Indian Latest News

Bhopal case: Centre did its job, judiciary delayed it, says Moily

NEW DELHI: Union law and justice minister M Veerappa Moily on Saturday defended the central government's stand on the Bhopal gas tragedy and blamed the judiciary for delaying the case and letting the then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson get away.

Reacting on the case related to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy that killed several thousands of people, Moily said the government is sorry about what has happened.

He insisted that the case against Warren Anderson was still not closed.

"I am already on record that case is not closed against Anderson. CBI had filed a chargesheet against Anderson and all the other accused under Section 304(2) where the maximum punishment is 10 years," Moily said.

Moily further said the government did its duty at that time and that because of judiciary, justice was delayed.

"But the case was converted to 304 A - which is meant for car accidents - by the Chief Justice of India at that time. For an offence of this dimension, I am sorry it was reduced. The government had done its duty, but because of judiciary it was delayed," he said.

Terming the Bhopal gas tragedy as a disaster, Moily underlined the need for standard law to deal with such cases.

"We are working on fast-tracking such cases. Cases of mass destruction should have standard law. Mass destruction is not an accident but a disaster. A process of class litigation should also be there," Moily said.

Commenting on former Tamil Nadu Governor, P C Alexander's allegation that then Madhya Pradesh chief minister Arjun Singh was present at the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) meeting though he was not a part of such committee, Moily said "He made a very motivated statement because he has changed party loyalties. It seems he's with BJP and Sena."

The United States has said that it would carefully evaluate any new request from India to bring to justice Warren Anderson, who is wanted in a case related to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy that killed several thousands of people.

State Department spokesman P J Crowley said the US will give a fair consideration if an extradition request came from India.

India and US have an extradition treaty.

Interacting with media, Crowley said the US will "carefully evaluate" any request from India.

US to mull fresh plea for Anderson's extradition

Washington: Days after ruling out any 'new inquiries' against Union Carbide in the wake of the Bhopal court verdict, the US on Saturday said it is prepared to give "fair consideration" to any fresh request from India for extradition of the company's former chief Warren Anderson over the 1984 gas disaster.

"We have an extradition treaty with India. And if India makes an extradition request to us, we will give it fair consideration," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said. If the government of India makes such a request, the US will "carefully evaluate" it, he told reporters in response to a question.

Crowley, however, said he was not in a position to verify whether the US had already received such requests or whether it had responded to them, arguing that all such issues were confidential.

A day after the Bhopal court convicted and sentenced to two years former Union Carbide India Chairman Keshub Mahindra and six others on Monday, the US had ruled out any 'new inquiries' against the company and also hoped that the verdict would bring "closure" to the families of the gas leak victims.

On that day, responding to a specific question on whether there was a request by India for Anderson's extradition, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake had said: "As a matter of policy, we never discuss extradition, so I cannot comment on that."

Crowley also noted that it was hard to draw a comparison between the Bhopal gas tragedy that left over 15,000 dead and the BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico now, saying the American companies were "very mindful and respectful" of the rules of the land when they operated overseas.

"It is hard to necessarily draw a direct comparison to -- in the case of Bhopal, there was a settlement realised a number of years ago... though I don't express that I have all the facts here in front of me," Crowley said.

"You have an ongoing situation here. BP, as a private company, has stepped up and indicated that it will take its own steps, since it owns the well, to stop the leak and to pay for the mitigation of the impact," the State Department spokesman said.

He said he would not "necessarily feel comfortable comparing what happened in the mid-80s and what's happening today."

Meanwhile, Anderson's wife Lillian said the family had nothing else to say in the matter. She also said that her husband was not well.

Early this week, US Congressman Frank Pallone, the founder and former co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, had supported Anderson's extradition demand. He said,"All those responsible for this disaster, including the former chairman of Union Carbide Warren Anderson, should stand trial in India and receive punishment that reflects the devastation and pain they have caused for thousands of people.”

"Warren Anderson absolutely deserves to be extradited from the US and punished for the full extent of his crimes. As Chairman of Union Carbide at the time of the Bhopal gas disaster, Anderson was ultimately responsible for his company's actions," he added.

