Inflation slips to over three-decade low of 0.13 % !!!

Inflation slipped to 0.13 per cent, the lowest ever in over three decades even as prices of essential food items like pulses, fruit and vegetables, spices and eggs turned dearer.

While the wholesale price index stood at 0.48 per cent in the previous week, the rate of price rise was 9.32 per cent during the corresponding week a year ago.

During the week, the prices of eggs went up by 11 per cent, mutton 3 per cent, and fruit and vegetables and spices 2 per cent each.

At the same time, the prices of ghee were expensive by 4 per cent and khandsari by 2 per cent.
However, textile items, metal products and plastic items and machinery turned cheaper during the week.

3 Gujarat sites On world heritage map !!!

Three historical sites from Gujarat - Surkotda, Lothal and Dholavira - would soon be among the list of UN world heritage sites. This was revealed by Varun Maira, IAS, while speaking at the function organised to mark the release of his latest book, Dholavira, a Harappan Metropolis. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi released the book in a glittering ceremony at the AMA on Wednesday.
In an event well attended by several bureaucrats along with a number of who's who of the city, Maira, principal secretary, general administration department, planning, government of Gujarat, spoke at length about the history of India and its civilisations. The senior bureaucrat also proposed that an institution of international repute should be set up in Gujarat to carry out exhaustive research on Indian history. Maira had worked for three years to bring out his book assisted by his wife, Vinita Maira. The book has about 85 pages and contains exotic photographs of the 5,000-year-old civilisation which was discovered less than 100 years back. Some of the photographs spread over two pages are in black and white and illustrate the effect created by natural light on the ruins of history.
The printed price of the book is Rs 2,000. Maira, who has authored another book, Champaner - The Medieval Capital has also held a number of photo exhibition to his credit.
Modi speakCongratulating Maira on the release of the book, chief minister Narendra Modi appreciated him for pointing out the fact that Indian history was distorted by foreign rulers. "Pseudo-secularists have destroyed our history," Modi said. The chief minister hoped that projects regarding building grand temple to house the remains of Lord Buddha and underwater tourism at Dwarka would soon happen with international cooperation.

Indian sailors released by S Korea after 540 days !!!

Two Indian sailors, Captain Jasprit Chawla and Chief Officer Chetan Shyam, have been released by a South Korean court after nearly 540 days in captivity.

Captain Chawla and Chief Officer Shyam have been proven not guilty in Heibei Spirit oil spill case and released by the South Korean court.
They were released on bail in January 2009 but kept under house arrest.

"We have spoken to him. He said that he will be back in another two-three days. We had a lot of international support and from the Indian government. Our prayers are answered," sister of Captain Chawla, Rosy Khurana, said.

The duo will return to India soon. Five persons, including the two officers were indicted in December 2007, after an oil spill by MV Hebei Spirit that incident occurred near Port Daesan in South Korea.

The barge was floating free after the cable linking it to the tug snapped in the rough seas spilling 10,800 tonnes of crude oil into the sea.

On December 10, Captain Chawla and Chief Officer Shyam were sentenced to 18 months and eight months imprisonment respectively.

India is absolutely critical for US: Obama !!!

US President Barack Obama has dispatched a personal letter to New Delhi making it clear that India is "an absolutely critical country" with which Washington is keen to work, a top official has said.
US Undersecretary of State William Burns, who is in New Delhi to make the first high level contact with the Manmohan Singh Government since its return to power, would be delivering the "presidential letter", US envoy, Richard Holbrooke, told reporters on Wednesday without providing details on the contents.

"It's a private letter," said Holbrooke. "But the important thing is that the number three person in the Department of State has gone to India to reaffirm immediately after the election,"said the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Burns is now beginning the dialogue with the newly elected Government in an atmosphere of great positive feelings," he said. "And without getting into Indian politics, all I can say is that all of us - Secretary (of State) Hillary Clinton, Bill Burns, myself, President Obama - everyone looks forward to working with the newly elected Indian Government."

"He is carrying the messages that I would have carried if I had had time to go to New Delhi on this trip, but I couldn't do it," said the envoy, who visited Pakistan last week to assess relief efforts to help the estimated two million people who have fled a Pakistani offensive against the Taliban.

"All I can tell you is that this Administration believes that what happens in Afghanistan and Pakistan is of vital interest to our national security. And ...that India is a country that we must keep in the closest consultations with."

"And we consider India an absolutely critical country in the region," Holbrooke said. "They're not part of the problem, but they are vitally affected, and we want to work closely with them," he added explaining what some observers have described as a hole in Obama administration's foreign policy focused on Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"The Indians were very frank with us. They wanted to keep in touch with us during the election period, but they had to wait through the election, just like we do. It's the world's two greatest democracies."

