Breaking news!Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has admitted that Mumbai terror attack has undermined efforts for peace and said his government is "cooperating in unearthing and bringing to justice the perpetrators of militant acts". "The democratic civil government went out of the way in our peace overtures towards India. It would have been most helpful if our initiatives had been welcomed and responded to in a positive manner. Mumbai attack has undermined efforts for peace. Pakistan is cooperating in unearthing and bringing to justice the perpetrators of militant acts," Zardari was quoted as saying by Associated Press of Pakistan.
The president said that Pakistan stood for peace in the region and the world, and wanted early resumption of the composite dialogue process with India.
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked Mumbai on Nov 26-28, 2008, killing 166 people.
Zardari said Pakistan would not let its soil to be used by the terrorists against any country.
He said that blame game would not serve the cause of the war against militancy and emphasised that the international community "should also understand and appreciate our determination to fight militancy".
Zardari made these remarks while addressing the fourth national conference of SAFMA (South Asia Free Media Association) titled "Setting a National Agenda on Media, Democracy and Good Governance" here on Sunday night.
He welcomed SAFMA proposal to hold third India-Pakistan parliamentary conference in Islamabad in the near future.
source: agency
20101107
Obama visits Rajghat, pays tribute to 'hero' Mahatma Gandhi
Breaking news!New Delhi: US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle today paid tribute to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi when they visited Rajghat, the memorial to the president's "real hero".
The visiting president jotted down a long note in the visitor's book while his wife stood beside him. The first couple were later presented a bust of Gandhi and a khadi scroll containing the seven social sins Gandhi wrote about in "Young India" in 1925.
The couple placed a wreath at the memorial -- a black marble platform located on the right bank of the river Yamuna with an eternal flame burning at one end. The entire programme went on for about 20 minutes.
The US president, who visited the Gandhi Museum at Mani Bhavan in Mumbai Saturday, wrote in the visitor's book: "I am filled with hope and inspiration as I have the privilege to view this testament to Gandhi's life. He is a hero not just to India but to the world."
Obama, accompanied by Michelle, arrived in India on Saturday and headed to Mumbai. They reached Delhi on Sunday afternoon and will be here until Tuesday morning when they will leave for Indonesia.
source: agency
The visiting president jotted down a long note in the visitor's book while his wife stood beside him. The first couple were later presented a bust of Gandhi and a khadi scroll containing the seven social sins Gandhi wrote about in "Young India" in 1925.
The couple placed a wreath at the memorial -- a black marble platform located on the right bank of the river Yamuna with an eternal flame burning at one end. The entire programme went on for about 20 minutes.
The US president, who visited the Gandhi Museum at Mani Bhavan in Mumbai Saturday, wrote in the visitor's book: "I am filled with hope and inspiration as I have the privilege to view this testament to Gandhi's life. He is a hero not just to India but to the world."
Obama, accompanied by Michelle, arrived in India on Saturday and headed to Mumbai. They reached Delhi on Sunday afternoon and will be here until Tuesday morning when they will leave for Indonesia.
source: agency
Barack Obama lauds India's Afghanistan investment
Breaking news!Mumbai: US President Barack Obama on Sunday appreciated India's efforts to rebuild Afghanistan and also backed talks with Taliban elements interested in a dialogue to bring peace to the war-torn country. "India's investment in the development of Afghanistan is appreciated," Obama said in a reply to a question by a student during an interaction at the St. Xavier's College.
Expressing confidence that "a stable Afghanistan is achievable", the US president said: "I do think that there are lessons that India has to show to not just countries like Afghanistan but countries in sub-Saharan Africa."
Allaying fears of Pakistan about India's alleged interference in Afghanistan, Obama said: "Pakistan has to be a partner in this process (of reconstruction). In fact, all countries of the region need to be partners in this process and the US welcomes them. We don't think that we can do this alone."
India has invested $1.3 billion in a variety of projects in Afghanistan that has caused much resentment in Pakistan as Islamabad fears that New Delhi's growing influence in that country posed a threat to its interests.
The US, Obama reiterated, would begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan from July 2011 but a final decision on a total pullout would be "determined by military issues and politics".
"I have said that starting July 2011, we will begin reducing troops levels. But we will not be removing all our troops," Obama said.
"When we went in seven years ago, Kabul was intact but rest of the country was deteriorating and we have been largely able to correct that. But, we don't want to be in the same situation seven years from now," he added.
He also spoke of the need to "give space and time for Afghan security forces to develop".
source: agency
Expressing confidence that "a stable Afghanistan is achievable", the US president said: "I do think that there are lessons that India has to show to not just countries like Afghanistan but countries in sub-Saharan Africa."
Allaying fears of Pakistan about India's alleged interference in Afghanistan, Obama said: "Pakistan has to be a partner in this process (of reconstruction). In fact, all countries of the region need to be partners in this process and the US welcomes them. We don't think that we can do this alone."
India has invested $1.3 billion in a variety of projects in Afghanistan that has caused much resentment in Pakistan as Islamabad fears that New Delhi's growing influence in that country posed a threat to its interests.
The US, Obama reiterated, would begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan from July 2011 but a final decision on a total pullout would be "determined by military issues and politics".
"I have said that starting July 2011, we will begin reducing troops levels. But we will not be removing all our troops," Obama said.
"When we went in seven years ago, Kabul was intact but rest of the country was deteriorating and we have been largely able to correct that. But, we don't want to be in the same situation seven years from now," he added.
He also spoke of the need to "give space and time for Afghan security forces to develop".
source: agency
G20 summit seeks an end to global currency war
Seoul: Arguably the biggest challenge facing the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Seoul next week will be putting an end to a currency war that is placing the already fragile and uneven global recovery at risk.
For this to happen, world leaders will need to put cooperation above national interests.
But the omens are not good.
"If each country insists on its own interest during the recovery phase, it will bring about trade protectionism and will cause the world economy very big problems," South Korean President Lee Myung Bak warned ahead of the gathering he is hosting from Nov 11-12.
President Lee says he expects "good results" from the summit. But he faces a daunting task.
In a bid to revive their ailing economies in the aftermath of the global financial meltdown of 2008, many of the world's major players have allowed their currencies to depreciate in a bid to make exports cheaper and imports more expensive.
Competitive devaluation warfare has pitted the US dollar against the euro, developing countries against the developed world, and just about everyone against the yuan, which, by being virtually fixed to a depreciating dollar, has allowed China to maintain a huge trade surplus.
The latest major move came Wednesday, when the US Federal Reserve announced a new round of "quantitative easing" that will see the central bank buy up to $600 billion of government debt to boost economic activity amid persistently low economic growth and high unemployment rates.
The announcement immediately took the dollar's trade-weighted index down to a new 2010 low, with both the euro and the pound sterling rising to nine-month highs against the US currency.
Faced with a rising real, outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva responded by saying he would travel to Seoul ready to take "all the necessary measures to not allow our currency to become overvalued" and to "fight for Brazil's interests".
While a strong euro may not pose much of a problem for successful European exporters such as Germany, Philippe de Buck of BusinessEurope, an organization representing millions of European firms, has complained about excessive currency volatility and currency manipulation by the likes of the US and Japan.
In a joint letter published ahead of the Seoul summit, European Commission President Barroso and European Council President Van Rompuy urged the G20 to "give a clear political commitment to cooperative and lasting solutions to the current tensions in currency markets, to allow exchange rates to be set in line with market fundamentals and to refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies".
Adding to the difficulties is US president, Barack Obama, who will be expected to be in a combative mood in Seoul after his Democratic Party suffered a bruising in midterm elections.
Anticipating a row in Seoul, Chinese experts said the country's diplomats would vigorously defend themselves from charges that their government has been manipulating the renminbi to favour Chinese exports.
Comprising countries that account for about 85 percent of the global economy, the G20 has cast itself as the key forum for international economic cooperation since the 2008 meltdown.
But if it is to live up to its aspirations, the Seoul meeting will need to reach difficult compromises on how to re-shape international finance.
Leaders will be asked to provide political approval to new rules on the quantity and quality of bank capital, liquidity and leverage, and will discuss a South Korean proposal to create a permanent safety net to help states in financial trouble.
They will also be expected to discuss controversial ideas close to the heart of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to introduce a global levy on international financial transactions.
Much of the discussions will be devoted to endorsing an agreement reached by G20 finance ministers to reform the International Monetary Fund in a way that gives more decision-making weight to emerging powers such as China and India, to the detriment of Europe.
But the summit is unlikely to make much progress on several important issues, including the Doha Development Round on reducing trade barriers, climate change financing and food security, argues John Kirton of the G20 Research Group, a network of international experts who follow the work of the G20 leaders.
The G20 will be accompanied by the traditional flurry of bilateral meetings and will be taking place amid heavy security, with some 50,000 police officers mobilised to protect delegates against terrorist threats and clamp down on angry protesters.
source: agency
For this to happen, world leaders will need to put cooperation above national interests.
But the omens are not good.
"If each country insists on its own interest during the recovery phase, it will bring about trade protectionism and will cause the world economy very big problems," South Korean President Lee Myung Bak warned ahead of the gathering he is hosting from Nov 11-12.
President Lee says he expects "good results" from the summit. But he faces a daunting task.
In a bid to revive their ailing economies in the aftermath of the global financial meltdown of 2008, many of the world's major players have allowed their currencies to depreciate in a bid to make exports cheaper and imports more expensive.
Competitive devaluation warfare has pitted the US dollar against the euro, developing countries against the developed world, and just about everyone against the yuan, which, by being virtually fixed to a depreciating dollar, has allowed China to maintain a huge trade surplus.
The latest major move came Wednesday, when the US Federal Reserve announced a new round of "quantitative easing" that will see the central bank buy up to $600 billion of government debt to boost economic activity amid persistently low economic growth and high unemployment rates.
The announcement immediately took the dollar's trade-weighted index down to a new 2010 low, with both the euro and the pound sterling rising to nine-month highs against the US currency.
Faced with a rising real, outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva responded by saying he would travel to Seoul ready to take "all the necessary measures to not allow our currency to become overvalued" and to "fight for Brazil's interests".
While a strong euro may not pose much of a problem for successful European exporters such as Germany, Philippe de Buck of BusinessEurope, an organization representing millions of European firms, has complained about excessive currency volatility and currency manipulation by the likes of the US and Japan.
In a joint letter published ahead of the Seoul summit, European Commission President Barroso and European Council President Van Rompuy urged the G20 to "give a clear political commitment to cooperative and lasting solutions to the current tensions in currency markets, to allow exchange rates to be set in line with market fundamentals and to refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies".
Adding to the difficulties is US president, Barack Obama, who will be expected to be in a combative mood in Seoul after his Democratic Party suffered a bruising in midterm elections.
Anticipating a row in Seoul, Chinese experts said the country's diplomats would vigorously defend themselves from charges that their government has been manipulating the renminbi to favour Chinese exports.
Comprising countries that account for about 85 percent of the global economy, the G20 has cast itself as the key forum for international economic cooperation since the 2008 meltdown.
But if it is to live up to its aspirations, the Seoul meeting will need to reach difficult compromises on how to re-shape international finance.
Leaders will be asked to provide political approval to new rules on the quantity and quality of bank capital, liquidity and leverage, and will discuss a South Korean proposal to create a permanent safety net to help states in financial trouble.
They will also be expected to discuss controversial ideas close to the heart of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to introduce a global levy on international financial transactions.
Much of the discussions will be devoted to endorsing an agreement reached by G20 finance ministers to reform the International Monetary Fund in a way that gives more decision-making weight to emerging powers such as China and India, to the detriment of Europe.
But the summit is unlikely to make much progress on several important issues, including the Doha Development Round on reducing trade barriers, climate change financing and food security, argues John Kirton of the G20 Research Group, a network of international experts who follow the work of the G20 leaders.
The G20 will be accompanied by the traditional flurry of bilateral meetings and will be taking place amid heavy security, with some 50,000 police officers mobilised to protect delegates against terrorist threats and clamp down on angry protesters.
source: agency
Air India flight diverted to save passenger's life
Breaking news!New Delhi: An Air India Toronto-Delhi flight was diverted to Stockholm to save the life of a passenger who fell sick three hours into the journey, the airline said today.
According to an Air India statement, Capt. J. S. Gill, commander of flight AI-188 diverted the aircraft on Friday and landed at Stockholm airport to save the life of Karnail Singh Jaswal, a 70-year-old Canadian citizen who fell sick three hours after the flight took off from Toronto.
A doctor on board the plane administered first aid and oxygen to Jaswal after which his condition stabilised. However, two hours later, his condition again deteriorated and the doctor advised immediate hospitalization.
As the aircraft was flying over Swedish airspace, Capt Gill contacted Stockholm airport and sought permission to land there due to the medical emergency.
An ambulance with full medical assistance had been kept at readiness at the Stockholm airport and Jaswal was rushed to the hospital after the plane landed.
The statement said that Jaswal's condition was reported to be stable. The aircraft resumed its onward journey and landed at Delhi today. source: agency
According to an Air India statement, Capt. J. S. Gill, commander of flight AI-188 diverted the aircraft on Friday and landed at Stockholm airport to save the life of Karnail Singh Jaswal, a 70-year-old Canadian citizen who fell sick three hours after the flight took off from Toronto.
A doctor on board the plane administered first aid and oxygen to Jaswal after which his condition stabilised. However, two hours later, his condition again deteriorated and the doctor advised immediate hospitalization.
As the aircraft was flying over Swedish airspace, Capt Gill contacted Stockholm airport and sought permission to land there due to the medical emergency.
An ambulance with full medical assistance had been kept at readiness at the Stockholm airport and Jaswal was rushed to the hospital after the plane landed.
The statement said that Jaswal's condition was reported to be stable. The aircraft resumed its onward journey and landed at Delhi today. source: agency
I was ignorant about Chittagong uprising: Abhishek Bachchan
Breaking news!Shimla: After box-office dud "Raavan", Abhishek Bachchan is returning to the big screen as freedom fighter Surjya Sen in Ashutosh Gowariker's "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey", based on the Chittagong uprising. The actor says he was embarrassed when offered the role as he was ignorant about the historical episode.
"I was embarrassed because as an Indian citizen I didn't know about Surjya Sen, the great Chittagong uprising and these great freedom fighters who laid their lives for our freedom. I felt the story should be told at a wider scale," Abhishek told the media.
Based on journalist Manini Chatterjee's book "Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34", the film is a true story about revolution against the British in Chittagong, then a district in undivided Bengal. The film also stars Deepika Padukone as Kalpana Dutta.
