Suspended Pak bowler Asif banned from entering UAE

Suspended Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif has been barred from entering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being deported from Dubai last year for possession of an opium substance weighing 0.24 grams.

Asif, 26, was detained at the Dubai International Airport for nearly three weeks in June 2008, for possession of a banned substance before public prosecutors determined that the amount of the drugs was insignificant and deported him.

The PCB officials at that time had revealed the nature of the substance, but court and police documents now finally confirm the details.

Asif was caught with the substance in his wallet when travelling back to Pakistan after competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was detained for 19 days before being released.

The documents available with the Daily Times shed light on the conclusion of the case, revealing that the public prosecutor advocated not filing criminal charges based on several factors: "That the accused was arrested at the Dubai Airport before being able to actually enter the state, the trifle amount of the drug, the serious consequence of putting him on trial and enforcing a judgment against him, and for the sake of avoiding pressures on courts and prisons."

Asif's urine sample taken at the airport was negative, however, putting to rest much speculation that Asif was intoxicated at the airport.

But during an interrogation with two investigators, Asif said he did not know of the nature of the substance, thinking it to be an herbal remedy and said he used it to boost his blood pressure and energy levels.

Asif is currently suspended from all forms of cricket by the PCB and is facing a separate inquiry for a positive steroid test at the IPL.

The Attorney General of UAE deported Asif and had his name put on a list of prohibited names who cannot enter the UAE. (ANI)

Cambridge varsity announces scholarship for Indian students

University of Cambridge today announced launching of Manmohan Singh scholarship for Indian students at Under-Graduate level. Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Alison Richard said the university intends to provide full funding to about ten Indian students every year under this scholarship.

Needy students will be provided this scholarship which will cover their fees and other expenses for their under-graduate study in any subject. "The scholarship is to help needy students get quality education.

A 1.5 million pound fund has been set up to support the Indian students," Richard said at a press conference here. The scholarship is being launched with gifts from Eranda Foundation and Bharti Foundation.

The prestigious university has already started another scholarship in the name of Manmohan Singh for the Post-Graduate students. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sent a message to the university in which he said this kind of scholarship will encourage Indian students to pursue higher education in Cambridge and contribute to the overall social and economic development of the country.

The programme will not only strengthen relations between people of India and the UK but also serve the shared objective of both the countries in creating a better world based on equity and justice, Singh said in his message. Singh graduated from Cambridge with First in Economics in the late 1950s.

MS DHONI IN 2009

S Dhoni in 2009 Known for his stylish personality, this Indian Skipper spends his time studying the pitch before tossing on the match. He tucks away the rivals behind the wicket and off the game. He has the capability to rout the World's best team. Yes! Ganesha has set the field to unfold the future of a true sportsman, a cricketer who drives his own destiny and a representative of the young and rocking India - M S Dhoni. (Content courtesy: Ganeshaspeaks.com) In photo: Indian captain Mahendra Dhoni looks on during the 5th and final One Day International cricket match between India and Sri Lanka on Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. India has an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the 5 match series. (AP Photo)

World Bank names blacklisted Indian IT firms

The World Bank on Sunday said it plans to publish in the future the names of all companies it bans from doing work with the poverty-fighting institution, and immediately listed three Indian companies.

The Bank said the move aligns its disclosure practices for companies involved in wrongdoing that work on development projects financed by the World Bank and those that provide goods and services directly to the institution.

"This change was made in the interest of fairness and transparency," the Washington-based lender said in a statement.

Until now, the World Bank has only published the names of debarred companies involved in Bank-financed projects, but has not listed blacklisted firms that receive direct contracts from the institution under its corporate procurement program.

"There are currently three companies that have been debarred along with their affiliates under the Bank Group's corporate procurement program," the Bank said.

It said it debarred Satyam Computer Services, India's fourth-largest software company, for eight years in September 2008, and Wipro Technologies, India's No. 3 software company, for four years in June 2007 both for "improper benefits to bank staff".

In addition, it said it had also barred India's Megasoft Consultants for four years in December 2007 for "participating in a joint venture with Bank staff while conducting business with the Bank".

All three companies were involved in different contracts and their debarments are not related.

The World Bank has long been under pressure to step up its fight again fraud and corruption within the institution and in projects it finances in developing countries.

Satyam's chairman and founder Ramalinga Raju resigned last week after revealing years of accounting fraud in India's biggest corporate fraud. Raju admitted last week that about $1 billion, or 94 percent of the cash on the company's books was fictitious.

