LUCKNOW: After UP Chief Minister Mayawati saw a conspiracy in bees invading the stage when she was holding forth at her party rally here on Monday, an FIR has been lodged by police to probe who lit the fire that disturbed the beehive and what was the intention.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Rajiv Krishna, who is probing into the bee invasion incident, said that prima facie it had been revealed that the bees swarmed Ramabai Ambedkar rally ground during Mayawati's address after being disturbed by smoke.
"Initially, a case under Sections 435 (lighting fire to cause damage) and 285 (causing disturbance in any public place) has been lodged at Ashiyana police station," Krishna told reporters.
The DIG said that it was a serious incident as in case of a bee attack it could have led to a stampede in which a number of people could have been killed.
Likewise, if something would have happened to people on stage then also it could have led to stampede and death, he said.
He said that the opinion of experts in bee behaviour had also been taken.
The police are further investigating into the incident as to who lit the fire and what was the objective behind, he added.
After the incident, the BSP alleged that appearance of the bees at the rally ground was a conspiracy following which the state government ordered an inquiry.
A preliminary inquiry has indicated that some persons intentionally lit fire to disturb a beehive at nearby Ambedkar University in a bid to disturb the rally, official sources said.
"According to experts, the bees that swarmed the rally ground were bigger ones, normally found in forest areas," they said.
Addressing a meeting of party leaders, MPs and MLAs yesterday, Mayawati alleged that "in a bid to create stampede; under a conspiracy a beehive near the rally ground was disturbed due to which a swarm of bees came towards the stage."
Pak judge backtracks on 'Hindu terror' remark
ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif has contradicted the observation that the Hindu community was involved in funding terrorism in Pakistan, clarifying that observation was misreported and wrongly attributed to him.
A handout issued by the Lahore HC registrar on Wednesday said that it is noted with great concern at the observation made by the Chief Justice while hearing a constitutional petition on extradition of alleged foreign terrorists has been misreported and misconstrued in certain sections of press.
"Finding it malicious, and irresponsible it is strongly contradicted that the observation went to attribute financial support in terrorism to Hindus", the press release said.
The Lahore HC Chief Justice said, "It is clarified that no such observation has ever been made. This court shows sympathy for those who felt hurt at this misleading report, and expresses its belief in the rights granted by our constitutions to minorities".
The minority members of national assembly protested and staged a token walkout from parliament on Tuesday regarding a reported statement by Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Khawaja Muhammad Sharif that the Hindu community was financing terrorism in Pakistan. The members of the Awami National Party, a ruling coalition partner also joined the Hindu MPs.
The protest was the second raised in the house over press reports in as many days after the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was criticized over his appeal to Taliban in a speech to a seminar in Lahore on Sunday to spare his province terror attacks because of some shared views with his PML-N party.
The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Hindu member Romesh Lal, who raised the issue, said sentiments of an estimated four million Pakistani Hindus had been injured by the LHC chief justice’s remarks, as reported in a section of the press, that while terrorist bomb blasts were being carried out by Muslims, "money used for this came from Hindus".
The member said if a country was suspected of sponsoring such attacks it should be named, but blame should not be put on just Hindus who, he said, were as good patriots as other Pakistanis.
He appealed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of Justice Sharif’s remarks. The PPP chief whip and Labour and Manpower Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah told the house that justice Khwaja Sharif seemed to be blaming India for financing the Taliban rather Hindus. Shah said that he was sure a clarification into the matter would come by tomorrow.
US intelligence chief meets Chidambaram
NEW DELHI: America's top intelligence official Dennis C Blair met union Home Minister P Chidambaram here on Thursday, on a day suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley was slated to appear before a Chicago court to plead guilty to charges of terrorism.
Blair was accompanied by the US ambassador in New Delhi Timothy J Roemer and a delegation of the US Secret Service. It was not known if Headley figured in the talks with Chidambaram.
The two sides are said to have discussed issues related to terrorism emanating from Pakistan and also the recent spate of terror attacks in Afghanistan targeting Indians.
The ambassador told reporters after the meeting in North Block that the US would cooperate with the government of India in all areas, including terrorism.
