BEIJING: Amid reports that it was building a dam in Tibet on Brahmaputra river, China assured India that it will not do anything to damage other nations' interests.
"China is a responsible country and will not do anything to damage the interests of others," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a bi-weekly press briefing when asked to comment on reports that China was building a dam on Yarlung Zangbu River or Brahmaputra.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had said on Wednesday that India had repeatedly raised with China the issue of construction of a dam by it on Brahmaputra river and Beijing had consistently denied any such engagement.
"What I want to say is that this matter has been taken up not just once but on a number of occasions with China and China has consistently denied that it is engaged in any such construction activity on the Brahmaputra," Rao said in New Delhi.
She was replying to a question on the reported construction at the Zangmu site on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra river, which was confirmed by the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) as per media reports.
The issue had also figured in the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summit in Thailand last month.
Sachin Tendulkar crosses 17000-run mark in ODIs
NEW DELHI: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar finally touched the magical 17,000-run mark in One-Day International cricket during the fifth ODI Sachin Tendulkar
against Australia at Hyderabad on Thursday.
Tendulkar completed the formality as he needed just seven runs to reach another milestone in his glittering career.
Sanath Jayasuriya is second on the list with 13,377 runs while Aussie captain Ricky Ponting has a lot of catching up to do.
The moment Tendulkar attained that mark the packed vociferous Rajiv Gandhi Stadium crowd jumped out of their seats and erupted in jubilation.
Tendulkar's wait to reach the 17,000-run mark in One-dayers continued in Mohali as he missed the milestone by just seven runs after getting dismissed for 40 on a dubious decision in the fourth ODI against Australia.
The 36-year-old scored the requisite seven runs to put another feather in his cap, which is already full of feathers but still managing to have some more. The Indian batting legend has 44 One-day hundreds and 91 ODI fifties under his belt.
The diminutive Mumbaikar, who made his ODI debut Pakistan in 1989, is already way ahead of his contemporaries when it comes to accumulating runs.
Rated as the world's best batsman after Australian legend Sir Donald Bradman, Tendulkar has an awe-inspiring Test record. In the whopping 159 matches that he has played thus far, Tendulkar has scored 12,773 runs at an average of 54.58.
The veteran batsman has scored 42 hundreds and 53 half centuries in the longer format of the game.
One-day cricket's leading run-scorers
Sachin Tendulkar (IND) 17,000
Sanath Jayasuriya (SRI) 13,377
Ricky Ponting (AUS) 12,286
Inzamam-ul Haq (PAK) 11,739
Sourav Ganguly (IND) 11,363
Rahul Dravid (IND) 10,765
Brian Lara (WIS) 10,405
Jacques Kallis (RSA) 10,328
No change in Karnataka leadership, says BSY; Reddys refuse to meet him
NEW DELHI: Karnataka BJP dissidents on Thursday rebuffed chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's efforts to reach out to them by refusing to meet him.
"I am not going to meet the chief minister," dissident leader Janardhana Reddy told reporters here after meeting senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu here.
Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa ruled out any change in leadership in dissidence-hit Karnataka BJP saying he was ready to discuss issues with anybody to resolve the problem including the Reddy brothers, who have been spearheading the revolt.
"In the interest of the state, I am ready to discuss (the issues) with anybody and solve the problem. Whatever decision the national leadership is going to take, that is going to be the final decision," he told TV channels.
"I am trying my level best to meet the Reddy brothers (Tourism Minister Janardhana Reddy and Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy) today," he said, hoping that the crisis will be resolved in a day or two.
On whether he would be stepping down, he said, "The national leaders have already cleared that the question does not arise. They have accepted that I will be the future leader also.
"The only thing is that we have to sit together, discuss and solve the problem. Maybe there are some differences of opinion," he said.
He said, "Nobody, even the national leaders have come forward with any formula and at the time of discussions, if they (dissidents) suggest anything in the interest of the state, I will ask our national leaders to take a final decision".
The CM said he did not have any reservation about meeting anyone since the leaders had to work together keeping in view the interests of the state.
The Reddy brothers are leading a campaign for ouster of Yeddyurappa and have met senior leaders here in this regard.
"I have been here for three days and have met senior party leaders. I am confident that they will take a decision in the interest of Karnataka and in the interest of BJP," Janardhana Reddy said as he headed for meeting with party president Rajnath Singh.