Pak wants India, US to share details of Headley's probe

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants both India and the US to share details of the interrogation of David Coleman Headley, the alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative who is currently in America's detention, so that the 'myth' surrounding the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is unearthed.

"Although India and the US are not bound to share findings of investigation, however, they need to share them with Pakistan in order to unearth the myth of Mumbai attack," The Nation quoted a top Pakistani official, as saying on conditions of anonymity.

However, there has been no official statement from Pakistan regarding sharing of details of Headley's interrogation.

A four-member National Investigation Agency (NIA) team quizzed Headley for over a week recently, drawing information about his role in the ghastly Mumbai attacks.

According to a statement issued by the US Justice Department, Headley and his counsel answered all queries of Indian investigators in a series of interviews starting June 3.

The statement further added that both New Delhi and Washington have agreed not to disclose any detail of Headley's interrogation inorder to protect the secrecy of the probe surrounding the November 2008 terror attack.

Headley was arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in October 2009 for plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper.

During his interrogation, he also confessed to his role in the Mumbai attacks in which Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people and injured over 200 others.

Headley,49, told US interrogators that he had conducted a reconnaissance of the Mumbai sites before the attacks, having visited the country several times.

Headley has pleaded guilty on all 12 criminal counts against him, including his role in the 26/11 attacks conspiracy.

Blast on railway track in Tamil Nadu, narrow escape for passengers

CHENNAI: Passengers of Chennai-bound Rockfort Express had a miraculous escape on Saturday morning when the driver stopped the train immediately after receiving a warning about a blast on the track near Perani station, 160 km from here.

The blast damaged three feet of tracks and caused a four feet crater, Vellupuram police officials said.

The driver stopped the train 200 feet before the damaged spot, they said, adding that the railway officials at Trichy and Chennai were informed immediately.

Railway Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Pon Manickavel and other officials rushed to the spot. Repair work is on and the traffic is expected to be restored by 9am, the officials said.

Trains coming from southern districts to Chennai were delayed because of the blast.

Rockfort Express, Pearl City Express, Kanyakumari Express, Mumbai-Madurai Express and others were stopped midway. Trains departing from here to Guruvayoor, Puducherry and other places were also delayed.

Naxal attack: Dantewada SP, 14 others transferred

Raipur: Chhattishgarh government on Saturday, transferred the Dantewanda Police Superintendent and 14 other officials, more than two months after 76 security personnel were killed in an ambush by Maoists in the area.

Acting on the recommendations of the Rammohan Committee, formed after the incident, the BJP government transferred 11 IPS officers, including Dantewada Superintendent of Police Ambrish Mishra, and four state-level policemen, official sources said.

On April 6, Naxalites had killed 75 CRPF personnel and a police officer.

The Committee appointed by the Union Home ministry headed by Rammohan, former DGP of Border Security Force, had fixed the responsibility for the lapse on these police officials, officials said.

Curfew like situation in JK over youth's death

Srinagar: Curfew-like situation prevailed in the old city today as authorities imposed prohibitory orders, while a spontaneous strike was observed in the rest of the areas to protest against the death of a 17-year-old youth during a clash between stone-pelting demonstrators and police.

Tufail, who was returning from tuition, was allegedly killed during a clash between stone-pelting demonstrators and security personnel in Ghani Memorial Hospital near Rajouri Kadal area on Friday.

The death sparked off massive protests in the city till late last night resulting in injuries to 25 people, including five policemen.

Initially police claimed Tufail died after tripping on a stone while security forces were chasing the stone pelter's. But later changed the statement by saying that the boy was "deliberately murdered" by some miscreants who took him to hospital and fled away.

Locals, however, alleged that security personnel hit the victim on the head by rifle butts, which resulted in his death on the spot.

"According to medical report, Tufail was hit by a blunt object over his left eye. The report said it caused fracture in his skull," SSP Srinagar javed Riyaz said, adding investigation into the case is on.

"As per medical examination of the teenager's wound, the case appears to be of a deliberate murder. Police is on the look out of the two persons who dropped the deceased at the SMHS hospital in a car and later disappeared from the scene," a police spokesman said.