The World Bank acknowledged only in December it had debarred Satyam following press reports that the company had been blacklisted three months earlier for "improper benefits" given to Bank officials.

In Mumbai, Wipro Ltd said in a statement its revenues from the World Bank were insignificant and the decision by the Bank to bar it would not affect business and earnings.

Shares in Wipro fell more than 12 percent after the World Bank said it had barred the company from its direct contracts.

2008 will be coolest year since 1997 - WMO

This year will be the coolest since 1997 but still the tenth hottest in a temperature record dating back 150 years, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday.

The global mean temperature for 2008 was 14.3 degrees Celsius, climate scientists at the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre and Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, who compiled data for the WMO, said.

"Human influence, particularly emission of greenhouse gases, has greatly increased the chance of having such warm years," the Met Office's Peter Stott said in a statement.

"Comparing observations with the expected response to man-made and natural drivers of climate change, it is shown that global temperature is now over 0.7 degrees Celsius warmer than if humans were not altering the climate."

Global temperatures vary annually according to natural cycles. For example, they are driven by shifting ocean currents, and scientists say dips do not undermine the case that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are causing long-term global warming.

Chillier weather this year is partly because of a global weather pattern called La Nina that follows a periodic warming effect called El Nino.

The 10 warmest years measured since records began in 1850 have occurred since 1997, with global temperatures for 2000-2008 standing at almost 0.2 degrees Celsius above the average for the decade 1990-1999, the Met Office said.

"Globally this year would have been considered warm, even as recently as the 1970s or 1980s, but a scorcher for our Victorian ancestors," said Oxford University's Myles Allen.

"As a result of climate change, what would once have been an exceptionally unusual year has now become quite normal. Without human influence on climate change we would be more than 50 times less likely of seeing a year as warm as 2008," added Stott.

Mumbai attackers have a price to pay: Sonia Gandhi

Kochi, December 16 (ANI): Chief of Congress party, Sonia Gandhi on Monday lashed out at Mumbai attackers and said that they would have to pay a price for their barbarism. She was addressing a rally of Congress workers in Kochi, held as part of the party's state conference.

Sonia also paid tribute to the slain National Security Guard commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and other Security Force personnel who laid their lives fighting Mumbai attackers on November 26.

Is Kandhamal heading for fresh bloodshed during Christmas?

G. Udayagiri (Orissa), Dec 17 (IANS) Tensions are running high in Orissa's strife-torn Kandhamal district with radical Hindu groups preparing for a showdown and Christians fearing a fresh wave of attacks on Christmas.

The Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration had failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day.

Though police have arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the murder that sparked widespread sectarian violence in the district, Hindu leaders have said police action was not enough.

The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti (SLSSS), a body affiliated to the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has called the shutdown, described the arrests as an eyewash.

'The state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators,' SLSSS president Ratnakar Chaini said.

While Maoist extremists have claimed responsibility for the murder of the Hindu leader, the Hindu groups have maintained that Christians were unhappy with the swami's campaign against religious conversions. Christians have denied they were in the business of conversions.

Christians fled their homes and hundreds took shelter as radical Hindu groups attacked them. In the violence that went on for more than a month in this eastern Indian coastal state, at least 36 people were killed.

Hindu Jagaran Samukhya president Ashok Sahu said his organisation was not happy that only seven of the 18 people who had conspired and perpetrated the killings were arrested.

'I will not say the arrests were just eyewash. But there are some big fish involved in the murder and are yet to be caught,' Sahu told IANS, adding that the administration was not making attempts to nab them.

He, however, stressed that the shutdown would be peaceful and all steps were being taken to ensure that there would be no violence.

'We have told all our people not to resort to any kind of violence. But we are apprehensive that 'Christian militants' may create trouble during the shutdown,' he said in a veiled reference to Maoists who have threatened to kill more Hindu leaders.

Asked if he was referring to Maoists, Sahu said: 'Naxals have no religion. I am referring to those militants who killed swamiji. They are Christians and have taken up arms against Hindus.'

Notwithstanding the assurances of the peaceful shutdown, the minority Christians in the district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, are worried - more so, as the chosen day is Christmas.

Rajib Prasad Naik, who stays in a relief camp in Rudangia - a riot-hit village some 40 km away from district headquarters Phulbani, said they had information about some local Hindus planning fresh attacks on their camp.

