusive remarks against Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds and was fined by the International Cricket Council-appointed judge John Hansen.

Harbhajan was called a "little obnoxious weed" by Mathew Hayden during the later part of the one-day triseries for which the Aussie opener was reprimanded by Cricket Australia.

On his return to India, Harbhajan was quoted in the media as terming Hayden "a liar" and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist "no saint", which he later denied.

News Source : Samachar

Rape established in Scarlett case

In Goa, the first arrest has been made in connection with the alleged rape and murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling.

Samsung D'souza, one of the men seen with Scarlett shortly before she died, was arrested.

However, he was not charged with murder but with rape. Three other men have been questioned on Sunday.

The police had earlier dismissed her death as a case of drowning, but have swiftly moved into action after the second autopsy report mentioned that Keeling could have been murdered.

A murder case was registered early on Sunday morning.

One of the three detained men was a man called Shanaboy, is known in local and police circles as a drug dealer.

According to the police, some of these men including Samsung were seen trying to sexually abuse Scarlett, near the shore just before she died.

Even MLAs of the area are now certain about the drug angle.

Agnello Fernandes, Calungute MLA said, ''According to locals, there is a drug angle. Scarlett did consume drugs.''

NDTV learnt that immediately after Keeling's death, the Anjuna police had interrogated Shanaboy and had recorded his statement.

However, the drug angle was deliberately kept out of the investigations at that stage.

The mystery behind Scarlett's death gives rise to two questions - one, why didn't the doctor who conducted the first autopsy mention that she could have been murdered?

Second, Why didn't the police mention the drug angle when they had earlier interrogated people involved in the drug trade?

Scarlett's mother Fiona Mackowen is for the first time relieved with the way investigations are moving.

News Source : Samachar

8 years on, Manjunath gets a kiss from mom

It was a moment Manjunath Kalmani had waited eight painful years for. On Sunday, the paralyzed software techie's eyes welled up when he saw his mother, Vidyawati, at his bedside at Safdarjung Hospital's ICU. She gently ran her hand over his forehead and kissed him. This was their first meeting since Manjunath was terminally crippled in May 2002 and both thanked The Times of India profusely for making it possible.

On March 8, TOI had reported that Manjunath — a techie who was paralyzed neck down in a road accident in the US — was transported back to India on March 5 after his visa had expired and admitted at the Safdarjung Hospital. This newspaper has since been inundated with calls from well-wishers wanting to help the 33-year-old quadriplegic. A Lucknow-based institute has even offered to adopt him.

"I knew his condition was bad. All this while I have consoled myself for not being with him thinking that Manju was getting good medical attention in the US and was fine. But when I was told that he had been brought to India and I saw his photograph on television, I couldn't stop myself," said Vidyawati. Accompanied by her son-in-law Linganagouda Patil, Vidyawati arrived from Koppal in Karnataka at 3.15pm and went straight to meet Manjunath in the hospital from the airport.

The family had long wished for this reunion with fading hope as Manjunath was in the US and the chances of his recovery were grim. In their hour-long meeting, Manjunath spoke to all his family members back home in Karnataka. "He couldn't speak but he heard his father, brother and sister talk to him. He did try to speak as he couldn't stop himself," said Patil.

Vidyawati thanked TOI for highlight Manjunath's story. "I'll always be thankful to TOI for what they have done. Had they not written about my son, I don't know what would have happened to him. If so many people are coming forward to help us it is just because of the newspaper's efforts," she said.

She also appealed to the Karnataka government and the Centre for help. "I appeal to the Indian and Karnataka governments to help us as we can't afford Manjunath's treatment," she said.

Vidyawati got a recent album to show Manjunath the new members of the family — two-year-old Ganesh and seven-year-old Goutami, children of his sister Veena. "He has never seen them. He had spoken to Goutami once. He was very happy to see the pictures of their home and those of other family members," said Vidyawati with tears in her eyes.

After reading about Manjunath's plight in The Times of India and the tremendous response from across the globe, Karnataka government officials met the techie on Sunday. "We have asked Safdarjung Hospital to give us a report of his medical condition. We have been informed about the various medical complications he has. We would be sending the report to our government," said G R Manjesh, resident commissioner, Karnataka Bhawan. The state government has also made arrangement for the family's stay in Delhi.

