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My presidential ambitions are mere speculations: Narayana Murthy

2011-10-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Founder-Chairman of Infosys, Narayana Murthy on Friday said that it was all media speculation and he was not in the race to become the president.

“It was mere speculation and anyways it was decided by others and not by him,” he told while talking to a news channel.

In an exclusive interview to a TV news channel on Thursday, Murthy said it will be a great honour for him, but might be premature to comment further.

The Infosys founder, when asked if he would like to be as President of India, if he is elected unopposed like Dr Kalam, said: “Well, I think, it is not for me to comment on these issues. There are elders, there are experts, there are people who have decision making power and therefore it is not proper on my part to comment on this.

However, to another question asking him whether he would accept the offer if all the parties suggest his name, Murthy said it will be a big honour for him to add value to the country.

“Of course I'll be very happy. But, that, I think, you know, is in the realm of speculation that is not for me to comment on. And that is perhaps too early right now. It still has another nine months to go.

Advani’s Yatra mired in cash-for-coverage scam, Congress takes potshots

2011-10-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday condemned the alleged attempts to bribe journalists covering LK Advani’s yatra and claimed that it has vindicated its stand that the BJP venture was not against corruption but had a “hidden agenda.”

“The attempt to bribe joBJPurnalists is very unfortunate and condemnable. We have always been saying that the Yatra was not against corruption. Whenever Advani has taken out a yatra there has been a hidden agenda," party spokesman Rashid Alvi told reporters here.

Noting that Advani took out the Somnath-Ayodhya Rathyatra in 1990 to capture power at the Centre, he said that when the BJP-led NDA was in power, the party “just forgot about the issue.”

There have been allegations that certain local journalists at Satna in Madhya Pradesh were given currency notes of Rs500 each in an envelope after a press conference by local BJP leaders on the yatra, but the state BJP unit has denied it.

Advani has said he will ask Madhya Pradesh party chief to inquire into the matter.

PM says RTI should not hamper government work

2011-10-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said a critical look must be taken at the RTI Act and concerns on it discussed and addressed. But he asserted that there would be no dilution of RTI Act.

“The Right to Information should not adversely affect the deliberative processes in the government,” he said addressing a two-day annual convention of the Central Information Commission here.

“We must take a critical look at it. There are concerns that need to be discussed and addressed,” he stressed.

There have been demands for amending the transparency law by certain sections of government who feel it is “transgressing” into their functioning.

The prime minister highlighted the need to strike a balance between disclosure of information and the limited time and resources available with public authorities.
Amendments to the RTI Act and exemptions given to security agencies from making disclosures under it are expected to be debated at the conference being attended by information commissioners.

Another concern that has been raised is that the Right to Information could end up discouraging honest, well meaning public servants from giving full expression to their views.

Singh made it clear that there “will be no dilution of the RTI Act. We wish to make the Right to Information an even more effective instrument for ensuring transparency and accountability in administration”.

The prime minister said legislation for protection of whistleblowers would be enacted in the next few months to help prevention of violence against those who seek to expose wrongdoings in the public administration.

Accusing the government of being “scared” of the RTI Act, the BJP slammed the prime minister’s statement favouring a “critical look” at the transparency law and warned that any attempt to dilute the act would be opposed across the country.

“Is the government scared now of the RTI Act? The government wants to turn its back towards the Act. The government, which has already lost its credibility, fears that it will be nowhere if this Act survives for a long time,” said BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

He claimed the prime minister was siding with the rhetoric of such organisations which are seeking exemption from the transparency law.

Wall Street Journal hit by circulation scam; Rupert Murdoch's top aide quits

2011-10-14T22:30:00.001-07:00

London: Rupert Murdoch's media empire, recently hit by the UK's phone hacking scandal, suffered another setback after one of its senior-most European executives resigned in the wake of an alleged circulation scam at the Wall Street Journal.

Nick Davies of The Guardian , whose series of reports blew the lid off phone-hacking and other unethical news-gathering practices at News of the World, on Thursday reported the circulation scam at WSJ, a flagship newspaper of Murdoch's News Corporation.

Andrew Langhoff, the European managing director of WSJ's parent company, Dow Jones and Co in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, resigned on Tuesday. Dow Jones and Co was bought by News Corporation in 2007.

Dow Jones said in a statement that Langhoff stepped down "because of a perceived breach of editorial integrity".

The Guardian, however, reported that it found evidence that the WSJ had been channelling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the WSJ's true circulation .

Terming the scheme 'bizarre' , the report said that the scheme included a formal, written contract in which the WSJ persuaded one company to cooperate by agreeing to publish articles that promoted its activities, a move which led some staff to accuse the paper's management of violating journalistic ethics and jeopardizing its treasured reputation for editorial quality.