Abhishek, 34, was in Shimla to unveil the world's tallest statue of Lord Hanuman.
The actor says the film is an attempt to pay tribute to the people involved in the Chittagong uprising.
"I did 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' because I wanted to pay tribute to the freedom fighters of our country. Very little is known about the Chittagong uprising and when I got to know about it, I felt it was a story worth telling. It is Ashutosh and my small way of paying tribute to some great people involved in this revolution," he added.
The actor confesses he always tries to do films that present him in a different avatar.
"I have always tried, in whatever films I do, to bring out an unexplored side of mine and that's why I do films. As an actor I wish to do something new and something more challenging which brings out a different side of me. There's lot more work to be done," he said.
Not many know that Abhishek has a religious side too, which he credits to his grandparents, especially grandmother Teji Bachchan.
"I credit my religious beliefs to my grandparents, especially my grandmother because as children she has taught us about Hinduism, other religions, and I owe it to them," said the actor.
"She used to tell us about the adventures of Hanuman which all of us still remember," added Abhishek who admits being a god- fearing man. He doesn't fast on Tuesdays, but indeed reads the Hanuman Chalisa.
Abhishek got his first break in Bollywood with J.P. Dutta's 2000 release "Refugee" alongside Kareena Kapoor. After that he did films like "Kuch Naa Kaho", "Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai"and "Shararat", but without much success.
Constant comparisons with his father, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, made the going tough for Abhishek until Mani Ratnam's "Yuva" in 2004. The action thriller gave him a platform to prove his mettle.
After that there was no looking back - from a flop actor Abhishek went on to become a versatile artist by doing a variety of roles in movies like "Sarkar", "Bluffmaster", "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna", "Guru", "Dostana", "Delhi-6" and "Paa".
source: agency
"I was embarrassed because as an Indian citizen I didn't know about Surjya Sen, the great Chittagong uprising and these great freedom fighters who laid their lives for our freedom. I felt the story should be told at a wider scale," Abhishek told the media.
Based on journalist Manini Chatterjee's book "Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34", the film is a true story about revolution against the British in Chittagong, then a district in undivided Bengal. The film also stars Deepika Padukone as Kalpana Dutta.
Abhishek, 34, was in Shimla to unveil the world's tallest statue of Lord Hanuman.
The actor says the film is an attempt to pay tribute to the people involved in the Chittagong uprising.
"I did 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' because I wanted to pay tribute to the freedom fighters of our country. Very little is known about the Chittagong uprising and when I got to know about it, I felt it was a story worth telling. It is Ashutosh and my small way of paying tribute to some great people involved in this revolution," he added.
The actor confesses he always tries to do films that present him in a different avatar.
"I have always tried, in whatever films I do, to bring out an unexplored side of mine and that's why I do films. As an actor I wish to do something new and something more challenging which brings out a different side of me. There's lot more work to be done," he said.
Not many know that Abhishek has a religious side too, which he credits to his grandparents, especially grandmother Teji Bachchan.
"I credit my religious beliefs to my grandparents, especially my grandmother because as children she has taught us about Hinduism, other religions, and I owe it to them," said the actor.
"She used to tell us about the adventures of Hanuman which all of us still remember," added Abhishek who admits being a god- fearing man. He doesn't fast on Tuesdays, but indeed reads the Hanuman Chalisa.
Abhishek got his first break in Bollywood with J.P. Dutta's 2000 release "Refugee" alongside Kareena Kapoor. After that he did films like "Kuch Naa Kaho", "Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai"and "Shararat", but without much success.
Constant comparisons with his father, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, made the going tough for Abhishek until Mani Ratnam's "Yuva" in 2004. The action thriller gave him a platform to prove his mettle.
After that there was no looking back - from a flop actor Abhishek went on to become a versatile artist by doing a variety of roles in movies like "Sarkar", "Bluffmaster", "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna", "Guru", "Dostana", "Delhi-6" and "Paa".
source: agency
Obama told me he has heard about my films: Aamir Khan
Breaking news!New Delhi: An invite to the prime minister's private dinner for the US first couple was an honour enough, but when President Barack Obama praised his work, Aamir Khan was on cloud nine.
The star, who was invited to the dinner by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence, was cornered by the waiting media persons as soon as the do got over at around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
"President Obama said he has heard a lot about my work and my films," said Aamir, who was clad in a cream coloured kurta pyjama.
"It (the dinner) was an opportunity to meet big personalities. I am a big fan of Manmohan-ji and I am happy that he called me up," he told the journalists.
Aamir, 45, also praised the dinner platter and revealed that First Lady Michelle Obama had told him she danced to his title number from "Rang De Basanti".
Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar and his actress-activist wife Shabana Azmi were also invited to the grand feast.
source: agency
The star, who was invited to the dinner by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence, was cornered by the waiting media persons as soon as the do got over at around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
"President Obama said he has heard a lot about my work and my films," said Aamir, who was clad in a cream coloured kurta pyjama.
"It (the dinner) was an opportunity to meet big personalities. I am a big fan of Manmohan-ji and I am happy that he called me up," he told the journalists.
Aamir, 45, also praised the dinner platter and revealed that First Lady Michelle Obama had told him she danced to his title number from "Rang De Basanti".
Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar and his actress-activist wife Shabana Azmi were also invited to the grand feast.
source: agency
Bands played soft music at grand 'private dinner' for Obama
Breaking news!New Delhi: With camel-mounted bands on either side and another playing on the terrace, what was initially billed as an intimate "private dinner" for about 20 people by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur for US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle turned into a grand affair that was described by about 60 Indian and about ten American guests as "outstanding" and "magnificent".
The dinner, on the lush front lawns of the prime ministerial residence at 7 Race Course Road, was held under a semi-open marquee that, along with the music-filled atmosphere and lights, made it, in the words of a guest, a setting "straight out of the Arabian Nights".
The bands were drawn from the Border Security Force and the Indian Navy. They played soft non-intrusive music that complimented the perfect weather and the glittering ambience.
Among those present were Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, senior politicians L.K. Advani and Arun Jaitley, Bollywood veterans Shabana Azmi her husband Javed Akhtar and Aamir Khan, besides Priya Dutt and Meenakshi Natarajan, both MPs.
Also present were cabinet ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram, A.K. Antony, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and S.M. Krishna and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. So were bureaucrats National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Manmohan Singh's Principal Secretary T.K.A. Nair, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and India's ambassador to US Meera Shankar.
Others to get the invite were corporate bigwigs Azim Premji, Ratan Tata, Swati Piramal and N.R. Narayana Murthy, environmental scientist Sunita Narain and and Jamia Millia Islamia vice chancellor Najeeb Jung.
From the American side were National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, US ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer and Rajiv Shah, administrator of USAID.
Before the dinner, that was catered by ITC Maurya's signature restaurants Bukhara and Dum Pukht and included both non-vegetarian and vegetarian fare representing the best of Indian cuisine, Manmohan Singh and Obama met separately, followed by a meeting between their families that included the prime minister's daughters and a son-in-law.
Sam Pitroda, the prime minister's adviser on technology, told the media the setting was "unbelievable" and "done with class and thought". He said the Americans, including the Obamas, loved every moment of with some in their group overheard as saying "we could learn much from the Indians how to organise such things".
Each table was named after leading Indian Americans or Americans who either had a love for India or had worked in India.
Obama hosted the first state dinner of his presidency in honour of Manmohan Singh under a sprawling white tent on the lawns of the White House in November last year that brought together the Who's Who of Washington and the Indian American community and made it the most talked about social event for months in the American capital.
source: agency
The dinner, on the lush front lawns of the prime ministerial residence at 7 Race Course Road, was held under a semi-open marquee that, along with the music-filled atmosphere and lights, made it, in the words of a guest, a setting "straight out of the Arabian Nights".
The bands were drawn from the Border Security Force and the Indian Navy. They played soft non-intrusive music that complimented the perfect weather and the glittering ambience.
Among those present were Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, senior politicians L.K. Advani and Arun Jaitley, Bollywood veterans Shabana Azmi her husband Javed Akhtar and Aamir Khan, besides Priya Dutt and Meenakshi Natarajan, both MPs.
Also present were cabinet ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram, A.K. Antony, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and S.M. Krishna and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. So were bureaucrats National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Manmohan Singh's Principal Secretary T.K.A. Nair, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and India's ambassador to US Meera Shankar.
Others to get the invite were corporate bigwigs Azim Premji, Ratan Tata, Swati Piramal and N.R. Narayana Murthy, environmental scientist Sunita Narain and and Jamia Millia Islamia vice chancellor Najeeb Jung.
From the American side were National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, US ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer and Rajiv Shah, administrator of USAID.
Before the dinner, that was catered by ITC Maurya's signature restaurants Bukhara and Dum Pukht and included both non-vegetarian and vegetarian fare representing the best of Indian cuisine, Manmohan Singh and Obama met separately, followed by a meeting between their families that included the prime minister's daughters and a son-in-law.
Sam Pitroda, the prime minister's adviser on technology, told the media the setting was "unbelievable" and "done with class and thought". He said the Americans, including the Obamas, loved every moment of with some in their group overheard as saying "we could learn much from the Indians how to organise such things".
Each table was named after leading Indian Americans or Americans who either had a love for India or had worked in India.
Obama hosted the first state dinner of his presidency in honour of Manmohan Singh under a sprawling white tent on the lawns of the White House in November last year that brought together the Who's Who of Washington and the Indian American community and made it the most talked about social event for months in the American capital.
source: agency
Malaysian Airline eyes Indian, Chinese markets
Breaking news!Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian Airlines has kept the markets in India and China at the top of its new expansion plans.
With Asian economies growing faster than those in Europe and the Americas, the national carrier is also focusing on the neighbourhood and Australia.
Over 600,000 Indians travelled to Malaysia last year.
The airline's managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin has denied plans to turn it into a budget airline.
According to Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior manager of market analysis Michael L. Warner, global passenger traffic should grow at 5.3 percent a year and air cargo at 5.9 percent a year over the next 20 years. Passenger traffic within Southeast Asia alone will grow by seven per cent a year.
"The fleet of 737-800s in the five six-hour sector will help meet future demand in short-range passenger traffic in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and a large part of China and India," said Tengku Azmil.
For the first time, these new airplanes will be fitted with Boeing's most recent cabin offerings called Boeing Sky Interior, the media said today.
source: agency
With Asian economies growing faster than those in Europe and the Americas, the national carrier is also focusing on the neighbourhood and Australia.
Over 600,000 Indians travelled to Malaysia last year.
The airline's managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin has denied plans to turn it into a budget airline.
According to Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior manager of market analysis Michael L. Warner, global passenger traffic should grow at 5.3 percent a year and air cargo at 5.9 percent a year over the next 20 years. Passenger traffic within Southeast Asia alone will grow by seven per cent a year.
"The fleet of 737-800s in the five six-hour sector will help meet future demand in short-range passenger traffic in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and a large part of China and India," said Tengku Azmil.
For the first time, these new airplanes will be fitted with Boeing's most recent cabin offerings called Boeing Sky Interior, the media said today.
source: agency
Tendulkar greatest batsman of all time: Zaheer Abbas
Breaking news!Karachi: Pakistan's famous Test batsman Zaheer Abbas rates Sachin Tendulkar higher than Don Bradman and believes that the Indian master is the greatest batsman of all time.
"People keep calling him the greatest," said Zaheer referring to Bradman, the Aussie legend. "I never saw him (Bradman) bat but I know, somehow, that he couldn't have been better than endulkar. This boy has certainly gone a step ahead of the Don," Zaheer told The News in an interview today.
"Tendulkar is so good and so lucky to be born at just the right time. It's a great combination."
Zaheer believes that Pakistan's erratic batsmen should learn a thing or two from Tendulkar.
"Just look at that guy; I mean he has been playing for 21 years, has scored thousands of runs, dozens of centuries but is still as hungry for more as a debutant. It's such an inspiring sight to see him go out there and still bat like he batted as a teenager. Our batsmen should learn from him," he said.
Many critics fear that Pakistan's batting is a lost cause. They believe there are too many technical faults and temperament-related problems.
But Zaheer doesn't buy it.
"It's actually much simpler," he added. "It's about taking responsibility. They have to take responsibility. They have to stay on the wicket. That's the key and if they feel responsible they will learn how to do that. They will stop going for shortcuts."
Zaheer had great expectations from Umar Akmal but is disappointed that the gifted youngster is making little use of his talent. "Each time he goes out there it seems that Umar Akmal wants to break the cricket ball into pieces by hitting it hard. Somebody should tell him that it's not about how hard you hit it but for how long you can keep hitting it. It's really sad that he is not using his talent properly," he said.
Like his compatriots, Zaheer is troubled by the non-stop slump in Pakistan cricket.
"The state of our cricket really bothers me. Nothing is going right for us."
Zaheer wants the country's cricket chiefs to work on improving the existing cricketing structure at home and ties with the ICC and other cricket boards abroad.
"Our cricket board needs to get its act together. It has to work on its PR. You cannot have a board chairman act like a loose cannon," said Zaheer referring to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt's controversial comments over England players' alleged involvement in match-fixing.
source: agency
"People keep calling him the greatest," said Zaheer referring to Bradman, the Aussie legend. "I never saw him (Bradman) bat but I know, somehow, that he couldn't have been better than endulkar. This boy has certainly gone a step ahead of the Don," Zaheer told The News in an interview today.
"Tendulkar is so good and so lucky to be born at just the right time. It's a great combination."
Zaheer believes that Pakistan's erratic batsmen should learn a thing or two from Tendulkar.
"Just look at that guy; I mean he has been playing for 21 years, has scored thousands of runs, dozens of centuries but is still as hungry for more as a debutant. It's such an inspiring sight to see him go out there and still bat like he batted as a teenager. Our batsmen should learn from him," he said.
Many critics fear that Pakistan's batting is a lost cause. They believe there are too many technical faults and temperament-related problems.
But Zaheer doesn't buy it.
"It's actually much simpler," he added. "It's about taking responsibility. They have to take responsibility. They have to stay on the wicket. That's the key and if they feel responsible they will learn how to do that. They will stop going for shortcuts."
Zaheer had great expectations from Umar Akmal but is disappointed that the gifted youngster is making little use of his talent. "Each time he goes out there it seems that Umar Akmal wants to break the cricket ball into pieces by hitting it hard. Somebody should tell him that it's not about how hard you hit it but for how long you can keep hitting it. It's really sad that he is not using his talent properly," he said.
Like his compatriots, Zaheer is troubled by the non-stop slump in Pakistan cricket.