'We have information that some Hindu activists are collecting money to buy weapons to be used against us during Christmas bandh (shutdown),' Naik, who lost two of his relatives during the riots, told IANS.

'We have informed police and the district collector about this and hope the administration will take some steps.

'Though paramilitary forces are guarding our camp, we are not sleeping at night in order to keep a vigil against any sudden attack,' he said, hoping that more forces would be deployed in his village soon.

Orissa Archbishop Raphael Cheenath also feared fresh violence during Christmas but hoped that the state government would take measures to protect the traumatised Christian community in the district.

'I don't know what will happen this Christmas. The government has promised that they will take all measures to prevent any untoward incident this time around and I believe the administration will live up to its promise,' the archbishop told IANS over the phone from Bhubaneswar.

'I will not say that I fear a fresh wave of violence against our community, I just hope this Christmas should go peacefully,' he said.

Cheenath said: 'I can't say that the security provided to us in the district is adequate, but I hope they will try their best towards our safety.'

Forty-five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies are currently deployed in the district and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pledged that his government would not allow the shutdown on Chritsmas.

'The government will come down heavily on those who try to create any trouble,' Patnaik said in the assembly Monday.

Clouds cover Delhi, temperature likely to rise

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Clouds that covered the capital Wednesday morning brought some respite from the chilly winds that had been blowing for the last two days. The weathermen said the minimum temperature is likely to rise.

'The sky over the capital will remain cloudy for another day, and the night temperature is likely to increase,' a meteorological department official said.

Visibility at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was normal and flights were reported to be running on time.

The minimum temperature of 10.3 degrees Celsius Wednesday was one degree above normal while the maximum temperature settled at 24.4 degrees Celsius.

'The temperature is likely to increase further in the next one or two days in the capital following a western disturbance,' the official said.

The meteorological department has forecast rain or snow at a few places in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.

Mumbai attackers part of bigger suicide team - NYT

The 10 men who conducted the attacks in Mumbai belonged to a group of 30 recruits selected for suicide missions and the whereabouts of the other 20 are unknown, the New York Times reported.

India has no reason to believe the other 20 are in India, but that could be a possibility, the newspaper's website (www.nytimes.com) quoted Mumbai Police Deputy Commissioner Deven Bharti as saying on Tuesday.

"Another 20 were ready to die," Bharti said. "This is the very disturbing part of it."

It was the first time Indian police had disclosed the larger number of suicide recruits from the Pakistani militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba. They say only 10 gunmen took part in the Nov. 26-29 attacks in Mumbai that killed 171 people and raised tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan.

Information about the other recruits came from the sole surviving gunman, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, who was arrested during the attacks and has been in police custody since then.

The 30 recruits were given highly specialised training, including marine combat skills, Bharti said.

Once Lashkar leaders had selected Kasab and his nine fellow attackers, they were kept sequestered in a house for three months. They were then divided into two-man teams, each team assigned a different target within Mumbai to attack -- information they were forbidden from sharing with one another, Bharti said.

They never saw the other 20 trainees again, Bharti told the Times, according to information provided by Kasab.

NEW SUSPECT NAMED

Indian police on Tuesday identified for the first time a fifth suspect in their probe into the attacks and disclosed new details of the weaponry they used.

The new suspect was arrested in February along with Indian-born Fahim Ansari, who was caught carrying maps that highlighted a number of the city landmarks that were hit in the assault, lead Mumbai police investigator Rakesh Maria said.

The man, who police identified only as Sabauddin, has been in jail in Uttar Pradesh with Ansari since they were arrested for an attack on a reserve police camp, Maria told a news conference.

Investigators want to question them about their links to homegrown Islamist militant groups and the Mumbai attacks.

Two others have been arrested for helping the gunmen get mobile phone cards, along with Kasab.

"What we have learned from Kasab is they were told: open random fire, kill as many people as you can, take hostages, then go to a vantage location and stay put," Maria said.

Maria on Tuesday also identified the nine gunmen that were killed and released pictures of eight of them. One was burned too badly, so his picture was withheld, he said.

Each of the 10 gunmen was armed with about a dozen grenades, a 9 mm pistol with two magazines, one AK-47 assault rifle with about seven magazines and 100-150 rounds of ammunition, he said.

"They called themselves fedayeen squads," he said, referring to the term for suicide attackers.