Holbrooke, who visited New Delhi on his first two trips to the region, said next week he would be meeting the new Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, whom he already met twice.

US: Indian woman, two children found dead !!!

In an apparent case of murder-suicide, a Malayali woman and her two children were found dead in the family's home in Delta Township, west of Lansing, Michigan.
The dead victims were identified as Brigeethamma Shajimon, 40, Alwin Shajimon Thomas, 10, and Alfred Shajimon Thomas, 5, by the Eaton County Sheriff's Office.
Brigeethamma's husband Shajimon Thomas called the police on Monday evening. He told the police that he had found the bodies in his home at Plum Tree Apartments.
Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines told the media that it appears to be a case of homicide-suicide.
The autopsies have been completed, but the police are waiting for the toxicology reports.
"It appears to be a homicide-suicide, but the case is still under investigation. I'm a father myself. It's a very horrible situation. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to friends and anybody who might know the family," Raines said.
Neighbours told the media that the family had no apparent problems and seemed to be a normal one.

US firms fight Obama's anti-Bangalore stance !!!

A month after American President Barack Obama came out with 'Say no to Bangalore, yes to Buffalo' rhetoric, which now echoes in the corridors of Capitol Hill, American companies have launched a campaign against the new law that ends tax incentives to those firms which create jobs overseas.

The Technology CEO Council, a Washington-based advocacy group of US American tech-companies, has released a report which revealed that the policy to end 'tax breaks' announced by Obama would result in a job loss of as many as 2.2 million Americans.

The report commissioned by the council has been authored by Robert J Shapiro, a former Clinton administration economic official, and Aparna Mathur, a Research Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Besides affecting jobs, investments in the US in plant, equipment and property could fall by as much as $84.2 billion. Repealing or sharply limiting deferral would not generate large tax revenues, since substantial job losses, wage cuts and lower investments would reduce tax revenues, the report said.

On May 5, Obama had announced end to years of tax incentives to those companies which create jobs overseas in places like Bangalore. Instead the incentives would now go to those creating jobs inside the United States, in places like Buffalo city, bordering Canada in upstate New York.
"We will stop letting American companies that create jobs overseas take deductions on their expenses when they do not pay any American taxes on their profits," Obama said.

"We will use the savings to give tax cuts to companies that are investing in research and development here at home so that we can jumpstart job creation, foster innovation, and enhance America's competitiveness," The American President said.

Obama said he wants US firms to remain most competitive in the world. "But the way to make sure that happens is not to reward our companies for moving jobs off our shores or transferring profits to overseas tax havens," he argued.
The Congress is now considering legislation that would sharply limit the "deferral" rules that protect US businesses from bearing much higher tax burdens on their earnings abroad than their foreign competitors in the same markets.

"The current proposal to restrict 'deferral' would end up reducing US jobs and investment and could impair our economic recovery," said Shapiro, who has advised US President Bill Clinton and British prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as well as other leaders and private companies.

"The Obama administration deserves credit for many initiatives to promote investment and innovation," said Bruce Mehlman, executive director of the TCC, a group made up of high-tech CEOs focused on policies that strengthen American competitiveness.

"But we cannot expect to lead the world in high-tech by marrying the world's best innovation infrastructure with the world's most confiscatory corporate tax structure," Mehlman argued.

The report suggested that the administration and the Congress should conduct a serious review of the tax code and identify broad reforms that take account of the actual dynamics of the global economy and the need to support the integrated operations and international competitiveness of American companies.

Meanwhile, The Hill - a newspaper from the Capitol - reported that these companies have intensified their lobbying against such a tax provision among the US lawmakers.

"On June 5, about a half-dozen tech trade associations discussed strategy for stopping a tax hike on multinational corporations, which would come if the Obama administration succeeds in changing a law that allows companies to defer taxes on overseas revenue of their subsidiaries," the report said.

This week, at least three tech trade associations are flying in executives from their member companies for meetings with lawmakers and White House aides, the newspaper said, adding that they will lobby against the proposal in those meetings.

The Information Technology Industry Council, TechAmerica and the Semiconductor Industry Association are coordinating the visits, it said.

NCP suspends Padamsinh Patil !!!

