MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan's latest remark that taxi permits would be given to those knowing any local language including Hindi and Gujarati, has evoked sharp reactions from Shiv Sena and MNS.
"The chief minister should be firm on his stance," MNS chief Raj Thackeray said, reacting to Chavan's remarks, a day after the Congress-NCP government decided to give new taxi licenses to only those persons who are well-versed in Marathi and have resided in the state for at least 15 years.
The government had, however, clarified that existing taxi drivers, who hold a valid license, would not be affected by the decision.
Chavan said, "cabinet has gone by the Maharashtra Motor vehicles rules which were framed in 1989. As per that rule, for a person to have a permit, 15 years of domicile is compulsory. And the second rule says that for a taxi badge for a driver, working knowledge of local language is necessary."
"How can Chavan change the collective decision of the cabinet," Raj told reporters.
Terming Chavan's 'about turn' as a sign of 'lachari' (haplessness), Raj said, "the chief minister does not have the capability of abiding by the cabinet decision."
"All states take such measures for benefit of their people," the MNS chief said.
If the government does not give permits to Marathi people for the 4000 new taxis, MNS party will not allow these taxis to move on the road, he said, adding, "those who want to treat this as threat can do so."
Targeting Chavan for climbing down from the cabinet decision, Raj said, "he (Chavan) did not become CM on his own merit but was put into the chair. He always thinks, what will Madam (Sonia Gandhi) say".
"He should do a part-time job in the home of a chief minister of southern state, only then will he know what is self-respect," the MNS chief said.
Raj also demanded that the government check earlier taxi permits. "Do these drivers know the local areas... where is Pune, Mumbai and Nashik? They need to ask passengers about location," he said.
Condemning the chief minister for the 'climbdown' on the cabinet decision, Shiv Sena said Chavan had devalued the CM's post.
"By making the latest remarks, Chavan has shown that he is under pressure," a Sena leader said.
Sena had on Wednesday welcomed the Maharashtra cabinet's decision to give new taxi permits to only those persons who are well-versed in Marathi and have resided in the state for at least 15 years.
"We welcome the decision. In fact, the Sena had made the demand in the last session of state Legislature," senior Sena leader Subhash Desai had said.
Now, Kasab chooses Marathi to answer questions
MUMBAI: In his latest antic, Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab chose to answer in Marathi most of the questions put to him by the trial court as he continued to deny his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks.
" Mee bagitla nahin " (I did not see) and "mala mahit nahin sahib (I do not know sir) were his replies to the questions asked by Judge M L Tahaliyani.
To a question, Kasab said he was not aware that DNA samples retrieved from the blood-stained clothes of deceased constable Tukaram Ombale and traces of blood found on bullets (removed from Ombale's body) were of the same person.
It is the prosecution's case that Kasab had shot Ombale when he was grappling with him at Girgaum Chowpatty as a result of which the latter was fatally injured.
Kasab said he did not know that DNA report had stated that sweat on a handkerchief found in Skoda car (used by terrorists) was of slain terrorist Abu Ismael.
The lone surviving terrorist of the 26/11 siege said he was not aware that an Israeli cap found from Nariman House had matched with the DNA sample of slain terrorist Abdul Rehman Chhota. He also feigned ignorance about a jacket found at another targeted site had matched with slain terrorist Abdul Rehman Bada.
To a question, Kasab said he was not aware that five cell phones had been shipped from China to Pakistan by a Karachi firm. Asked if he was aware that a mobile phone had been recovered from a slain terrorist at Hotel Oberoi, Kasab said " Mee bagitla nahin " (I did not see).
Indian Navy boosts its air fleet in $1.5 billion deal
NEW DELHI - The Navy has started a $1.5 billion overhaul of its ageing Soviet-era fleet of aircraft, seeking to boost its air power in an Indian Ocean region where a growing China is threatening its traditional dominance.