(For the latest Reuters news on India, see http://in.reuters.com, for blogs see http://blogs.reuters.com/in/ and for videos see http://in.reuters.com/news/video)

Party during office hours? Unabashed CBSE officials say 'nothing wrong with it'

Though the festive season is still two weeks away, party fever already seems to have gripped the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) office in the city.

On Tuesday, officials got so busy in a 'retirement party' that they completely forgot to attend to their duties. Individuals who had come from far-off places had to wait for hours before they could meet the officials.

Entry to the office was restricted and the guard at the entrance directed all individuals to come after 2 pm, as all the officials were "busy". While a few waited, many chose to return.

Meanwhile, officials at the department claimed "there was nothing wrong with partying during office hours".

Commenting on the issue, D R Yadav, Regional Director, CBSE said, "Yes, we were partying in the office hours and I do not care if anyone has a problem with that. You can publish whatever you want in the newspaper, I am least bothered."

Talking to Newsline, a harried visitor, Prince, said, "I reached the office around 11.30 am but the guard told me to come after 2 pm. This is no way to treat the public as the officials are sitting there to serve us."

A parent, Madan Lal, said angrily, "If there had been a genuine reason for the office to remain closed we would have understood but to harass general public for a party is absolutely uncalled for."

Yadav also said that it was upto the office to celebrate whenever they wished. He insisted that there was nothing wrong in the staff partying during office hours and suggested to the reporter, "You should ignore calls when people complain of such things. Moreover, I am least bothered about what you publish."

Notably, this CBSE office is the only office in the entire region and people come from far flung places such as Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. The office is usually open from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening with an hour-long lunch break in between.

Crack down on slow over-rates, sledging: ICC to umpires

The International Cricket Council has asked referees and umpires to be "assertive and proactive" in dealing with on-field sledging and slow over-rates to ensure that the "feel-good factor" from the India-England Chennai Test remains.

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat, in a letter to the match officials, has asserted that "players must play their parts" as well.

"Lorgat identified slow over-rates and verbal abuse as two key areas that must be kept in check for cricket to maintain its feel-good factor over the coming months," the ICC said in a statement.

"He said players, and especially captains, also bore a major responsibility to ensure the game was played in the right spirit and at the right pace," the statement read.

Lorgat lauded the spirit in which India and England played the Chennai Test, which the former won after a see-saw battle.

"After the recent Test match in Chennai there is a real feel-good factor about the game, and rightly so, said Lorgat. It's great that the game is in the news for all the right reasons and I want that to carry on now we've moved into what is traditionally the busiest period in the cricketing calendar," he added.

"That is why I have written to all of the Emirates ICC match referees and umpires urging them to be assertive and proactive in dealing with slow over-rates and verbal abuse."

Lorgat said all the member boards had identified slow over-rates and sledging as the problems most likely to affect the game's progress.

"At the recent ICC Chief Executives' Committee meeting, representatives of all the ten ICC Full Members agreed these were two significant issues for the game moving forward. Verbal abuse and slow over-rates have the potential to impact negatively on the way the game is perceived. We have seen that in the past and we must do all we can to ensure that doesn't happen in the future," he said.

"Both issues need to be strongly managed and the ICC is now looking at options to encourage better over-rates and strengthened sanctions against offending teams," he added.

Lorgat said as cricket widens its horizon and reaches out to previously unexplored audience, the game needs to ensure a squeaky clean image.

"Cricket's profile is high and perhaps it has never been higher. And with 2009, the ICC's Centenary year, including the ICC World Twenty20 for men and women, the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC World Cup Qualifier, the ICC Women's World Cup and a host of outstanding bilateral series, that situation is unlikely to change over the next 12 months," he said.

"With that profile comes a responsibility on the part of everyone to ensure cricket remains the great sport that the players, match officials and spectators made it in Chennai this week. If everyone can meet that responsibility and ensure our great sport is played in a great spirit then cricket will continue to grow stronger," he added.

Inside Pakistan's terror schools

Terror training schools, teaching hundreds of new and young recruits in suicide missions and the use of sophisticated weapons, have been active in many parts of Pakistan, including Punjab, the North West Frontier Province, Waziristan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Different terrorist groups, including the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, often with the help of former Pakistan army soldiers, run these schools or camps. The syllabus, the training and indoctrination are far more sophisticated than the pre-9/11 training camps.

The terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, and killed over 160 people were trained in one or two of these schools where several hundred others have been undergoing training for more than two years.

