Nuclear scientist
Ramanna passes away
Mumbai:
Eminent physicist and nuclear scientist, Dr. Raja Ramanna,
passed away early this morning in a city hospital after
a cardic arrest. He was 79 and is survived by wife, two
daughters and a son. Ramanna, who was admitted to the hospital
on Monday after he complained of giddiness and sweating,
breathed his last at 3:15 am, said Dr. B.K. Goyal, Honorary
Dean of Bombay Hospital. He said that Ramanna was afflicted
with heart problems for the last 15 years and had undergone
a bypass surgery and an angioplasty. Meanwhile, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and members of the scientific community have
condoled Ramanna's death. Expressing deep sorrow at Ramanna's
demise, Singh said the contribution of Ramanna to the development
of India's nuclear capabilities would be remembered for
a long time to come. Expressing his sorrow at Ramanna's
death, the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Anil
Kakodkar, said: "It is a great shock for all of us as he
was always a father figure to the entire department." Ramanna
was Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Director of
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, a former Union Minister and
a member of the Rajya Sabha. A recipient of Padmashri, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards, he was the Director
Emeritus of the Bangalore-based National Institute of Advanced
Studies. He had also served as Scientific Adviser to the
Defence Minister.
Montek
belongs to World Bank: Basu (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu
today appeared to be demanding the removal of Montek Singh
Alhuwalia as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.
Speaking to reporters just before a crucial meeting of the
CPI-M, Basu said, "He (Alhuwalia) is all wrong. He belongs
to World Bank. He is a World Bank man." Basu also said that
the matter would be taken up at the Left Front-UPA Coordination
Committee meeting once the Prime Minister returns from New
York. The veteran Marxist leader, however, made it very
clear that the Left parties would not accept foreign experts
in the Planning Commission. "We do not want them in the
Planning Commission. We have enough economists in the country,"
Basu said, adding that advice can be taken from foreign
experts on economic matters. Ahluwalia, who is currently
in New York along with the PM, said that he was not in a
position to comment on the issue at the moment, but added
that once the Indian delegation returned home, it would
be addressed to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.
At the heart of the matter is the appointment of nine foreign
consultants from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank
and McKinsey. They have reportedly resigned from the Planning
Commission earlier this week. Reacting to the controversy
for the first time, Ahluwalia said that any decision either
on accepting or refusing the resignations will be taken
later. "We are going to discuss all this when we get back.
On that one, I have no comments to make," he said.
SC
issues notice to Centre on 'tainted' ministers (Go
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New
Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Congress-led
UPA Government on a petition challenging the inclusion of
"tainted" persons in the Council of Ministers headed by
Manmohan Singh. The notice was issued by a Bench headed
by Justice N Santosh Hegde while hearing a review petition
filed by one Manoj Narula seeking reconsideration of the
Court's earlier order dismissing his PIL on the issue. The
petitioner had challenged the inclusion of Lalu Prasad,
Mohd Taslimuddin, M A A Fatmi and Jai Prakash Yadav in the
Council of Ministers and made them respondents in the petition
on which the Bench issued notice yesterday while hearing
it in the chamber. The petition will now be listed for hearing
in the Court. Taking note of the debate in Parliament on
"tainted" Ministers, the Court on July 16 had said no law
was violated by inclusion of chargesheeted persons in Council
of Ministers and dismissed the petition seeking a ban on
inclusion of such persons. "The matter is being debated
in Parliament. We will see if Parliament comes out with
a legislation on this issue," the Bench had said while refusing
to entertain the petition. The petitioner, while seeking
review, pointed out that no such debate had taken place
in Parliament on the issue of tainted persons being given
ministerial posts.
4Fernandes
escapes accident in Karnataka (Go
To Top)
Bangalore:
NDA convener and former Defence Minister George Fernandes
today escaped unhurt when a jeep rammed into his car from
the rear at Kyadigere near the town of Chitradurga. Police
said Fernandes was travelling from Bangalore to attend a
function at Sirigeri Mutt when the mishap occurred around
1.30 am. He, however, was unhurt and switched over to another
car to continue his journey.
Uma
Bharati's 'Tiranga' challenge to Sonia Gandhi (Go
To Top)
Ludhiana:
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti today
challenged the ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi
saying unfurling the national flag was her right. Bharti
was forced to quit after being implicated in a 10-year-
old case of inciting riot after hoisting the national tricolour
in a disputed area in Hubli. "We will unfurl national flag
from Punjab. We should send across the message of unity
from this land. We should send across the message ofrespecting
the national flag from Punjab and that's why I challenge
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his leader Sonia
Gandhi. I have the right to fly national tricolour on every
corner of the country," Bharti told reporters here. Bharti
was released from the prison earlier this month after the
case was withdrawn by Congress-led Karnataka state government.