Police and paramilitary forces personnel were patrolling the deserted streets of the old city areas as authorities enforced section 144 CrPC under five police stations of Nowhatta, Khanyar, Safakadal, Maharajgun and Rainawari, official sources said.

Residents of old city complained that curfew has been imposed as they were not allowed to move out of their houses, but police denied having imposed curfew and said law enforcing agencies were strictly implementing the prohibitory orders.

Life in the city remained disrupted as shops and business markets, educational institutions and semi- overnment offices remained closed as a protest against the killing of Tufail Ahmad Mattoo in police action in the old city on Friday.

The attendance in government offices was thin in the absence of transport as both private and public transport remained off the roads.

Business News

Mercedes-Benz to expand bus biz in India

Pune: Mercedes-Benz announced their expansion plans for the Bus business.

The company plans to set-up a dedicated assembly line that will cater to the production requirements of the city buses as well as the already available 2-axle and 3-axle inter-city luxury coaches. Mercedes-Benz also indicated their plan to offer integrated body-building facility for the city buses housed out of their present premises at Pune.

The market for high-end city buses is lucrative. It is estimated at approximately 500 units per annum and expected to grow by 20% each year. Mercedes-Benz India sees a potential in this niche market and as such plans to offer with solutions that are been successfully operated in similar operating conditions in other parts of the world.

The company now plans to conduct product clinics and fine tune the buses to the specific needs of Indian city bus operators. Mercedes-Benz has already imported a low floor and a semi-low floor city bus for the product clinic.

“Mercedes-Benz is the inventor of the first bus in the world and ever since, we have pioneered innovations that have revolutionized motorized public transport. In India, our 2- and 3-axle luxury coaches have been received very well. We would now like to expand into the city buses segment.

To create a bus suited to the exact requirements of the users, it is essential to understand our customer needs: our trial buses will achieve this objective.” commented Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.

With improving infrastructure and growing urban vehicle population, the need for safe, reliable and robust mass transit system is imminent in India. Mercedes-Benz city buses with their superior quality, dynamic design, robust build, star comfort and globally proven city buses will be targeted to satisfy such needs of urban mobility.

Gold recovers by Rs 95 on global cues

New Delhi: Snapping out of a three-day losing trend, gold prices recovered by Rs 95 to Rs 19,000 per ten gram in the national capital, on the back of hectic buying by stockists amid a firming global trend.

Gold in overseas markets rose by 9.80 dollar to 1227.50 dollar an ounce in New York last evening.

Standard gold of 99.9 carat purity and metal with 99.5 purity recovered by Rs 95 each to Rs 19,000 and Rs 18,900 per ten grams respectively. They had lost Rs 315 each in the last three trading sessions. Sovereign, also gained Rs 50 to Rs 14,700 per piece of eight gram.

Silver lacked necessary buying support at existing higher levels and hovered around previous level of Rs 29,550 per kg.

Price of silver coins was also constant at Rs 34,500 for buying and Rs 34,600 for selling of 100 pieces.

However, silver weekly-based delivery declined by Rs 40 to Rs 29,185 per kg.

India may attract more capital flows: RBI

Mumbai: India is likely to witness a surge in capital inflows as investors may find the country an attractive bet in the backdrop of an uncertain global environment, a top Reserve Bank official said.

"Money tries to come to places where it gets better returns. So from the point of view of capital flows, you do have the likelihood of more uncertainty in the rest of the world and therefore more money coming to India," RBI Deputy Governor Usha Thorat said.

Foreign Institutional Investors have, so far, invested around USD 5 billion in the domestic share market against a total investment of USD 17.45 billion in 2009.

Policymakers, worldwide, are watching the developments associated with the euro zone crisis, which broke out after Greece nearly defaulted on public debts.

To avert the deepening crisis, euro zone countries and the International Monetary Fund formed a USD one trillion rescue package to bail-out Greece.

The Reserve Bank, which has started withdrawing emergency monetary stimulus measures of the crisis period, is in a dilemma about hiking policy rates next month to facilitate the exit while the recovery is still nascent.

Mukesh back in telecoms with Infotel

New Delhi: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries made a dramatic return to telecoms, agreeing to buy Infotel Broadband, which was the only company to win a nationwide licence in India's broadband wireless spectrum auction.