The visit was to maintain "the day by day, hour by hour cooperation with the government of India and the United States on issues of terrorism... and fighting a common enemy", the ambassador said.
The US intelligence head also held a meeting with Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Mathur on the issue of terrorism and the ways to counter it, a home ministry official said.
Blair's visit comes days after his statement that Pakistan was using militant groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba as strategic tools against India.
LeT's operative Headley, a Pakistani American resident of Chicago, has been named in the Mumbai terror attack and is expected to plead guilty to get a sentence lighter than the death penalty.
He faces six counts of conspiracy involving bombing of public places in India, murdering and maiming people in India and abroad and providing logistical support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. He also faces six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of six citizens in India.
India rules out surgical strike on terror camps in Pak
New Delhi: India on Thursday ruled out the possibility of any surgical strike on terror camps inside Pakistan, but asserted that adequate measures would be taken to ensure its interests are protected.
He told reporters here, "We will take adequate measures to see to it that our nation is safe, our citizens are safe, and our interests are safeguarded."
While expressing hope that Pakistan will act against terror camps operating from its soil, he said India will also ensure that its interests are protected and the nation is secure.
"The first responsibility is towards ensuring adequate security towards which we are leaving no stone unturned. Beyond that whatever information we have about these camps, we have brought it to the notice of our neighbour and we hope they will take action on that," he said on the sidelines of a seminar at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses here.
"It is a stated policy that they (Pakistan) will do infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir. Across the borders, we are taking adequate safety measures and we are continuing to talk to that government. I am sure there will be results at the end of the day," he said.
Defence Minister A K Antony had yesterday said there were 42 terror camps inside Pakistan and that the neighbour had not done enough yet to dismantle the terror infrastructure.
On the gaps in the Army's anti-tank missile systems, Raju said the Defence Ministry would provide whatever capability the Services needed within the time frame that they sought.
"The entire endeavour of the Ministry is to supply the capability that the Services want within the time frame that they seek," he said.
Asked if the Defence Ministry would do away with the system of 'Sahayaks (batman)' for Army officers as strongly recommended by a Parliamentary committee, Raju said it was for the concerned Service to examine it, just like the Air Force and the Navy have acted on it.
"It is for the Army to look into it and see what is appropriate," he added.
Business News
S&P upgrades India's ratings to 'stable'
New Delhi: Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's has said it might not downgrade India's sovereign credit rating further, after the government announced plans to reduce the gap between income and expenditure.
Currently, India's long term credit rating is at the bottom of the investment grade -- 'BBB-minus'.
The agency, at the same time, revised the ratings outlook to "stable" from "negative," indicating potential positive changes to the country's credit fundamentals.
Sovereign rating is a tool to measure the risk level of a country's investing environment and shows investors the ability of a country to repay its debts, foreign or domestic.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in the Budget for 2010-11, said that the government will reduce its borrowing in the new fiscal and also pegged fiscal deficit to come down to 5.5 per cent of the GDP next fiscal.
Fiscal deficit is estimated at 6.7 per cent this fiscal. "We revised the outlook on the Republic of India to stable from negative," S&P said in a statement from Singapore, while pegging India's economic growth rate at eight per cent for next fiscal. This is in line with the government's own projection.
In February last year, the rating agency had cut the outlook on India's credit rating from stable to negative, as the country's fiscal deficit widened after the government provided stimulus to perk up the economy in the wake of the global financial meltdown.
In the Budget 2010-11 last month, the government partially rolled back the stimulus and restored customs duty on crude and raised excise duty on petrol and diesel.
The country's short term rating is placed at A-3, which is lower medium grade.
Food inflation eases to 4-month low
New Delhi: Cheaper vegetables and pulses pulled down food inflation to a four-month low of 16.30 per cent in the first week of March, but there are expectations that RBI may tighten money supply to prevent inflation from spreading to manufactured goods.
Prices of onions fell 11.08 per cent in the wholesale market over the previous week and that of potatoes by 3.5 per cent. Overall vegetables prices during the same period dropped by 10.51 per cent, while pulses became cheaper by 3.85 per cent.
Food inflation had last touched a below-16 per cent level for the week ending November 15, 2009, when it had dropped to 15.58 per cent.
