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Big B speaks in Marathi, Shiv Sena speaks for him

Mumbai: Actor Amitabh Bachchan has said he and his family hold Maharashtrian culture close to their hearts and he is grateful to the state.
“In the last 40 years, Maharashtra has given me a lot: house, wife and much more. I and my family are grateful to entire Maharashtra,” Bachchan said in Marathi while speaking to IBN Lokmat, CNN-IBN’s sister news channel.
“My association with Maharashtra goes back to 40 years. My father had many friends here in the field of literature and many of his poems were translated into Marathi.”
“Being global is essential but we need to respect our mother tongue. It is our land, we were born here and we will die here,” he said. Bachchan’s statement comes after the Shiv Sena accused of him of not doing enough for Maharashtra.
The Shiv Sena itself has turned back on its views expressed two days and on Monday lavished Bachchan with praises. "Amitabh Bachchan is not just star of one particular state, but the superstar of the whole country. Hence, it is improper to drag him into needless controversy of regionalism," Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said in an editorial in the party’s newspaper, Samana.
“Amitabh Bachchan is our family friend. I have neither said anything against him nor written against him in the editorial. The hue and cry, which has been created by the media regarding the news in Samana is condemnable. Our relations with him are not so weak that it can be broken by electronic media news," said Thackeray.
Thackeray accused UP Chief Minister Mayawati of “harassing” Bachchan and said this "is worthy of contempt".
Samana, in an editorial on Saturday, praised Tamil superstar Rajnikanth for his stand on the Hogenakkal issue and said he had “dwarfed” Bachchan.


Dhoni takes on Yuvraj before Viru, Warne clash

Dhoni takes on Yuvraj before Viru, Warne clash
Mohali/New Delhi: The benchmark has been set. But Saturday will be yet another first in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. It's a double treat, with the first game featuring teams led by two of Indian cricket's poster boys. Yuvraj Singh's Kings XI Punjab will lock horns with MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in Mohali, and later in the day the Delhi Dardevils will clash with the Rajasthan Royals in the Capital.
A last-minute effort is on to fill the stadium for their opening game. Kings XI Punjab have been putting in the hard yards, not just in their promotional efforts but also on the field. Even the team owner paid a visit to check if all was under control.
And the men who will take the field were equally confident . Their strategy is simple.
"We want to consider both Sangakkara and Jayawardene for selection because of their experience against Murali," says Tom Moody, the coach of Kings XI Punjab.
Teammates for years will turn opponents for the next 44 days, which makes it the tournament's USP. Yuvraj Singh's power will be tested by Dhoni's wit. Sangakkara's skill will be challenged by Murali's magic, and big Matthew Hayden will be up against the raw pace of Brett Lee. This certainly promises to be an alluring contest.
Meanwhile, the odds seem to be stacked against the Rajasthan Royals who are clearly looking as the underdogs going into the match against the Delhi Daredevils.
The visitors will miss a few key foreign players for their opener but will be looking up to their captain-cum-coach Shane Warne for some inspiration. Hosts Delhi Daredevils are focussed on playing their game.
"I don't think we can take anyone lightly. Can't point at one or two of Jaipur's players. We need to play to our strengths and that's what we are concentrating on. Gautam gambhir
You just never know in the game of Twenty20 cricket, fortunes can swing in just a matter of an over. Rajasthan Royals may not be the toughest opponents in this format of the game, but will the Delhi Daredevils be able to tackle the guile of Shane Warne?


'Rising food prices can topple Govts, spark war'