Accused of protecting its Member of Parliament Padamsinh Patil, who has been accused on being involved in a double murder case, the Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday suspended Padamsinh Patil from its primary membership.
The Disciplinary Action Committee of the party met in New Delhi today and decided to suspend the Lok Sabha member from Osamanabad in Maharashtra from the primary membership, party leader and Union Aviation Minister Praful Patel told a press conference today.
The suspension comes three days after the arrest of Patil by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the murder of Congress leader Pawanraj Nimbalkar and his driver three years ago. There were growing demands from rival political parties that action should be taken against Patil and that the NCP was trying to shield him.
"We are not holding him guilty. But we would like to keep a distance as Patil faces the legal process. If he proves his innocence, we will have no problem in taking him back," Patel said.
The party was only following a convention in public life, that a person who is facing investigations in a criminal case should not be associated with the party, he said.
Replying to criticism that the party should have acted much earlier, Patel said Patil was arrested on Sunday and there was a Parliament session on till Tuesday.
"We did not want to show a knee-jerk reaction towards a senior leader and a MP," he said.

Racial assaults on six Indians in Canada !!!

Close on the heels of Indians being attacked in Australia, six members of the community were racially assaulted by a group of young Canadians while playing tennis on the outskirts of Vancouver.

Police have arrested four Canadians, including a woman, in connection with the assault for shouting racial slurs at and robbing a group of tennis players in Aldergrove on Friday last.

The four - all in their teens - have been charged with robbery, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.
The attack began when a group of four teenagers approached six players at the Jackman Park tennis courts.

The youths allegedly used a metal bar and boards ripped off a fence to menace the six victims, all the while shouting racial slurs, local media reported quoting police.

The players were herded into a corner of the court, and one was hit on the head by a thrown board. Their personal belongings were taken by the teenagers.

The B C Hate Crime Team is helping the Langley RCMP with the investigation, said RCMP Cpl Holly Marks.

Rodney Mercieca, a 19-year-old Surrey man, and Lesley Rothwell, an 18-year-old Langley woman, have both been charged with four counts of robbery, one count of uttering threats, six counts of assault with a weapon, and one count of assault causing bodily harm.

Mercieca has also been charged with breaching his probation.

He had been bound by a probation order on June 4, the day before the attack, said Marks.
Mercieca will now remain in custody until June 12 when he will be back before a Surrey Provincial Court judge for a bail hearing, while Rothwell has been released on several conditions, including no contact orders with the victims or her co-accused.

The other two accused are minors both Langley boys, aged 15 and 16.

The 15-year-old has been charged with two counts of robbery, breach of recognizance, uttering threats and assault with a weapon.

He will remain in custody to appear in Surrey Youth Court on June 17.

The 16-year-old is charged with two counts of robbery and one count of assault with a weapon.
He has been released to appear in court on June 17, and will be under a curfew and no-contact orders.

IAF plane goes missing with 12 onboard !!!

A transport aircraft of Indian Air Force with six air crew, including a wing commander, and as many civilians on Tuesday went missing after taking off from Mechuka in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh and is feared to have crashed.
The AN 32 aircraft, on a routine air maintenance sortie, took off from Mechuka at around 2:00 pm for Jorhat in Assam after which it went missing, a spokesman at the Eastern Air Command here said.
The identity of the crew and other passengers were not disclosed but the spokesman said the air crew was led by a wing commander.
The plane, belonging to Jorhat air base, had taken off from Mohanbari in Assam's Dibrugarh district.
The Indian Air Force conducted an air reconnaissance in the afternoon in the Arunachal mountains looking for either the plane or its wreckage, the spokesman said.
Defence CPRO U Upasani in Kolkata said the search could not be carried out for long on Tuesday because of bad weather.
The army and paramilitary forces on the ground in the area have been alerted, he said.Not ruling out the possibility of a crash, the spokesman said the search operation would resume early on Wednesday.

Pak-Taliban deal worsened situation: Gates

The several peace deals by the Pakistani establishment with the Taliban have only resulted in more terrorist incidents and insurgent activities in Afghanistan, a top US Defence official has said.

"To a considerable degree, the beginning of greater Taliban activity in Afghanistan began as Pakistan started these peace agreements with various insurgent and extremist groups on their western border, which then freed the Taliban to come across the border as they felt no pressure from the Pakistani army," the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said.

Testifying before a Congressional committee on Tuesday, Gates said situation in the region has continued to worsen.

"It is a combination of the Taliban, which are the heart of the problem we face but not the only piece of it; the Haqqani network, Al Qaida and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and these others," he observed.

"So as this problem became worse in terms of the violence caused by the Taliban coming across the border from Pakistan, I think it is self-evident that we were under-resourced to deal with it. We did not have the military capabilities or the civilian capabilities, in terms of counterinsurgency, to be able to deal with it," Gates said.

Sri Lanka deports Canadian MP: Officials !!!