"The state of our cricket really bothers me. Nothing is going right for us."
Zaheer wants the country's cricket chiefs to work on improving the existing cricketing structure at home and ties with the ICC and other cricket boards abroad.
"Our cricket board needs to get its act together. It has to work on its PR. You cannot have a board chairman act like a loose cannon," said Zaheer referring to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt's controversial comments over England players' alleged involvement in match-fixing.
source: agency
Michelle Obama to walk through 5,000 years of Indian crafts, culture
Breaking news!New Delhi: US First Lady Michelle Obama will get a glimpse of 5,000 years of Indian handicrafts, culture, heritage and civilisation when she visits the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum today morning.
She will also be treated to Baul songs and folk performances.
According to an official, Michelle is to visit the museum 9-11 a.m.
"We are looking forward to Michelle Obama's visit. She is expected to visit the museum between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The museum has been taken over by security forces. It will be sanitized by 8 a.m., when the cleaners and staff will have to leave the premises to make way for security personnel accompanying the first lady," a senior official of the crafts museum told media.
The museum adjoins Pragati Maidan and is close to the ancient Bhairon Nath Temple.
"We will mount a special display of Indian art history for the benefit of the US first lady. Throughout the day, we were busy laying out the gallery," the official said.
The museum has conceived a cultural showcase for Michelle Obama that will include a Baul soiree, folk performances and also an eight-minute documentary.
According to the director of the museum, Ruchira Ghosh, "the visit will boost the museum's image".
The musuem serves as a confluence of arts, crafts and culture. The highlight of the museum is an ethnic village complex spread across five acres. It has 15 structures - mostly homes and temples from the states of India showcasing ethnic lifestyles. The museum, designed by architect Charles Correa, has nearly 20,000 exhibits of heritage and cultural value.
The gallery, which is closed on Mondays, will remain open for the US first lady.
source: agency
She will also be treated to Baul songs and folk performances.
According to an official, Michelle is to visit the museum 9-11 a.m.
"We are looking forward to Michelle Obama's visit. She is expected to visit the museum between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The museum has been taken over by security forces. It will be sanitized by 8 a.m., when the cleaners and staff will have to leave the premises to make way for security personnel accompanying the first lady," a senior official of the crafts museum told media.
The museum adjoins Pragati Maidan and is close to the ancient Bhairon Nath Temple.
"We will mount a special display of Indian art history for the benefit of the US first lady. Throughout the day, we were busy laying out the gallery," the official said.
The museum has conceived a cultural showcase for Michelle Obama that will include a Baul soiree, folk performances and also an eight-minute documentary.
According to the director of the museum, Ruchira Ghosh, "the visit will boost the museum's image".
The musuem serves as a confluence of arts, crafts and culture. The highlight of the museum is an ethnic village complex spread across five acres. It has 15 structures - mostly homes and temples from the states of India showcasing ethnic lifestyles. The museum, designed by architect Charles Correa, has nearly 20,000 exhibits of heritage and cultural value.
The gallery, which is closed on Mondays, will remain open for the US first lady.
source: agency
Jharkhand Maoists trigger blasts to protest Obama visit
Breaking news!Ranchi: Maoists triggered blasts at a railway station and two government buildings in Jharkhand while enforcing a shutdown to protest US President Barack Obama's India visit, police said today. The rebels also abducted a railway official.
Maoist guerrillas blasted a portion of Satbahani railway station in Palamau district, some 170 km from Ranchi, late Sunday and kidnapped the station manager, a police official said.
In a separate incident, the rebels triggered blasts using dynamites at panchayat buildings in Rajhara village of Vishrampur block and Basna village of Nava block in Palamau. No one was injured in both the attacks.
The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has called a 24-hour shutdown from Sunday midnight till Monday midnight to protest Obama's four-day India visit.
Heavy security arrangements have been made in many parts of the state in the wake of the shutdown. As a precautionary measure, five trains have been cancelled on Coal Indian Cord (CIC) section and the route of four trains have been changed by railway authorities.
source: agency
Maoist guerrillas blasted a portion of Satbahani railway station in Palamau district, some 170 km from Ranchi, late Sunday and kidnapped the station manager, a police official said.
In a separate incident, the rebels triggered blasts using dynamites at panchayat buildings in Rajhara village of Vishrampur block and Basna village of Nava block in Palamau. No one was injured in both the attacks.
The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has called a 24-hour shutdown from Sunday midnight till Monday midnight to protest Obama's four-day India visit.
Heavy security arrangements have been made in many parts of the state in the wake of the shutdown. As a precautionary measure, five trains have been cancelled on Coal Indian Cord (CIC) section and the route of four trains have been changed by railway authorities.
source: agency
With collaboration, both US, India stand to gain: Barack Obama's message
Breaking news! New Delhi: The broad message US President Barack Obama sought to deliver in the first leg of his four-day India visit is clear: the people of the two largest democracies will serve better if they shed old dogmas and realise they are indispensable partners in the 21st century.
This message was reflected no better than in his promise to remove restrictions on US high-tech exports to India that should please his hosts, while announcing commercial deals worth $15 billion that will support 54,000 American jobs, which should counter critics back home.
"Here in India, I know many still see perceive the arrival of American companies and products to small shop keepers and to India's ancient and proud culture. But these old stereotypes, these old concerns, ignore today's reality," the president said.
"I believe the relationship between United States and India will be one of the defining and Indispensable partnerships of the 21st century," he told some 400 top executives from the two sides.
Even the events and engagements chosen for the US president and First Lady Michelle Obama reflected that the ties between the two nations stretched beyond business, jobs and outsourcing, expanding to areas that can transform people's lives.
They were first at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, interacting with the survivors and families of the victims of the 26/11-terror attack to clearly state that Washington stands by New Delhi in the fight against terrorism.
If critics cry out that he avoided naming Pakistan while reflecting on the need to curb global terrorism, others maintain this conscious omission was to declare that India-US ties today go beyond the hyphenated relationship Washington earlier shared with the two most populous countries in South Asia.
His explanation came later: "It may be surprising, but I am absolutely convinced that the country which has the biggest stake in Pakistan's success is India," he told students during an interaction at St. Xavier's college in Mumbai Sunday.
Also by stating that the US not only welcomes India's rise but supports it as well, he may also have made a veiled comparison about Washington's uncomfortable ties with China due to its authoritarian form of governance.
Then there was a visit to a memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, whom he called a "hero not just to India but to the world" and said how his principles of non-violence and self-respect were relevant even today and had inspired thousands of African-Americans.
Even during an interaction with farmers, where he got a glimpse of how India was seeking to bridge the digital divide by reaching technology and services to the hinterland, Obama made it a point to recall the 'green revolution' in agriculture of the 1970s.
He said that revolution happened because of the collaboration among scientists from India and the US, alluding that this was what helped India deliver better seeds and irrigation to farmers, making the country self-sufficient in food production.
Obama particularly enjoyed his interaction with India's GenNext, whom he asked to join public service in the right earnest. The first lady reflected the way her husband felt about the interaction better.
"I have been really looking forward to this trip for a long time. The time we spend with young people is very special for me and president," she said. "When I was your age I never dreamt of travelling to countries like this."
As the US first couple get down to business in the Indian capital, where their official part of the visit is on Monday, expectations will be high, focusing on tangible outcomes. But the larger appeal for alliance cannot be wished away.
source: agency
This message was reflected no better than in his promise to remove restrictions on US high-tech exports to India that should please his hosts, while announcing commercial deals worth $15 billion that will support 54,000 American jobs, which should counter critics back home.
"Here in India, I know many still see perceive the arrival of American companies and products to small shop keepers and to India's ancient and proud culture. But these old stereotypes, these old concerns, ignore today's reality," the president said.
"I believe the relationship between United States and India will be one of the defining and Indispensable partnerships of the 21st century," he told some 400 top executives from the two sides.
Even the events and engagements chosen for the US president and First Lady Michelle Obama reflected that the ties between the two nations stretched beyond business, jobs and outsourcing, expanding to areas that can transform people's lives.
They were first at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, interacting with the survivors and families of the victims of the 26/11-terror attack to clearly state that Washington stands by New Delhi in the fight against terrorism.
If critics cry out that he avoided naming Pakistan while reflecting on the need to curb global terrorism, others maintain this conscious omission was to declare that India-US ties today go beyond the hyphenated relationship Washington earlier shared with the two most populous countries in South Asia.
His explanation came later: "It may be surprising, but I am absolutely convinced that the country which has the biggest stake in Pakistan's success is India," he told students during an interaction at St. Xavier's college in Mumbai Sunday.
Also by stating that the US not only welcomes India's rise but supports it as well, he may also have made a veiled comparison about Washington's uncomfortable ties with China due to its authoritarian form of governance.
Then there was a visit to a memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, whom he called a "hero not just to India but to the world" and said how his principles of non-violence and self-respect were relevant even today and had inspired thousands of African-Americans.
Even during an interaction with farmers, where he got a glimpse of how India was seeking to bridge the digital divide by reaching technology and services to the hinterland, Obama made it a point to recall the 'green revolution' in agriculture of the 1970s.
He said that revolution happened because of the collaboration among scientists from India and the US, alluding that this was what helped India deliver better seeds and irrigation to farmers, making the country self-sufficient in food production.
Obama particularly enjoyed his interaction with India's GenNext, whom he asked to join public service in the right earnest. The first lady reflected the way her husband felt about the interaction better.
"I have been really looking forward to this trip for a long time. The time we spend with young people is very special for me and president," she said. "When I was your age I never dreamt of travelling to countries like this."
As the US first couple get down to business in the Indian capital, where their official part of the visit is on Monday, expectations will be high, focusing on tangible outcomes. But the larger appeal for alliance cannot be wished away.
source: agency
Hugs and kisses as PM greets Obamas in Delhi
Breaking news!New Delhi: US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in New Delhi today afternoon on the second leg of the four-day India visit to a warm reception by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur.
Obama gave the prime minister a warm hug as he alighted. Michelle Obama, dressed in a powder blue ensemble, followed with a peck on the cheek for Manmohan Singh.
Obama also gave a peck to Gursharan Kaur.
The chemistry was evident as the two leaders chatted amicably at the Air Force station at Palam. They continued to talk for several minutes as Manmohan Singh saw Obama to his stretch limousine.
This is the going to be the sixth meeting between the two leaders since Obama became president about two years ago.
The friendship between the Obamas and the Singhs was evident as both Gursharan Kaur and Michelle Obama firmly clasped hands as they walked the red carpet.
The US first couple arrived in New Delhi after ending a hectic trip to Mumbai.
source: agency
Obama gave the prime minister a warm hug as he alighted. Michelle Obama, dressed in a powder blue ensemble, followed with a peck on the cheek for Manmohan Singh.
Obama also gave a peck to Gursharan Kaur.
The chemistry was evident as the two leaders chatted amicably at the Air Force station at Palam. They continued to talk for several minutes as Manmohan Singh saw Obama to his stretch limousine.
This is the going to be the sixth meeting between the two leaders since Obama became president about two years ago.
The friendship between the Obamas and the Singhs was evident as both Gursharan Kaur and Michelle Obama firmly clasped hands as they walked the red carpet.
The US first couple arrived in New Delhi after ending a hectic trip to Mumbai.
source: agency
Success only comes from hard work, pain: Amitabh Bachchan
Breaking news!New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, an iconic celebrity known for his awe-inspiring acting abilities, believes that success can only be achieved through hard work and pain.
"Nothing in this world is achieved without pain, hard work, sweat, blood and tears, the sooner we reconcile to this fact the better; the sooner we start to act on it even better!" Bachchan wrote in his blog.
The veteran actor feels even when one feels like relaxing, one should continue to maintain the same consistency. "There are times when you feel the need to allow inconsistency to set in, but that is not an option at all, work it shall be," he wrote.
For him the story of "Adam and Eve" is a lesson and we need to earn the right to live through hard work and effort.
"Man was told that on day one after the apple incident - you shall earn your survival through hard labour and the woman shall bear child in pain, dare we mortals, common and general, ever challenge that?"
Even with the years of experience behind him, the actor still gets butterflies in his stomach before he leaves for work.
"Anticipation of work begins to build in after a short gap, the butterflies and the nerves act up and the mind begins to gear up to perform to the optimum," wrote the 67-year-old thespian.
source: agency
"Nothing in this world is achieved without pain, hard work, sweat, blood and tears, the sooner we reconcile to this fact the better; the sooner we start to act on it even better!" Bachchan wrote in his blog.
The veteran actor feels even when one feels like relaxing, one should continue to maintain the same consistency. "There are times when you feel the need to allow inconsistency to set in, but that is not an option at all, work it shall be," he wrote.
For him the story of "Adam and Eve" is a lesson and we need to earn the right to live through hard work and effort.
"Man was told that on day one after the apple incident - you shall earn your survival through hard labour and the woman shall bear child in pain, dare we mortals, common and general, ever challenge that?"
Even with the years of experience behind him, the actor still gets butterflies in his stomach before he leaves for work.
"Anticipation of work begins to build in after a short gap, the butterflies and the nerves act up and the mind begins to gear up to perform to the optimum," wrote the 67-year-old thespian.
source: agency
'Action Replayy' role is collage of 70s actresses: Aishwarya Rai
Breaking news!Mumbai: Aishwarya Rai, who plays a 'typical' girl of the 1970s in the retro comedy "Action Replayy", says she didn't try to imitate any particular actress, but picked from the looks and mannerisms of all reigning heroines of that era.
"There isn't any particular actor whom I followed. In terms of visual styling, make-up and hair, there are lots of actresses from that time. There is no signature reference of any particular actor of that time. It's a collage of all actors," Aishwarya, 37, told the media in an interview.
Preceded by serious roles in period films like "Umrao Jaan" (2006) and "Jodhaa Akbar" (2008), it was the word 'retro' that caught her attention when the film was offered to her.
Aishwarya reveals that "Action Replayy" was originally a play by the film's director Vipul Shah himself, and he did not deviate much from the original script.
"It's wonderful that I had so much of period films to do and yet they are all different. When Vipul said he wanted to do a retro film, the word retro was quite catchy. He didn't call it historical era, period piece, pre-independence, he called it retro era," she said.
"The moment you say retro, we all go into the 70's. I instantly knew it was different," she said.
"It's a fun genre. Vipul was very clear about the film he was making. It was a play that he made several years ago. He was very clear in his narrative, and didn't want to change anything except when most necessary. Of course, we improvised, but not that much, because Vipul was clear about what each character was supposed to do," Aishwarya said.
