NEW DELHI: Aiming to stem the controversy over the inclusion of Balochistan in the India-Pakistan joint statement, home minister P Chidambaram has asserted that New Delhi has "nothing to do with Pakistan's internal affairs".
"We have nothing to do with Pakistan's internal problems, why should we get involved?" Chidamabaram said in a TV interview.
He was replying to a question on the contentious move by India to allow a mention of "threats to Balochistan" in the joint statement which was issued after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani at Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt July 16.
Although Pakistan has been accusing India of fomenting trouble in its resource-rich southwest province for decades, this is the first time Balochistan has found mention in a joint statement between the two countries.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some experts have slammed the government for "conceding" to Pakistan on the Balochistan issue and have contended that its mention in the joint statement is tantamount to giving credibility to Pakistan's allegations.
Manmohan Singh has, however, defended the move saying the joint statement was merely taking cognizance of what Pakistan said at the Egypt talks and stressed that India was ready to discuss the issue as it has nothing to hide.
At a meeting with senior party leaders here Friday evening, Congress president Sonia Gandhi backed the prime minister on the issue.
A recent Pakistani media report claimed that Islamabad had given to New Delhi a "dossier" about India's involvement in Balochistan during talks at Sharm-el-Sheikh. Official sources here have vehemently denied the sharing of any such dossier.
"Our hands are clean. We have nothing to hide," the sources said.
If Pakistan wants to bring up its "internal issue" in bilateral talks and internationalise Balochistan, India does not have any issue with it, the sources added.
Govt asks FM, petroleum ministry to lend support to AI
NEW DELHI: Extending a helping hand to Air India, the government on Saturday asked the finance ministry to critically examine the "extent of assistance" to be given to the national carrier and the petroleum ministry to extend the credit limit initially for three months.
This was decided at a meeting of the high-level committee, headed by Cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar, set up to monitor Air India's cost cutting measures. The Committee met for the first time on Saturday and vetted the cash-strapped carrier's plans to cut costs and generate revenue.
Official sources said Air India's parent company, National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) has been asked to appoint a Cost Auditor to monitor costs.
The auditor would ensure that cost reduction
measures and operational efficiencies are implemented on a day-to-day basis, sources said.
The national carrier is estimated to suffer a loss of Rs 7,200 crore in the last financial year.
At the meeting, it was decided that the finance ministry would be asked to "critically examine the extent of assistance" that could be given to NACIL to come out of the major financial crisis it is facing, sources said.
The petroleum ministry would also be asked to extend the credit limit to Air India, initially for three months, they said, adding that the airline made a presentation before the high-level committee on various cost reduction and revenue generation measures it plans to take up.
After the meeting while speaking to reporters here, Air India CMD said, the "government is with us" and would give full backing to the airline on its growth and cost-saving plans.
The focus of these plans were on revenue generation, he said, adding that the airline would keep the committee updated on these plans at its meetings to be held every month from now onwards.
Air India, which has been losing an estimated Rs 250 crore a month, has chalked out a turnaround plan aimed at generating Rs 3,000 crore through internal accruals over the next six months. The plan also includes steps to mobilise additional revenue of Rs 1,800 crore through cost-cutting and savings.
The national carrier is understood to be seeking a soft loan of Rs 3,000 crore from the government, apart from equity infusion. The airline has ordered 111 aircraft at a cost of over Rs 50,000 crore but has an equity base of only Rs 145 crore.
BCCI counters Ganguly’s allegation of discrimination
Mumbai: Of late, BCCI has been facing accusations of bias, when it comes to selection of the national cricket team.
A few days after Vinod Kambli blamed the Indian board in a reality show for discriminating against him over his skin colour (though he later denied it), former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly too accused the board of adopting double standards over team selection.
However, on Saturday, BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla refuted all such charges, saying that the board doesn’t interfere at all when it comes to the selection matters.
“BCCI is not biased,” he said.
“Selection depends on selection committee (entirely).”
He said that the selection is entirely the domain of the selectors and thee board has nothing to do with it.
“We don’t interfere in selection. It is the domain of the selectors.”
Ganguly had sarcastically hinted at being a victim of BCCI’s discrimination in an interview to a Bengali channel.
The stylish southpaw had replied in affirmative when asked if he thought he could have served the Indian team well had he continued to play at the top level like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
“Yes, I had the ability. Had I played, I would have performed. But the rules are not the same for everyone,” said the southpaw.
Ganguly retired from international cricket after the home series against Australia in October last year.
Family of Kargil martyrs salute spirit of sacrifice
Tololing (Kargil): Ten years after Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguriise sacrificed his life when he led a platoon to re-capture Tololing from Pakistani troops during the Kargil war, his family has come all the way from Nagaland to salute the place of their son's martyrdom.
"We have to come to see and salute the place of the martyrdom of our son. It was a dream for us to visit the holy place and pray for our son", the late captain's father Neiselie Kenguriise told a visiting correspondent in Tololing on Saturday.
As they took a glimpse of Tololing ridgeline captured by their son and his platoon, tears welled in the eyes of Neiselie, his wife Dinuo and daughter.
