2,392 Pakistani nationals missing in India

      New Delhi: The Government on Wednesday said that there were 2, 392 Pakistani nationals who have been declared missing in the country as on November 30, 2005. Presenting these statistics in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal said that as per the existing visa regime, Pakistani citizens are not granted 'Tourist Visa', but only a `Visitor Visa' for meeting relatives or friends or for any other legitimate purpose. Referring to the Foreigners Act, 1946, Jaiswal said that it was not the Centre's responsibility to detect or deport foreign nationals, including Pakistani nationals staying in India illegally. This responsibility, he said has been delegated to the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Instructions have also been issued to State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to launch special drives to detect and deport foreigners staying illegally in the country, he said. He also said that Government had been given reports that indicated that Pakistan has been attempting to infiltrate its agents for subversive activity and espionage through the porous Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal Borders. Therefore, to check infiltration from the Indo-Bangladesh border, he said that several measures have been taken by the Government, including strengthening of the Border Security Force (BSF) by providing them with modern equipment and surveillance gadgets; raising of additional battalions of BSF; reduction of gaps between border outposts; intensification of patrolling and accelerated programme of construction of border roads and border fencing. Efforts were also on to beef up the Indo-Nepal border with the help of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Jaiswal said.

Sushmita Sen's imported car impounded (Go To Top)

      Mumbai: Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen's imported Toyota Land Cruiser, which she had bought in May 2005. DRI officials said that the car would be returned to the actress after she coughed up Rs.20 lakhs as customs duty. The car has been valued at Rs.56 lakhs. DRI sources further informed that the luxury car imported with accompanying documents allegedly stated the date of manufacture as December 1998 while the actual date of manufacture was 2003. The sources said that both the importer and the broker had fudged the chassis number of the vehicle, which was brought under the transfer of residence (TR) scheme that mandates that the vehicle has to be used by the importer for two years before being further sold off. DRI sources notified that they had sought the original manufacturing information from the manufacturer Toyota to ascertain the actual date of manufacture and conducted scrutiny of the vehicle to confirm that it was manufactured in 2003. Sen, who purchased the car from dealer Haren Choksi, was not available for comment.

Sensex zooms past 10,500 marks  (Go To Top)

    Mumbai: On the back of aggressive buying by funds on expectations of a better economic growth after the budget proposals announced by the Finance Minister on Tuesday, the benchmark index today jumped past 10,500-point mark for the first time in history. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) 30-share sensitive index opened flat at 10,369, and then slipped to a low of 10,344. However, buying emerged soon and the index moved back into positive zone. The benchmark index closed 1.9 percent or 195.23 points up at a new record closing high of 10,565.47, after surging ahead more than 200 points in intraday trade to a new life-time high of 10,573.29. In the broader markets, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty closed 1.6 percent or 48.40 points higher at a new record closing high of 3,123.10, after surging past the 3,100-point level for the first time in history to a new life-time high of 3,127.25 in intraday trade. ACC, Maruti, Bharti Tele, Bajaj Auto, Grasim Industries, Satyam Computer, Bhel, Hindalco, Tata Motors and GACL were among the leading gainers on the Sensex. ACC soared to a high of Rs 700, and finally finished with a gain of nearly nine percent at Rs 683. Maruti zoomed 7.5 percent to Rs 885. Grasim added 4.4 to Rs 1,819, and Gujarat Ambuja spurted nearly three percent to Rs 90.75. However, ONGC, RIL and HDFC closed in the red. ONGC closed 1.3 down at Rs 1,122.

Nagpur Test: India gains upper hand (Go To Top)

     Nagpur: India gained an upper hand against England on the first day of the first Test as Indian bowlers restricted the visitors on 246 at the loss of seven wickets at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground here. It was a good bowling show by Indians that could resist England to this total after Andrew Flintoff, leading the English side for the first time, won the toss and chose to bat first. His decision proved to be the right one when openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook took their side to a good start, scoring about seven runs per over in the first seven-eight overs. However, continuing his impressive form, debutant S. Sreesanth brought down the coring rate when he got rid of Strauss who was brilliantly caught by VVS Laxman at the total of 56. Ian Bell who came out after the fall of Strauss, however, failed to continue his form which had played an important role in the series against Pakistan, and became the second batsman of the day to get out off a superb catch, this time by Rahul Dravid in the slips off Harbhajan Singh. Debutant Cook made a confident and classy start and scored his maiden Test fifty before getting out off Irfan Pathan on 60. The visitors were 157 for four at tea with stand-in captain Flintoff on 11 and Paul Collingwood on 22 at the crease. However, veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble struck in the 73rd over to send all-rounder Flintoff (43) back to the pavilion. With the wicket of Flintoff, Kumble is just five wickets away from becoming the fifth bowler to take 500 Test wickets. Only Muthiah Muralitharan, Courtney Walsh, Glen McGrath and Shane Warne have achieved this feat. Irfan Pathan was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 52. Sreesanth took two wickets for 56, while Harbhajan and Kumble had a piece each. Paul Collingwood on 53 and Mathew Hoggard on nought were on the crease when umpires called it the day. .

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