News Source : Samachar

India may have solved cheap energy question

When police bring the traffic to an abrupt halt in Raipur, capital of the remote Indian state of Chhattisgarh, drivers know what to expect next. Soon, flashing red lights atop speeding government vehicles come into view. Raman Singh, Chhattisgarh's chief minister, is passing through.

Government motorcades are a common sight in Indian capitals. But what is different about this one is that all of Chhattisgarh's official vehicles, including the chief minister's Tata Safari jeep, are run on oil from the wrinkled black nut of a shrub-like tree called jatropha.

Unlike biofuels made from crops such as soybeans and maize, jatropha is inedible, grows on non-arable land and needs little water or care. "It has good potential, no doubt about it," says Suhas Wani, principal scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, near Hyderabad.

News Source : Samachar

New Russian president already the butt of jokes

A joke circulating among Russians these days has Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev waking up in the Kremlin in 2023 with a vicious hangover.

Putin says to Medvedev, "Which of us is president and which of us is prime minister today?" "I don't remember," Medvedev replies. "I could be prime minister today.""Then go fetch some beer," Putin says.

It tidily sums up the ambiguities of Russia's new power-sharing agreement whereby the baby-faced Medvedev will serve as president with the stern Putin serving below him as prime minister _ tapping into widespread speculation that it's really Putin who will be the boss.

This new odd couple at the pinnacle of power has become ideal fodder for the cherished and once dangerous Russian tradition of poking fun

at leaders through satirical jokes called anekdoty. The latest crop play on the contrast between Putin and Medvedev, riff off of the novelty of a two-headed state, or spin puns out of Medvedev's last name, which stems from the Russian word for bear.

Anekdoty have long been a litmus test of public opinion _ and individual liberties _ in a country where in the past people faced exile, prison or worse for expressing their opinions directly. "Anekdoty sometimes live for a day and sometimes survive for centuries," said linguist Sandjar Yanyshev.

"They remain the main genre of oral tradition in Russian folk culture." George Orwell once called the joke "a tiny revolution," and nowhere was that taken more literally than in the Soviet Union.

Despite the danger, Soviet citizens told stories lampooning Josef Stalin's heavy Georgian accent. His successor Nikita Khrushchev was ridiculed for his redneck joviality and introduction of corn on collective farms, in regions where it was too cold to grow the crop.

News Source : Samachar

Small home loans may cost less

Small home loan borrowers may soon have enough reason to cheer. Bank loans up to Rs. 20 lakh are likely to cost less with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday favouring a cut in the interest rates.In an interaction with the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), Mr. Chidambaram said: “I shall certainly bear in mind that there is public demand that interest rates for borrowers, who borrow [for housing] up to Rs. 20 lakh, must be lowered.”

He, however, made it clear that it was for banks and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take a call on this issue. “I made a number of efforts to impress upon the bankers in this regard ...it is a constant effort that I will have to make...the bankers will have to take a call, [the] RBI will have to take a call.”

Nearly 80 per cent of housing loans fell in the category of below Rs. 20 lakh and these loans involved less risk than those above that amount. Therefore, banks had incentives to lend to the borrowers at lower rates of interest.

Mr. Chidambaram pointed to the unenviable position of the RBI Governor in trying to strike a balance between low inflation and high growth. “He [RBI Governor] can never please everyone. It is his judgment call what should be the interest rates in order to contain inflation and promote growth,” he said. From the government’s point of view, it was important to promote growth without stoking inflation.

Home loans comprise about 12-35 per cent of the total loan portfolio of banks. The loans given by banks and housing finance firms add up to about Rs. 2,00,000 crore.

News Source : Samachar

Pardon granted to Indian national Kashmir Singh challenged

A lawyer has challenged the pardon granted by President Pervez Musharraf to Indian national Kashmir Singh, who was freed after spending 35 years on death row in a Pakistani jail, even as the move was criticised by religious leaders and organisations.

Singh was freed after his case was taken up with Musharraf by caretaker Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney. He was reunited with his family in India two days ago.

Lawyer MD Tahir, in his petition filed in the Lahore High Court yesterday, said Attorney General Malik Qayyum had earlier stated that Singh and other Indians in Pakistani jails were not entitled to be released.

Noting that many Pakistanis were languishing in Indian jails, Tahir asked the High Court to declare Singh's release as illegal, unconstitutional and without lawful authority.

Tahir also referred to his plea to PML-Q general secretary Mushahid Hussain Sayed to seek the government's help for the release of Afzal Guru, who has been sentenced to death for his role in the attack on India's parliament.