Wilson John, a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, reveals how Pakistan's duplicitous policy on terrorism threatens, and will continue to threaten, not only India but also the western world in the years to come.

Reports of the presence of new terrorist training camps in Waziristan and the North West Frontier Province began to appear in the Pakistan media as far back as late 2006, after President Pervez Musharraf signed a peace deal with the Taliban sheltered in these areas.

Herald, a widely read English monthly published by the Dawn group of publications, reported in June 2006 about the fresh recruitment drive launched by the terrorist groups and the sprouting of training camps.

According to the report, at least three major jihadi groups maintain their liaison and recruitment offices in the Timergara area of Lower Dir district. These include the Hizb-ul Mujahideen, Al Badr Mujahideen, now re-named as Al Suffa Foundation, and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, renamed as Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

Other jihadi organisations that have either offices or training camps in the Timergara and Warai areas of Dir include the Jaish-e-Mohammad, which now calls itself Al Rahman Trust, the Harkat-ul-Ansar, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and a Kashmiri group called the Pasban Millat.

Herald reported the presence of more than a thousand trained militants in three camps in the Hazara region of NWFP alone.

At about the same time, Afghan national television reported (October 5, 2006) that the Lashkar was forming suicide-bombing squads to help the Taliban fight the NATO forces and was recruiting Afghan refugees to take up arms against the Afghan government and the NATO forces.

Citing a known case of recruitment, the report said the Lashkar recruits went to the Ahl-e-hadith mosque in the Jalozai refugee camp in Peshawar where the youth were promised training and money if they agreed to join jihad.

The first terrorist leader to acknowledge this development was Jaish-e-Mohammad's Masood Azhar who wrote in his weekly column in an obscure but popular pro-Al Qaeda Urdu weekly, al Qalam, (December 2006) that 'the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are working actively in Kashmir and they are giving the Hindus a tough time'.

He said the 'mujahideen in Kashmir were coming from Dir, North West Frontier Province and it was not possible for Musharraf to stop them'. Upper Dir is one of the northern most districts in the NWFP and borders Chitral, Swat and Malakand districts of the NWFP, in addition to Bajaur Agency in FATA.

Image: The Al-Dawah University (Jamia Al-Dawah) Markaz Taiba, Lahore

Former Australia international Crook dies suddenly

Former Australia soccer international Martyn Crook died suddenly in the United States while on tour with the Australian under-17 team, Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Saturday.

The 52-year-old, who played 14 times for the Socceroos from 1979-83, had been head coach of "the Joeys" since 2007.

"Martyn was a terrific coach and mentor to the...Joeys, and he was highly respected by the players and his professional colleagues alike," FFA Chief Executive Ben Buckley said in a statement.

The team was in the United States for friendly internationals against Brazil and the host country. Friday's game against the United States was cancelled, though the team would play two other matches before returning to Australia next Wednesday, FFA said.

Cong, BJP disagree over steel plant at Nahan

Congress and BJP MLAs in the township have taken opposing stands regarding the setting up of a SAIL plant in Sirmour district.

The four Congress MLAs from the area have decided to fight for the steel plant. But Sukh Ram Chaudhary, the lone BJP MLA from Paonta Sahib, has called their move a political stunt.

He said that such 15 steel plants had been established in Sirmour district, but the Himachalis were not provided jobs there. Chaudhary said it was wrong to claim that the plant would benefit Himachalis in any way. He stressed that whether the steel plant was set up in Sirmour district or elsewhere in Himachal would not effect anyone.

On the other hand, former Speaker of Himachal Vidhan Sabha and Pachhad MLA GR Musafir said the UPA government had approved the steel plant for Sirmour district in order to benefit it. He said it was unfortunate that the state government was not keen on setting up the plant here.

District Congress Committee (DCC) president and MLA from Shillai Assembly constituency Harsh Wardhan Chauhan said he would join the demand for the establishment of the steel plant in Sirmour district. He said the Congress would launch an agitation if the plant is shifted to Kangra district.

Congress MLA from Renuka Dr Prem Singh asserted that all political parties must join hands for the development of Sirmour district. He urged for a proper dialogue between the political parties on the issue to ensure the development of the area.

Jumbo' to give competition to Aamir Khan's 'Ghajini'

New Delhi, Dec 5 (IANS) Percept Picture Company's animation caper 'Jumbo', might be a film under children's content category, but it aims to give tough competition to Aamir Khan's much-awaited film 'Ghajini', releasing on the same date.