The investment is one of the biggest the Indian Navy has made in recent years and reflects New Delhi's urgency to modernise its military, a move that rival Pakistan says could spark an arms build-up and destabilise an already roiled South Asia.
India plans to buy 16 new MIG-29 fighter jets, half a dozen light combat aircraft, unmanned patrol planes and multi-role helicopters.
The Indian Navy is also upgrading its Sea Harrier fighter jets, IL-38 maritime anti-submarine warfare planes and acquiring five Kamov KA-31 patrol helicopters.
"We are acquiring new fighters and helicopters to ... supplement a new aircraft carrier we are getting soon," Commander PVS Satish, the navy spokesman said in New Delhi on Thursday.
Analysts said the upgrade of the Navy was long due.
"It is almost a matter of time before ships from China arrive in India's backyard," said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at New Delhi's Centre for Policy Research.
India and China are locked in a battle to lead Asia. New Delhi fears China is creating an arc of influence in the Indian Ocean region, bolstering claims over what has traditionally been seen as India's backyard.
Indian officials said Pakistan, too, was modernising its navy.
Pakistan's National Command Authority (NCA), which oversees the country's nuclear weapons, said last week India's arms modernisation plans could destabilise the regional balance.
India's patience thinning, Pak must act against terror: Antony
New Delhi: India on Thursday asked Pakistan to take "strong, convincing" action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying unless they were brought to book, it will remain impatient.
"Unless Government of Pakistan takes action against the involved in the heinous acts of 26/11....strong, convincing action to dismantle the terrorist outfits across the border, Indian people will be always impatient," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the NCC Republic Day Parade Camp here.
He was responding to queries regarding US Defence Secretary Robert Gates' remarks that it would "not be unreasonable to assume that India's patience will be limited were there to be further attacks" such as the 26/11 and if such patience would wear out in case of another terror attack.
"What he told yesterday, I also told him that our people are becoming impatient. So you please advise Pakistan. They must act against those involved in terrorist activities such as 26/11 and also almost all these terrorist outfits operating across the border...they are still very active," he said.
Antony said after 26/11, there were many attempts to "create turbulence, tension" inside India from various quarters and that the government was aware that more attempts would be made in the future too.
Pawar blames media, says no proposal on milk price rise
New Delhi: Blaming media for creating a confusion on milk prices, Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said on Thursday the Centre has no proposal before it for increasing milk rates.
"We have no proposal before us on milk prices. This is all media creation," Pawar told reporters on the sidelines of a rural development conference here. Seeking to set the record straight, Pawar said despite being the world's largest producer, per capita availability of milk does not even match that of other developing countries, leave aside the rich nations. "That is what I had said."
He said 4 per cent growth in the milk production was larger than that of agriculture output. Pawar's remarks yesterday that the states need to take a decision on the demand for hiking milk prices triggered a sharp reaction from political parties protesting food inflation hovering close to 17 per cent.
On UP Chief Minister's demand for removal of Pawar, the Union Agriculture Minister said the Centre finding a way out of the ban on imported raw sugar would have irked her.
"The UP government had put restrictions on processing imported raw sugar. The Centre has found the way (to process outside UP), I think she must have got angry," Pawar said.
Mayawati had threatened if Pawar was not removed, she would not attend the meeting of the Chief Ministers called by the Prime Minister on price rise. Milk prices in Delhi range between Rs 28-32 per litre.
Draw a line between govt, private events: India to Pak
New Delhi: Rejecting Pakistan's charge that its players were snubbed for IPL at the behest of India, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Thursday said it should draw a line between government programmes and private events.
Krishna said this when reporters sought his comments on Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik's remarks that the manner in which the players were "insulted" showed that India was not serious about the peace process.
The Minister's remarks also come in the wake of Pakistan's move against sending any parliamentary delegations to India to protest the 'treatment meted out' to the country's cricketers in the auction for the Indian Premier League tournament.