Internal emails and documents suggest the scam The Guardian reported, was promoted by Langhoff. The highly controversial activities were reportedly organized in London and focused on WSJ's European edition, which circulates in the EU, Russia, and Africa.

Three day ‘rail roko’ begins in Telangana, 124 trains cancelled

2011-10-14T22:29:00.001-07:00

Hyderabad: TRS leader K Chandrashekhar Rao was taken into preventive custody even as the three-day ‘rail roko’ movement over the Telangana agitation began on Saturday.

His daughter and son KTR Rao are also in preventive custoday.

In view of the rail roko campaign, 124 trains were cancelled. Several protesters were detained for trying to block tracks.

Telangana Congress MPs on Friday asserted that they would participate in the 'rail roko' scheduled to be held in the region for three days from Saturday in support of the separate statehood demand, despite appeals from the party not to do so.

While DGP Dinesh Reddy has warned Telangana activists against disrupting rail services or damaging property, the state government has received reports that Telangana activists may resort to violence if stopped.

PM’s post not vacant at the moment: Digvijay to Mayawati

2011-10-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Responding to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati's remark that Congress will make either Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar or Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde the Prime Minister to split the Dalit vote ahead of the UP assembly polls, party general secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday said that the PM's post is not vacant at the moment.

Talking to media persons, Digvijay Singh slammed Mayawati for her Rs 685 cr magnum opus park, which was inaugurated by her in Noida today, and said that the chief minister has wasted huge amount of public money.

Earlier, Mayawati accused the Congress of trying to split the Dalit vote.

"Congress is trying to split the Dalit vote but they are unable to do anything. The party, despite Babu Jagjivan Ram being the right candidate for the Prime Minister, did not make him...

"Afraid of BSP's mass base, Congress may make either Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar or Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as Prime Minister before the Assembly elections," she said inaugurating the controversial Dalit icon park.

Mayawati accused the Congress-led coalition at the Centre of not paying heed to the development of Uttar Pradesh as also her proposal to carve out separate states of Bundelkhand, Poorvanchal and Western Uttar Pradesh.

She also alleged the Centre was not providing the state's share from the central fund.

"Between 2007-08 to 2010-11, a total of Rs 21,385 crore is due with the central government, due to which many projects are stalled," Mayawati said, adding "even a special package demanded by me has been turned down by the Centre".

In 2007 UP assembly elections, Mayawati single handedly won the politically key state. The UP Chief Minister has never made secret of her ambition to become the first Dalit Prime Minister.

Rahul Gandhi special and only guest at Bhutan royal couple's reception

2011-10-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

Thimphu: Two days after their fairy tale wedding, King Jigme Khesar Nagyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema were today accorded a ceremonial reception by the Royal Bhutan Army on their first visit post-marriage to the seat of government here, an event where Rahul Gandhi was the only guest.

As the dawn broke in the tiny Himalayan kingdom, the newly-wed walked hand-in-hand to the TashichhoDzong, the office of the King, along with a ceremonial procession of over 100 people, including traditional artistes and red-robe monks.

The couple got married on Thursday in a traditional Buddhist ceremony at an imposing monastic fortress in Punakha, 71 km from here, with Wangchuck crowning his childhood sweetheart Pema, who was educated in India.

Upon their arrival at the Dzong, the royal couple were received by the King's father Jigme Singye Wangchuck and chief monk of the country Je Khenpo. The 'Grand National Flag' was unfurled and the Guard of Honour presented.

The King and his Queen look fresh and relaxed despite making most of their 71-km journey from Punakha to Thimphu on foot yesterday as thousands of people lined up along the roads to greet them.

As thy ascended to the dais, around 50 soldiers of the Royal Bhutan Army marched and accorded Guard of Honour and presented the national flag to the royal couple, who touched it with their both hands.

The ceremony, as part of the royal traditions, was strictly a family and government affair except for the participation of Gandhi, the Congress MP from Amethi, whose family shares a close relationship with the Bhutan royals.

The importance that the royal family attached to the Nehru-Gandhi clan was evident from the fact that Rahul was accompanied to the huge monastic fortress by none other than the present King's father.

Rahul, whose father Rajiv Gandhi was a close friend of the present Bhutan King's father, was introduced to chief monk Je Khenpo and taken near the dais, where members of the royal family had been waiting for some time.

Clad in his trademark white kurta with a black jacket, the 41-year-old Congress leader welcomed the King and the Queen with a 'namaste' and even bowed for a while along with the members of the royal family as a mark of respect to the couple.

With a grand painting depicting Lord Buddha in different manifestations forming the background, the Bhutan army soldiers stood in attention as prayers were held and a ceremonial reception accorded to the couple.

After the brief ceremony, the couple were escorted to the Royal Chambers where the King ascended the Golden Throne and wore the Raven Crown followed by a series of prayers led by monks.