Infotel's offer of $2.75 billion for the license topped forecasts while US chipmaker Qualcomm and India's biggest mobile operator, Bharti Airtel, also won spectrum in parts of India in an auction that saw some of the biggest players in Indian telecoms emerge empty-handed.

Soon after the winners were announced, conglomerate Reliance Industries, India's biggest company by market capitalisation, said it would acquire unlisted Infotel, paying about 48 billion rupees ($1.02 billion) for fresh equity in the firm to get a 95 percent stake.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter said Reliance Industries would also pay New Delhi-based Infotel's spectrum licence fee.

Mukesh Ambani, the world's fourth-richest man, was freed to enter the telecom sector last month when he ended a pact with his long-estranged brother Anil Ambani that prevented them from competing on each other's turf. When the brothers split up the family empire in 2005, Anil Ambani got control of Reliance Communications, India's second-biggest mobile phone operator.

Mukesh Ambani, who ran Reliance Comm before the split, had been widely expected to return to the telecom market.

"Telecoms has always been Mukesh's baby, but he had to give it up five years back," said Arun Kejriwal, strategist at research firm KRIS.

COSTLY BIDDING

Infotel's controlling shareholder said costly bidding had compelled it to find a partner.
"When the bid prices started becoming high, we realised that we need to talk to a strategic partner. So we were talking to Reliance somewhere in between the auction. So it's not something, which has happened in one day," Anant Nahata, who controls Infotel, told a business news channel, according to a transcript on its website.

Mukesh Ambani's return threatens to make the crowded Indian telecoms sector even more competitive.

"Reliance's move into broadband will only result in more jostling, as existing players will have to deal with another large, local player with deep pockets," said Ambareesh Baliga, vice president at Karvy Stock Broking.

Anil Ambani's Reliance ADA Group said in a statement it welcomed Reliance Industries' entry into the broadband market and said it was looking forward to providing services to it and other broadband service providers.

Vodafone's India unit, Reliance Communications and Idea Cellular, three of the country's biggest cellular operators, did not get any broadband spectrum.

Vodafone said it decided to step away from the broadband auction as bid prices went beyond rational levels, while debt-laden Reliance Comm, which is looking to sell an up to 26 percent stake in itself, exited the auction a week ago as bid prices exceeded its business case estimates.

THREE LICENSES

The government issued three broadband wireless licences for all of the country's 22 zones. Beside's Infotel's full license, two government carriers split one license and six private sector firms -- including Qualcomm, Bharti Airtel and Aircel -- divided up the third.

Cellular market leader Bharti Airtel said the scarcity of slots and the auction format resulted in extremely high prices. Bharti will pay 33.14 billion rupees for the spectrum it won.

Qualcomm is paying a little more than $1 billion for the spectrum it won in four of India's 22 zones, including the lucrative Delhi and Mumbai zones.

Last month's third-generation (3G) spectrum auction also saw bidding far exceed expectations. Bharti, Vodafone and Reliance Comm paid about $7 billion in total for 3G spectrum in that auction.

India's broadband and 3G spectrum sales were among the biggest such auctions globally in recent years.

India will earn 385.4 billion rupees from selling the three all-India broadband wireless licences and, together, revenue from the two auctions will touch 1.06 trillion rupees, about three times New Delhi's initial estimates.

It is a welcome windfall for the deficit-strapped government, with some analysts saying the spectrum bonanza could cut the country's deficit to 4.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) from a projected 5.5 percent for the 2010/2011 fiscal year.

News that Reliance Industries would acquire Infotel came after the stock market closed but Reliance Industry shares closed up 3 percent after speculation that the announcement would be made.

Sports News

Germany aims for emphatic win over Australia

Durban: Germany is aiming to open its World Cup campaign with an emphatic win over Australia to prove that its young team is a legitimate title challenger in South Africa even without influential captain Michael Ballack.

The Chelsea midfielder is out after injuring his right ankle in Chelsea's FA Cup victory over Portsmouth, but coach Joachim Loew still has a wealth of talent at his disposal for Sunday's match in Durban as Germany seeks its fourth World Cup title, and first for 20 years.