A Canadian MP was stopped from entering Sri Lanka on Wednesday and was set to be deported for alleged supporting the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said. Bob Rae, a Liberal member of parliament and outspoken critic of the Sri Lankan military's offensive against the rebels, was stopped at Bandaranaike International airport and prevented from passing through immigration. "He is barred from entering the country. He is being deported . . .

we have intelligence information that he is supporting the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," chief immigration controller P. B. Abeykoon said. Abeykoon said Rae arrived from New Delhi and would be sent back on the first available flight. Canada gave asylum to more than 300,000 ethnic Tamils who left Sri Lanka in the 1980s, and members of the diaspora have held angry anti-Sri Lankan rallies there in recent months.

Last month, Canada accused Sri Lankan police of failing to guard its embassy in Colombo when it was targeted by stone-throwing protestors and demanded a full inquiry. Dozens of protestors shouting anti-Canadian slogans pelted the mission building with stones and spray-painted the entrance to the diplomatic compound. The protestors accused Canada of being overly sympathetic to the Tamil Tiger rebels, who were wiped out by government troops in a final battle last month.

2 Indians held in Australia for protesting race attacks !!!

Two Indians were arrested and more than 100 others were asked to move out of the area after the Indian community in Sydney's western suburb Harris Park held a protest against racial violence late on Tuesday.

Over 150 Indians stormed the streets of Harris Park late on Tuesday evening in protest against what they claimed was years of racial slurs and attacks in the area and demanded more police protection.

Students marching though Harris Park and finding safety in numbers has become a catch-cry for the Indian students.

"I just saw some of the Indian people behind me and suddenly some Lebanese people came up from behind and started to hit the Indians," claims an Indian student Jimit Shah.

The protest followed a clash between some young Indian men and Lebanese men in the same area on Monday night. Protesters accused the police of doing nothing about the racial attacks.
However, police and community leaders are playing down suggestions of racially motivated attacks in Sydney's western suburbs.

While some students claim to have been targeted because of their race, police say it's a law and order issue.

"What I would classify as a vigilante group or protestors coming out on the street and taking out a reprisal. I do not encourage reprisal attacks in any way," says Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Owens.

But the students say they've become the targets of regular violent assaults in the area.
But Ownes says, "The Indian community isn't over-representative as victims of crime."
There's plenty of debate about the problems at Harris Park. Some say it's territorial, others argue there are racial tensions.

Whatever the case, police are treating the attacks as random crimes and have pledged to increase patrols of Harris Park.

Indian Muslims fail to show their existence: Khursheed !!!

Union Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed on Tuesday said Indian Muslims have failed to make themselves noticed not only in the country but also outside it, underlining it as the reason why US President Barack Obama made no mention of them while expressing his desire to speak to Muslims all over the world.

"US President Barack Obama had made no mention about the Indian Muslims when he (after taking charge) had desired to speak to Muslims of other parts of the world. Names of Saudi Arab, Palestine, Africa had come and he had even said that seven million Muslims are in America but there came no mention of Indian Muslims. Why? Because, this is the truth," Khursheed said.

"He (Barack Obama) understands India but does not understand Muslims of India. Muslims of India have not only failed to show their existence in India but also in the outer world," he added.
The Minister was addressing a function organised by the Confederation of Muslim Educational Institute in India to facilitate Muslim leaders who have become members of Parliament after winning 15th Lok Sabha elections from various parts of the country.

Khursheed assured that his ministry will take all possible steps for the upliftment of Muslims along with other minority communities.

He said implementation of the recommendations made by the Sachar Committee was the best step for the development of Muslims in the country.

Major fire at ammo dump in Vavuniya !!!

Major fire broke out in an ammunition dump at the Wanni Army Headquarters in Vavuniya last evening, destroying a large quantity of outdated ammunition, the army said.

“A stock of unserviceable artillery ammunition, kept aside in one corner of the Wanni Security Forces Headquarters in Vavuniya, caught fire yesterday evening at about 5.45 pm while soldiers were removing them to be taken to a more secured area before disposal,” Army Headquarters said.

After two hours, fire fighters were able to minimise the spread of the fire, it added.

Meanwhile, an army official in the area said that the ammunition dump exploded with a series of loud bangs. Soon after the incident, people in the vicinity were evacuated and
several roads close to the Wanni Headquarters were closed to traffic until the fire was brought under control.

No damage or injuries had been caused by the accidental explosion, as the stock was old.
However, the military is to launch an inquiry into the incident to find the cause of the fire -- whether it was sabotage or an accident.

Last Saturday, a similar incident was reported from the Jaffna army complex, when a fire broke out at an unserviceable ammunition dump inside the high security zone. It had lasted for a few hours; however no damage or injuries were reported.