'We have purposely pitched 'Jumbo' against 'Ghajini' because we feel that our film has the ability to stand against a big commercial film,' said Shailendra M. Singh, managing director of Percept Picture Company.

'This film is a pure Bollywood potboiler just like a Manmohan Desai movie. The film is entirely around relationships and emotions,' he said.

'Jumbo' that is scheduled to release Dec 25 is an animation film where the protagonist, an elephant, sets out in search of his parents.

Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Dimple Kapadia, Rajpal Yadav, Gulshan Grover and Asrani are some of the voices behind the animated characters.

Singh explained that even though it was a task making Akshay dub for the title lead character, especially after a hit like 'Singh Is Kinng', the actor was always the original choice for the voice over.

Although the recent time has seen a spurt in animation flicks like 'Hanuman', 'Bal Ganesha' and 'Roadside Romeo' among others, Singh maintains that children's content is not considered a priority in India.

'Children's content is not a priority in our country. However, we want to change this scenario. In my view 'Jumbo' is not just an animation film, which deserves to be only in the children film category. I want it to be in the general film category, viewed by people of all ages,' said Singh, who has plans to rope in cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the Punjabi voice of 'Jumbo'.

The film, which is dedicated by Akshay to his six-year-old son Aarav will have a special screening at his place before it formerly hits the screens.

India's answer to Obama?

Who could be India's Obama who could unite the country and march the nation forward at a traumatic time? US business magazine Forbes feels it is industry captain Ratan Tata.

"While it (India) has the sympathy of the world (after the recent attacks), India could have an Obama moment'one in which a leader, whose personal history epitomises the country's principles, marches forward to unite the country during its very moment of trauma. India has a chance now to get it right, but it needs a strong, credible leader to step up," Forbes said in a report.

"As an American, I don't get a vote in India, but if I did, mine would go to Ratan Tata," added the report written by Forbes magazine' Senior Editor (Asia) Robyn Meredith.

"He is not a politician, but he is the country's most respected business leader. His Tata Group owns the Taj hotel that was just attacked, but his family is just as connected to India's proud history as its shell-shocked present," Meredith wrote in a weekly column published online.

Posing the question whether should there be not a way to involve Tata at the highest level in the government, the report noted that "a fractured India" would immensely benefit from his acumen and constructive patriotism.

Meredith pointed out, "Should there not be a way to involve him in government at the highest level? A fractured India would benefit immeasurably from his acumen, his managerial skills, and his very obvious'but always constructive'patriotism."

Wondering what if the nation leapfrogged America's approach, the magazine pointed out that the political leap could be as successful as the country's technology.

Post-attack, Air Force on high alert

December 04/12/2008
A day after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chalked out plans for enhancing internal security through a variety of measures, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been asked to be on vigil against any terror threat from air after the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack used a sea route to sneak into the city,

This followed an instruction from defence minister AK Antony given at a meeting on Wednesday, which was attended by defence secretary Vijay Singh and three services chiefs Admiral Sureesh Mehta, General Deepak Kapoor and Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major.

According to defence ministry officials, "The defence minister has reviewed the details of the preparedness against any possible terror threat from air."

''The situation along the LoC (Line of Control dividing Kashmir) was also discussed, including measures to prevent infiltration of terrorists as the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is known to be an important area of recruitment and training of terrorist,'' the official added.

The top defence brass discussed plans for beefing up coastal security and hastening acquisition process for systems and platforms including coastal radars and interceptor boats. "The minister has called for greater coordination among all agencies, both defence and internal security, in such a way so that intelligence inputs become actionable."

"The meeting was called to review the security situation and the state of preparedness to face any terrorist threat. The meeting also discussed the plan for coastal security and acquisition of system and platform including coastal radar and interceptor boats," the official said.

Of particular concern expressed at the meeting was the intelligence warning that airports around the country could be targets of terrorists, forcing the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to issue a red alert to secure all important airports, sources added.

According to sources, Antony was particularly unhappy over the lack of coordination among various agencies, both defence and intelligence, so that the inputs from the latter could become actionable.

The minister expressed his disappointment over the armed forces, particularly the Navy and the Coast Guard, not seeking specific details from intelligence agencies when they had warned about terror attacks through the sea route.

"The gaps existed from both sides of the security apparatus, be it the defence forces or the intelligence agencies. So, both must seek clarifications on points, warnings raised by the other and ensure the inputs are actionable so as not to be caught sleeping when Mumbai-type attacks take place," officials said.

