Rahul declines Mehbooba's call to intervene in Kashmir

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday scotched any possibility of his intervention in trouble-torn Kashmir and said with a touch of humour that nowadays he is being asked to intervene on any issue, including the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Responding to a query on Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti seeking his intervention to bring peace to Kashmir, Gandhi said he was currently involved in the full-time job of rejuvenating the Youth Congress and the National Students' Union of India (NSUI).

"I am currently involved in a full-time job. But I find everybody everywhere nowadays likes to offer me new job. I have even been given an offer of intervening in the Commonwealth Games," Gandhi said in a media conference here.

"The way I see it, I have been given a responsibility. The way I have been brought up, you have to carry out a political task. I spend most of my day attending to issues that could result in bringing fresh young people to the NSUI and the Youth Congress," he said.

He said there were many people who were more capable of handling issues like Kashmir and running the Commonwealth Games.

"And Kashmir is not a part-time problem. When I am given a task, I would like to settle down and understand the problem in detail," he said.

Source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Rahul-declines-Mehboobas-call-to-intervene-in-Kashmir/articleshow/6565534.cms

Jat reservation stir grips Haryana, two dead

The Haryana Government on Monday was in for a major concern with the State’s Jats agitating for quota in the Government services, which let two dead and several others injured, when the police had to open fire to control the mob.

One of the deceased was identified as Sunil, while the identity of the other casualty was not confirmed. The injured were admitted in the hospitals in Hisar and other places for treatment, while Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda ordered a magisterial inquiry into the violence.

The incident took place at Mayyar village in Hisar district. The agitating mobs burnt as many as six vehicles, disrupted the regular vehicular traffic along with disrupting the movement of several trains in the region. The protests for quota were reported from Sonepat, Sirsa, Hisar, and Bhiwani districts, and are likely to spread in other parts of the State soon.

The main Opposition INLD was quick to condemn the State Government for inciting the mob.

“It was peaceful demonstration, but the police personnel chose to lathicharge them, which further flared up the crowd. Action should be taken against the erring cops,” said Ashok Arora, MLA and senior INLD leader.

“The State Government has no control over the police forces. They did not act, when Dalit houses were burnt in Mirchpur in Hisar district. They do not have respect for democratic values. Chief Minister Hooda must take action against the erring cops. Why the police forces have gone out of his control,” he asked.

The agitation for quota in Haryana is being spearheaded by the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS). It is said that the outfit has not only the tacit support of INLD leaders, but also a section of the Congress leaders who do not want to see Hooda holding the coveted post any longer.

Given the sensitivity of the issue, Chief Minister Hooda was quick in announcing a magisterial inquiry by the Divisional Commissioner, Hisar, to look into the circumstances leading to the death of one person and injuries to others during the ‘Chetawni Rally’ held by All India Jat Arakshan Sangrash Samiti at village Mayyar near Hansi on National Highway No 10 on Monday. The report would be submitted in a month’s time.

A Government statement said that several police personnel, including Hisar SP Subhash Yadav, were injured as mob indulged in arson, causing damage to public property and resorted to heavy stone-pelting on police personnel during the ‘Chetawni Rally’ being held by AIJASS, demanding reservation for Jats in the Government services.

A spokesman of Haryana Police said they had put blockade at the National Highway No 10, Delhi-Hisar road thus causing inconvenience to the people. A mob attacked the vehicles and put them on fire, damaged bank and indulged in stone-pelting.

Source http://www.dailypioneer.com/283031/Jat-reservation-stir-grips-Haryana-two-dead.html

No Lankan player under scanner for bookie link: Sangakkara Read more: No Lankan player under scanner for bookie link: Sangakkara

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara on Friday rubbished media reports that Tillakaratne Dilshan was under the ICC scanner for his alleged links with bookmakers and said none of his team-mates were suspected of "fraternising with shady characters".

"All these stories going around about Dilshan are absolutely baseless. No Sri Lankan player to my knowledge is in suspicion of fraternising with these so called bookies by their team-mates nor by team management and Sri Lanka Cricket Board. As far as I know there was no report to SLCICC's Anti-corruption Unit," Sangakkara said.

According to British tabloid 'Daily Mail', Sri Lankan team manager filed a report to ICC's ACSUWorld Cup in England in June last year.

Sangakkara denied it and said he had never passed on information of any suspicious activity by any of his team-mates to the management.

"I have never reported against any player specifically. All the players are very open in communicating with me and team management. No one including me have voiced our suspicion over any of our team-mates at any time nor reported specifically to the team manager or SLC," he asserted.