"Food prices are coming down. Sugar prices have come down due to higher production estimates in major producing states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh," Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar said.
Although food inflation is falling, Crisil's Principal Economist DK Joshi said the Reserve Bank of India may still raise key policy rates to rein in the general inflation that was at 9.89 per cent in February and likley to cross 10 per cent mark in March.
"I see overall inflation in March over 10 per cent. RBI in its April review is likely to raise key policy rates by 25 basis points," Joshi said.
Earlier, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee too had said that he would not be surprised if overall inflation reaches double digits this month.
RBI in its annual credit policy to be announced on April 20, will try to address the twin objectives of protecting growth and contain rising prices.
Though food prices are falling on a weekly basis, they are still high for most commodities except onion when compared to the corresponding period last year.
On annual basis fuel prices rose by 12.68 per cent, mainly on account of the increase in duties in the budget.
Following the duty increase prices of petrol and diesel went up over Rs 2.50 a litre.
Milk was costlier by 15.31 per cent when compared with prices prevailing during the corresponding week in 2009.
Ambanis’ manager to become Pak FM
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani may soon appoint former PML-Q leader, and one-time Musharraf loyalist Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat as the country's finance minister.
According to talks doing the rounds in Pakistan, Hayat is expected to take oath within the next 48 hours, as he has already had separate talks both Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari.
But what is most noticeable is that Hayat is managing a massive hedge fund in Dubai of over one billion dollars which is apparently owned by India’s Ambanis.
The hedge fund is called New Silk Route Partners (NRS) and is 1.4 billion US dollars fund owned by the Ambanis with some local partners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Hayat had served as the Privatisation Minister in Musharraf's regime, during which he was involved in the infamous privatisation deal of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).
The big question is how would Hayat look after Pakistan’s already sluggish finance when he could not even safeguard the national interest in one multi-billion dollar deal, The Daily Times said.
Sports News
Saina among the top 5 shuttlers in the world
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal touched a new high on Thursday as she zoomed into the top-five of the world rankings at a career-best fifth spot following her stupendous show in the All England Badminton Championships earlier this month.
Riding on her fantastic show, the Indian gained a couple of spots in the latest list with 58516.7646 points in her kitty.
Chinese shuttlers dominate the top half of the women's rankings with Yihan Wang leading the pack followed by Wang Lin, Xin Wang and Jiang Yanjiao respectively.
In the men's rankings, Chetan Anand dropped a rung to 10th but P Kashyap gained one spot to be 29th. Arvind Bhat remained static at 36th but Anup Sridhar slipped to 40th, a loss of one position. In the mixed doubles rankings, Jwala Gutta and V Diju's pair slipped one spot to 10th in the latest list.
RCB win toss, to bowl against Royals
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble won the toss and elected to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (capt), Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, Eoin Morgan, Mark Boucher (wk), Praveen Kumar, Dale Steyn, R Vinay Kumar.
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (capt), Damien Martyn, Naman Ojha (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar, Paras Dogra, Michael Lumb, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Munaf Patel, Morne Morkel, Siddharth Trivedi.
'My diving technique has gone haywire'
New Delhi: India's explosive batsman Yuvraj Singh has blamed his injury breakdowns of the past few months on his diving technique while fielding, saying it seems to have gone ‘haywire’.
"It's just unfortunate that I've got these injuries in the last 4 months. Hopefully, you know, next coming...we've got a very important year for the Indian team, and should not be getting injured this year, fingers crossed," said Yuvraj, who is currently recuperating from a wrist injury.
"It's just been happening in the last year only. I don't know, I think my technique of diving has gone a bit haywire or something," he added.
The swashbuckling left-hander, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, said the breakdowns have left him frustrated and he can't wait to get back on the field.
"Last four months have been frustrating and I had a bit of finger injuries and a thumb injury and now a wrist injury. So it's been pretty bad with injuries but done my best to get back into shape and it's feeling good now so just need to get into the match scenario," he said.
"I've been lagging behind six months now...I've been injured a lot...and it's been very frustrating sitting out, and I really want to get really fit and have a good year this time."
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