Throughout the nearly 30-minute ceremony, the young Nehru-Gandhi scion stood along with the members of the royal family and was seen chatting with them for almost 20 minutes as they waited for the couple to arrive.

Members of the royal family introduced Gandhi to senior government functionaries and others.

Attack on Prashant Bhushan a conspiracy, role of police should be probed: Kejriwal

2011-10-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Clarifying that Kashmir was an integral part of India and Team Anna’s focus is only on the issue of corruption, Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the Kashmir issue was used as a smokescreen for attacking senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

Bhushan was attacked inside his Supreme Court chamber a couple of days ago by three men, who claimed to be members different right wing organisations.

Talking to mediapersons here, Kejriwal said that the attack on Bhushan and the scuffle between Team Anna members and supporters of the three attackers outside the Patiala House Court on Thursday was part of a conspiracy to distract the attention of the peopke from the issue of corruption.

“Kashmir is an integral part of India. The Kashmir issue is a complicated one and should be resolved according to the Constitution,” Kejriwal said.

Denying any rift in Team Anna, Kejriwal rejected reports of Prashant Bhushan’s exit from Anna’s team and said that the lawyers remains an important part of the squad.

He also questioned the role of Delhi police during the whole Bhushan attack episode and demanded a probe into the matter.

Meanwhile, the three men who had launched an assault of Bhushan were granted bail by the court on Friday.

Shiv Sena's ultimatum to Team Anna: Sack Prashant Bhushan in 24 hours

2011-10-14T22:24:00.002-07:00

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday demanded that Team Anna "sack" senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his "anti-India remarks" within 24 hours, a party official said.

Party spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut told media-persons that Bhushan’s "treacherous" statements on Jammu and Kashmir cannot be tolerated and Team Anna should first sack him from its organization. “After this, the union home ministry should book him for treachery and initiate appropriate proceedings against him,” Raut demanded.

His statement came after Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray lauded the persons who assaulted Bhushan in his Supreme Court chamber last Wednesday. The attack was in retaliation to Bhushan’s comments advocating ‘plebiscite’ in Kashmir, which has raked up a controversy. Thackeray also said that if Bhushan is a lawyer why is he ‘representing’ Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

The 74-year old Anna Hazare responded by distancing himself from Bhushan’s controversial comments and reiterating that Kashmir was “an integral part” of India.

“Kashmir is an integral part of India. Bhushan has given his personal opinion and Team Anna is not in agreement with the views,” Hazare told media-persons in his native village Ralegan-Siddhi.

Later, Team Anna, while stressing that Bhushan was airing his personal views on Kashmir, denied any moves to remove him from the anti-corruption panel.

Kashmir integral part, Prashant Bhushan too: Anna Hazare

2011-10-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Terming his team member Prashant Bhushan’s views on Kashmir as “wrong”, Anna Hazare said Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Reiterating Hazare’s view that the senior advocate’s remarks on Kashmir were his own, Team Anna cleared said Bhushan is an “integral” and “inseparable” part of their group.

They also hinted at possibility of a deeper “conspiracy” behind attack on Bhushan on Wednesday which was followed by bashing of their supporters outside a Delhi court on Thursday. They said it needs to be probed in detail and these actions could be to divide their team and affect the Lokpal movement.

“Today our core committee met and we discussed several issues including our member Prashant Bhushan’s remark on Kashmir. He is an inseparable and integral part of our team. However, his views on Kashmir are his personal views,” team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal said through Anna Hazarewas not present in the meeting physically, they were talking to him on phone constantly.

Asked about their view on whole issue including Kashmir, Kejriwal read a statement which said: “IAC stands for unity and integrity of India. We believe Kashmir is an integral part of India. Kashmir is a complex problem and should be solved through peaceful means and dialogue within the four walls of our constitution.”

A controversy over Bhushan’s continuance in the team broke out when Anna while talking to mediapersons in Ralegan Siddhi said Bhushan’s remarks were his own and the team doesn’t agree with it. “Woh aage jaake hum log tay karenge, rakhna (hai) nahi rakhna (We will decide later whether he will be in the team),” Hazare told reporters. Kejriwal said the confusion started because during this interaction some one asked him if Bhushan would be removed from the team.

India vs England: Dhoni & Co. clinch massive win, lead series 1-0

2011-10-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hyderabad: Dhoni & Co. ended their losing streak against England as they thrashed the visitors in the first ODI of the five-match series by 126 runs to secure their maiden victory at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday.

The magnificent victory, which was also India’s second biggest win against England, too an extent healed Team India’s wound which they developed during the recent England tour.

After skipper MS Dhoni’s blitzkrieg and Suresh Raina’s brave show powered India to a daunting 300/7, spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja rattled the Cook-led side, clinching a comprehensive win for their side.