The dissidents, led by tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy and his elder brother and revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy, have rejected the plea of party president Rajnath Singh and senior leader LK Advani to allow Yeddyurappa to continue as chief minister.
The Reddys stuck to their demand on Wednesday after the third round of talks with senior leader Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi.
The Reddy brothers are billionaire iron ore mine owners and claim the support of over 70 of the 117 party legislators in the 225-member state assembly. Janardhana Reddy discounted the possibility of his meeting with Yeddyurappa in the presence of Swaraj Thursday.
The BJP leadership has been holding hectic deliberations in New Delhi with both factions over the past three days to end the differences that are threatening to bring down the party's first government in the south.
In the May 2008 polls, the BJP won 110 of the 224 elected seats in the 225-member assembly. It formed the government with the help of six independents, five of whom have been rewarded with ministership. The Reddys are believed to have won over the Independents using their financial clout.
Later, the Reddys also lured more than half a dozen Congress and Janata Dal-Secular legislators to the BJP.
Maoists ready for talks provided there is a 'ceasefire'
Kolkata: With the Naxals facing the heat of an imminent concerted operation by security forces, a top Maoist leader on Thursday said the ultras were ready for talks "if there was ceasefire on both sides" and withdrawal of the para-military forces deployed in the naxal-hit states.
"The process of talks with the central government can only begin if there is ceasefire on both sides," top Maoist leader Kishenji on Thursday said.
Asked to comment on the Centre's condition that the Maoists should abjure violence and only then it was ready to sit across the table, Kishenji said over phone, "The Centre is killing innocent people in the name of tackling the Maoists and they are asking us to abjure violence, which is ridiculous."
He said the Centre would have to withdraw para-military forces from the seven states -- Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal – and treat the problems of tribals in a sympathetic way.
"Also both the Centre and the state governments will have to apologise to the tribals for the prolonged atrocity meted out to them and the consequent suffering from the time of Independence," Kishenji said.
Asked what should be the nature of the apology, Kishenji said without elaborating, "They will have to come to the tribals and apologise."
Koda's arrest 'imminent':ED sources
The arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda by the Enforcement Directorate is "imminent" as the evidence against him for allegedly carrying out hawala transactions and illegal investments worth crores of rupees "is satisfying".
Sources in the Enforcement Directorate said the alleged documentary proofs and subsequent leads found against Koda and his associates will culminate in his arrest soon after his discharge from a hospital in Ranchi.
"It is (Koda's arrest) imminent. The evidence is satisfying," the sources said.
The sources said the information obtained from the seized documents and affidavits will have to be put across to Koda for further progress in the case, which can only happen after detailed questioning.
"Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the arrest takes place under section 19. Authorities from both Income Tax department and the ED are waiting for the medical reports of Koda and his subsequent discharge from the hospital," they said.
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Meanwhile, the IT department officials are still carrying out the sealing exercises on the properties of Koda and his associates. The searches had begun on October 31. The ED is also preparing to send notices for production of documents and attendance in person against certain other associates of the former Jharkhand Chief Minister, they said.
Both the departments (IT and ED) will also initiate the proceedings for attachment of properties soon. Earlier the ED had served summons to Koda and his associates, for questioning them on alleged hawala transactions and investments.
Both the departments have started scrutiny of the documents related to alleged hawala transactions and investments running into more than Rs 2,000 crore by Koda and his associates.
Indian Business News
Inflation declines 0.1 pct
New Delhi: The government on Thursday introduced a new mechanism for monitoring the wholesale price movement under which the inflation for primary articles, including foodgrain, pulses and vegetables, declined 0.11 per cent during the week ending October 24.
As per the new system, the weekly wholesale price index data would cover only primary articles and commodities in the broad group -- fuel, power, light and lubricants, an official statement said here.
Besides, the monthly price index covering all commodities for October would be released on November 12, in accordance the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, it said.
As per the data, the inflation for fuel, power, light and lubricants remained unchanged at 6.2 per cent.
The prices of primary articles rose by 8.94 per in a year with potatoes showing an increase of 100 per cent, onion by 50 per cent, pulses by 23 per cent, rise by 12 per cent and milk by 10 per cent.