The actress said though it's a comedy film, she got enough scope to exhibit her acting skills.
"This film gave me the opportunity to do something. We have pushed the envelope even in the comedy genre, where we have revisited another era. Of course, visually there are aspects of styling, make-up and costume, and there are nuances in acting. As my character is very boisterous in the beginning of the film and then becomes mellow and feminine, we have spoofed it in the acting style of that time," said Aishwarya.
Did she ask for tips from her parents-in-law Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan?
"No, I didn't sit with Ma or Paa because, like Paa has always said, your work speaks volumes. You need not sit with them and literally speak. You have their films to refer to," she said.
Aishwarya feels her career has come full circle in the past two years as she is doing films with directors she worked with in her initial days.
"I am thankful to get such good roles in my career. It's a blessing and there are lots of very good memories and they were fulfilling," she said.
source: agency
"There isn't any particular actor whom I followed. In terms of visual styling, make-up and hair, there are lots of actresses from that time. There is no signature reference of any particular actor of that time. It's a collage of all actors," Aishwarya, 37, told the media in an interview.
Preceded by serious roles in period films like "Umrao Jaan" (2006) and "Jodhaa Akbar" (2008), it was the word 'retro' that caught her attention when the film was offered to her.
Aishwarya reveals that "Action Replayy" was originally a play by the film's director Vipul Shah himself, and he did not deviate much from the original script.
"It's wonderful that I had so much of period films to do and yet they are all different. When Vipul said he wanted to do a retro film, the word retro was quite catchy. He didn't call it historical era, period piece, pre-independence, he called it retro era," she said.
"The moment you say retro, we all go into the 70's. I instantly knew it was different," she said.
"It's a fun genre. Vipul was very clear about the film he was making. It was a play that he made several years ago. He was very clear in his narrative, and didn't want to change anything except when most necessary. Of course, we improvised, but not that much, because Vipul was clear about what each character was supposed to do," Aishwarya said.
The actress said though it's a comedy film, she got enough scope to exhibit her acting skills.
"This film gave me the opportunity to do something. We have pushed the envelope even in the comedy genre, where we have revisited another era. Of course, visually there are aspects of styling, make-up and costume, and there are nuances in acting. As my character is very boisterous in the beginning of the film and then becomes mellow and feminine, we have spoofed it in the acting style of that time," said Aishwarya.
Did she ask for tips from her parents-in-law Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan?
"No, I didn't sit with Ma or Paa because, like Paa has always said, your work speaks volumes. You need not sit with them and literally speak. You have their films to refer to," she said.
Aishwarya feels her career has come full circle in the past two years as she is doing films with directors she worked with in her initial days.
"I am thankful to get such good roles in my career. It's a blessing and there are lots of very good memories and they were fulfilling," she said.
source: agency
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey music composed in Goa hotel room
Breaking news!New Delhi: A Goa hotel room is serving as a studio for singer-composer Sohail Sen who is creating music for Ashutosh Gowariker's upcoming period film "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey".
"I made most of the music for the movie in my hotel room in Goa," Sen told the media over phone from Mumbai. The movie will be released Dec 3.
"I used to go to the sets, see the actors work and then come back to my hotel room. I had my team and a small set-up there itself," he added.
"Khelein..." is based on Manini Chatterjee's book "Do And Die" on the Chittagong uprising of the 1930s. It features Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in key roles.
Sen, who earlier composed music for Gowariker's "What's Your Rashee?", said it was quite a daunting task to make melodies for the period thriller.
"Composing for 'Khelein...' was very different from composing for 'What's Your Raashee?' or even the other movies I've done in the past. This film is set in undivided Bengal of the early 1930s; so music had to be composed accordingly," said Sen.
"Besides, one of the songs had to be picturised on Abhishek and Deepika, who are shown to have a huge age difference in the film. I had to do justice to the film from every point of view," he added.
The song in question is "Sapne salone".
"This is the only romantic song in the film and it is closest to my heart since it took a lot of effort and thought on my part," he said.
For the entire album, Sen has used "an amalgamation of instruments, genres and sub-genres of Bengali folk music".
The album, which has five originals, is packed with high energy and soft soothing melodious songs but is high on patriotic sentiment to capture the essence of the uprising.
The 26-year-old was particularly comfortable working with Gowariker and felt he knew the director's taste inside out.
"Ashutosh is like family now; since I've worked with him before, I know the tunes he wants and can give him just that," Sen said.
After working on "Khelein...", the composer is now looking forward to weaving tunes for Imran Khan-Katrina Kaif-starrer "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan".
"I'm blessed. 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' came as a good opportunity for me as it would be an out and out commercial movie after a period film," Sen said.
source: agency
"I made most of the music for the movie in my hotel room in Goa," Sen told the media over phone from Mumbai. The movie will be released Dec 3.
"I used to go to the sets, see the actors work and then come back to my hotel room. I had my team and a small set-up there itself," he added.
"Khelein..." is based on Manini Chatterjee's book "Do And Die" on the Chittagong uprising of the 1930s. It features Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in key roles.
Sen, who earlier composed music for Gowariker's "What's Your Rashee?", said it was quite a daunting task to make melodies for the period thriller.
"Composing for 'Khelein...' was very different from composing for 'What's Your Raashee?' or even the other movies I've done in the past. This film is set in undivided Bengal of the early 1930s; so music had to be composed accordingly," said Sen.
"Besides, one of the songs had to be picturised on Abhishek and Deepika, who are shown to have a huge age difference in the film. I had to do justice to the film from every point of view," he added.
The song in question is "Sapne salone".
"This is the only romantic song in the film and it is closest to my heart since it took a lot of effort and thought on my part," he said.
For the entire album, Sen has used "an amalgamation of instruments, genres and sub-genres of Bengali folk music".
The album, which has five originals, is packed with high energy and soft soothing melodious songs but is high on patriotic sentiment to capture the essence of the uprising.
The 26-year-old was particularly comfortable working with Gowariker and felt he knew the director's taste inside out.
"Ashutosh is like family now; since I've worked with him before, I know the tunes he wants and can give him just that," Sen said.
After working on "Khelein...", the composer is now looking forward to weaving tunes for Imran Khan-Katrina Kaif-starrer "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan".
"I'm blessed. 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' came as a good opportunity for me as it would be an out and out commercial movie after a period film," Sen said.
source: agency
'Bigg Boss 4' scripted to boost ratings: Rahul Bhatt
Breaking news!New Delhi: All the controversies, fights and romances on "Bigg Boss 4" are scripted and pre-planned, reveals Rahul Bhatt, the latest contestant to be ejected from the popular reality show.
Rahul, son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, says the public voted him out of the show being aired on Colors channel because he failed to provide any entertainment.
"I could have stayed longer, but the decision was with the public. Basically, I wasn't providing any entertainment and I wasn't doing any 'nautanki' (drama), neither did I fall in love with any girl!" Rahul told the media on the phone from Mumbai.
"Bigg Boss" is the Indian version of international reality show "Big Brother". It has a select few celebrities locked up inside an isolated house, without any connection with the outside world and their daily activities are tracked through cameras.
Rahul doesn't mince words when he claimed that almost everything on the show is scripted.
"Of course it is all scripted! It is all for TRPs (Television Rating Points). Drama, fights and romance is all that the audience wants to see…and that's all that the channel wants to show. In my opinion, some of those who are doing a nautanki on the show are thoroughly briefed.
"How else would you explain the fights that are erupting within the house? Dolly Bindra's entry, the way she pushed the button to argue with Shweta Tiwari…then Sara Khan's boyfriend coming into the show, and the news of both of them getting married…I have no bias against them, I wish them all the best for their married life…but it's all bizarre and scripted," he said.
Rahul, a gym trainer, came into the spotlight for his acquaintance with Pakistani American terror convict David Coleman Headley, charged with scouting targets for the 26/11 Mumbai mayhem. He remained away from the politics within "Bigg Boss 4", but gradually started opening up with some of the housemates.
Without taking names, he said that the "key players" of the house are "monkeys", who are dancing on the instructions of the channel. But Rahul denied that he was given any sort of brief before his entry on the show.
The purpose behind Rahul's participation in "Bigg Boss 4" was to come out of the image of being either just Mahesh Bhatt's son or Headley's acquaintance, and he feels the show has been a "fulfilling experience".
"I have come over my self consciousness - about how I look, how I walk, how I talk. Now the public has seen me at my worst and best, and I am no longer conscious about myself," said Rahul, who gelled well with WWE wrestler The Great Khali and model Aanchal Kumar.
"Khali is a very genuine and simple man. I loved interacting with him and I have been a great fan of him for years. Towards the end of my stay, I started getting to know more of Aanchal and felt she is very sane and we think on the same wavelength," said Rahul.
According to him, model Hrishant Goswami and actress Shweta Tiwari will stay for the longest time and will battle it out in the finale.
He also feels that Pakistani actress Veena Mallik is completely "fake".
"I have nothing personal against her. But from her high heels to her dressing - everything is fake.
"I don't like the fact that she hides that she is interested in Bollywood...When she didn't know that I am Mahesh Bhatt's son, she hardly spoke to me, and her attitude towards me changed the moment she got to know my Bollywood connection."
source: agency
Rahul, son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, says the public voted him out of the show being aired on Colors channel because he failed to provide any entertainment.
"I could have stayed longer, but the decision was with the public. Basically, I wasn't providing any entertainment and I wasn't doing any 'nautanki' (drama), neither did I fall in love with any girl!" Rahul told the media on the phone from Mumbai.
"Bigg Boss" is the Indian version of international reality show "Big Brother". It has a select few celebrities locked up inside an isolated house, without any connection with the outside world and their daily activities are tracked through cameras.
Rahul doesn't mince words when he claimed that almost everything on the show is scripted.
"Of course it is all scripted! It is all for TRPs (Television Rating Points). Drama, fights and romance is all that the audience wants to see…and that's all that the channel wants to show. In my opinion, some of those who are doing a nautanki on the show are thoroughly briefed.
"How else would you explain the fights that are erupting within the house? Dolly Bindra's entry, the way she pushed the button to argue with Shweta Tiwari…then Sara Khan's boyfriend coming into the show, and the news of both of them getting married…I have no bias against them, I wish them all the best for their married life…but it's all bizarre and scripted," he said.
Rahul, a gym trainer, came into the spotlight for his acquaintance with Pakistani American terror convict David Coleman Headley, charged with scouting targets for the 26/11 Mumbai mayhem. He remained away from the politics within "Bigg Boss 4", but gradually started opening up with some of the housemates.
Without taking names, he said that the "key players" of the house are "monkeys", who are dancing on the instructions of the channel. But Rahul denied that he was given any sort of brief before his entry on the show.
The purpose behind Rahul's participation in "Bigg Boss 4" was to come out of the image of being either just Mahesh Bhatt's son or Headley's acquaintance, and he feels the show has been a "fulfilling experience".
"I have come over my self consciousness - about how I look, how I walk, how I talk. Now the public has seen me at my worst and best, and I am no longer conscious about myself," said Rahul, who gelled well with WWE wrestler The Great Khali and model Aanchal Kumar.
"Khali is a very genuine and simple man. I loved interacting with him and I have been a great fan of him for years. Towards the end of my stay, I started getting to know more of Aanchal and felt she is very sane and we think on the same wavelength," said Rahul.
According to him, model Hrishant Goswami and actress Shweta Tiwari will stay for the longest time and will battle it out in the finale.
He also feels that Pakistani actress Veena Mallik is completely "fake".
"I have nothing personal against her. But from her high heels to her dressing - everything is fake.
"I don't like the fact that she hides that she is interested in Bollywood...When she didn't know that I am Mahesh Bhatt's son, she hardly spoke to me, and her attitude towards me changed the moment she got to know my Bollywood connection."
source: agency
Mumbai band reunites after 30 years
Breaking news!Mumbai: When the band culture was fairly unknown in India, four young men decided to give Mumbai the taste of a live band. And after a split 30 years ago, they have got back together to do what they know best - make music.
The band was then called People and included Ranjit Barot, Ronnie Desai, Babu Chaudhary and Hosi Nanji. Thirty years later, the formerly disbanded members have reunited as 4 Tune Kookies and have released a single "I don't need" by Saregama.
"Many years back, we all went our own ways to create a foothold in our respective careers. I composed this song and made all the others listen to it. We decided to come out with this single and get back with a band after all these years," Desai, who got into jingles production along with Chaudhary, told the media.
After their split, Barot became a Bollywood composer and Nanji worked for a steel company.
Now when the quartet is back with the single, they have even released a video, which has them as animated characters.
"All of us don't look like what we used to back then. So, we decided to go in for animated characters who slightly resemble us. It was a fresh idea too and quite interesting," Desai said.
So why did they decide to release just a single instead of an album?
"Usually you work on seven-eight songs and only one becomes a hit. So we decided to take it one step at a time. We have worked on another song which we will release in a couple of months," he said.
When asked whether they are looking at gigs too, Desai replied: "Yes we are, but not now."
"Once we have enough songs to perform for an hour or so, we would definitely like to take up concerts and gigs," he added.
"Earlier, the band scene used to be more in open spaces for IITs - in grounds. Now it's more in clubs and pubs where people are eating and have other things besides music too. The gigs are not on a big scale as they used to be. But it's still good," Desai said.
source: agency
The band was then called People and included Ranjit Barot, Ronnie Desai, Babu Chaudhary and Hosi Nanji. Thirty years later, the formerly disbanded members have reunited as 4 Tune Kookies and have released a single "I don't need" by Saregama.
"Many years back, we all went our own ways to create a foothold in our respective careers. I composed this song and made all the others listen to it. We decided to come out with this single and get back with a band after all these years," Desai, who got into jingles production along with Chaudhary, told the media.
After their split, Barot became a Bollywood composer and Nanji worked for a steel company.
Now when the quartet is back with the single, they have even released a video, which has them as animated characters.
"All of us don't look like what we used to back then. So, we decided to go in for animated characters who slightly resemble us. It was a fresh idea too and quite interesting," Desai said.
So why did they decide to release just a single instead of an album?
"Usually you work on seven-eight songs and only one becomes a hit. So we decided to take it one step at a time. We have worked on another song which we will release in a couple of months," he said.
When asked whether they are looking at gigs too, Desai replied: "Yes we are, but not now."
"Once we have enough songs to perform for an hour or so, we would definitely like to take up concerts and gigs," he added.