Chasing 301, England lost opener Craig Kieswetter with just 7 runs on the board. Praveen Kumar gave the first blow to England getting Kieswetter caught behind. Kevin Petersen was the second man to depart before skipper Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott tried put up a strong fight against the hosts.

However, after Cook’s half-ton, Jadeja got him caught by Vinay Kumar, triggering England’s collapse. Trott (26) soon followed his master in the dressing room after being bowled by the left-arm spinner.

R Ashwin then capitalized on the double bow by Jadeja and dismissed Ravi Bopara (8) without allowing him to settle down. Jadeja then struck again and sent back J Bairstow (3) with a simple return catch, reducing England to 126/6.

India were in full control before Ashwin worsened the matter England getting rids of their last hope Tim Bresnan. Umesh Yadav who had a wicket less spell earlier, claim two victims in the form of Graeme Swann and Samit Patel.

However, Ashwin gave India the victorious moment, bowling out Jade Dernbach. Ashwin finished with 3/35 while Jadeja ended up with 3/34.

Earlier, MS Dhoni destroyed the English attack in death overs to set a challenging 301-run target for England. Dhoni stayed unbeaten after hitting 70-ball-87, studded with 10 boundaries and a six to guide India to 300/7 in 50 overs.

The last 15 overs yielded a whopping 150 runs as one got a glimpse of vintage Dhoni. The now famous 'Helicopter shot' fetched him plenty of runs as he hit 10 boundaries and a six en route his 42nd half century in ODIs. The innings assumed significance considering the amount of pressure he was in after England tour. He was ably supported by Suresh Raina who also smashed an aggresive 61 off 55 balls.

India were scoring runs at a sedate pace for the first 35 overs partly to the dual nature of the surface and also some disciplined bowling by the visitors before the duo started the hammering of the England bowlers adding 72 runs for the fifth wicket in only 10 overs.

Electing to bat, India lost their first wicket in the fourth over. Parthiv Patel (9), who impressed with the willow in England, was unfortunate to be ahead of the crease when a straight drive by Ajinkya Rahane kissed Steven Finn palm before hitting the stumps at the non striker end with scorecard reading 17.

Rahane (15) too failed to shine and surrendered before Graeme Swann in his first over after a struggling knock of 15 off 41 deliveries.

Birthday boy Gautam Gambhir who was in fine touch couldn’t make it large and got trapped leg before wickets by Jade Dernbach after hitting 32. With India three down before 100-mark, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina approached defensively.

However, after a 44-run stand between the two, Samit Patel dented India by sending back Kohli reducing them to 123/4 in 29 overs.

But a magical turnaround was on the card as Raina and skipper Dhoni took on the English attack with grit to accelerate the scoring rate. The due shared crease for 10 overs and scored at seven runs per over to raise hope for India.

Raina slammed an explosive 55-balls-61, studded with two sixes, before falling to Finn. Dhoni didn’t let the momentum slow down and kept attacking the bowlers with big hits.

Once Raina departed, Dhoni took it upon himself to punish the English bowlers who suddenly lacked discipline after bowling well for the better part of the innings.

Rahane (15) too failed to shine and surrendered before Graeme Swann in his first over after a struggling knock of 15 off 41 deliveries.

However, after a 44-run stand between the two, Samit Patel dented India by sending back Kohli reducing them to 123/4 in 29 overs.

Raina slammed an explosive 55-balls-61, studded with two sixes, before falling to Finn. Dhoni didn’t let the momentum slow down and kept attacking the bowlers with big hits.

Attackers who assaulted Prashant Bhushan for Kashmir remark arrested

2011-10-13T03:02:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: A day after the assault on Supreme Court lawyer and Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan, the two attackers were held at Tilak Marg police station here on Thursday.

Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga and Vishnu Verma were apprehended from a place near Baba Kharak Singh Marg, they said. Bagga had on Wednesday said that he would surrender in a local court.

One Inder Verma, who claimed to be the Delhi president of Sri Ram Sene, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the incident.

The attack on Bhushan came live on the TV screens when the trio barged into Chamber No 301 of New Lawyers Chamber opposite Supreme Court and attacked him mentioning "Kashmir, Kashmir". Bhushan was giving an interview to a TV channel at the time of the incident.

Bhushan was assaulted on Wednesday by three youths belonging to a right-wing group in his Supreme Court chamber for advocating holding of a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.

On social networking site 'Facebook', the account holder in the name of 'Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena' had claimed they "hit Prashant Bhushan hard in his chamber in Supreme Court. If you will try to break my nation, I will break your head" which was repeated on Bagga's Twitter account as well.

Asking supporters and well wishers not to resort to any violence against members of the Sri Ram Sene, he said answer to violence is not violence.

Bhushan said the youth who was arrested has been identified as one Indervir who claims to be the state president of Sri Ram Sene.