"If there is any report of any suspicion on any player, then it is better to ask the SLC and the team management about that but as far as I know ,there is no such thing," he told 'Times Now'.

Sangakkara also ruled out any Sri Lankan player intentionally mixing up with illegal bookmakers.

"Any of the players upto my knowledge have not fraternised with any of these shady characters. The only thing is you never know who is sitting at the chair next to you or who is taking photograph with you at a hotel or somewhere," he said.

SLC chief executive Ajith Jayasekara also dismissed reports of Dilshan being under ICC scanner.

"We dont go by speculation or what any newspaper wants to say. We don't want to go by such reports. The Anti corruption Unit of the ICC has not reported any such involvement of any player. We cant go by speculation. This has not been brought to our notice by the anti-corruption unit of the ICC. There is no evidence against any Sri Lankan player," Jayasekara said.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/No-Lankan-player-under-scanner-for-bookie-link-Sangakkara/articleshow/6530049.cms

US to look to India for changes in Nuclear Liability Bill

The US says it will look to India to see what "changes" can be made to the Nuclear Liability Bill just passed by Parliament in the wake of concerns over making suppliers of equipment also liable in the event of a nuclear accident. "We continue our discussions with the Indian Government on this issue and we note that Indian business leaders are concerned about some specific aspects of the law that was just passed by Parliament," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said in the first reaction by the Obama Administration to some controversial provisions in the Bill.

"We will look to the Indian Government to see what changes can be made," Crowley told reporters in response to a question on the US business being reportedly unhappy on some aspects of the liability law. The liability legislation was a vital step to clear the decks for the full implementation of the historic Indo-US civil nuclear deal. On August 30, Parliament had adopted the nuclear liability bill with the government insisting that the compensation package for victims matches that of the US and it was still open to accommodate some suggestions. A US South Asia expert has recently suggested that the Parliament had passed a flawed civil nuclear liability law, warning that it could cast a pall over the Indo-US nuke deal.

US policymakers and industrial leaders were taken off guard over the passage of the legislation "despite retaining language inconsistent with international standards for engaging in nuclear commerce," according to Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank. The law includes language that makes suppliers of equipment, raw materials, and services liable after the construction of a plant during any nuclear accident. Noting that Indian business groups have denounced the legislation, Curtis said "This latest obstacle in the US-India nuclear deal is unfortunate, as it follows the successful completion of a US-India nuclear reprocessing agreement earlier this year, which granted India the right to reprocess spent nuclear fuel." PTI LKJ DDC

Source http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/us-to-look-to-india-for-changes-in--nuclear-liability-bill/302328.html

Indian states crippled by trade union strike

A strike called by trade unions in India on Tuesday to protest against rising prices and alleged anti-labour policies crippled life in the east and south of the country in Communist-ruled states.

Most other areas were largely unaffected by the protest which came nearly two months after a successful nationwide shutdown led by opposition parties to protest against rising fuel prices.

Schools, colleges and government and private offices were closed across the eastern state of West Bengal and roads were deserted in regional capital Kolkata. About 100 flights were cancelled at the city's airport.

"Security has been stepped up across the city to avoid untoward incidents," Kolkata city police chief Gautam Mohon Chakraborty told AFP.

In southern Kerala, which is also Communist ruled, unions led rallies in the state capital city Thiruvananthapuram.

"The strike is total in Kerala and all the major unions have joined," M.M Lawrence, general secretary of the Centre of India Trade Union, told AFP.

"The protesting unions have organised peaceful protests against the anti-labour policies of the union (federal) government."

In New Delhi, some branches of nationalised banks shut for the day and Dow Jones Newswires reported that the Indian factory of German engineering group Bosch had shut "for certain national issues".

The rising cost of living in India is one of the hottest political issues at present, with inflation running in near double figures.

A weak monsoon last year hit food production that has led to severe price increases at markets across the country. The trend is now in decline, however, with this year's monsoon at normal levels.

India's main inflation index is likely to ease to 7.0 percent by December compared with 9.97 percent at its last reading in July, India's chief statistician T.C.A. Anant said Tuesday.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jqDSSi-T-3L7HjqDLE2URtqUjUYw

China denies 'troops in Pakistan' report

China on Thursday dismissed reports saying troops of the People's Liberation Army are in a disputed area of Pakistan.

The New York Times ran an opinion piece last week which said up to 11,000 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army were in Gilgit, a northwest area of disputed Kashmir.

"The story that China has deployed some military in the northern part of Pakistan is totally groundless and out of ulterior purposes," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular briefing.

"Some people are making fabrications to destroy relations between China, Pakistan and India but their attempt will arrive nowhere," she said.