A special investigation is currently underway to find the cause of the fire at the Jaffna dump.

Canadian MP detained in Sri Lanka

Canadian MP Bob Rae has been detained at the Katunayaka airport over allegations he has links with the LTTE and is scheduled to be deported from Sri Lanka soon, an Immigration official told Daily Mirror.

Was UN Organization unwittingly responsible for Prabhakaran’sdeath?

Speculations are rife that it is because of the intense pressure brought to bear on the UN Organization by the Tamil Tiger sympathizers of the Tamil Diaspora across the World by pointing an accusing finger at the UN Organization officials over Prabhakaran’s death, that its Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is constrained to demand an International probe into the Sri Lanka (SL) war crimes.

Those who are aware of the circumstances surrounding the final hours of Velupilllai Prabhakaran and his Organization are also aware that Prabhakaran entertained the belief that the UN organization officials will rescue him. Even though the facts may be buried following the deaths of Prabhakaran, his family and leaders, the UN organization officials who held negotiations with Prabhakaran in his final moments knew fully well what truly happened.

After Prabhakaran’s hopes based on the Indian Gen. elections evaporated, he pinned his hopes on the UN Organization. It is a huge question mark as to who imparted this idea to Prabhakaran that his life will be saved by the UN Organization’s intervention. However, it is a fact that Prabhakaran anticipated UN Organization’s intervention at the final moments to save him. It is his labouring under this delusion during this crucial period which eventually led to his death.

It is a mystery to the Tamil Tiger sympathizers that Prabahakaran who has a reputation for being extremely clever at seeking out alternative courses of action in a crisis did not decide on such action plans in these circumstances. They are of the opinion that , he would have had several plans :say , plan A, B or C, which he could have used to save his life.

It is therefore hard for them to believe even today that he is dead. However , sources who were close to Prabhakaran and aware of the final events leading to his death know one truth that Prabhakaran had one plan stemming from his faith in the UN Organization that the latter will by its intervention save him. What Prabhakaran wished was to save himself and his leaders in order to protect his Organization from a total annihilation via the intervention of the UN Organization. But, the UN organization on the contrary had one objective - to save the civilian population trapped in the war safe zone. The UN reckoned that there were more than 40,000 civilians entrapped in that zone.

The Tamil Tiger sympathizers had great expectations on UN Sec. General Ban Ki Moon’s impending visit to SL soon before the SL Govt. launched the blitzkrieg to capture Prabhakaran in the final phase of the war following the announcement of the results of the Indian General elections. But, to the consternation of the Tamil Tiger sympathizers, it was not Ban Ki Moon who made the visit, rather it was the Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar whom he sent as his representative.

Earlier too , Nambiar has visited SL as Ban Ki Moon’s representative at the end of which tour , he paid a visit to his motherland , India , prior to returning to New York. Vijay Nambiar‘s report on SL situation to the UN Organization after visiting India was vehemently criticized by the Tamil Tiger sympathizers as being prejudicial in favour of the SL Govt., and that he had been brainwashed by India. The Tamil Tiger sympathizers also accused Satish Nambiar, Indias former Army General and brother of Vijay Nambiar as proffering advice to SL regarding the war. Indeed, Satish Nambiar has on many occasions extolled SL Army General’s competence and efficiency. It is amidst these raging accusations during the final hours before the liquidation of Prabhakaran, UN Secretary General sent his special representative Vijay Nambiar to SL.

At the exchange of views between Prabhakaran and the UN Organization officials, they aimed at formulating plans to save Prabhakaran, there were three prominent persons of Prabhakaran’s international chain on his side ; they were , the Tamil Tiger International chain chief K.P. ; Adel Balasingham ,wife of former Tamil Tiger representative Balasingham and Dr. Sri Skandarajah who is now with the Obama Govt. after having somehow ingratiating himself into it.

K.P. met UN Organization representatives sometime ago. However, the UN representatives had not had the necessity to meet K.P. to save Prabhakaran or the Tamil Tigers, but to rescue the Tamil civilians entrapped in the war safe zone. K.P. was told by the UN representatives to pressurize Prabhakaran to liberate the civil population. Though this information was conveyed to Prabhakaran, the latter was insistent on a ceasefire.

The pressure exerted on the Governments of Europe by the Tamil Diaspora and the Tamil Tiger sympathizers was led to the UN Organization by Europe. In the last phase of the war, the Tamil sympathizers and the Tamil Diaspora created an impression at the UN Organization that thousands of Tamil civilians can be killed just before the capture of Prabhakaran.