"Earlier, the band scene used to be more in open spaces for IITs - in grounds. Now it's more in clubs and pubs where people are eating and have other things besides music too. The gigs are not on a big scale as they used to be. But it's still good," Desai said.
source: agency
Reliance Power signs $750 mn deal with General Electric
Breaking news!Mumbai: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) firm Reliance Power today signed a $750 million (Rs.3,500 crore) deal with US engineering major General Electric (GE) to procure turbines for its gas-based power project in Andhra Pradesh in the presence of President Barack Obama here.
The order to GE is for the capacity expansion of the Samalkot power plant from the existing 200 MW to 2,400 MW, which will create nearly 5,000 jobs in the US, Reliance Power said in a statement.
The total cost for the expansion is estimated at Rs.10,000 crore.
Reliance Power's partnership with GE and deals with other American firms would result in over $2 billion of manufacturing exports from US to India over the next two years, said the ADAG firm.
During the occasion, Obama said the deals barely scratched the business potential between the two countries and dubbed India as the market of the future, with Washington willing to step up investments in the country.
"This is defining moment in Indo-US energy cooperation," ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani said after signing the deal with GE Chairman Jeff Immelt.
source: agency
The order to GE is for the capacity expansion of the Samalkot power plant from the existing 200 MW to 2,400 MW, which will create nearly 5,000 jobs in the US, Reliance Power said in a statement.
The total cost for the expansion is estimated at Rs.10,000 crore.
Reliance Power's partnership with GE and deals with other American firms would result in over $2 billion of manufacturing exports from US to India over the next two years, said the ADAG firm.
During the occasion, Obama said the deals barely scratched the business potential between the two countries and dubbed India as the market of the future, with Washington willing to step up investments in the country.
"This is defining moment in Indo-US energy cooperation," ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani said after signing the deal with GE Chairman Jeff Immelt.
source: agency
Indian industry found Obama sincere and dynamic
Breaking news!Mumbai: India Inc. found US President Barack Obama a "sincere and dynamic" person willing to further business relations between the two countries, a top official said today.
"His appeal is truly very positive and inspiring for the Indian industry to take the lead and enhance business relations between the two countries," Confederation of Indian Industry director general Chandrajit Banerjee told the media.
Banerjee said Obama's plans to make the Indo-US business partnership one of the most defining one of the 21st century in the world truly sounded "sincere".
"President Obama has looked at a lot more of a two-way relationship. This, we are sure will now encourage more the small and business enterprises to also enter the field," he pointed out.
Besides follow-up action on today's presidential speech, Banerjee said newer areas of collaboration between the two countries would also be considered.
Banerjee said that when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the US, he was also received with great warmth and affection - "now, we must take these sentiments ahead for the mutual advantage of both the countries".
Obama began his maiden visit to India today by promising to remove restrictions on sensitive high-tech exports, a nagging irritant in the evolution of bilateral ties, even as he declared deals worth $15 billion that would support some 54,000 American jobs and seek to answer critics back home.
source: agency
"His appeal is truly very positive and inspiring for the Indian industry to take the lead and enhance business relations between the two countries," Confederation of Indian Industry director general Chandrajit Banerjee told the media.
Banerjee said Obama's plans to make the Indo-US business partnership one of the most defining one of the 21st century in the world truly sounded "sincere".
"President Obama has looked at a lot more of a two-way relationship. This, we are sure will now encourage more the small and business enterprises to also enter the field," he pointed out.
Besides follow-up action on today's presidential speech, Banerjee said newer areas of collaboration between the two countries would also be considered.
Banerjee said that when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the US, he was also received with great warmth and affection - "now, we must take these sentiments ahead for the mutual advantage of both the countries".
Obama began his maiden visit to India today by promising to remove restrictions on sensitive high-tech exports, a nagging irritant in the evolution of bilateral ties, even as he declared deals worth $15 billion that would support some 54,000 American jobs and seek to answer critics back home.
source: agency
Tata to locate aerospace, defence projects in Hyderabad
Breaking news!Hyderabad: The Tata Group will locate all its aerospace, defence and strategic projects in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Hyderabad, Chairman Ratan Tata announced here today.
"This is the start of the investment. Tata Group has decided that all its activities in aerospace will be centred in Hyderabad. As the private sector enters defence and strategic areas, the activities of Tata Group in the new areas will be centred in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Hyderabad," said Tata.
He was speaking at a ceremony to unveil the first S-92 helicopter cabin manufactured at Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) at aerospace and precision engineering Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Adibatla on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Recalling the shifting of the Nano plant from West Bengal to Gujarat, Tata said: "When we had to move Nano plant out of West Bengal, the state of Andhra Pradesh offered us a location. Regrettably for Andhra Pradesh, we decided to locate it in Gujarat and we were pleased to be in Gujarat."
At that time, Tata said, he had told the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh that he would look at the state for future investment.
Tata said Hyderabad was the right place for Tata Group to locate sophisticated part of its activities. He was all praise for the transformation the city has undergone in recent years.
"Many years ago I was managing director of Tata electronic company called Nelco. I used to frequently visit Hyderabad trying to sell radios and televisions, not so successfully. It was not a congenial place to visit, it was back in time many ways and deficient in infrastructure."
"You look at Hyderabad today. It is bustling city with tremendous infrastructure, new airport and impressive highway," he said.
source: agency
"This is the start of the investment. Tata Group has decided that all its activities in aerospace will be centred in Hyderabad. As the private sector enters defence and strategic areas, the activities of Tata Group in the new areas will be centred in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Hyderabad," said Tata.
He was speaking at a ceremony to unveil the first S-92 helicopter cabin manufactured at Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) at aerospace and precision engineering Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Adibatla on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Recalling the shifting of the Nano plant from West Bengal to Gujarat, Tata said: "When we had to move Nano plant out of West Bengal, the state of Andhra Pradesh offered us a location. Regrettably for Andhra Pradesh, we decided to locate it in Gujarat and we were pleased to be in Gujarat."
At that time, Tata said, he had told the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh that he would look at the state for future investment.
Tata said Hyderabad was the right place for Tata Group to locate sophisticated part of its activities. He was all praise for the transformation the city has undergone in recent years.
"Many years ago I was managing director of Tata electronic company called Nelco. I used to frequently visit Hyderabad trying to sell radios and televisions, not so successfully. It was not a congenial place to visit, it was back in time many ways and deficient in infrastructure."
"You look at Hyderabad today. It is bustling city with tremendous infrastructure, new airport and impressive highway," he said.
source: agency
ObamaRama unfolds US president's iconic images
Breaking news!New Delhi: The American Center here has organised a month-long exhibition titled "ObamaRama" from Monday, promising some iconic images of US President Barack Obama, who is on a four-day visit to India since Saturday with First Lady Michelle.
The exhibition - to open at the center's facility in the central quarters of the national capital till Nov 30 -- will also feature rare photos from the president's childhood, besides some glimpses of his family life, including snaps with pet Bo.
source: agency
The exhibition - to open at the center's facility in the central quarters of the national capital till Nov 30 -- will also feature rare photos from the president's childhood, besides some glimpses of his family life, including snaps with pet Bo.
source: agency
20101106
Barack Obama pays homage to Mumbai terror victims
Mumbai: US President Barack Obama today paid homage to victims of the Mumbai terror attack of 2008, saying those who organised it needed to be punished.
Addressing families of some of the dead at the Taj Mahal and Palace Tower Hotel, one of the targets of the Pakistani terrorists, Obama said he "will never forget the awful image of 26/11".
Calling the terrorists "murderers", he said they sneaked into Mumbai to kill "innocent civilians".
A total of 166 Indians and foreigners, Americans included, were massacred when 10 terrorists from Pakistan went on a killing spree in Mumbai for three long days from Nov 26.
"Those who attacked Mumbai wanted to demoralize this city and this country but they failed," he said.
"The very next day, Mumbaikars came back to work... Within weeks, this hotel was welcoming guests from around the world."
He said the Indian and US governments were working more closely than ever to keep people safe by sharing intelligence.
He said he looked forward to deepening counter-terror cooperation "when I meet Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh in New Delhi".
source: agency
Addressing families of some of the dead at the Taj Mahal and Palace Tower Hotel, one of the targets of the Pakistani terrorists, Obama said he "will never forget the awful image of 26/11".
Calling the terrorists "murderers", he said they sneaked into Mumbai to kill "innocent civilians".
A total of 166 Indians and foreigners, Americans included, were massacred when 10 terrorists from Pakistan went on a killing spree in Mumbai for three long days from Nov 26.
"Those who attacked Mumbai wanted to demoralize this city and this country but they failed," he said.
"The very next day, Mumbaikars came back to work... Within weeks, this hotel was welcoming guests from around the world."
He said the Indian and US governments were working more closely than ever to keep people safe by sharing intelligence.
He said he looked forward to deepening counter-terror cooperation "when I meet Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh in New Delhi".
source: agency
Barack Obama's India trip could tip power balance: Pakistan officials
Washington: The delicate balance of power between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan faces the risk of being upset by US President Barack Obama's four-day visit to India beginning today, Pakistani officials have warned.
Obama's decision to visit India while bypassing Pakistan has sparked anxiety among government officials in Islamabad, The media reported. The officials have warned that the trip risks upsetting the delicate balance of power between the two countries.
Pakistan's main concerns are the Obama administration's apparent unwillingness to get involved in the long-standing dispute over Jammu and Kashmir, the blossoming US-India civil nuclear partnership, and the symbolism of Obama starting his visit at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, site of the 2008 terror attack that has been blamed on Pakistani militants, the Post said on Friday.
Although the US has recently announced a $2 billion aid package for the Pakistani army and last year signed off on a $7.5 billion civilian aid deal, government officials in Islamabad said the US has yet to prove itself a reliable partner.
"Unfortunately, on core issues, the US continues to stick to its traditional anti-Pakistan policies - whether it is our nuclear energy programme, the Kashmir dispute, our relations with India or our position vis-a-vis Afghanistan," the media quoted a senior foreign ministry official as saying.
"So long as Washington does not revisit these issues, it will continue to be very difficult for Washington to make any headway on winning hearts and minds in Pakistan," the official added.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi requested several times that Obama should also stop in Pakistan during this trip, according to Pakistani officials, but the president declined and instead promised to visit Islamabad next year.
The Pakistani ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, said: "Pakistan looks forward to President Obama's visit to our country in 2011 and hopes that his trip to India will help bring lasting stability to our region."
Still, the decision could prove risky for Obama, whose popularity here is lower than it is in any other Muslim country. A recent poll found that just 8 percent of Pakistanis expressed confidence in Obama, down from 13 percent in 2009, the media said.
Pakistani officials say they are particularly interested in seeing Obama push India to do more to settle the Kashmir issue.
"We expect America to use its influence to nudge India in the direction of initiating a peaceful dialogue on the Kashmir situation," said Tariq Fatemi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US.
"And if that is difficult, then at least use your position to point out to India that the interest in human rights is deep and broad-based in America and you cannot have daily violations of human rights," Fatemi said.
Pakistani officials said at least they expect Obama to avoid the confrontational stance taken by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said during his India visit in July this year that Pakistan is promoting the "export of terror".
The officials also fear that the president will seek to enhance the civil nuclear partnership with India. That, they said, could disturb the military balance in the region, the report said.
"If there is an effort to build India up as a regional influence, a country that is assigned the responsibility for security in the region, that is unacceptable for Pakistan," said Maleeha Lodhi, another former ambassador to Washington. "Clearly, for deterrence to work, we need the minimum threshold of conventional balance."
source: agency
Obama's decision to visit India while bypassing Pakistan has sparked anxiety among government officials in Islamabad, The media reported. The officials have warned that the trip risks upsetting the delicate balance of power between the two countries.
Pakistan's main concerns are the Obama administration's apparent unwillingness to get involved in the long-standing dispute over Jammu and Kashmir, the blossoming US-India civil nuclear partnership, and the symbolism of Obama starting his visit at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, site of the 2008 terror attack that has been blamed on Pakistani militants, the Post said on Friday.
Although the US has recently announced a $2 billion aid package for the Pakistani army and last year signed off on a $7.5 billion civilian aid deal, government officials in Islamabad said the US has yet to prove itself a reliable partner.
"Unfortunately, on core issues, the US continues to stick to its traditional anti-Pakistan policies - whether it is our nuclear energy programme, the Kashmir dispute, our relations with India or our position vis-a-vis Afghanistan," the media quoted a senior foreign ministry official as saying.
"So long as Washington does not revisit these issues, it will continue to be very difficult for Washington to make any headway on winning hearts and minds in Pakistan," the official added.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi requested several times that Obama should also stop in Pakistan during this trip, according to Pakistani officials, but the president declined and instead promised to visit Islamabad next year.
The Pakistani ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, said: "Pakistan looks forward to President Obama's visit to our country in 2011 and hopes that his trip to India will help bring lasting stability to our region."
Still, the decision could prove risky for Obama, whose popularity here is lower than it is in any other Muslim country. A recent poll found that just 8 percent of Pakistanis expressed confidence in Obama, down from 13 percent in 2009, the media said.
Pakistani officials say they are particularly interested in seeing Obama push India to do more to settle the Kashmir issue.
"We expect America to use its influence to nudge India in the direction of initiating a peaceful dialogue on the Kashmir situation," said Tariq Fatemi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US.
"And if that is difficult, then at least use your position to point out to India that the interest in human rights is deep and broad-based in America and you cannot have daily violations of human rights," Fatemi said.
Pakistani officials said at least they expect Obama to avoid the confrontational stance taken by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said during his India visit in July this year that Pakistan is promoting the "export of terror".
The officials also fear that the president will seek to enhance the civil nuclear partnership with India. That, they said, could disturb the military balance in the region, the report said.
"If there is an effort to build India up as a regional influence, a country that is assigned the responsibility for security in the region, that is unacceptable for Pakistan," said Maleeha Lodhi, another former ambassador to Washington. "Clearly, for deterrence to work, we need the minimum threshold of conventional balance."
source: agency
Namaste India! Barack Obama to read from teleprompter
New Delhi: Namaste India! In all likelihood that will be silver-tongued Barack Obama's opening line when he addresses the Indian parliament next week. But to help him pronouce Hindi words correctly will be a teleprompter which the US president uses ever so often for his hypnotising speeches.
According to parliament sources, a technical team from the US has helped the Lok Sabha secretariat install textbook-sized panes of glass around the podium that will give cues to Obama on his prepared remarks to 780 Indian MPs on the evening of Nov 8.
It will be a 20-minute speech at Parliament House's Central Hall that has been witness to some historic events, including first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "tryst with destiny" speech when India became independent.