Twenty20 champions Pakistan was stunned after none of the country's 11 players, including current Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi who had played for Deccan Chargers in the first season, were signed up during the IPL auction on Tuesday.
Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza had said that her country will not send parliamentary delegations to India after the main opposition PML-N said its members will boycott all official visits to India to protest the perceived snub of the Pakistani cricketers.
"India or any other country that does not give respect to Pakistan will be treated the same way by us. If there is a desire to improve Indo-Pak friendship, respect should be given to Pakistani sportspersons," Malik said.
Indian Business News
Sensex sheds 423 pts, Nifty below 5,100
Mumbai: The benchmark Sensex plunged 423 points to hit a one-month low on Thursday as funds resorted to heavy selling in blue-chip stocks led by capital goods, power and PSUs, weighed down by fears of China further tightening its monetary policy.
Followed poor Wall Street and Asian cues, the Sensex opened with 123 points down and touched the day's low of 17,025.26 during the day. This is the third consecutive fall for the market this week.
The wide-based NSE Nifty 50 too broke two key levels of 5,200 and 5,100 points and closed with a hefty loss of 127.55 points to 5,094.15. It dipped to 5,085.45 in the session.
With a 5.15 per cent fall to 13,501.46 points, the sector that suffered the most was capital goods, spooked by the poor Q3 results by L&T. The engineering and construction giant tumbled 6.85 per cent following the results.
The second biggest fall was in the power index, which was hammered by 3.47 per cent 3,100.60 points. Tata power was the worst performer with a 4.46 per cent fall. All the Sensex indices ended with heavy to moderate losses. The PSU index shed 2.98 per cent, realty 2.78 per cent and pharma 2.65 pct.
The World Bank statement that the Asian economies face the risk of asset bubbles or overheating as the region’s growth outpaces the rest of the world this year, also weighed on the market.
China set to be world's 2nd largest economy
Beijing: The Chinese economy grew by stunning 10.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2009, which may see it replacing Japan as the second largest economy in the world.
Bolstered by massive stimulus measures and improving domestic output, China clocked an economic growth rate of 8.7 per cent in 2009, even as many developed nations are still grappling with recession blues.
The National Bureau of Statistics of China today said the national economy grew 10.7 per cent in the December quarter, much higher than 2009 third quarter expansion of 9.1 per cent.
"The gross domestic product (GDP) for the year 2009 was 33,535.3 billion yuan (about USD 4.91 trillion), up by 8.7 per cent at comparable prices...," National Bureau of Statistics' Commissioner Ma Jiantang said in a statement.
Bogged down by the financial meltdown, Japan has seen sluggish growth in recent quarters. World Bank has projected that the Japanese economy would shrink 5.4 per cent in 2009, which implies that its GDP would come down to USD 4.66 trillion.
According to World Bank, China's GDP was USD 4.33 trillion in 2008 while that of Japan was USD 4.91 trillion.
Nokia to offer free navigation in 74 countries
Helsinki : Nokia will follow Google, offering free maps on its cellphones, in a move to boost handset sales but one that will hit other satnav players, the 'San Francisco Chronicle' reported on Thursday, citing the Finnish company.
"Nokia used to charge for navigation packages that included turn-by-turn directions. That all goes away now. Now you can get turn-by-turn directions covering 74 countries in 46 languages," the report said.
A spokesman for Nokia declined to comment. The firm is scheduled to hold news conferences related to its services offering around the world from 0930 GMT onwards.
In 2008 Nokia bought for $8.1 billion digital mapping firm Navteq -- a rival to navigation specialist TomTom's Tele Atlas unit.
Analysts said free navigation could enable Nokia to support its flagging position in the global smartphone market. It still sells more smartphones than any of its rivals, but it has lost ground to Apple and RIM.
"Nokia wants to maintain a high market share in devices, and this is one way of doing it, by linking them to services," said Nordea analyst Martti Larjo.
"Navigation originally was one of the services they thought they could get money from, but Google is coming (with turn-by-turn navigation), as are other competitors, so they have to do it," he said.