It is to avert such a situation that the UN Secretary General sent his special representative Vijay Nambiar to SL. It was Prabhakaran’s notion based on the advice of K.P., Adel and Sri Skandarajah that Vijay Nambiar will in order to save the civilian population visit his area of location. In such an event, the SL army would have been stymied in launching attacks into the region where Prabhakaran and his leaders were, mingling with the civilian population. Nambiar was of the view that thousands of civilians were remaining in the place where Prabhakaran was. Indeed, according to some sources, Nambiar had made repeated requests to the SL Govt. for permission and a helicopter to travel to that area. But, the SL Govt. has turned down the requests citing inclement and unfavourable weather conditions.

The LTTE sympathizers are of the view that it was the intensification of International pressure on Nambiar that subdued India.

India pledges USD 110 million to Sri Lanka

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the Indian Parliament yesterday that his government had committed Indian Rs 5 crore (USD 110 million) for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the IDPs, and that, if Sri Lanka government asked for more financial assistance, his government would be willing to provide that as well.

The Indian premier said his government was keen to see that the IDPs get an opportunity to go back to their places of origin as soon as possible, and hoped to help the process in every possible ways.

"The Tamil problem is larger than that of the LTTE. We hope Sri Lanka will show imagination and courage in meeting the legitimate concerns and aspirations of the Tamil people to live their lives as equal citizens, and with dignity and self-respect," Dr. Singh said in the Lok Sabha, while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address at the joint sitting of parliament.

He said India was taking an active part in the relief and rehabilitation of the internally displaced people in Sri Lanka.

"I have already earmarked Rs.500 crore for this purpose," he said.

Dr. Singh said the Indian government was willing to do more to restore normalcy and to return such people to their rightful homes and occupations,
Meanwhile, several Rajya Sabah members also expressed their concern over the plight of the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, prompting the government to assure them that it would give an "appropriate response" to the concerns of the members.

"Government will respond appropriately once the feeling of the House on the issue is conveyed to the Prime Minister," Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, told the Upper House, after several members insistently called for an all-party meeting on the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

BJP member Venkaiah Naidu said the reports from Sri Lanka "are horrible, and there seems to be nothing less than a genocide" taking place there.

He said the international community had not done much and the Prime Minister should call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue at length.

AIADMK's V. Maitreyan, CPI's D Raja, Brinda Karat of CPI(M) and some left MPs also joined the chorus, demanding that an all-party meeting be convened, terming it the government's "moral responsibility" to look into the interests of the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.P J Kurien and Santosh Bagrodia of the Congress also associated themselves with the sentiments expressed, and urged the government to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan government.

Rajya Sabha concern over Lankan Tamils' plight !!!

The issue of Sri Lankan Tamils figured in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday again with members cutting across party line expressing concern over the plight of ethnic Tamils, forcing the government to assure the House that it would come out with an "appropriate response" to the matter.

The government assurance came after a number of MPs demanded an all-party meeting on the issue. "I will convey the feeling of the House to the PM and government will respond appropriately on the issue," minister of state in PMO Prithviraj Chavan told the House.

Raising the issue, BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said that reports emanating from Sri Lanka "are horrible, and there seems to be nothing less than a genocide" taking place there.
Naidu said that the international community has not done much and the PM should call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue at length.

V Maitreyan of AIADMK, D Raja of CPI, Brinda Karat of CPM along with other Left MPs also joined the chorus demanding an all-party meeting, terming it the government's "moral responsibility" to look into the interests of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

"The dimension of this human tragedy on Tamil women and children is something which requires special attention and redressal," Karat said.

P J Kurien and Santosh Bagrodia of Congress also urged the government to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan government.

True Face: INDIA WILL NOT TELL LANKA WHAT TO DO, SAYS MENON !!!

Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was ‘in a way right’ when he said that he had fought India’s war since it was the LTTE that had killed Rajiv Gandhi and also because the security of Sri Lanka was interlinked with that of India.

“India would not remain a safe place if Sri Lanka’s security is threatened, as the spillover effects of terrorism always put the security of those who are around in danger” said Mr. Menon.

Speaking to a group of visiting Sri Lankan editors, Mr. Menon said that India and Sri Lanka had both learnt lessons the hard way and India now looked forward to Sri Lanka’s prosperity since the financial stability of its neighbours was vital for India’s stability and prosperity. Citing the issues that India faced due to the growing instability in Pakistan, he said one could not expect Indian Punjab to be stable if there were abject poverty, unemployment and security issues in Pakistani Punjab.

He emphasised that the 3 next move of Sri Lanka towards national reconciliation was something that Sri Lanka should explore and “it is neither the job of India nor of Norway to prescribe what is best for Sri Lanka”.