Don’t regret act, can repeat assault: Prashant Bhushan’s attacker

2011-10-13T02:59:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, who along with two others attacked senior Supreme Court lawyer and Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan inside his chamber, threatened to repeat the act.

Showing no remorse for his shocking act, Bagga told a television news channel that he was angered by Bhushan’s remark advocating a referendum in Jammu and Kashmir and that he could again launch an assault on the senior lawyer.

Bagga and his aide Vishnu Gupta were arrested by Delhi Police on Thursday morning from near Baba Kharak Singh Marg. The third attacker, Inder Verma, was held minutes after the trio entered Bhushan’s Supreme Court chamber and thrashed him on Wednesday.

Bagga told the channel that he supports Anna Hazare’s war on corruption but added that he would never tolerate people talking about bifurcation of Kashmir or speaking in favour of Afzal Guru or Ajmal Kasab.

Responding to a question, Bagga admitted that he was an active member of BJP Yuva Morcha but added that he left the organisation two years ago due to basic ideological differences.

After BlackBerry even Apple crumbles, new software launch hit by glitches

2011-10-13T02:57:00.001-07:00

London: Even as BlackBerry users are dealing with the outage that brought their social and work lives to a grinding halt for 3 days, there is news of how Apple's services were hit after users tried to download the new version of the the iPhone operating system iOS5.

'Error 3200' become a trending topic on Twitter as thousands of iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users were affected by the error. Their screen simply said 'Error 3200' as they tried to download the new version of iPhone's operating system, iOS 5.

According to the British tabloid Daily Mail, many people reported that the download was extremely slow.

The free update is intended to bring (some) older iPhones into line with the functions offered by iPhone 4S. But it seems that Apple was overwhelmed by demand.

Last night, as the software launched, many users complained of slow download speeds, with some asking plaintively 'Has anyone successfully downloaded iOS 5 yet?' Not all users encountered the 'Error 3200' message, but most found the process excruciating. Questions about the error flooded Mac forums and social networks.

One Twitter user said, 'Steve Jobs has only been gone a few days and we are already experience the start of the techpocalypse.' While another said ,"
BlackBerry is down and downloading iOS 5 results in 'ERROR 3200'. I can see the headlines already: 'APPLE AND BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE (sic)".

Ironically, the inability of Apple's servers to deal with demand may have been due to the coordinating power of social networks, after 'Downloading iOS 5' became a trending topic last night.

It's traditional for geeks to be on the edge of their seats in advance of any new Apple software launch - but social networks may have ensured that a wider audience was aware the instant the new software was available.

Unlike BlackBerry's high-profile collapse this week, 'Error 3200' seems eminently curable - just keep trying.

Other glitches have been reported even once users install the software, such as the new music service iCloud refusing logins

Railways get finnace ministry nod for raising tax-free bonds

2011-10-13T02:56:00.002-07:00

New Delhi: Facing a fund crunch, Indian Railways will soon issue tax-free bonds to raise around Rs 10,000 crore.

"We have received the notification (clearance) from the Finance Ministry. Based on the notification, we are going ahead for public issue which should materialise by the end of November or beginning of December," Financial Commissioner Pompa Babbar said.

The Finance Ministry has given notification to four organisations, including PFC and Railways, for raising tax- free bonds.

The market borrowings of railways is pegged at Rs 20,594 crore in the current fiscal, out of which Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be raised through tax-free bonds by Indian Railway Finance Corporation for financing select capacity enhancement work.

Babbar, however, said the amount to be raised through tax-free bonds depends upon market conditions.

"A lot depends on the market appetite...the financial condition of the market. There are lots of ups and downs in the market. But we hope for the best", Babbar said.

Railways has also got temporary relief on account of service tax on freight services.

"The service tax on freight has been kept at abeyance till December 31 and we have got the letter from the Finance Ministry to this effect. But the tax relief on the auxiliary services is yet to come and we are fighting for it", the official said.

Tata, Balfour Beatty sign MoU on infrastructure opportunities

2011-10-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Tata Projects (TPL) and Balfour Beatty India signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on on emerging infrastructure opportunities, a press release by Tata said.

The MoU will allow the two companies to "jointly identify and pursue infrastructure opportunities in India and Sub-Saharan Africa with an initial focus on the power generation, transmission, railways, mining, and water and waste water segments," said the release.

TPL is the infrastructure engineering and construction arm of the Tata group, while Balfour Beatty India is Balfour Beatty’s newly-formed Indian subsidiary.

Prasad Menon, director, Tata Industries and TPL, said, “The MoU will fast-track TPL’s journey to emerge as India’s leading engineering procurement and construction player. The Tata group looks forward to synergetic collaboration with Balfour Beatty in more diverse fields in the years to come.”