Captain Neikezhakuo led his platoon to Tololing ridgeline overlooking an important army formation, ejected Pakistani regulars and re-captured the ridgeline in a five-day-long battle. But he lost his life in mortar shelling on June 18, 1999.
Captain Neikezhakuo, who hailed from Kohima in Nagaland, was awarded Mahavir Chakra (MVC).
"My son did his duty to the nation with utmost dedication. We have come here to pay homage to him along with other martyrs, who defeated the enemy in one of the most difficult wars", the captain's parents said.
Like Captain Neikezhakuo, another soldier Captain Manoj Pandey achieved martyrdom by beating back Pakistani troops and re-capturing Khalobar ridgeline, one of the most dominant positions captured by the Pakistani troops in Kargil sector. He died on July 3, 1999 in this sector.
"He is my hero as well as the nation's hero. He braved enemy fire and re-captured Khalobar ridgeline and pushed back Pakistani troops. He was given Param Vir Chakra (PVC) posthumously," his brother Manmohan Pandey, who had come to visit the memorial from Lucknow, said.
Reports of rift between Govt, Cong a 'media creation': PM
New Delhi: Under attack over the Indo-Pak joint statement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that the government has all the "relevant answers" to the questions raised over it and these will be spelt out by him in Parliament on July 29.
He also dismissed as "media creation" the reported difference of opinion between the government and Congress party on the issue.
"I have made a statement in Parliament and Parliament is again going to discuss the issue. I will clarify," Singh told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the controversy over the Joint Statement which had made mention of Balochistan and de-linked terrorism and holding of composite dialogue with Pakistan.
Singh refused to speak on the matter further, saying "pending a debate in Parliament, it is inappropriate to answer any specific questions on the issue."
He, however, expressed confidence that "we have all the relevant answers."
The Indo-Pak Joint Statement, issued after Singh's meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Sharm-el Sheikh on July 16, has come in for sharp attack over mention of Balochistan and India agreeing to de-link dialogue from Pakistan's action against terrorism.
Responding to demands from the opposition, a discussion will be held on the issue in Parliament on July 29 during which the Prime Minister will intervene.
Asked about reported difference of opinion between the government and the Congress party on the issue, Singh dismissed it as a "media creation".
Singh was replying to queries by media persons at Rashtrapati Bhavan after presentation of Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The award was received by Bill Gates from President Pratibha Patil.
4 suspected MNS activists held for 'gangrape' of maid
MUMBAI: Four activists said to belong to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were arrested in Mumbai on Saturday on charges of gang raping a minor girl working as a maid servant, police said.
The four -- Ganesh Gatkar, Ganesh Kale, Narendra Salunkhe and Umesh Borade -- were produced before a magistrate in Andheri court on Saturday afternoon and remanded to police custody till July 28, according to senior police inspector of MIDC police station Pradeep Suryawanshi.
He said that the incident occurred last Sunday around 2 pm, when the accused kidnapped the girl while she was going home.
They took her to a municipal garden in the neighbourhood and allegedly raped her in the cabin of the security guards there.
The injured victim was allowed to go but not before she was threatened with dire consequences if she opened her mouth.
Suryawanshi said that the victim finally took courage on Friday and revealed the incident to her mother, who also works as a maid in the same locality. She brought her daughter to the police station and a complaint was lodged following which the accused were rounded up.
The incident comes barely one month after Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja was arrested for allegedly raping his domestic help in Andheri West.
Reacting to the incident, MNS vice-president V Saraswat claimed that this was a conspiracy to defame the party and it could be a case of mistaken identity of two persons bearing similar names.
"However, we are inquiring if they were indeed our party workers. If found to be true, we shall take strict action against them, there is no place for such persons in the MNS," he said.
MIDC, or Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, is a predominantly industrial locality in north-west Mumbai's Andheri suburb.
Several residential complexes have mushroomed there, especially after the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road -- a critical link between the eastern and western suburbs -- opened a couple of years ago.
A group of MNS workers gathered outside the police station and some blurred out the names of the suspects from a party hoarding nearby.
However, the workers did not create any obstacles in police work, Suryawanshi said.
Indian Business News
Help bring economy back on track: FM to tax payers
Panaji: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Indian economy can bounce back to 9 per cent and appealed to the tax payers to cooperate with the government in achieving the target.
Mukherjee, who is presently in Goa on an official trip, said tax collection has come down due to the global financial crunch.
"It will be possible for us to bounce back to the glorious recent past when our GDP ratio was 9 per cent," the Finance Minister said.
Mukherjee appealed to the tax payers to cooperate with the Government in achieving the target, saying "tax compliance is an important duty of the society".
The Union Minister said the government is working on a tax code to simplify the tax collection system.
Microsoft to unbundle Explorer from Windows: EU
Brussels: Microsoft has agreed to open up Windows to different Internet browsers in order to fend off European Union litigation, the European Commission announced.
"Microsoft has proposed a consumer ballot screen as a solution to the pending antitrust case about the tying of Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser with Windows," said a statement.