Religious leaders and organisations too have taken exception to the presidential pardon granted to Singh, saying it was in stark contrast to the apathy shown to a large number of Pakistanis who had suffered worse violations of their fundamental rights.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said Musharraf had exercised his discretionary powers in favour of "enemies of the state and foreign citizens" though he never treated Pakistanis in a similar manner.

The religious leaders also slammed Musharraf for "not showing mercy" to the militants and other radical elements who were holed up in Islamabad's Lal Masjid, against which the military conducted an operation last year. Over 100 people were killed in that operation.

News Source : Samachar

Friendship with Hrithik explains on-screen chemistry: Ash

Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan made a perfect couple and their on-screen chemistry sizzled in both "Dhoom 2" and "Jodhaa Akbar". The actress attributes the chemistry to their rapport off screen.

"Hrithik has been a special co-star. We've shared a fantastic rapport that gets translated into wonderful chemistry on screen. We're both genuinely committed to our craft. That apart, we share a special friendship from the time we did a commercial together many years ago," Aishwarya said in an interview.

Aishwarya said that she met Hrithik for the first time when she was offered "Mission Kashmir".

"I had been approached for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Mission Kashmir'. That's the first time we met. He was very new then. I was also offered 'Krrish' but had no dates. We never came around to working together in a movie until 'Dhoom 2'. It was a very new genre for me.

"I think part of our comfort level comes from the fact that Abhishek and Hrithik are childhood friends. So, vicariously, I was already a part of that bratpack. I'm so amused when I hear them sharing childhood memories of parties that the two attended together. All three of us had a ball during 'Dhoom 2'."

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Your life changed completely -- from Ms to Mrs - during the making of "Jodhaa Akbar".

A: Yes, that's true (laughs). I get married while the movie was being made and that makes it very special. Five years ago, I'd have never imagined I'd have got married during the making of a movie. I'd have thought I'd finish a movie, take time off for my wedding, like any other girl getting married. Never did I imagine I'd be working through my marriage.

When I look back I smile at how it all happened. The making of every shot and every frame in "Jodhaa Abkar" has been unique for the team. We worked through changing weather and different circumstances and those don't show up on celluloid. That's quite an accomplishment. We were in Rajasthan for a while and then in Karjat. The whole team worked really hard.

News Source : Samachar

Saga of anti-north Indian tirade continues

A day after Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna carried an editorial against Biharis, Sena Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh should be thankful to his party for standing up to defend the state's image.

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh parliamentarians had raised the issue of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's anti-north Indian campaign in the Parliament earlier this week. MNS chief Raj Thackeray was criticised by several people, including Janata Dal (U) MP Prabhunath Singh who equated Raj with Punjab militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. "We had one Bhindranwale. Don't create another. It is not good for the unity of the country," said Singh. He also asked that the RBI headquarters be moved from Mumbai to Delhi.

Then the Shiv Sena, in an attempt to recapture the Marathi sons-of-the-soil plan from Raj, targeted Biharis, calling them an "unwanted lot" in all parts of the country. A Saamna editorial said: "They are not wanted in southern India, Assam and also Punjab and Chandigarh. The Biharis have antagonised local population wherever they had settled. The UP-Bihari MPs have shown their ingratitude towards Mumbai and Maharashtra with an anti-Marathi tirade in Parliament."

The editorial also termed Bihar MP Prabhunath Singh a "murderer" and added that "his place is in jail but he is in Parliament"

News Source : Samachar

Harbhajan issue brought us together: Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh didn't have a memorable tour with the bat in Australia. Dropped from the Test side after failing in the first two matches, he didn't really get into his groove even in the One-Day games but after the win he too is over the moon.

Yuvraj Singh: Ya obviously, three months is a long tour and we were missing home. Actually, this is the first time that it happened to me that I was missing home but coming back with a victory is always fruitful and I am very happy with way the boys played.

Bhupendra Chaubey: What is a big thing that you take from this tour, other than your own good performances?

Yuvraj Singh: I didn't have much of good performances but as a team effort, it was great. I have never played in a team, which was as competitive and as aggressive on the field as this one. Obviously, beating Australia in Australia is a big thing. Not many teams do that and we are very happy with the achievement.

Bhupendra Chaubey: You know Harbhajan Singh more than most other members in the team. Do you think all that was happening - off the field controversies, do you think somewhere down the line it did bring the entire team together?