The piece by Selig Harrison, director of the Asia program at the US-based Center for International Policy, said China wants control of the region to get clear road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan.

It said many of the soldiers are working on a railway link.

The article comes amid reports of military unease between China and India.

Earlier this week China said it had not received word from New Delhi that it had suspended military exchanges, despite Indian media reports that relations had been put on hold after Beijing refused to grant a visa to a top Indian army general from the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

An anonymous senior Indian official was quoted in the Hindu newspaper on Saturday as saying that future military exchanges and a joint exercise between Indian and Chinese defence forces would remain suspended until China resolves the issue.

China's Ministry of National Defence said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press that it had not suspended the exchanges nor received word from India about any suspension.

Indian media reports said the suspension was New Delhi's response to Beijing denying a visa for Indian army Lt Gen B.S. Jaswal, who was scheduled to join a military delegation to China.

Jaswal was denied a visa because he is responsible for army operations in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, the reports said.

Jiang said such reports were untrue and that Beijing had no intention to interfere in the Kashmir dispute.

"As a neighbour and friend of both countries, China believes that the issue should be left to the two countries so that it can be properly handled through dialogue and consultation."

India and Pakistan, an ally of China, both control part of the Himalayan region while claiming all of it.

China also claims part of northeastern Kashmir that it says is part of Tibet.

While relations between China and India have improved in recent years, they are still testy over territorial claims dating back to a brief border war in 1962.

In recent years, India and China have held more than a dozen rounds of talks on settling the border dispute but have made little progress.

Beijing is also highly critical of India's support for the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 and set up a government-in-exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharmsala.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/china-denies-troops-in-pakistan-report-20100902-14rhl.html

BlackBerry ban? Apple, Nokia could be among main beneficiaries

Indian companies are mulling options that include leaving Research in Motion (RIM) for other smartphone makers as they face a threatened ban on BlackBerry services that could disrupt business. RIM's rivals Apple Inc and Nokia would be among the biggest gainers if India blocks BlackBerry services.

Both firms are waiting to gain share in a market that has been mostly dependent on BlackBerry. BlackBerry, once a synonym for safe corporate communication, faces an Aug 31 deadline for giving Indian security agencies access to its corporate email and messenger services, failing which the services would be blocked, the government has said.

General Electric's Indian unit, which has about $2.6 billion in revenue in the country, has already started discussing options to switch to other services, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. The person said options included Apple's iPhone services, though a final decision would be made only after the government makes a decision.

Infosys Technologies Ltd, India's No. 2 IT software services exporter, would look at using alternate services for communications to ensure that its business was not affected if some BlackBerry services were banned. "We hope that this issue will be resolved soon," said an Infosys spokeswoman. "If the need arises, we will use alternate services to help our staff remotely access mails."

An official with one of the leading European banks in India said the bank could look at using other smartphones if BlackBerry services were blocked in the world's fastest-growing wireless market. "The plans are very preliminary at this stage, but we will have to look at some alternate arrangements if the BlackBerry service is blocked in the country," said the official with the bank, declining to be named as the discussions were confidential.

"Obviously, if there is uncertainty, consumers will definitely" switch to other service providers, said Pankaj Mohindroo, president of Indian Cellular Association, a trade organization for mobile phone manufacturers. He said customers were "feeling extremely uncertain" as they depend on their communication devices. India has about a million BlackBerry users, according to industry estimates. RIM does not give country-specific user numbers.

RIM has said singling out BlackBerry would be counter-productive for India, as it would limit the efficiency and productivity of local firms.

CALLS TO RIVALS

An official with one of RIM's rival companies confirmed they had started getting queries from wary corporate BlackBerry users asking if they could be a substitute for BlackBerry. Nine mobile operators offer BlackBerry services in India, of which Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar are estimated to have the maximum number of BlackBerry users in India. "There is a chance that we could receive further orders from the government requiring us to shut down certain services available on the BlackBerry platform for an undetermined length of time," Vodafone Essar told its corporate customers in an email.

"We will be in a clearer position after September 1 to advise on the likely outcomes and whether it is necessary to engage in any detailed contingency planning," India's third-largest mobile operator, controlled by Vodafone, said in the note.

India might extend an Aug 31 deadline in its standoff with RIM if the Canadian firm says it has a solution and asks for more time, a government source said on Friday. India says it wants to track and read BlackBerry's secure email and instant messaging services that officials fear could be misused by militants trying to create instability. India is one of a number of countries putting pressure on RIM, which has built its reputation around confidentiality.

Source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/hardware/BlackBerry-ban-Apple-Nokia-could-be-among-main-beneficiaries/articleshow/6460980.cms