Similar assurances were given by Antony on the sea front too and his keenly discussing immediate acquisitions for coastal security indicated the serious intent in this regard,sources said.

Vice-President steps in to ensure 'fair' council polls at DU

The Vice-President of India and Chancellor of Delhi University Hamid Ansari has stepped in to insure free and fair Academic Council (AC) elections in the university, following a case of bungling during a council election held in 2006.

In a letter to the university, dated December 5, Ansari has written that his criticism should be quoted in full in its notification regarding his decision to ensure "that there are no future election disputes of this nature".

The letter was sent in response to a complaint filed by Vijay Singh, a reader of History at Satyawati College, who was affected directly when another candidate, Gopal Rana, with a lesser number of votes than him was elected as an AC member. Officials at the university protected Rana from elimination, saying he represented the non-medical faculty. They overlooked the fact that earlier a woman candidate had already been elected under this clause, Singh alleged.

Singh had been continuously making pleas and representations to the Chancellor's office seeking his intervention.

Ansari's letter was sent after two years of correspondence between Vijay Singh and the Chancellor's office, which also included the latter's call for a re-count that was duly ignored.

The letter states that because the council's two year-term has come to an end, Vijay Singh's election will serve no purpose. But the "wilful misrepresentations of facts by the Registrar of the University are a serious matter, particularly in an electoral process."

Vijay Singh has said he will once again contest the Academic Council elections, slated to be held on December 19. He, however, said this would be his last time as he is retiring in another three years. "I can only say that the administration was politically motivated in going against my election," he said.

Post 26/11, Mumbai night life takes a back seat

Mumbai, Dec 12 (IANS) To get entry, you have to register your name at least 24 hours in advance. You must carry a valid photo identity card, like your PAN card or driver's licence, and you will be thoroughly frisked by security guards at the entrance. Welcome to the party at a Mumbai five-star hotel.

In the 'city that never sleeps', the roads wear a deserted look a little past nine at night. And the pulsating night life that Mumbai is so famous for seems deflated.

'I have never seen the roads of this city so empty so early in the night. All that you see are a few cars, there's hardly anyone walking on the roads,' Rahul Kulkarni, who works with a multinational company, told IANS.

A self-confessed party animal, Kulkarni said that most of the city's hot spots in the party circuit in Bandra, Colaba and Khar have been witnessing a dip in crowds.

'It's only natural. Mumbai is still recovering from the shock of one of the country's worst terror attacks just two weeks back. People are going to work because they have to, but most of them are not in the mood to celebrate and party,' Kulkarni added.

With Christmas and New Year's Eve just round the corner, a number of hotels had been booked for parties. After the Nov 26 attack which lasted 60 hours and killed 179 people, many have opted to call off celebrations.

Rasika Jain, a homemaker, is one of them.

'It's my husband's birthday Dec 24 and I wanted to throw a surprise party for him, inviting his closest friends and some long lost pals whom I got in touch with through Facebook.

'But we just came to know that a close relative of one of his friends lost his life during the terror attacks. In such a situation, how can we celebrate? The party has been called off,' Jain said.

For Roshni and Anubhav Patel, a young Gujarati couple who got married last weekend, all plans for a perfect wedding came to nought.

'We had planned our wedding specifically around this time because the weather now is great and some of our closest friends from outside Mumbai would be home on holiday,' Roshni, a dentist, told IANS.

'But after the terror attacks, the party mood was missing. Everyone tried their best to make this a really special occasion for us - with a cocktail party, mehndi and a sangeet ceremony before the wedding reception - but something was missing.'

At the entrance to the Intercontinental hotel, a five-star hotel in south Mumbai where the couple's cocktail party took place, the strict security check took many guests by surprise.

'I have never been so thoroughly checked before entering a five-star hotel. After what happened at the Taj and Oberoi Trident, security has assumed an even greater importance in the hotels here...Ironically, these checks make you feel secure and vulnerable at the same time,' Deepshikha Thapliyal, one of the guests, said while walking through a metal detector frame into the reception of the hotel.

Added her friend Kavita: 'Yes, they somehow remind you that no matter where you are - on the road, in a fancy hotel or in the cocoon of your own home - you are not completely safe.'

A doorman at the hotel's steps welcomed every guest with a cheerful 'Chak de phatte' - roughly translating into 'forget your woes, cheer up' - and managed to bring a smile on most lips, however momentary it may have been.