'Rising food prices can topple Govts, spark war'. The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that soaring world food prices can have dire consequences, such as toppling governments and even triggering wars.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn told France's Europe-1 radio that the price rises that set off rioting in Haiti, Egypt and elsewhere were an ''extremely serious'' problem. ''The planet must tackle it,'' he said.
The IMF chief said the problem could also threaten democracies, even in countries where governments have done all they could to help the local population. Asked whether the crisis could lead to wars, Strauss-Kahn responded that it was possible.
''When the tension goes above and beyond putting democracy into question, there are risks of war,'' he said. ''History is full of wars that started because of this kind of problem.''
Strauss-Kahn was appointed last year to head the IMF. He was a finance minister in the late 1990s in France.
Also on Friday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested a global partnership among financial institutions, governments and the private sector to tackle the reasons for rising food prices. He also said France is doubling its food aid Budget this year to about $60 million because 37 countries are experiencing ''serious food crises.''
Globally, food prices have risen 40 percent since mid-2007. The increases hit poor people hardest, as food represents as much as 60-80 percent of consumer spending in developing nations, compared to about 10-20 percent in industrialized countries, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has said.
Low food prices are thing of the past
Amid rising commodity prices worldwide, UK-based strategic think-tank IISS ton has said that the era of cheap food and low-priced crude oil is a thing of the past and the world will have to learn to deal with the situation.
"It is difficult to envisage any way back to the era of cheap food and 10 dollar a barrel oil ... and this poses a significant challenge. There are no easy answers," PTI quoted Director of Transnational Threats and Political Risks Nigel Inkster at the opening press conference of the IISS-CITO Indian Global Forum.
He said rising food prices is a bigger challenge as it affects a large section of poor people in the world.
Replying to questions about India-Pakistan relationship, Consulting Senior Fellow Hilary Synnott said there has been "tremendous development in thinking and action" of both the countries in terms of safety and protection of nuclear arsenal.
He further said it is imperative for all countries possessing nuclear weapons to guard against accidental use.
Referring to the emergence of Communist Party in Nepal, Senior Fellow for South Asia Rahul Roy-Chaudhury said, "it is too early to make assessment on the nature of relationship that could develop, but there have been encouraging signals from Kathmandu".
The experts said India would have to take along its neighbours as it emerges as a rising power on the world scene.
The three-day Forum being organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), beginning today, will see participation of experts from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, US and Pakistan


PM calls for check on corruption in the judiciary

PM calls for check on corruption in the judiciary
New Delhi: The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, on Saturday said that corruption is one of the major challenges facing the government and the judiciary, and suggested that there is an urgent need to eradicate this menace.
Addressing a Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts in the Capital, Dr Singh said, "The Chief Justice of India has written to me suggesting that we create special courts to deal with corruption cases. I agree that there is urgent need to do so. This will instill greater confidence in the justice delivery system, both at home and abroad."
Dr. Singh also laid stress on the need for opening new family courts.
"The Chief Justice of India has also written to me about the need for the creation of more family courts. The Family Courts Act 1984 mandates the State Governments to establish Family Courts in urban areas with a population of over one million. Many State Governments have so far failed to discharge their legal obligation in this regard. As a result, many litigants, hailing mostly from socially and economically weaker sections of the society, have to travel long distances to seek a redressal of their grievances. It is, therefore, necessary to set up at least one family court in each of these 465 districts," he said.
He further said that his Government is prepared to work with State Governments and courts to modernize the relevant infrastructure, to computerize processes and systems, and to provide alternative justice delivery systems that can help reduce the burden on the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
"Finding a solution to the problem at hand is not an issue. Implementing these solutions and inspiring confidence in people is the real challenge we collectively face. I sincerely hope we can work together towards these ends," he added.
Dr. Singh also said that there is a need for increasing the number of judicial officers and for upgrading the judicial infrastructure to bring down the number of pending of cases in various courts of the country.
"I am informed by the Ministry, that despite this, a larger number of cases are being registered than the number of cases being disposed off. Pendency will, therefore, continue to increase unless special measures are taken to liquidate the pending cases at a much faster pace," he said.
He added that pendency in courts can also be reduced through alternative measures for settlement of disputes.
"The Chief Justice of India has taken an important initiative in constituting a Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee," he said.
The Prime Minister also laid emphasis on the need for recruiting more judicial officers and judges in the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
"There is clearly merit in this and the Central Government has taken steps to increase the number of judges of High Courts. Recently, 152 new posts of High Court judges have been created and an increase in the number of judges in the Supreme Court is also being undertaken," Dr. Singh said.
Apart from increasing the number of judicial functionaries, he said, "We must also upgrade the existing infrastructure. Many court buildings and complexes have not seen any expansion since the time they were originally built. The Central Government is willing to help State Governments in constructing new court buildings and residential accommodation for judges."