Obama will make history for more than one reason during the Nov 6-9 visit. This will be the first time a teleprompter will be used in the nearly 100-feet high dome-shaped hall that has portraits of eminent national leaders adorning its walls.
Indian politicians are known for making impromptu long speeches and perhaps that is why some parliament officials, who did not wish to be named, sounded rather surprised with the idea of a teleprompter for Obama.
"We thought Obama is a trained orator and skilled in the art of mass address with his continuous eye contact," an official, who did not wish to be identified because of security restrictions, told the media. .
Obama is known to captivate audiences with his one-liners that sound like extempore and his deep gaze. But few in India know that the US president always carries the teleprompter with him wherever he speaks.
Teleprompters, also called autocue or telescript, are mostly used by TV anchors to read out texts scrolling on a screen and attached to a camera in front of them.
Parliament officials have had a busy week preparing for a red carpet welcome for Obama and his wife Michelle. Parliament House these days looks fresh with a new coat of paint, new carpeting and new green plants in mud vases decorating the corridors.
Sources said the Obamas will pose for a photograph with Indian leaders at one of the three well laid-out courtyards that have lush green lawns and fountains.
On the dais in the Central Hall will be Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The sources said the event will be an hour-long affair and will start with Ansari's welcome address and end with a vote of thanks by Meira Kumar after the US president's address.
The Obamas would sign the Golden Book, the visitor's diary in parliament, before leaving the eight-decade old building.
"Thank god they won't eat anything or have tea or coffee from our canteen. We would have to go through a tough security drill otherwise," quipped an employee.
Security managers in parliament also had a tough job for the high profile visit even as the house is already highly protected following a terrorist attack in 2001.
A team of US security officials, including from the CIA, were in the Indian capital and visited the complex to review security measures to be taken during the parliament event.
Parliament security officials have decided that barring special invitees and former MPs, no visitor would be allowed inside when Obama addresses the MPs.
Only journalists who have permanent radio-frequency passes would be allowed inside the Central Hall to cover the event.
source: agency
According to parliament sources, a technical team from the US has helped the Lok Sabha secretariat install textbook-sized panes of glass around the podium that will give cues to Obama on his prepared remarks to 780 Indian MPs on the evening of Nov 8.
It will be a 20-minute speech at Parliament House's Central Hall that has been witness to some historic events, including first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "tryst with destiny" speech when India became independent.
Obama will make history for more than one reason during the Nov 6-9 visit. This will be the first time a teleprompter will be used in the nearly 100-feet high dome-shaped hall that has portraits of eminent national leaders adorning its walls.
Indian politicians are known for making impromptu long speeches and perhaps that is why some parliament officials, who did not wish to be named, sounded rather surprised with the idea of a teleprompter for Obama.
"We thought Obama is a trained orator and skilled in the art of mass address with his continuous eye contact," an official, who did not wish to be identified because of security restrictions, told the media. .
Obama is known to captivate audiences with his one-liners that sound like extempore and his deep gaze. But few in India know that the US president always carries the teleprompter with him wherever he speaks.
Teleprompters, also called autocue or telescript, are mostly used by TV anchors to read out texts scrolling on a screen and attached to a camera in front of them.
Parliament officials have had a busy week preparing for a red carpet welcome for Obama and his wife Michelle. Parliament House these days looks fresh with a new coat of paint, new carpeting and new green plants in mud vases decorating the corridors.
Sources said the Obamas will pose for a photograph with Indian leaders at one of the three well laid-out courtyards that have lush green lawns and fountains.
On the dais in the Central Hall will be Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The sources said the event will be an hour-long affair and will start with Ansari's welcome address and end with a vote of thanks by Meira Kumar after the US president's address.
The Obamas would sign the Golden Book, the visitor's diary in parliament, before leaving the eight-decade old building.
"Thank god they won't eat anything or have tea or coffee from our canteen. We would have to go through a tough security drill otherwise," quipped an employee.
Security managers in parliament also had a tough job for the high profile visit even as the house is already highly protected following a terrorist attack in 2001.
A team of US security officials, including from the CIA, were in the Indian capital and visited the complex to review security measures to be taken during the parliament event.
Parliament security officials have decided that barring special invitees and former MPs, no visitor would be allowed inside when Obama addresses the MPs.
Only journalists who have permanent radio-frequency passes would be allowed inside the Central Hall to cover the event.
source: agency
William Shakespeare's play comes to Indian villages - in tents
New Delhi: William Shakespeare will soon travel to the villages of India when a leading French repertory company in collaboration with the Mumbai-based Prithvi Theatre stages his masterpiece "The Tempest" in a mobile tent.
The 35-year-old Paris-based Footsbarn Company is a travelling tent theatre troupe. It has announced a two-year theatre exchange project between India and France, "Dream Project", which will see the troupe tour India with Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in a customised tent in 2012.
The troupe is already in Delhi with another production. However, it will begin rehearsing for "The Tempest" in Portugal, the cultural capital of Europe, where it has been offered a six-month residency project.
"We have started designing the tent for the play. It will be equipped with an open-on-all- sides circular central stage and surrounding seats that can accommodate 600 people. The portable tent, made of cloth, can be carried to far-flung venues," Paddy Hayter, artistic director of the Footsbarn Company, told the media in the capital.
The troupe is likey to travel to southern India, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
"After the end of the tent tour, the tent will be gifted to India for future productions," he added.
Tent theatre takes plays out of the proscenium format and closed theatre houses to the common people in small cities, circus venues, streets and villages. It is a form of traditional nomadic theatrical genre prevalent in India as well as Europe.
The genre combines elements of circus, Shakespearean stage performances, acrobatics and conventional theatre. A dress parade on the streets, in the style of medieval English and French roots theatre, announces the arrival of the production company to the venue.
The company uses mask, puppetry and live music in its productions. While performing, the company camps in gypsy trailers around the tent in remote locations for days. The company, which has been visiting India since the mid-1990s, has performed at the Globe Theatre in London.
Hayter, who is leading the 15-member repertory company in India with his wife Fredericka, will stage Victor Hugo's "The Man Who Laughs" on Nov 16 at the Baha'i House of Worship, Lotus Temple, Delhi.
The play, set in the England of 1690, will be presented by Alliance Francaise.
Sanjana Kapoor of Prithvi Theatre is helping the Footsbarn Company design the tent along with designer Fredericka and her son, a designer at the Globe theatre from London.
The theatre company has also moved to the National School of Drama (NSD) to liaise with regional and local theatre companies for collaboration.
"With four extensive national tours, workshops and two productions, including local artists from Kerala behind us, the time has come to tour India in a tent," Hayter said.
In 1994, the company had collaborated with local artists of four Kerala drama companies for "Odyssey".
"We had improvised on the play for 12 days in Thiruvananthapuram with members from four troupes after which we staged the play to an overwhelming response. In March 1995, five artists were chosen from Kerala to tour Europe with the company," Hayter recalled.
The same year, Footsbarn toured Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and New Delhi with "Romeo and Juliet" in collaboration with Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.
"At a time when theatre is becoming contemporary with special effects around the world, we prefer to cling to the roots and people, to make it a live art," Hayter said.
Tent drama is common in northeastern India, specially Assam where troupes like the Kohinoor mobile theatre carry their productions across the state in tents. A play like "The Titanic" has achieved cult status.
source: agency
The 35-year-old Paris-based Footsbarn Company is a travelling tent theatre troupe. It has announced a two-year theatre exchange project between India and France, "Dream Project", which will see the troupe tour India with Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in a customised tent in 2012.
The troupe is already in Delhi with another production. However, it will begin rehearsing for "The Tempest" in Portugal, the cultural capital of Europe, where it has been offered a six-month residency project.
"We have started designing the tent for the play. It will be equipped with an open-on-all- sides circular central stage and surrounding seats that can accommodate 600 people. The portable tent, made of cloth, can be carried to far-flung venues," Paddy Hayter, artistic director of the Footsbarn Company, told the media in the capital.
The troupe is likey to travel to southern India, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
"After the end of the tent tour, the tent will be gifted to India for future productions," he added.
Tent theatre takes plays out of the proscenium format and closed theatre houses to the common people in small cities, circus venues, streets and villages. It is a form of traditional nomadic theatrical genre prevalent in India as well as Europe.
The genre combines elements of circus, Shakespearean stage performances, acrobatics and conventional theatre. A dress parade on the streets, in the style of medieval English and French roots theatre, announces the arrival of the production company to the venue.
The company uses mask, puppetry and live music in its productions. While performing, the company camps in gypsy trailers around the tent in remote locations for days. The company, which has been visiting India since the mid-1990s, has performed at the Globe Theatre in London.
Hayter, who is leading the 15-member repertory company in India with his wife Fredericka, will stage Victor Hugo's "The Man Who Laughs" on Nov 16 at the Baha'i House of Worship, Lotus Temple, Delhi.
The play, set in the England of 1690, will be presented by Alliance Francaise.
Sanjana Kapoor of Prithvi Theatre is helping the Footsbarn Company design the tent along with designer Fredericka and her son, a designer at the Globe theatre from London.
The theatre company has also moved to the National School of Drama (NSD) to liaise with regional and local theatre companies for collaboration.
"With four extensive national tours, workshops and two productions, including local artists from Kerala behind us, the time has come to tour India in a tent," Hayter said.
In 1994, the company had collaborated with local artists of four Kerala drama companies for "Odyssey".
"We had improvised on the play for 12 days in Thiruvananthapuram with members from four troupes after which we staged the play to an overwhelming response. In March 1995, five artists were chosen from Kerala to tour Europe with the company," Hayter recalled.
The same year, Footsbarn toured Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and New Delhi with "Romeo and Juliet" in collaboration with Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.
"At a time when theatre is becoming contemporary with special effects around the world, we prefer to cling to the roots and people, to make it a live art," Hayter said.
Tent drama is common in northeastern India, specially Assam where troupes like the Kohinoor mobile theatre carry their productions across the state in tents. A play like "The Titanic" has achieved cult status.
source: agency
Aparna Sen's 'The Japanese Wife' rated best in Calgary
Washington: Aparna Sen's Bengali film, "The Japanese Wife", has won the best film award at the recently-concluded Hidden Gems Film Festival in Calgary, Canada.
The film, distributed in North America by Databazaar Media Ventures (DMV), was awarded the stunning Amolite Trophy which is the official gemstone of the Province of Alberta.
The story of the film in English, Bengali and Japanese revolves around a young village school teacher (Rahul Bose) marrying his Japanese pen friend (Chigusa Takaku) over letters and remaining true and loyal to her throughout his life, while actually never meeting her.
"We knew that the film would do well at the festival, but it was beyond our comprehension that 92 percent would vote in favour of this film," stated DMV chairman Oney Seal.
The Hidden Gems Festival normally has a distinguished jury which selects the movie. This year the audience was asked to vote.
Festival Director Niru Bhatia hailed the film as a "love poem on celluloid". "Taj Mahal is known as the love poem in marbles, if you want to see a love poem on celluloid, see Aparna Sen's 'The Japanese Wife'," she added.
"We are very proud to be a part of 'The Japanese Wife'. Aparna Sen is one of India's most talented directors and most deserving of the Amolite Trophy," said Apurv Nagpal of Sa Re Ga Ma Films, producers of this film.
DMV acts as an exclusive gateway for Bengali films to North America, combining the latest in digital technologies with the best in traditional methods in a new, fusion distribution model that will maximise North American film revenues.
source: agency
The film, distributed in North America by Databazaar Media Ventures (DMV), was awarded the stunning Amolite Trophy which is the official gemstone of the Province of Alberta.
The story of the film in English, Bengali and Japanese revolves around a young village school teacher (Rahul Bose) marrying his Japanese pen friend (Chigusa Takaku) over letters and remaining true and loyal to her throughout his life, while actually never meeting her.
"We knew that the film would do well at the festival, but it was beyond our comprehension that 92 percent would vote in favour of this film," stated DMV chairman Oney Seal.
The Hidden Gems Festival normally has a distinguished jury which selects the movie. This year the audience was asked to vote.
Festival Director Niru Bhatia hailed the film as a "love poem on celluloid". "Taj Mahal is known as the love poem in marbles, if you want to see a love poem on celluloid, see Aparna Sen's 'The Japanese Wife'," she added.
"We are very proud to be a part of 'The Japanese Wife'. Aparna Sen is one of India's most talented directors and most deserving of the Amolite Trophy," said Apurv Nagpal of Sa Re Ga Ma Films, producers of this film.
DMV acts as an exclusive gateway for Bengali films to North America, combining the latest in digital technologies with the best in traditional methods in a new, fusion distribution model that will maximise North American film revenues.
source: agency
Anusha Rizvi can't remove herself from 'Peepli Live': Aamir Khan
Mumbai: Reacting to director Anusha Rizvi's decision to disassociate herself from "Peepli Live", actor-producer Aamir Khan said it would be difficult for her to do so because it's her film.
"She has made the film, now removing herself from the film will be difficult for her," Aamir on Thursday told the reporters at the DVD launch of "Peepli Live", which is India's entry at the Oscars this year.
Rizvi feels critical acclaim and commercial success of the film have boosted Aamir's fame instead of serving the actual purpose of making the film, so she decided to steer clear of promoting her directorial debut for the Oscar.
But Aamir said: "Every one has his or her opinion, she has her own. As far as my opinion is concerned, I will shoulder all my responsibilities. The film is neither mine nor her, it's audiences'. I have fulfilled every responsibility as a producer and will do it until death."
"My point of view is that as it's such a good film, I should make it reach to a broader spectrum of audience and the message should reach to as many people as possible."
Asked if Rizvi is shying away from her responsibility, he said: "I can't comment on that. Each one has their own thoughts; each one has their own take on what their responsibility is. As far I am concerned, I will stick to my responsibilities."
"Peepli Live" is a satire on farmers' suicide in India and how media, politician and bureaucrats individually try to use it for their advantage.
source: agency
"She has made the film, now removing herself from the film will be difficult for her," Aamir on Thursday told the reporters at the DVD launch of "Peepli Live", which is India's entry at the Oscars this year.
Rizvi feels critical acclaim and commercial success of the film have boosted Aamir's fame instead of serving the actual purpose of making the film, so she decided to steer clear of promoting her directorial debut for the Oscar.
But Aamir said: "Every one has his or her opinion, she has her own. As far as my opinion is concerned, I will shoulder all my responsibilities. The film is neither mine nor her, it's audiences'. I have fulfilled every responsibility as a producer and will do it until death."
"My point of view is that as it's such a good film, I should make it reach to a broader spectrum of audience and the message should reach to as many people as possible."