“This agreement with Tata, one of the largest and most respected companies in India, aligns us with a company with similar core values, enabling us to develop a long-term sustainable business in these markets. We already have an active presence in India through our professional services division Parsons Brinckerhoff, and through our cooperation with Tata, we see opportunities to develop substantial business in the expanding infrastructure markets in both India and Africa," Ian Tyler, chief executive, Balfour Beatty, commented.

"This initiative is in line with our broader strategy to develop our business in the high-growth emerging markets and is a good example of how we can leverage our wide-ranging service capabilities and global presence to play a significant role in delivering infrastructure solutions in growing regions," he added.

Strong earthquake shakes Indonesia's tourist hotspot Bali

2011-10-13T02:53:00.005-07:00

Bali: The Indonesian island of Bali was struck by an earthquake measuring 6.0 on Richter scale. At least 50 people have been reported injured.

Accoring to the UK newspaper The Telegraph three people have suffered critical injuries, while others suffered minor scratches and cuts.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake's epicentre was in the ocean south of Bali's capital Denpasar. No tsunami warning has been issued.

The main tourist district of Kuta felt strong tremors for several minutes.

The extent of damage has not been completely assessed, however, there are reports of damage to the roofs and walls of some structures in the city.

40 killed in bus accident in Nepal

2011-10-13T02:53:00.003-07:00

Kathmandu: At least 40 people were killed on Thursday when a crowded passenger bus skidded off a hilly road and fell into Sunkoshi River in eastern Nepal.

The bus plunged into the river at Ritthebhir area in Jhangajholi village of Sindhuli district, 150 km east of Kathmandu, killing 40 people and injuring 16 others, police said. However, 11 people traveling on the roof of the bus managed to jump off as the bus went out of control. The bus was en route to the capital.

Police and rescue workers carried out the rescue works with the help of local people. The injured passengers have been brought to Kathmandu for medical treatment, police said.

This is the biggest bus accident in Nepal after the Vijaya Dashami festival. Although the exact reason of the accident could not be known yet, it is presumed that overload might have caused the accident.

The dilapidated roads, old public transport vehicles and overcrowded bus are the main causes of high way accidents in Nepal.

Bhutan's king weds childhood sweetheart

2011-10-13T02:53:00.001-07:00

Thimphu: Bhutan's popular King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck today tied the nuptial knot with his childhood sweetheart and India-educated commoner Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony at a stunning fortress in this historical city, 71 km from capital Thimphu.

Amid chanting of hymns by red-robe Buddhist monks and clanging of drums by Bhutanese, the 31-year-old dashing Wangchuck placed the crown on the head of 21-year-old Pema, whom he met when he was 17, as the Chief Abot (head of the monks) of Bhutan Je Khenpo led the proceedings.

Pema, who wore a yellow jacket and a skirt according to the traditions, was proclaimed the 'Queen of the Kingdom of Bhutan' as the King bestowed the crown on her after a series of ceremonies that was attended by 300 guests, including Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan K Varma and West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, and members of the Royal Family.

Wearing a raven crown, the King stood with a smile on his chuckle as Pema prostrated herself before him thrice according to the traditions and was served with a liquid that according to belief is for longivity of the couple.

Outside the stunning 17th century fortress, located between two rivers- Fochu (Father River) and Mochu (Mother River), thousands of Bhutanese, including children and women, thronged the ground near the monastic fortress to catch a glimpse of their King and the Queen.

The people, including nomads and villagers who live in remotest parts of the country, started assembling at the ground as early as 5 AM (local time) braving intense cold conditions, even as majority of the 7 lakh population glued to their television sets to watch the wedding ceremony live.

The elaborate wedding ceremony, that was conducted according to Bhutanese Buddhist traditions, began at 4am with initiation of special prayers by 100 monks led by His Holiness Je Khenpo, the head monastic preceptor.

Kapil Sibal pitches for US varsities to open shop in India

2011-10-13T02:52:00.001-07:00

Washington: As the first ever high-level Indo-US education summit gets underway, India today pitched for famed American universities to "reach out" to the country, with the visiting minister Kapil Sibal saying that tie-ups would yield high economic returns.

Making a strong case for US institutions of higher education to partner with those in India, the Minister for Human Resource Development said it is time that the US institutes of higher learning realise that the "way to move forward in education is to come to India, to collaborate and set up institutions and reach out to people."

He, however, added that India too has to "reach out" and create an environment for US universities to set up base in the country.

"You have a higher education structure which is the envy of the world, it has been at the front of all knowledge creation. US has the best academics all over the world. It is time for you to reach out, collaborate with us because in that process you will participate in not just helping us solve our problems but helping us solve the problems of the world," he said at an event on India-US education opportunities organised by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

The day long education summit on October 13, to be co-chaired by Sibal and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will see participation by over 300 higher education leaders, government and private sector representatives.

Sibal pointed out that investing in the Indian education sector makes good economic sense for the US as the return on investment in India is much higher as compared to any other country.