Since her release Bharti has been criss crossing the country
in a chariot rally aimed apparently at highlighting nationalism
and the shortcomings of the Congress-led central government.
Bharti began the flag march on September 10, four days after
the Hubli court discharged her in the 1994 case. The rally
will conclude on September 25.
CPM
in soup over Centre's move to guarantee 100 days' work (Go
To Top)
by Gautam Ghosh
Kolkata:
The Centre's decision to bring a new legislation in
the winter session of the Parliament to guarantee one hundred
days' work every year to the rural unemployed has put the
Bengal Marxists in the soup. The CPM, which has been demanding
immediate introduction of the proposed legislation in keeping
with the UPA's common minimum programme, is wary of a clause
in the new Act which expects the state governments to provide
"unemployment dole" to the rural youths in the event of
their failure or inability to give them at least one hundred
days' work every year. West Bengal's finance minister Asim
Dasgupta has already conveyed the Left Front government's
stand regarding the issue to the CPM politburo which is
expected to take it up shortly with union finance minister
P. Chidambaram.
According to the draft "National Rural Employment Act, 2004,"
framed by the National Advisory Council headed by UPA chairperson
Sonia Gandhi, an unemployed adult person, belonging to every
rural family, will get one hundred days' guaranteed work
every year. For this purpose there will be a Central Employment
Guarantee Council at the national level and several State
Employment Guarantee Councils. The job-seekers will be expected
to get their names and addresses registered with the respective
panchayat bodies. They will be given photo-identity cards
and are expected to get work for the specified period within
a fortnight after their applications reach the rural bodies.
A state government will have to provide to them "unemployment
dole" if it fails to find them work within the stipulated
period. Under the proposed Act, the Centre and the state
government each will provide 50 days' work to the registered
persons. The Centre will be responsible for providing "unemployment
dole" if it fails to ensure 50 days' work. Similarly, a
state government is expected to shoulder the burden of this
"unemployment dole" in the event of its inability to provide
50 days' work to the rural adults.
The
CPM-led Left Front government, however, is not in a position
to provide the dole in view of its current financial stringency.
The state government has been forced to halve the puja bonus
for its employees and withhold payment of several dearness
allowance instalments. Besides, there has been occasional
shifting of funds earmarked for development projects to
meet the state government employees' salary requirements.
The cash-strapped Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has
also been compelled to open its door to private investors
as well as foreign funding agencies to finance the state's
infrastructure development projects. According to informed
sources, the ruling Marxists also apprehend that the proposed
Act may prompt the rural adults to seek legal redressal
in the event of the state government's failure to provide
them 50 days' work or the proposed "unemployment dole."
CPM politburo member Prakash Karat is believed to have informally
discussed the matter both with Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh,
the Prime Minister's economic advisor. Karat has indicated
that the party will try to bring an amendment to the Act
"if there are attempts to put the burden of unemployment
dole on the state governments."
Musharraf,
Manmohan meet, promise to take talks foward (Go
To Top)
New
York: A much awaited meeting between Pakistan President
Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh took place today at New York's Roosevelt Hotel and
ended with both leaders promising to take the composite
dialogue process between the two countries forward. The
hisotoric first meeting between Singh and Musharraf lasted
for one hour in the presence of key officials of both sides.
In keeping with protocol, 71-year old Singh drove to Roosevelt
Hotel, where Musharraf is staying for the much talked about
meeting. The two leaders shook hands warmly and posed for
photographers and other media before entering into crucial
parleys. Musharraf presented Singh an album. Those attending
the meeting included External Affairs Minister K Natwar
Singh, National Security Adviser J N Dixit and Foreign Secretary
Shyam Saran and senior officials from India The Pakistani
was represented by Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri,
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid and National Security
Adviser Tariq Aziz. The meeting took place in the backdrop
of the two leaders explicitly reaffirming their determination
to carry forward the composite dialogue process covering
Jammu and Kashmir and seven other outstanding issues. Earlier
before going into the talks , Singh had said the two of
them have a "unique" opportunity in improving ties. Musharraf
said he was going into the talks with an open mind. The
Prime Minister has, however, voiced concern over the existence
of terrorist infrastructure in that country, reminding Musharraf
of his assurance not to allow territory under Pakistan's
control to be used for terrorist activities against India.