Asked if Rizvi is shying away from her responsibility, he said: "I can't comment on that. Each one has their own thoughts; each one has their own take on what their responsibility is. As far I am concerned, I will stick to my responsibilities."
"Peepli Live" is a satire on farmers' suicide in India and how media, politician and bureaucrats individually try to use it for their advantage.
source: agency
Good opening for 'Golmaal 3', 'Action Replayy' yet to pick up
New Delhi: With "Golmaal 3", director Rohit Shetty completed a successful rib-tickling trilogy, striking the right chord with the audiences and giving tough competition to Vipul Shah's romantic "Action Replayy" at the box office.
Both the biggies were scheduled for a Diwali release and hit the screens today.
"The content of 'Golmaal 3' is very good. People are enjoying it a lot and it has been houseful so far. It is a good time pass and full paisa vasool movie. 'Action Replayy' has opened a little weak and is not pikcing up," Ashwini Singh, business head of SRS cinema, told the media.
Satish Garg, owner of G3S Cinemas, said: "'Golmaal 3' is going very good. We have an occupancy of 100 percent and the advance booking is rocking. 'Action Replayy' is okay with close to 40 percent occupancy."
For "Golmaal 3", Shetty teamed up with Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Mithun Chakraborty, Kunal Khemu, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Johny Lever and Ratna Pathak-Shah.
Just like its previous two installments, it is full on entertainment and people are lapping up the laughthon, while Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai-starrer "Action Replayy", in which the story travels to the past, has got a lukewarm response.
"'Golmaal 3' has taken the screens by storm and is doing better at all sites across Delhi. It has 60 percent occupancy, while 'Action Replayy' has 30 percent. Both have good advance for Sunday, however, 'Golmaal 3' has much more. 'Action Replayy' should pick up tomorrow onwards," said Jayendra Banerji, vice president Satyam Cinemas.
Yogesh Raizada of Waves Cinemas said: "All votes are in favour of 'Golmaal 3'. It has got a good initial and public swing due to its recall value. It has an occupancy close to 70 percent. It has good advance booking till Sunday and the ratio is 60:40. 'Action Replayy' is a new concept and its acceptance is yet to be seen. It has managed to get an occupancy of 40 to 50 percent only."
source: agency
Both the biggies were scheduled for a Diwali release and hit the screens today.
"The content of 'Golmaal 3' is very good. People are enjoying it a lot and it has been houseful so far. It is a good time pass and full paisa vasool movie. 'Action Replayy' has opened a little weak and is not pikcing up," Ashwini Singh, business head of SRS cinema, told the media.
Satish Garg, owner of G3S Cinemas, said: "'Golmaal 3' is going very good. We have an occupancy of 100 percent and the advance booking is rocking. 'Action Replayy' is okay with close to 40 percent occupancy."
For "Golmaal 3", Shetty teamed up with Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Mithun Chakraborty, Kunal Khemu, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Johny Lever and Ratna Pathak-Shah.
Just like its previous two installments, it is full on entertainment and people are lapping up the laughthon, while Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai-starrer "Action Replayy", in which the story travels to the past, has got a lukewarm response.
"'Golmaal 3' has taken the screens by storm and is doing better at all sites across Delhi. It has 60 percent occupancy, while 'Action Replayy' has 30 percent. Both have good advance for Sunday, however, 'Golmaal 3' has much more. 'Action Replayy' should pick up tomorrow onwards," said Jayendra Banerji, vice president Satyam Cinemas.
Yogesh Raizada of Waves Cinemas said: "All votes are in favour of 'Golmaal 3'. It has got a good initial and public swing due to its recall value. It has an occupancy close to 70 percent. It has good advance booking till Sunday and the ratio is 60:40. 'Action Replayy' is a new concept and its acceptance is yet to be seen. It has managed to get an occupancy of 40 to 50 percent only."
source: agency
BSNL to expand 3G services to 120 more cities by December
New Delhi: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will expand its third generation (3G) services to 120 more cities across the country by December, Minister of State for Communications Sachin Pilot said today.
Currently, the operator runs 3G service in 640 cities.
BSNL is also expecting to increase its subscriber base in this segment by 2.5 million by March 2011, Gopal Das, BSNL chairman and managing director, said on the sidelines of a telecom event here.
BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) were awarded 3G license much before the private telecom operators by the government.
In order to give a phillip to its the mobile business, BSNL has launched a plan, "pyari jodi", under which a BSNL landline customer can take a free SIM card and make free local calls to his landline.
In addition, the customer can also call two BSNL local numbers at a reduced rate of 20 paise per minute and one BSNL number anywhere in India at a reduced rate of 20 paise per minute without paying any additional monthly charges.
On activation, the customers will also get a talk time of Rs.15, 1,000 national SMS and 1,000 MB data free.
"The aim of this promotional scheme is not only to boost mobile business of BSNL, but also arrest steep decline in the landline business," said Pilot.
source: agency
Currently, the operator runs 3G service in 640 cities.
BSNL is also expecting to increase its subscriber base in this segment by 2.5 million by March 2011, Gopal Das, BSNL chairman and managing director, said on the sidelines of a telecom event here.
BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) were awarded 3G license much before the private telecom operators by the government.
In order to give a phillip to its the mobile business, BSNL has launched a plan, "pyari jodi", under which a BSNL landline customer can take a free SIM card and make free local calls to his landline.
In addition, the customer can also call two BSNL local numbers at a reduced rate of 20 paise per minute and one BSNL number anywhere in India at a reduced rate of 20 paise per minute without paying any additional monthly charges.
On activation, the customers will also get a talk time of Rs.15, 1,000 national SMS and 1,000 MB data free.
"The aim of this promotional scheme is not only to boost mobile business of BSNL, but also arrest steep decline in the landline business," said Pilot.
source: agency
Obama embarks on a sales trip to India
Washington: President Barack Obama embarks today on a history-making trip to India to take Washington's ties with what he himself describes as an "indispensable partner of the 21st century" to a new level.
From Obama down, officials have held out prospects of significant announcements during his Nov 6-9 without spelling out the specifics, but the president himself has made clear his focus would be on selling US goods and creating jobs in the US.
That has been Obama's consistent message, more so since voters unhappy over the slow pace of recovery gave his Democratic party what has been called a "shellacking" in the mid-term elections.
On the India trip, "the primary purpose is to take a bunch of US companies and open up markets so that we can sell in Asia, in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and we can create jobs here in the United States of America," he said Thursday after a cabinet meeting to take stock after the debacle.
"And my hope is, is that we've got some specific announcements that show the connection between what we're doing overseas and what happens here at home when it comes to job growth and economic growth," Obama said.
Officials are also at pains to temper Indian expectations about US support for permanent membership of the UN Security Council or easing of US export controls of high technology items to India with Obama calling it a very "complex issue".
National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer though left out an opening on Thursday saying, the two sides were "working through it" and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and others "have been very engaged with our Indian counterparts, and so we'll see where this ends up."
More than 200 business leaders, including those from the Fortune 200 to small and medium enterprises, are making the trip to India for the Obama visit.
During his India visit, Obama will meet top US business leaders, including India-born Pepsico chairperson Indra Nooyi, to "discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in India," according to the White House.
The business delegation meeting Obama will include Honeywell International Inc's David Cote, who co-chairs the India-US CEO Forum with Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, Boeing Co's Jim McNerney, General Electric Co's Jeffrey Immelt and Mcgraw Hill Companies' Terry McGraw, who is also USIBC chairman.
Louis Chênevert, CEO of aerospace major United Technologies Corporation and Ellen Kullman, chief executive of chemicals giant DuPont may also be joining.
Trade between the US and India more than doubled to $37 billion in 2009 compared with 2003, according to US Commerce Department data. In the first eight months of 2010, total trade topped $32 billion, Commerce figures show.
Ahead of Obama's trip, a major US trade association representing 300 top US companies doing business with India, has backed India's aspirations for a permanent Security seat as also removal of barriers to high technology trade
In a five-point agenda for advancing India-US economic partnership, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) also seeks a free trade agreement, educational collaboration, interventions to 'grow' agriculture; and infrastructure collaborations.
Washington is also eyeing some multi-billion-dollar defence deals, including a $10-billion project for 126 fighter bombers that the Indian Air Force plans to buy and for which two American companies-Boeing and Lockheed Martin-are among six contenders.
Obama will be the sixth president to visit India after Dwight D. Eisenhower (December 1959), Richard Nixon (July 1969), Jimmy Carter (January 1978), Bill Clinton (March 2000) and George Bush (March 2006).
source: agency
From Obama down, officials have held out prospects of significant announcements during his Nov 6-9 without spelling out the specifics, but the president himself has made clear his focus would be on selling US goods and creating jobs in the US.
That has been Obama's consistent message, more so since voters unhappy over the slow pace of recovery gave his Democratic party what has been called a "shellacking" in the mid-term elections.
On the India trip, "the primary purpose is to take a bunch of US companies and open up markets so that we can sell in Asia, in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and we can create jobs here in the United States of America," he said Thursday after a cabinet meeting to take stock after the debacle.
"And my hope is, is that we've got some specific announcements that show the connection between what we're doing overseas and what happens here at home when it comes to job growth and economic growth," Obama said.
Officials are also at pains to temper Indian expectations about US support for permanent membership of the UN Security Council or easing of US export controls of high technology items to India with Obama calling it a very "complex issue".
National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer though left out an opening on Thursday saying, the two sides were "working through it" and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and others "have been very engaged with our Indian counterparts, and so we'll see where this ends up."
More than 200 business leaders, including those from the Fortune 200 to small and medium enterprises, are making the trip to India for the Obama visit.
During his India visit, Obama will meet top US business leaders, including India-born Pepsico chairperson Indra Nooyi, to "discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in India," according to the White House.
The business delegation meeting Obama will include Honeywell International Inc's David Cote, who co-chairs the India-US CEO Forum with Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, Boeing Co's Jim McNerney, General Electric Co's Jeffrey Immelt and Mcgraw Hill Companies' Terry McGraw, who is also USIBC chairman.
Louis Chênevert, CEO of aerospace major United Technologies Corporation and Ellen Kullman, chief executive of chemicals giant DuPont may also be joining.
Trade between the US and India more than doubled to $37 billion in 2009 compared with 2003, according to US Commerce Department data. In the first eight months of 2010, total trade topped $32 billion, Commerce figures show.
Ahead of Obama's trip, a major US trade association representing 300 top US companies doing business with India, has backed India's aspirations for a permanent Security seat as also removal of barriers to high technology trade
In a five-point agenda for advancing India-US economic partnership, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) also seeks a free trade agreement, educational collaboration, interventions to 'grow' agriculture; and infrastructure collaborations.
Washington is also eyeing some multi-billion-dollar defence deals, including a $10-billion project for 126 fighter bombers that the Indian Air Force plans to buy and for which two American companies-Boeing and Lockheed Martin-are among six contenders.
Obama will be the sixth president to visit India after Dwight D. Eisenhower (December 1959), Richard Nixon (July 1969), Jimmy Carter (January 1978), Bill Clinton (March 2000) and George Bush (March 2006).
source: agency
More women respected in Pakistan than India: report
New Delhi: Compared to India, a higher percentage of women in Pakistan feel they are treated with respect, says a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report.
According to the report, 81 percent women in Pakistan are treated with respect as compared to 79 percent in India. Even Bangladesh - with 86 percent - fares better on this index than India.
The report, titled "The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development", had a global launch on Thursday evening and is the 20th anniversary edition.
India's other neighbours - Sri Lanka and Nepal - however, have fewer women feeling that they are treated with dignity. In Sri Lanka, the percentage is 75 percent and in Nepal it is 44 percent.
When it comes to overall life satisfaction, however, India leads its neighbours.
This index was measured on a scale of 0-10 (0 being the least satisfied), on the basis of perceptions of individual well-being and happiness.
In this context, India scored 5.5 in overall life satisfaction. Pakistan scored 5.4, Bangladesh 5.3, Nepal 5.3 and Sri Lanka 4.7.
While a greater percentage of people in India were satisfied with the standard of living and personal health, when it comes to job satisfaction, fewer Indians said they were satisfied.
As compared to 86 percent respondents in Sri Lanka, 80 percent in Nepal, 76 percent in Bangladesh and 77 percent in Pakistan, only 74 percent people in India who are employed said they were satisfied with their jobs.
India ranks 119 on the Human Development Index (HDI) among 169 countries, the report said.
source: agency
According to the report, 81 percent women in Pakistan are treated with respect as compared to 79 percent in India. Even Bangladesh - with 86 percent - fares better on this index than India.
The report, titled "The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development", had a global launch on Thursday evening and is the 20th anniversary edition.
India's other neighbours - Sri Lanka and Nepal - however, have fewer women feeling that they are treated with dignity. In Sri Lanka, the percentage is 75 percent and in Nepal it is 44 percent.
When it comes to overall life satisfaction, however, India leads its neighbours.
This index was measured on a scale of 0-10 (0 being the least satisfied), on the basis of perceptions of individual well-being and happiness.
In this context, India scored 5.5 in overall life satisfaction. Pakistan scored 5.4, Bangladesh 5.3, Nepal 5.3 and Sri Lanka 4.7.
While a greater percentage of people in India were satisfied with the standard of living and personal health, when it comes to job satisfaction, fewer Indians said they were satisfied.
As compared to 86 percent respondents in Sri Lanka, 80 percent in Nepal, 76 percent in Bangladesh and 77 percent in Pakistan, only 74 percent people in India who are employed said they were satisfied with their jobs.
India ranks 119 on the Human Development Index (HDI) among 169 countries, the report said.
source: agency
Musharraf disappointed over Obama skipping Pakistan
London: Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf has expressed disappointment that US President Barack Obama will not visit his country on the sidelines of his maiden trip to India, the media reported today.
"I would take it as a disappointment, yes, indeed," Musharraf told the media.
The former army chief also criticised Obama for not speaking about Kashmir, saying: "It doesn't resonate well with the people of Pakistan."
"They take it that the US or the president of the US is not that concerned about Pakistan's own sensitivities and interests," he said.
Musharraf, who seized power in 1999, ruled Pakistan as the military dictator when the US with western allies invaded Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attack. He stepped down in 2008 and left Pakistan. He now lives in London.
Obama was en route on Friday for Mumbai and New Delhi on a trip aimed at convincing India that he wants to push ahead relations between the world's two largest democracies after an early focus on Pakistan and China, the report said.
For many US policy-makers, it would be unthinkable for Obama to visit Pakistan on the sidelines of the long-promoted trip as Obama is hoping to show India that he sees it as a global power and not simply as a regional player.