Yuvraj Singh: Obviously, after Sydney Test, we all stood by Bhajji because we knew he played the game in the right spirit, he is very aggressive. Basically, to handle so much of pressure and abuse from the crowd but he is mentally very strong to face such a huge amount of pressure on his head.

Bhupendra Chaubey: But was that something that was working on the entire team? One bowler being targeted and did that mean that the entire Indian team came together to rally around him?

Yuvraj Singh: Yes, of course. He has been very aggressive and he has always played for the team and we always wanted to support him and he has got a good record against Australia and he has always taken wickets against them. But it is not about performing or not performing, it was about standing by your teammate and we wanted to do that.

News Source : Samachar

Pardon granted to Kashmir Singh challenged

A lawyer has challenged the pardon granted by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to Indian national Kashmir Singh, who was freed after spending 35 years on death row in a Pakistani jail, even as the move was criticised by religious leaders and organisations.

Singh was freed after his case was taken up with Musharraf by caretaker Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney. He was reunited with his family in India two days ago.

Lawyer M D Tahir, in his petition filed in the Lahore High Court on Wednesday, said Attorney General Malik Qayyum had earlier stated that Singh and other Indians in Pakistani jails were not entitled to be released.

Noting that many Pakistanis were languishing in Indian jails, Tahir asked the high court to declare Singh's release as illegal, unconstitutional and without lawful authority.

Tahir also referred to his plea to PML-Q general secretary Mushahid Hussain Sayed to seek the government's help for the release of Afzal Guru, who has been sentenced to death for his role in the attack on India's Parliament.

Religious leaders and organisations too have taken exception to the presidential pardon granted to Singh, saying it was in stark contrast to the apathy shown to a large number of Pakistanis who had suffered worse violations of their fundamental rights.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said Musharraf had exercised his discretionary powers in favour of ''enemies of the state and foreign citizens'' though he never treated Pakistanis in a similar manner.

The religious leaders also slammed Musharraf for ''not showing mercy'' to the militants and other radical elements who were holed up in Islamabad's Lal Masjid, against which the military conducted an operation last year. Over 100 people were killed in that operation.

News Source : Samachar

I could buy 1000 bikes from IPL money: Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke exclusively to NDTV's Anjali Doshi on the recently concluded tour of Australia. Excerpts:

On Dhoni the captain, and his rapport with the team
I am funny, sarcastic and aggressive. Not very vocal but can be if I am angry and I love my teammates. I am a transparent person. Whatever happens on the field, I just repeat it at the press conference. There is nothing confidential about it. More importantly I have a good rapport with my team, they respond well to me and that is why they understand me. After the end of every match I speak to them. I am not really supposed to rate myself as long as everything is fine and we are winning, it's fine. But the problem starts when we don't do well. Then we come under lot of scrutiny. But that's how it is.

On the CB Series win
It is very special beating Australia in Australia. A lot was said about them and how tough they are in big matches like finals. But it was good to see our youngsters taking up the responsibility. I hope we get a few easy outings now but jokes apart nothing is easy in international cricket.

On the upcoming youngsters in the team
Piyush Chawla and Praveen Kumar performed really well, and when a team performs well like this it leads to stability, this is the core team, and will change only little depending on conditions. Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh were outstanding performers.

On the controversies surrounding Harbhajan
Harbhajan was under pressure and he came and did a great job. He is an aggressive player, but he has not done any wrong. The Aussie newspapers were constantly targeting bhajji and he was always described as controversial off spinner, maybe next time he comes here he should change his name.

On Australia's sledging and the mood in the dressing room
The spirit in the dressing room is great, we try and listen to music and keep it a happy space. The controversy egged us on to do even better. We chose not to report many incidents because I don't believe in a principal standing and watching over everything. These differences are on the field and need to be sorted out there.

On choosing between country and club, and the money in IPL
I am excited about playing in the IPL. I calculated that with the money I earn there I could buy over 1000 bikes! If I ever had to choose between country and a club, I would choose country, because how much money do you need, so far what I have earned is enough for me and my future family. Playing for the country is always most special to me.

News Source : Samachar

Left sets deadline on nuclear deal

In a significant political development, the Left parties on Thursday asked the government to convene a meeting of the UPA-Left joint committee on the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal by March 15.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has sent a letter on behalf of the Left parties to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the convener of the committee. The Left has demanded the urgent meeting to ascertain what the government wants to do about the nuclear deal. Mr. Karat’s letter cites media reports that the negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the draft safeguards agreement have covered considerable ground.