Sibal further added that if 200 million children in India do not get an opportunity to go to college or have jobs then the "prospects of what they are likely to do are mind-boggling and frightening."

Apart from imparting education, it has to be ensured that a large part of the potential workforce of the world is empowered so that they can be "fruitfully" employed.

Sibal said as the world grapples with problems of climate change, poverty and food security, technology and research will play a key role in finding solutions to these problems.

As the centre of economic activity shifts to Asia, solutions to these problems must also happen in Asia, especially in India and China, which are home to about a third of the world population, he added.

"Your model that kids should fly across the Atlantic to go to Harvard, Stanford or Yale is not a good economic model because your investment per dollar gives you a very small return. The same investment in India in collaboration with an Indian institution will give you much higher return," Sibal said.

While only 100,000 Indian students are currently studying in the US, Sibal said India has over 200 million students who need quality education.

"So instead of having 200,000 people come to the US, you can actually with the same money empower a million kids in India. There is need to change the mindset of people in the education sector."

To address the education needs of the young in India, the country would need another 1000 universities and 55,000 colleges in the next 10 years when the number of children going to college increases from the current 16 million to 45 million.

"India cannot build 1000 universities on its own. So we will perforce have to create an environment in which private sector investment, FDI and public-private partnership will be channelled into the education sector."

The mindset of the Americans that students should come to the US to study is the "wrong way of going about it" because the global economy and solutions are not going in that direction.

Capital flow will not be directed to developed economies, which have reached saturation point, Sibal said, adding that capital will flow to countries with opportunities.

"There are opportunities galore in India in every part of its economy, be it infrastructure or education" and billions of dollars of investment is projected to be made in these sectors.

PM writes to Anna, says political consensus needed for right to reject

2011-10-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Declaring government's commitment to a strong Lokpal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said Anna Hazare's demand for 'Right to Reject' provision in electoral law needs political consensus.

Even as Hazare came out against the Congress in the Hisar Lok Sabha bypoll, the Gandhian and the Prime Minister exchanged letters on Lokpal and measures to fight corruption and other issues like electoral and judicial reforms in the last 20 days.

"As you are aware, we are committed to enacting a strong Lokpal law and we hope that we will succeed in this in the near future. However, our government is working on a broad agenda to fight corruption and bring in administrative reforms," Singh said in a letter to Hazare written yesterday.

He was replying to Hazare's letter of September 21 in which he had flagged several issues including Lokpal, electoral reforms and strengthening of grass roots institutions.

"In this several legal, administrative and technical aspects will be included. Establishment of the Lokpal is part of this broad agenda," Singh said.

Referring to Hazare's demand for including the provision of right to reject candidates through the option of 'none of the above' in the voting system, saying in a democratic society a political consensus was necessary on such issues.

"Our government is actively considering various proposals related to electoral reforms. Among the proposals being considered is the 'right to reject' which you have mentioned.

"In a democratic society, a political consensus is necessary on some issues. We want to discuss several proposals on electoral reforms with all political parties and act on proposals on which there is broad agreement," Singh said.

Hazare had demanded in another letter dated September 23, that the Prime Minister should write to Chief Ministers of all Congress-ruled states to pass a Bill for establishment of a Lokayukta.

Hazare maintains that the government had promised him during his fast at Ramlila grounds that Lokayuktas would be set-up in states.

"You had assured that order will be issued to Congress-ruled states for setting up Lokayuktas. According to the assurance, written orders should be sent to Chief Ministers of all Congress-ruled states," Hazare had said.

In his reply dated October 7, Singh drew Hazare's attention to the in-principal agreement in Parliament on August 27 on establishment of Lokayukta in states.

"This consensus in Parliament has also been sent to the Standing Committee so that it can consider them during their deliberations. I hope you will agree with me that before going ahead we should first let Parliament complete the process of enacting a Lokpal law," Singh said.

Jan Chetna Yatra: Why starting from Bihar? Congress asks Advani

2011-10-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Ranchi: Congress has sought to ask L K Advani and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to clarify why Bihar was chosen for the BJP leader?s Jan Chetna Yatra instead of Gujarat or other BJP-ruled states.

"L K Advani should clarify his choice of state for his yatra. If, according to him, Bihar government is free of corruption, does it mean other BJP-ruled states like Gujarat have corrupt governments?" asked AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed.

"And Nitish Kumar should explain to the people for allowing L K Advani to start his yatra from Bihar. He (Kumar) has always distanced from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi following the infamous Godhra incidents. Has the Bihar chief minister forgotten that Advani is one of the charge-sheeted persons in the Babri Masjid demolition?" he said.

Ahmed, who was here to attend the 'shardh' of Rajya Sabha member Ramdayal Munda, was reacting to media query on Advani embarking on his sixth career yatra, flagged off by Nitish Kumar, from Sitabdiara, the birth place of Jayaprakash Narayan.