“I am quite impressed by what President Mahinda Rajapaksa has explained as his plan towards this. India will always back him in whatever decisions he thinks best suited for Sri Lanka” he said.

Responding to a question on Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka, he said a couple of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) seniors were present in Delhi at the time he was talking to the Sri Lankan editors.

“They have various contacts in Delhi with whom they have been having informal dialogue on and off. As far as I know they don’t have an appointment with the Prime Minister” said Mr. Menon, adding that Sri Lankans should not read their presence as a cause for alarm.

On the long overdue, proposed, Defence Pact between India and Sri Lanka he said it should take its natural course.

Commenting on the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora’s attacks on Indian embassies, he said the Indian diaspora “did not take that well at all”.

Claiming that the war in Sri Lanka had made Indo-Sri Lanka media reports ‘mono-focused,’ Mr. Menon said that he hoped there would be a diversification of subjects now that the war was over.
“Sri Lanka has a huge market here in India. It should exploit the opportunities. Also we should work together in many areas, like garment industry, where Sri Lanka is known for its expertise on high end products, whereas we are known for lower ends due to cheap labour. Together we can do wonders” he said optimistically.

Women's bill a conspiracy to 'finish' regional parties: Lalu

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday joined SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in opposing the Women's Reservation Bill in its present form, alleging that it was a "big conspiracy" to prevent the backward sections from coming up and to "finish" the regional parties.

Lalu Prasad, who was joined by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, warned of a major movement if quotas for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and minorities was not included in the legislation.

Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address, Prasad said "Mulayam Singh had said there was a conspiracy (in bringing the bill in its present form) and I am now exposing it."

He alleged that moves were afoot to prevent progress and development of backward sections and "finish" the regional parties.

"These (backward) sections need to be represented... and therefore we must have quota within the quota," the RJD chief said and warned "we will not agree if you don't do this."

Kalyan Singh also spoke of a "deep conspiracy" and alleged that sections in both the ruling Congress and Opposition BJP were involved in it.

"The conspiracy is to keep these (downtrodden) sections away from power and development," he said adding that his voice was "not heard" by the BJP leadership when he was in that party.

Sri Lankan Tamils unhappy with India’’s stance

Sri Lankan Tamils are unhappy with India’’s stand on Sri Lankan military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island nation.

These were the views expressed by a team of Sri Lankan journalists of Tamilian origin at a meeting hosted by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) here on Monday.

They contended that Sri Lankan Tamils feel India cooperated with the Sri Lankan government rather than doing something for them.

“As far as Tamils are concerned they are in a position of humiliation. They feel they are humiliated by every one including India. They expected India to at least do something during the later stage and even India coordinated and cooperated with the Sri Lankan government,” said R Bharati, Editor, Udayan and Sodoroli, published from Sri Lanka.

Although the Sri Lankan Government is determined to rehabilitate the internally displaced Tamil families from the north, there might hindrances in its way, said another journalist.
“The intention is there but Rajapaksa Government also has certain hardliner allies who would not like him to take that route but wait and see how it works. It may not work out as quickly as most of us would wish but I think eventually there is a determination to resolve this problem,” said N Vithyatharan, a senior journalist from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka declared total victory on LTTE on May 18 in a 25-year civil war after crushing the last resistance put up by the separatist Tamil Tigers and killing the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

Sri Lanka Extends Anti-Terror Laws Despite Defeat Of Tigers

Sri Lanka's government on Tuesday extended tough anti-terror laws, arguing that remnants of the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels could still try to stage a comeback.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told parliament that the government wanted to extend the state of emergency by a month despite last month's defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, and the deaths of their leaders.

"There could be fire beneath the embers," he said. "If there are elements who still support terrorism, we will deal with them."

The state of emergency allows the government to arrest and detain suspects for indefinite periods without trial.

The military has detained more than 9,200 Tigers, but fear that rebel cells may still be active across the island.

Sri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since 1983 with a few short breaks in between. Parliament must vote on the state of emergency every month.

The United Nations has estimated that up to 100,000 people may have been killed in the island's decades-long Tamil separatist conflict.

Govt under fire over capitation fee scam in both Houses !!!

The growing outrage over the capitation fee scam in the country's medical colleges found strong expression in both Houses of Parliament on Monday. With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in attendance, the Rajya Sabha witnessed a slanging match, with an AIADMK member insinuating that ``tainted'' DMK ministers did little credit to the government.

Raising the issue of the sale of seats in medical colleges — highlighted last week by a TOI-Times Now expose — BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi said that private medical colleges were extracting Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore for a post-graduate seat.

Joshi, who was speaking during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, argued for a comprehensive revamp of policies to stop what he called the auction of seats in medical colleges. He also focused on the political aspect of the scam, saying ``those who are part of the government are also involved''.