Google started in late 2009 to offer free navigation on Motorola's Droid model smartphones in the North American market.
Nokia offering free navigation on some 20 million smartphones is set to hurt key players on the global navigation market, including TomTom and Garmin.
Indian Sports News
India beat Bangladesh by 113 runs
Chittagong: India clinched the first cricket Test against Bangladesh with an emphatic 113-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series here on Thursday, despite a rollicking century by wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim that delayed the inevitable.
Chasing an improbable 415-run victory target, the hosts resumed on 67 for two and rode on Rahim's gutsy 101 and Tamim Iqbal's gritty 52 before folding for 301 in 75.2 overs. Amit Mishra (4/92), Ishant Sharma (3/48), and Zaheer Khan (2/90) struck at regular intervals to bowl out the hosts at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
The baby-faced Rahim threw his bat at everything hurled at him but that was merely a desperate attempt by a number seven batsman to delay the inevitable. The diminutive stumper-batsman took 112 balls to hit his maiden Test ton -- also the fastest by a Bangladeshi batsman -- and was the last man out.
Both the team now moves to Mirpur for the last Test starting on Sunday.
Rahim, who came in just before lunch when his side were 135 for five, took the Indian attack by the scruff of its neck, hitting 17 fours and a six.
With this win, India maintained their unbeaten record in Bangladesh. They have now won five out of six matches in Bangladesh, including a drawn Test in 2007. The Test, which began with a war of words between the two sides after India's stand-in captain Virender Sehwag had described the hosts as an ordinary side, was also a memorable one for opening batsman Gautam Gambhir who became the only fourth batsman to have scored five successive Test tons.
Dues issue: Women hockey players wear black bands
Bhopal: They don't plan to go on strike like their male counterparts but the Indian women hockey players protested the non-payment of their dues nevertheless by wearing black armbands during the training session of a Commonwealth Games preparatory camp here on Thursday.
"As of now they have no plan to refrain from playing in the preparatory camp," he added. Kaushik said his wards want facilities akin to their male counterparts.
When asked if the non-payment of dues to the women players will affect their performance during the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Cup this year, he said he would try his best to prevent such a scenario.
"I am trying to keep them in good spirits and ensuring that the dues problem doesn't hit their performance in the upcoming mega events," Kaushik said.
The core group had got an assurance from the HI over their dues payment, sources close to them said.
The players have not received their dues since April 2008, and hence the core group decided to sport black bands in protest. The team has also opened a bank account and asked fans to supprt their cause.
Bhupathi out of doubles, Paes and Sania advance
Melbourne:Mahesh Bhupathi's reunion with Max Mirnyi began on a disappointing note as the fourth seeded duo made a stunning first round exit from the Australian Open even as Leander Paes and Sania Mirza notched up facile wins with their respective partners here on Thursday.
Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy were the first to take the court and the third seeds didn't have much trouble in sailing past Czechs Leos Friedl and David Skoch 6-3 6-1 in the first round of the men's doubles event.
Paes and Dlouhy will next take on Lucas Arnold Ker of Argentina and Romania's Horia Tecau. But the newly-formed combination of Bhupathi and Belarusian Mirnyi disappointed with a 4-6 4-6 loss to the unseeded German-Finnish pair of Michael Kohlmann and Jarkko Nieminen.
It was with Mirnyi that Bhupathi won his last Grand Slam men's doubles trophy when they triumphed at US Open in 2002. Bhupathi ended his partnership with Bahamas' Mark Knowles after playing 2009 US Open.
However, 10th seeds Sania and her Spanish partner Virginia Ruano Pascual ensured that India ended the day on a high with a comfortable 6-4 6-2 triumph over the unseeded Indonesian-Japanese duo of Yayuk Basuki and Kimiko Date Krumm. Sania and Pascual will face Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland and Tathiana Garbin of Italy in their second-round match.
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