The latest move of the Left parties, on whose support the minority UPA government depends for survival, comes in the wake of visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher reminding India of a stiff May deadline to finalise the deal. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, replying to the debate on motion of thanks to the Presidential address in Parliament, spoke of the government’s efforts to evolve a consensus on the deal. He also appealed to his predecessor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to “listen to the call of his conscience” and back the nuclear deal by rising above party politics.

In his letter, Mr. Karat also seems to have taken cognisance of Mr. Mukherjee’s March 3 suo moto statement in Parliament. The statement indicated that the government had not given up on the 123 agreement and also that the government’s understanding of the controversial Hyde Act was different from the Left’s view of it.

The agreement between the UPA government and the Left parties is that without initialling the draft IAEA safeguards agreement, the government would come back to the committee, which would take a decision on it. Thus the draft agreement would fall within the purview of the UPA-Left joint committee, which has not met since November 2007.

Left sources believe the next joint committee meeting will be crucial. “If the government wants to still proceed with its course of action on nuclear deal, we will also be free to choose our own course of action”, a senior Left leader told The Hindu.

News Source : Samachar

BIHARIS, MUSLIMS NEED NOT APPLY

Raj Thackeray’s anti-Bhaiya virus seems to be spreading. A BPOs in Noida has reportedly told the HR firm doing its hiring that “candidates from Bihar, UP and those who are Muslims are ineligible”.

This sort of discrimination in BPOs may have come out in the open in this particular case, but the virus has invaded the industry. People from these states admit to even hiding their origins to escape discrimination.

Even the HR firm was surprised by the pre-condition set by the BPO. “Though we were surprised, the BPO organisation, Netambit, explained that people from UP and Bihar have a problem with their diction, especially with words like insurance where the ‘sh’ sound is pronounced as ‘s’,” said Nadeem Faruqi, director, Connect Global, the HR firm. He was unable to get any logical explanation as to why Muslims were also excluded.

Uma, the HR head for Netambit, said, “We do not prefer people from UP and Bihar because of their strong mother tongue influence.” However, she added that the HR firm was trying to malign them. “It is not at all true that we’ve said they are ineligible. In fact, we also do not prefer candidates from the North-East. Even they have a very strong mother tongue influence.”

But Faruqi was firm. “Why should I want to malign them? For me, this is my business. We have been getting them candidates for the past three months. We have been verbally instructed that they don’t want candidates from UP and Bihar. They also do not want Muslims. I myself am a Muslim, but we didn’t probe much because for us this is business. They are our clients, they have specific needs, we service those needs,” he said.

While this one instance has come out in the open, there are many instances where such discrimination remains undetected.

Keith Rowe, director, HR Solutions, another consultancy, confirmed this. He said, “This kind of pre-conditioning exists in both big and small BPOs. We had many clients telling us categorically that they did not want candidates from a particular state, belonging to a particular caste or creed. In fact, this caste system works in another way in this sector. Looks and gender can also be qualifiers or disqualifiers. We also get requests for good looking.

News Source : Samachar

Victory in Oz as good as T20 win: Robin

Fielding coach Robin Singh on Wednesday rated the Indian cricket team's victory in the tri-series in Australia at par with the triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup last year.

"I think it's probably as good as the T20 World Cup victory," Singh said.

He added that the young talent in the team played brilliantly and stood up to the test.

"It feels pretty good, the guys played brilliantly. Young guys stood up to the test and Sachin (Tendulkar) led from the front," Singh added.

On being asked about the mood in the Indian team, he described it as "brilliant".

He, however, declined to comment whether the team, at any stage, felt the absence of senior players like Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

"I think we won the series and that is important," he added.

News Source : Samachar

Compulsory ID cards for Indians in U.K.

Citizens of India and other non-European Union countries will be issued compulsory identity cards from later this year as part of the British government’s plans to improve security and prevent identity fraud.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on Thursday said the non-EU nations would be the first to be required to have the cards. It would then be rolled out to airport baggage handlers. People in other sensitive security roles would get them from 2009. Students would need to have the cards from 2010.

Britain would introduce biometric passports from 2012. People could use either the cards or the biometric passports to prove their identities, Ms. Smith said.

News Source : Samachar