At a press conference here yesterday, Musharraf had said
at present India and Pakistan were taking "maximalist" positions
on the Kashmir issue and an agreement required both sides
to come down. Both sides were expected to issue formal statement
briefly describing the outcome of the meeting between Singh
and Musharraf at the time of the filing of this reports.
Sheikh
Hasina in Singapore for hearing treatment (Go
To Top)
by Nazrul Islam
Dhaka:
Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who
survived the last months deadly attack on her rally, is
in Singapore for better treatment of her hearing problem
caused by the grenade explosions. Hasina, the leader of
the opposition in Bangladesh parliament and chief of Awami
League, is expected to return home in a week, said a party
spokesman. "The Awami League chief will return as early
as possible, maybe four to five days later," said senior
AL leader Kazi Zafarullah. This was her first foreign trip
since she had narrowly the escaped the assassination bid
on her on August 21 that killed at least 21 and wounded
over 300. The Opposition leader was scheduled to go to the
US for treatment and meet her expatriate son and daughter
in the first week of next month. But, as her hearing problem
worsened, her doctors suggested she go for immediate treatment.
Her sister Sheikh Rehana accompanied her to Singapore.
Bill
Gates remains America's richest (Go
To Top)
London:
Microsoft founder Bill Gates remains the frontrunner
yet again by retaining the top position as America's wealthiest
man. According to The Sun, this year's US rich list of the
top 400 businesss moguls, compiled by Forbes magazine places
Gates'fortune at a whopping 48 billion dollars. Legendary
US investor Warren Buffett comes second, with 41 billion
dollars and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is third, with
20 billion dollars.
SC
to hear cricket TV dispute case on Monday (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Monday a petition
by broadcaster Zee Telefilms Ltd. in a row over TV rights
that threaten telecast of a test series with world champion
Australia next month. The hearing comes after the Board
of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cancelled Zee's 308
million dollars contract for four years after rival bidder,
global giant ESPN- Star Sports, moved a lower court challenging
the Indian firm's eligibility. ESPN-Star Sports withdrew
the case, filed in the Bombay high court, after the board's
decision. Zee has also filed a separate petition contending
that the Bombay court should have gone on and decided the
issue. "The case is listed for hearing on Monday. Supreme
Court has listed it on Monday. We will know it on Monday.
Further both petitions will be heard on Monday," Zee lawyer
Harish Salve said. Zee's appeal is an attempt to regain
the lucrative rights days before the start of the much-awaited
Australia test series, which starts on October 6. Zee Group
chairman Subhash Chandra has said that his channel would
still go ahead with its planned launch of a sports channel
early next month. BCCI has already said it is making arrangements
on its own to broadcast the four tests against Australia.
Hockey:
Pak beat India 2-1 in first Test match (Go
To Top)
Karachi:
Pakistan beat India by 2 goals to 1 today in the first
of four test matches being played in Pakistan. In the match
played at the hockey club of Karachi, Pakistan displayed
its outstanding performance against its rival team when
in the first half of the match it scored twice. India manage
to score one goal in the same period. Arjun Harpa brought
precedence to his team by making a goal at the penalty corner.
Whlist, Pakistan's Sohail Abbas with 17 minutes after India's
goal brought Pakistan equal to India by making a goal at
the penalty corner. Rehan Butt brought Pakistan to the winning
point by making another goal within next 27 minutes. With
its laudable performance, Pakistani team dominated the scene
in the second half, putting India under unyielding pressure.
However, both the teams failed to score another goal.
Australian
cricketers arrive in Mumbai (Go
To Top)
Mumbai:
With the forthcoming four-Test series between Australia
and India beginning at Bangalore on October 6, some of the
Australian cricketers arrived here this morning by the Singapore
Airlines. Australia's Test opener Justin Langer described
touring India as the "ultimate test", and believes that
victory will complete the set as far as his generation of
cricketers are concerned. He added that the Austalians enjoyed
playing in India. "There are lot of good players here. India
is a very good team. Last tour was also good. Hope, this
time also we have great time, fun, enjoyment and happiness.
I hope we will fulfil the dreams of the former captain,"
said Justen Langer, Australian Test Opener. The rest of
the team arrives in India on Saturday from England, where
they lost to England in the semi-finals of the recently
held ICC Champions Trophy. The team is scheduled to meet
the press on Saturday afternoon.