India dares the dragon, set to restart airfield

India dares the dragon, set to restart airfield, India is reactivating a military airfield which it operated 43 years ago and is a stone’s throw away from the Karakoram Pass held by China.
The last time India landed a fixed-wing aircraft at Daulat Beg Oldie airfield in northeastern Ladakh was in 1965. Landing fixed-wing at the airfield will enable India to induct troops swiftly.
"DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie) becomes very, very crucial because our troop strength there may have to be increased 10 times (in the event of a conflict). And if that happens when roads are in disuse, the only way will be to induct troops by air—that’s what was done during 1962,” says strategic affairs analyst Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak.
Though a conflict with China looks improbable at the moment, Karakoram lies on an axis which could be used to threaten Ladakh. India is most vulnerable in this area. By activating the airfield at Daulat Beg Oldie, India would like to be seen as exercising a more assertive presence on the disputed boundary with China.
There are also plans to revive airfields at Chushul and Fukche further south along the Sino-Indian boundary in Ladakh. For a brief while after the Chinese aggression in 1962, these airstrips were extensively used for troop build-up and have since been in disuse. Provision of forward airstrips now is a priority not just in Ladakh but also in Arunachal.
"(These are) advance landing grounds. Some of the advance landing grounds that have not been in use for sometime, we're trying to restore them in order to improve the connectivity (for the military). We've identified some of these in Jammu and Kashmir and some in Arunachal," says Minister of State, Defence, M M Pallam Raju.
India is sending a message and setting a record too: at 17,000 feet, Daulat Beg Oldie will become the highest airfield in the world.

UNPA, Left to discuss strategy over inflation today

UNPA, Left to discuss strategy over inflation today
New Delhi: The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) and the Left parties are scheduled to hold a conference here on Saturday to discuss their strategy to corner the Congress-led UPA government over inflation.
The conference will be chaired by UNPA chairman Mulayam Singh Yadav and Communist Party of India (CPI) senior leader A B Bardhan. Party presidents of the constituents of the UNPA and well-known economists are also expected to participate in the conference.
Ahead of the conference, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh had last evening said, "After the conference, we would be marching to South Block. There we would give a representation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on inflation.”
Earlier, the Prime Minister had written to state governments asking them to take strong measures against hoarding, believed to be one of the main reasons for short supply and rising prices. He also asked the state governments to ensure that there is adequate supply of foodgrains.
Protests have started mounting across the country over the price rise, said to be the highest in more than three years. Inflation rate accelerated to 7.41 per cent last week, but tapering off to 7.14 per cent a couple of days ago.
The inflation rate has nearly doubled since December 2007, but the Central Government said that it could bring it down to five per cent within the next two month

Thanks to Nano, Tatas on 'most innovative' list

Thanks to Nano, Tatas on 'most innovative' list
India's two leading conglomerates, Tatas and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Group, have made it to the league of the world's 25 most innovative companies, riding on the cheapest commercial car Nano and an aggressive growth path, respectively.
In the list of world's 25 most innovative companies released in New York on Friday, Tata group is ranked at the sixth position, while Reliance Industries is at 19th spot.
The list, published in the April 28 edition of BusinessWeek magazine that hit the newsstands on Friday, has been compiled by the US financial publication in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group.
Both Tata and RIL have made it for the first time to the annual list which is topped by Apple Computer, the maker of iPod music players and Mac personal computers.
Apple is followed by Internet search giant Google, Japanese auto major Toyota, industrial conglomerate General Electric (GE) and software behemoth Microsoft in the top five.
About Tata group, BusinessWeek said that "Mumbai-based conglomerate jumps onto our list for the first time, fuelled by its paradigm-busting 2,500 dollar 'Nano' car for the masses".
"The car, from its Tata Motors unit, is the world's cheapest, thanks partly to a distribution model that sells the auto in kits to entrepreneurs who assemble them for buyers."
About RIL, it noted that "the Indian petrochemicals giant made it onto our list this year thanks to fans of its aggressive growth.
"But its ambitious plans to reach into grocery retailing, which is dominated in India by small shopkeepers who have rebelled against corporate entrants, have faltered," it added

'Obscene MMS clip' forces two Goa girls to suicide

'Obscene MMS clip' forces two Goa girls to suicide
Panaji: Close on the heels of the Scarlette Keeling murder case and the news of an international sex racket, two college girls - who were allegedly blackmailed through an obscene MMS clip purportedly featuring them - have committed suicide in Ponda town.
The incident occurred a month ago but went largely unreported. It was finally taken up by the state opposition BJP that sought an intervention from the National Commission for Women.
"I have handed over the (MMS) CD to Director-General of Police B S Brar and Chief Secretary J P Singh," Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Manohar Parrikar said.
He said the party women's wing will be approach the NCW to take up the case.
The girls hailing from the temple town of Ponda - the constitutency of Home Minister Ravi Naik - reportedly committed suicide on March 26 after being blackmailed for "sexual favours" by some travel agency personnel.
The coastal state considered a tourist haven has recently been in the news for the death of British teenager Scarlette Eden Keeling who was drugged and raped and her body was found on Anjuna beach.
An international call girl ring allegedly being run by a Uzbekistan woman was also busted in the state last week.