In the Rajya Sabha, AIADMK MP V Maitreyan echoed the allegations, singling out ministers from Tamil Nadu. Citing the TOI report which appeared last week, Maitreyan turned towards the PM and said: ``This clearly shows how tainted your ministers are.''

Though Maitreyan did not take the name of any minister, his remarks were clearly aimed at DMK's Union minister of state for information and broadcasting S Jagathrakshakan who is the chairman of Shree Balaji Medical College and Hospital -- one of the medical colleges which allegedly demanded huge money for an MBBS seat.

The issue of capitation fee being extorted by medical colleges in brazen violation of the SC order and with the suspected connivance of the regulator has come under the scrutiny of policy-makers since the TOI-Times Now expose. On Sunday, HRD minister Kapil Sibal had said that the government was working on a policy to banish the malaise of capitation fee from deemed universities as well as other institutions.

``Don't worry, we are aware of it. We will take a holistic view and a cohesive structure will be put in place to deal with all the issues, not only in universities, but also in all institutions,'' he said in an interview.

On Monday, raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Joshi said that the continuing extraction of capitation fees tilted the field in favour of the rich. With the demand far outstripping the availability, only the rich could have access to such education, the former HRD minister regretted.

He also emphasized that the menace of capitation fee was unlikely to stop till government made attempts to increase the number of seats, pointing out that there were just a few thousand post-grduate seats available in the billion-plus country.

He said US had ten times more such seats than India and many Indian students prefer to go to America for higher studies. ``This, in turn, has led to unavailability of specialist doctors including cardiologists in the country,'' Joshi argued.

Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life: RSS !!!

Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Monday night in his maiden speech at the end of a month-long training camp at the RSS headquarters here.

Referring to religious conversions in the country, Bhagwat said one should respect other religions and hurling abuses at others faith was not good.

Expressing his concern over rise in terrorism and poverty, the RSS chief called for systematic efforts to eradicate the two evils from the society.

He said India can not be compared with other countries in the world as the country has its own identity which is unity in diversity.

Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice K T Thomas who was chief guest for the function did not turn up citing domestic problems at his residence in Kottayam, Kerala. Instead he sent a three page message which was read out on the occasion.

Chinese passing off fake drugs as ‘Made in India’ !!!

Are fake drugs manufactured in China being pushed into various African countries with the `Made in India' tag? The Indian government has long suspected this to be the case, but it now has definite evidence for the first time.

Last week, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria issued a press release stating that a large consignment of fake anti-malarial generic pharmaceuticals labelled `Made in India' were, in fact, found to have been produced in China.
New Delhi has registered ``strong protest'' with the Chinese mission and China's foreign trade ministry, according to sources in the commerce ministry.

India's High Commissioner in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, Mahesh Sachdev, had earlier written to then commerce secretary GSK Pillai, alerting him to the large seizure: ``While this is a case of a Chinese company exporting fake `Made in India' labelled medicines which has been accidentally exposed, it is unlikely to be an isolated incident. Indeed there is no reason for Nigeria to be the only country to be receiving such consignments.''

His letter went on to say: ``Fake foreign-made generics carrying `Made in India' label can do tremendous harm to our interests. It not only dents our image and takes our legitimate market share, it also erodes the distinction between generic and fake medicines that we have been campaigning for at WHO and WTO''.

Commerce ministry sources said: ``We have had many complaints about such fake drugs from China being offloaded as Indian drugs in countries like Ghana, South Africa, Ivory Coast and West Africa — in general, where India has a substantial market share. But so far there has been no formal complaint. This is the first time that such a large international consignment has been seized and this will be taken up strongly with the Chinese side.''

Sachdev in his letter said that he had spoken to the director-general of NAFDAC Dr Paul Orhii who said that the Nigerian preference for generics made such cases of fake drugs more common. He expressed NAFDAC's determination to curb circulation of substandard fake medicines.
India and China have been held primarily responsible for fake drugs in the Nigerian market in particular and Africa in general. About 60% of drugs in Nigeria are imported. Between 2001 and 2007, more than 30 Indian and Chinese companies were banned in Nigeria for exporting fake drugs to the country.

However, Dr Mira Shiva of the Initiative for Health Equity and Society (IHES) told TOI that both India and China being large manufacturers of generics, multinational firms would look to discredit the two countries and label their drugs as substandard, so that they would have greater access to the African markets. She warned against the two countries trying to run each other down before ascertaining the full facts in the case to rule out any orchestration, but added that India ought to be more careful to ensure the quality of the drugs exported as well as sold domestically.