"We want to start with a win, to give the team another shot of confidence," Germany captain Philipp Lahm said. "It's a young team and the players are hungry."

Australia is appearing in only its third World Cup, but Loew is taking nothing for granted when the teams meet at the majestic Moses Mabhida Stadium on the edge of the Indian Ocean. "We can go in with confidence, but we have respect for Australia," Loew said. "It's a well organized team. Not spectacular, but they work hard, they have exceptional organization, good passing, they are incredible physically and they have almost perfect defense organization."

Even so, Loew added, "We want to be able to embarrass opponents with our playing skills."

Loew's praise for Australia sounded a lot like a description of his own team, and Australia forward Harry Kewell concedes that facing Germany on the first weekend will be an uphill battle for the Socceroos. "Let's face it, we've probably hit the hardest team in the World Cup to come up against, especially first off the bat," Kewell said.

Australia and Germany also face tough opposition in the form of Ghana and Serbia in their other two Group D matches.

Australia's Dutch coach Pim Verbeek has built his squad around a nucleus of stars from the 2006 World Cup – goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Kewell and his Galatasary teammate Lucas Neill and Everton midfielder Tim Cahill.

In a significant boost for Australia, Cahill looks to be fit again after recovering from a neck injury.

Kewell, one of Australia's most experienced players, is recovering from a groin injury and may not start the match.

"The medical staff are happy the way I'm traveling. Pim is very happy with the way things are going," he said. "I can't make his mind up for him. He is the one that has to make a final decision on who plays and what happens, so all I can be is 100 percent ready, the same as every other player."

Loew has reshaped Germany since it lost 1-0 to Spain in the final of the 2008 European Championship and he now leads the second youngest German World Cup squad ever. Six of his players have progressed from the team that won the European under-21 title last year. Lahm, who took over the captaincy after Ballack was sidelined, thinks this is the best German team he's played in.

The Germans will pay close attention to Australia danger man Cahill, who has a prolific strike rate for a midfielder of 20 goals in 40 internationals.

While the whole team had a video session to study the Australian team, the defenders also had their own session focussed solely on Cahill, who burst onto the World Cup stage in 2006 by coming on as a substitute and scoring twice in the dying minutes as Australia rallied from 1-0 down to beat Japan 3-1.

"We studied his running patterns, the way he moves in the penalty box," assistant coach Hansi Flick said of Cahill.

Germany forward Lukas Podolski expects Australia to play a defensive game and attack on the break. He believes he could be the man to exploit any breaches in the Socceroos' defense, despite scoring only two Bundesliga goals this season. "I played a good tournament the last time and the last few games for Germany were good for me. I hope to pick up where I left off," said Podolski, who was named young player of the 2006 World Cup. "I've been training well, I feel good."

Cahill, meanwhile, said that at least Australia is getting its toughest test out of the way early. "I suppose if you're going to play some of the best teams in the world, why not play them first," he said.

India will struggle against Shoaib Akhtar in Asia Cup: Tanvir

NEW DELHI: With Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh not in the squad, India will struggle against Pakistan's comeback pacer Shoaib Akhtar, predicted Sohail Tanvir.

Tanvir is convinced that Akhtar, who makes an international comeback after an eventful year in the wilderness, would be a changed man on his return and expected him to do well, provided he retains his fitness, which has always been an issue with the temperamental pacer.

"I don't think there is any need be too concerned about Akhtar's performance. He has been a great asset for Pakistan cricket for many years and if he stays fit, he will deliver," Tanvir said of his teammate.

"India will be without Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh while most of the others are recuperating from the losses against Zimbabwe. In such a scenario, it would not be easy dealing with Akhtar's pace and variety," Tanvir told www. espnstar.com.

Tendulkar opted out seeking to spend time with his family, while Yuvraj was dropped from the Indian team for lack of form and fitness.

Tanvir played down the Akhtar's temperamental problems that often landed the pacer in trouble.

"Look, whatever has happened in the past is history. I am sure you will get to see a different Shoaib Akhtar in the Asia Cup. No matter how big a star any player is, comebacks are the same for all.

"Akhtar is a fighter and he has done remarkably despite so many injuries in his career. I hope there is a change this time when Akhtar gets back into the team. Pakistan need him to do well," he added