Among the food articles, prices of fruit and vegetables declined by 2 per cent, fish-marine by 3 per cent, barley and jowar by 1 per cent each during the week.
However, prices of moong rose by 3 per cent, wheat and bajra by 2 per cent each.
At the same time, prices of raw silk rose by 6 per cent, raw rubber by 3 per cent and mustard seed by 1 per cent.
Sensex closes up by 152 pts
Mumbai:A sudden spurt of buying towards the fag end of trading, sparked by the government's decision on Thursday to divest 10 per cent in all listed companies, pushed the benchmark Sensex up by more than 150 points to regain the 16,000-level after three days.
Markets turned bearish in early trade after yesterday's rebound rally on weak cues from Asia and plunged to 15,564 points. Sentiment, however, turned bullish within minutes of Home Minister P Chidambaram announcing the Cabinet decision to divest 10 per cent stake in all listed companies. Government also decided to list all profit-making public sector firms with a positive networth.
After a roller-coaster ride, which saw the Sensex swinging over 500 points, the 30-share index finally closed the day at 16,063.90, netting a rise of 151.77 points or 0.95 per cent over its previous close.
Small-cap and mid-cap stocks attracted brisk buying with their indices rising by 1.82 per cent and 2.02 per cent.
Shares of the telecom companies were flavour of the day. Brokers said reports of government planning to reduce licence fee for telcos attracted heavy buying in these stocks. Sensex stocks Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel posted impressive gains of 5.34 and 4.50 per cent respectively.
"The market is in a pull-back mode as it has witnessed vertical sell off in the earlier sessions. It is more of a bounce back kind of a trend. The long term uptrend is still intact and investors should put in money in the index stocks at every lows," said Kotak Securities Vice President Technical Research Shrikant Chouhan.
Indian Sports News
Sachin Tendulkar completes 17,000 runs in ODIs
Hyderabad: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar extended his record one-day aggregate to 17,000 runs on Thursday in his 20th season in international cricket.
Tendulkar achieved the mark during the fifth one-day international against Australia when he reached seven runs with a three off pace bowler Ben Hilfenhaus past square-leg in his 435th ODI game.
Tendulkar, 36, who also holds the records for the most test runs (12,773), test hundreds (42) and one-day hundreds (44), was nine not out.
India were on 110 for 2 in 16 overs, chasing 351 for victory and a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.
Marsh hits maiden ton as Australia score 350
Opting to bat, Australia scored a massive 350 for four against India in the fifth cricket one-dayer at Rajiv Gandhi stadium here on Thursday. The series is locked 2-2.
Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh got Australai off to a flying start with Watson scoring more than a run a ball. They shared a 145 runs opening partnership with Watson making 93 of them before getting out to Harbhajan Singh.
Shaun Marsh though carried on the good work as he scored his maiden ODI ton.
Cameron White and Michael Hussey ensured a fitting finale to the Oz innings as they took Australia to 350 in their 50 overs.
1620 crore budgetary boost for 2010 CWG
New Delhi: Hit by delays and escalating cost of infrastructure, the 2010 Commonwealth Games here received a massive budgetary boost on Thursday with the central government allocating Rs 1620 crore as loan to the Organising Committee of the event.
"The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for providing a revised budget of Rs 1620 crore, as loan to the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010, at the prevailing government rate of interest, for organising the CWG at Delhi during October 3 to 14. Budget approved earlier was Rs 767 crore," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
Elaborating on the reasons for the budgetary hike, she said rising cost of opening and closing ceremonies, the increase in the number of days for Queen's Baton Relay – from 136 to 240 days for international leg and from 60 to 100 days for domestic leg -- were among the reasons that forced the increased allocation.
"Inclusion of new items that are essential for the successful delivery of the Games but were not provided in the initial budget of the OC, namely accreditation, city operations, sponsorship and TV rights, security, sustainability and environment and ticketing," she said. Cost escalation in respect of accommodation, catering, protocol and CGF relations, Queen's Baton Relay, rent for office of OC, communication, image and look technology, risk management, insurance and technical conduct of sports were also listed as reasons for budgetary hike.
Besides, the Minister said, "the number of volunteers has gone up to nearly 30,000 and the cost of accreditation, catering, uniform etc on this account has also increased.”
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