It said computer users would be able to "easily install competing web browsers, set one of those browsers as a default, and disable Internet Explorer" from the ballot screen.
The commission, Europe's top competition watchdog, opened a new front in its epic anti-trust battle with Microsoft in January.
It hit the company with fresh charges of unfairly squashing competition by bundling its Internet Explorer web browser into its ubiquitous Windows personal computer operating system.
Under the plan, rival browsers including Firefox (Mozilla), Google's Chrome or Opera by Norway's Opera Software will now be placed before consumers at the point when they set up a new computer's operating preferences.
Continental Airlines to slash 1,700 more jobs
Houston: US-based Continental Airlines is slashing 1,700 jobs following a drop in passenger numbers during the summer season amid a quarterly loss of USD 214 million reported between April and June.
"We must take aggressive steps to increase revenue and reduce costs," said Continental Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Larry Kellner, who is stepping down on January 1 and will be succeeded by President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Smisek.
The job reductions and fee changes will produce USD 100 million in annual benefits when fully implemented next year, the fourth-largest US air-carrier said on Thursday.
The job cuts, which represent 3.9 percent of Continental's workforce, reflect the pressure on the industry from the collapse of business travel in the recession and fare sales to fill planes. The reductions are on top of 1,200 eliminated positions the carrier has announced since May. Besides, the carrier will add USD 5 to checked-bag fees for customers who do not prepay online and increase by USD 5 the cost to make a telephone reservation. Continental's quarterly loss was its seventh in a row. The deficit of USD 1.72 a share widened from a loss of USD 5 million, or 5 cents, a year earlier. Sales fell 23 percent to USD 3.13 billion.
The Houston-based carrier had previously cut 500 jobs for reservation agents when it shut Florida call center last week.
It had given leave of absence to 700 flight attendants. The carrier cut 3,000 jobs in 2008 as fuel prices rose to record highs.
Indian Sports News| Sports News
'Bowling, just like batting, is all about partnerships'
It’s a rare off season for Indian cricket. Have you been following the Ashes and the Sri Lanka-Pakistan series on TV?
I haven’t been following the Tests very closely. Since I hardly get to spend any time with my family, I’m trying to make up for that. I stay at home most of the time and there are a number of things to take care of. A long break doesn’t come along too often, so it feels nice to relax after playing almost non-stop cricket for over a year.
Some of the off-spinners have been among the wickets in the Ashes so far — Graeme Swann and Nathan Hauritz.
They’re both good bowlers. Swann did well against us. Hauritz is relatively inexperienced at the top level, but he will develop as he plays more.
How does a spinner evolve?
We mature with time. There are many spinners in India who have the talent but bowlers need to innovate. Whether you play one game or a hundred, you need to have something unique in your bowling. It’s a constant learning process. Even today when I meet Anil (Kumble) bhai and (Muttiah) Muralitharan, we talk about how to improve. Nowadays batsmen play different types of strokes, and it makes every game a new challenge.
Ajantha Mendis got dropped for the third Test against Pakistan — exactly a year after he made that sensational debut against India.
When I saw him bowling for the first time, I thought he was unplayable. He had so many ways to get a batsman out. His ball used to land on pitch and cut — I’d never come across such a delivery. You need strength in your fingers to bowl such type of deliveries. Also, he was very consistent in that series. Now, if you notice, that same delivery goes way outside, making it easier for batsmen to pick. That ball was his main weapon, but now it’s easy to read. After that series, we were never scared of facing him.
I can't tolerate Shah Rukh insulting Gavaskar: Miandad
New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has lashed out at Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan for his "verbal volleys" at Sunil Gavaskar on multiple captain theory prior to the start of IPL-II.
Shah Rukh had backed his Kolkata Knight Riders' coach John Buchanan's multiple captain idea and had criticised Gavaskar for his remarks against the Australian's coaching method.
And Miandad, paying tribute to Gavaskar on the occasion of his 60th birthday, wondered if the legendary batsman was yet to win the respect of his "rich and famous" compatriots despite his contributions to the country.
"It happened before the Indian Premier League-2 got under way in South Africa, but it still rankles me. I simply cannot tolerate the insult Shah Rukh Khan heaped on our icon," Miandad wrote in a book compiled by veteran journalist Debashish Dutta.
"Even my fellow cricketers in Pakistan were shocked... by Shah Rukh's verbal volleys. It is sad that despite achieving so much for his country Sunil Gavaskar is yet to earn the respect of rich and famous," he said.
"I know that these days money talks but, believe me, no amount of money can produce another Gavaskar. By insulting Sunny, Shah Rukh has indirectly insulted us, too," he added.
Miandad, who has had three stints as coach of Pakistan team, also advised Shah Rukh to learn some sportsman spirit from Gavaskar.
"Sunny is a gentleman and it is his greatness that he ignored Shah Rukh's comments. It only showed how spirited a man Sunny is. Shah Rukh should learn from Sunil," he said. Another Pakistan great Wasim Akram rued that despite his 400 wickets in both Tests and ODIs, he could not find success against Gavaskar.
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