Advani embarked on a 'Yatra' to focus on the black money issue, Congress has sought to point out how BJP had done precious little in the matter when it was in power and to project by contrast how the UPA has been "pro-active".

Party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters that in its endevaour to tackle the menace of black money, the UPA government had in the last two years amended the Double Taxation Avoidance agreements with 81 countries and effected Tax Information Exchange agreements with four countries known to be tax havens.

Besides, he said the Directorate of Transfer Pricing detected mispricing of Rs 34,145 crores during the period and Directorate of International Taxation collected taxes to the tune of Rs 33,784 crores for cross-border transactions.

Tewari said 9920 pieces of information regarding details of assets and payments received by Indian citizens in foreign countries were being investigated.

The CBDT detected concealed income of Rs 18,750 crore, he said adding that under relevant agreement, France provided information of 69 Indians having bank accountings there from which an unaccounted income of Rs 397 crore was unearthed.

The concerte actions of the UPA showed that the issue of black money cannot be tackled by "mere tokenism and symbolism as was being done by BJP, as against the hard and resolute" action of the UPA.

"There is a world of difference between words and deeds," he added.

iPopping: iPhone 4S pre-orders top 1 million in first 24 hours

2011-10-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

Cupertino, California: Pre-orders of Apple's iPhone 4S have crossed one million in a single day, said the company today.

In an official press release, Apple said the pre-orders have surpassed "the previous single day pre-order record of 600,000 held by iPhone 4".

Promoted as the "most amazing iPhone yet", the device comes with new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip, an all new camera with advanced optics, full 1080p HD resolution video recording, and Siri, a personal assistant that responds to voice command.

“We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

“The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do,” he added.

The latest from will be available at all Apple retail stores in the US beginning on Friday, October 14.

iPhone 4S includes iOS 5, the Apple's own mobile operating system with over 200 new features, and iCloud, Apple's set of free cloud services.

The device comes in black or white colours and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the new 64GB model.

Brett Lee undergoes surgery, to return home

2011-10-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Sydney: Australian speedster Brett Lee on Monday underwent surgery for appendicitis in Cape Town and he is likely to return home in next couple of days-midway from the Twenty20 and ODI series in South Africa.

Lee's replacement may join the squad just in time for the three-match one-day series as the 13-man squad for the two Twenty20 games in has already been selected.

Lee's tour of Twenty20s and one-dayers ended after he complained of abdominal pain on arrival in Cape Town Sunday and had to be operated on Monday.

He will be out of cricket for six to eight weeks.

"Brett complained of some abdominal pain after arriving in Cape Town on Sunday," Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a Cricket Australia statement.

"After consulting specialists and having the relevant investigations, he has been diagnosed with appendicitis."

"He will obviously be ruled out of the Twenty20 and ODI series in South Africa and is likely to return to cricket in six to eight weeks."

£1 million Leicester Hindu temple opens

2011-10-11T22:14:00.001-07:00

Nevada: The £1 million BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir opened in Belgrave section of Leicester in England on October 9 with a colourful procession through city streets and two days of celebrations.

Statues of deities were paraded through the city streets on decorated floats in a procession followed by folk dancers in traditional dresses and music as a part of the opening ceremonies. Consecration of statues and prayers were also held.

This temple, which features three sikhar towers and was approved by the city council in 2008, besides regular worship services, will reportedly have provision for morning-evening aarti, sports, Indian music and classical dances instruction, community meetings and Gujarati classes.

Meanwhile, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), applauded efforts of Mandir management and area community for realizing this wonderful temple complex.

Rajan Zed further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new Temple would help in this direction.

It reportedly took two years, an army of volunteers and architects/engineers from two continents to convert a former industrial site to this temple, which contains two inner temples and an assembly hall. This complex will reportedly have over 100 parking spaces.

Temple management, in order to keep the traffic congestion to minimum, is encouraging worshippers to walk, cycle or use public transport; and might use shuttle service to temple on major festivals. Sanjiv Patel and Kirit Patel are reportedly part of the Mandir leadership team.

Established in 1907, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) with headquarters in Ahmedabad (India) is "a socio-spiritual Hindu organisation with its roots in the Vedas". Worldwide, it claims to run 3,300 centres, 5,400 weekly assemblies exclusively for children and 7,215 for others, eight hospitals and healthcare clinics treating 4,15,000 patients annually, 31 educational institutions, tree plantation-water conservation-recycling projects, 800 centres for tribal upliftment, and over 700 temples; and has over 800 sadhus and 55,000 volunteers.

About 25% population of Leicester, socially and environmentally progressive melting pot founded in 50 CE, is of India descent and about 15% of its residents are Hindus. About 16% residents speak Gujarati and other languages spoken include Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam.

It already has various Hindu temples, including Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal Haveli Shriji Dwar.