But Obama has a delicate balancing act as he has also tried to convince Pakistan that he sees the country as more than simply a conduit into Afghanistan for war operations.
Ahead of the India trip, Obama invited Musharraf's civilian successor, President Asif Ali Zardari, for a future visit to Washington and announced that he would travel to Pakistan next year.
source: agency
"I would take it as a disappointment, yes, indeed," Musharraf told the media.
The former army chief also criticised Obama for not speaking about Kashmir, saying: "It doesn't resonate well with the people of Pakistan."
"They take it that the US or the president of the US is not that concerned about Pakistan's own sensitivities and interests," he said.
Musharraf, who seized power in 1999, ruled Pakistan as the military dictator when the US with western allies invaded Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attack. He stepped down in 2008 and left Pakistan. He now lives in London.
Obama was en route on Friday for Mumbai and New Delhi on a trip aimed at convincing India that he wants to push ahead relations between the world's two largest democracies after an early focus on Pakistan and China, the report said.
For many US policy-makers, it would be unthinkable for Obama to visit Pakistan on the sidelines of the long-promoted trip as Obama is hoping to show India that he sees it as a global power and not simply as a regional player.
But Obama has a delicate balancing act as he has also tried to convince Pakistan that he sees the country as more than simply a conduit into Afghanistan for war operations.
Ahead of the India trip, Obama invited Musharraf's civilian successor, President Asif Ali Zardari, for a future visit to Washington and announced that he would travel to Pakistan next year.
source: agency
Barack Obama uses chopper for short Mumbai flight
Mumbai: Marine One helicopter, used by Barack Obama for a short flight after landing here today, ferries the American president to avoid traffic snarls in cities he goes to.
Obama disembarked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport from Air Force One and boarded the waiting Marine One chopper that flew him to the Indian naval base INS Shikra.
Not just during foreign trips, the Marine One is extensively used when the president travels within the US.
According to the media, there have been, over time, many different helicopters used for the US president's transport.
These include the Bell UH-1 Huey, the Sikorsky CH-3 Sea King, the Sikorsky CH-34C Choctaw, the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight, the Bell 47-J Sioux, and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
According to defence analyst Daniel Goure, the new Marine One must be able to fully protect the president.
"The president will be able to do anything and everything he does on Air Force One or from the national command post in the White House," Goure has said.
The media said the future "Marine One" would be one of the world's most technologically advanced choppers. It would be designed to safely and reliably transport the president at home and abroad.
source: agency
Obama disembarked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport from Air Force One and boarded the waiting Marine One chopper that flew him to the Indian naval base INS Shikra.
Not just during foreign trips, the Marine One is extensively used when the president travels within the US.
According to the media, there have been, over time, many different helicopters used for the US president's transport.
These include the Bell UH-1 Huey, the Sikorsky CH-3 Sea King, the Sikorsky CH-34C Choctaw, the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight, the Bell 47-J Sioux, and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
According to defence analyst Daniel Goure, the new Marine One must be able to fully protect the president.
"The president will be able to do anything and everything he does on Air Force One or from the national command post in the White House," Goure has said.
The media said the future "Marine One" would be one of the world's most technologically advanced choppers. It would be designed to safely and reliably transport the president at home and abroad.
source: agency
20101105
Say no to crackers, Himachal CM urges children
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today appealed to children to say no to crackers and celebrate Diwali with lights.
"To prevent pollution and reduce our carbon footprints for a cleaner Himachal, let us spread the light and not smoke. Celebrate a safe and pollution-free Diwali," Dhumal said in a message in various newspapers.
In an appeal to children, Dhumal said indiscriminate use of crackers alarmingly increases the level of toxic chemicals in the air and noise, which is not only detrimental to the environment but also affects the eyes, throat and respiratory system.
The message was issued by the state pollution control board.
"To prevent pollution and reduce our carbon footprints for a cleaner Himachal, let us spread the light and not smoke. Celebrate a safe and pollution-free Diwali," Dhumal said in a message in various newspapers.
In an appeal to children, Dhumal said indiscriminate use of crackers alarmingly increases the level of toxic chemicals in the air and noise, which is not only detrimental to the environment but also affects the eyes, throat and respiratory system.
The message was issued by the state pollution control board.
Misty Diwali morning in Delhi, chilly evening ahead
New Delhi: It was a misty Diwali morning for Delhiites today as the city saw a thin layer of fog. And the weatherman said it could get chilly by the evening.
"The skies will remain clear during the daytime but the evening will be cold and there will be a nip in the air," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.
The minimum temperature was recorded a notch above average at 15.5 degrees Celsius and the maximum is expected to hover around 29 degrees.
The humidity levels will waver between a high of 94 percent and a low of 49 percent, the official added.
"The skies will remain clear during the daytime but the evening will be cold and there will be a nip in the air," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.
The minimum temperature was recorded a notch above average at 15.5 degrees Celsius and the maximum is expected to hover around 29 degrees.
The humidity levels will waver between a high of 94 percent and a low of 49 percent, the official added.
I'm tired of singing film songs: Asha Bhosle
Mumbai: From romantic film songs to cabaret to ghazals - the legendary Asha Bhosle has sung them all in her six-decade long career and says she has now minimised her presence in film music because she has had enough of playback singing.
"People retire at the age of 50, but I'm still singing and have sung so much. Singing 13,000 songs is not an easy task. I've sung so many songs with great singers, great music directors. Now I'm tired," Asha, 77, told media in an interview.
"Now whenever I get offered something very special then I will definitely sing, but otherwise I've sung enough. I've left no genre. Today you pick any song and you won't be able to say that Asha has not sung a song like this," she added.
It's not that the crooner has stopped singing and she now concentrates on world concerts.
"I still sing and will keep doing that till I can. I do shows. I like it when I sing in English or Spanish or in any other language. I feel good," said Asha.
The Padma Vibhushan awardee, who is the younger sister of veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar, is known for her versatility and inimitable style and stresses on the fact that every singer should possess that.
"Everyone should form one's own style because when you copy someone then it's not your own style. Lata didi is a great singer, but I never copied her style because I didn't want to become like her.
"I never wanted people to say that Asha sings like Lata. Asha and Lata are different and I like it that way," said the singer, whose work profile includes film music, pop, ghazals and bhajans to traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis and Rabindra Sangeet.
The singer has recently been named the goodwill ambassador of the Chevrolet Global Indian Music Awards (GIMA).
"I really like the concept of these awards and I have a lot of responsibility on my head as goodwill ambassador of this initiative. New singers and good music that is lost will come out with these awards," she said.
"It's very important to get good music in the forefront; otherwise the music of India is getting finished," she added.
Asha, known for songs like "Dum maro dum", "Mehbooba mehbooba", "Mera kuch saaman", "Piya tu ab to aaja" and "Chura liya hai tum ne" and her masterpieces in "Umrao Jaan", including "Dil cheez kya hai", believes that today's singers don't get their due.
"Me and other singers of my time were lucky to get a chance to sing film as well as non-film music. But today's singers face many problems. Even though they sing well, they don't get a chance. They don't get recognition and that's very sad.
"People don't even come to know who the singer is or who has written a song. Only composers get the credit. No one else gets credit," she said the singer who has sung in over 18 languages including Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay and Malayalam.
"People retire at the age of 50, but I'm still singing and have sung so much. Singing 13,000 songs is not an easy task. I've sung so many songs with great singers, great music directors. Now I'm tired," Asha, 77, told media in an interview.
"Now whenever I get offered something very special then I will definitely sing, but otherwise I've sung enough. I've left no genre. Today you pick any song and you won't be able to say that Asha has not sung a song like this," she added.
It's not that the crooner has stopped singing and she now concentrates on world concerts.
"I still sing and will keep doing that till I can. I do shows. I like it when I sing in English or Spanish or in any other language. I feel good," said Asha.
The Padma Vibhushan awardee, who is the younger sister of veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar, is known for her versatility and inimitable style and stresses on the fact that every singer should possess that.
"Everyone should form one's own style because when you copy someone then it's not your own style. Lata didi is a great singer, but I never copied her style because I didn't want to become like her.
"I never wanted people to say that Asha sings like Lata. Asha and Lata are different and I like it that way," said the singer, whose work profile includes film music, pop, ghazals and bhajans to traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis and Rabindra Sangeet.
The singer has recently been named the goodwill ambassador of the Chevrolet Global Indian Music Awards (GIMA).
"I really like the concept of these awards and I have a lot of responsibility on my head as goodwill ambassador of this initiative. New singers and good music that is lost will come out with these awards," she said.
"It's very important to get good music in the forefront; otherwise the music of India is getting finished," she added.
Asha, known for songs like "Dum maro dum", "Mehbooba mehbooba", "Mera kuch saaman", "Piya tu ab to aaja" and "Chura liya hai tum ne" and her masterpieces in "Umrao Jaan", including "Dil cheez kya hai", believes that today's singers don't get their due.
"Me and other singers of my time were lucky to get a chance to sing film as well as non-film music. But today's singers face many problems. Even though they sing well, they don't get a chance. They don't get recognition and that's very sad.
"People don't even come to know who the singer is or who has written a song. Only composers get the credit. No one else gets credit," she said the singer who has sung in over 18 languages including Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay and Malayalam.
'Golmaal 3' completes a rib-tickling trilogy
New Delhi: It is touted as the first trilogy of Indian commercial cinema. It's about time that the distant cousin of Hollywood had one. Yet, what's important is that Bollywood did not need to have trilogies as one hit film has the habit of spawning a whole generation of films that look and feel like the original. "Golmaal 3" also suffers from that syndrome. Thankfully, it only feels like its previous avatars.
Despite retaining most characters from its previous outings, "Golmaal 3" enters a hitherto uncharted territory. Madhav (Warsi), Laxman (Khemu) and Lucky (Kapoor) are the three scheming sons of Pritam (Mithun) who manage to lure Vasooli (Mukesh Tiwari) into one scheme after another.
However, as luck would have it, in everything they start, they find competition from three other down-on-their-luck kids Gopal (Ajay Devgn), Laxman (Shreyas Talapade) and Dabbu (Kareena Kapoor) with funding from Puppy bhai (Johnny Lever). Gopal and Laxman are the sons of Geeta (Ratna Pathak Shah).
Inevitably, locking horns they end up destroying each others businesses. What the two groups don't know is that their parents are unrequited ex-lovers. When Dabbu finds out she schemes and unites the two lovers in a marriage without letting their children know about their step-brothers. All hell breaks loose when they finally find out and a hilarious war engulfs between the two groups right under their parents noses.
Like its predecessors "Golmaal 3" has enough laughs going through the film to keep the momentum. Johnny Lever as the Ghajini-style forgetful don who adopts a new filmy avatar every few minutes has the audience in splits. The few spoofs of old Hindi films, full of camera pans and quick zooms, will nostalgically tickle the funny bone. The twists of various popular phrases and known adages, raises more than a chuckle.
Mithun gets to do his "Disco Dancer" once again. Theatre veteran Ratna Pathak-Shah waltzes through the film with aplomb. Arshad Warsi is his usual tapori self while Shreyas Talapade and Kunal Khemu do a good job. It is however the beefed up Tushar Kapoor who seems to be trying too hard, and despite raising giggles, fails to arouse laughter. In the first part he, looking the most vulnerable, was the funniest of the lot.
Director Rohit Shetty tries his best in merging comic vignettes into one comprehensible film. However, had it not been for the funny dialogues, his lack of directorial verve would have shone out. He is spared the fate by some ingenious dialogue writing by Robin Bhatt ("Aashiqui", "Sadak", "Baazigar") and Yunus Sajawal.
Now that Bollywood finally has a trilogy, will it please also make one that also has some real standing in the world of cinema?
Despite retaining most characters from its previous outings, "Golmaal 3" enters a hitherto uncharted territory. Madhav (Warsi), Laxman (Khemu) and Lucky (Kapoor) are the three scheming sons of Pritam (Mithun) who manage to lure Vasooli (Mukesh Tiwari) into one scheme after another.
However, as luck would have it, in everything they start, they find competition from three other down-on-their-luck kids Gopal (Ajay Devgn), Laxman (Shreyas Talapade) and Dabbu (Kareena Kapoor) with funding from Puppy bhai (Johnny Lever). Gopal and Laxman are the sons of Geeta (Ratna Pathak Shah).
Inevitably, locking horns they end up destroying each others businesses. What the two groups don't know is that their parents are unrequited ex-lovers. When Dabbu finds out she schemes and unites the two lovers in a marriage without letting their children know about their step-brothers. All hell breaks loose when they finally find out and a hilarious war engulfs between the two groups right under their parents noses.
Like its predecessors "Golmaal 3" has enough laughs going through the film to keep the momentum. Johnny Lever as the Ghajini-style forgetful don who adopts a new filmy avatar every few minutes has the audience in splits. The few spoofs of old Hindi films, full of camera pans and quick zooms, will nostalgically tickle the funny bone. The twists of various popular phrases and known adages, raises more than a chuckle.
Mithun gets to do his "Disco Dancer" once again. Theatre veteran Ratna Pathak-Shah waltzes through the film with aplomb. Arshad Warsi is his usual tapori self while Shreyas Talapade and Kunal Khemu do a good job. It is however the beefed up Tushar Kapoor who seems to be trying too hard, and despite raising giggles, fails to arouse laughter. In the first part he, looking the most vulnerable, was the funniest of the lot.
Director Rohit Shetty tries his best in merging comic vignettes into one comprehensible film. However, had it not been for the funny dialogues, his lack of directorial verve would have shone out. He is spared the fate by some ingenious dialogue writing by Robin Bhatt ("Aashiqui", "Sadak", "Baazigar") and Yunus Sajawal.
Now that Bollywood finally has a trilogy, will it please also make one that also has some real standing in the world of cinema?
Akshay visits Hadimba temple for 'Action Replayy' success
New Delhi: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar went to the Hadimba Devi temple in Kullu Manali today to pray for the success of his film "Action Replayy", releasing on Friday.
"I quickly flew from Dubai to Delhi where I waited for the fog to clear so I could fly to Kullu Manali to visit the wonderful Hadimba Temple. This is where I came when shooting with Ash," Akshay posted on his Twitter page.
The actor was in Dubai with co-star Aishwarya Rai for the premiere of "Action Replayy" on Tuesday.
"I promised I would return before my movie released and here I am sitting at the foot of the temple surrounded by Yaks and the biggest of smiles on my face. I feel at so much peace right now… that's all I can ask for," he added.
Akshay, who is currently seen on the small screen as the host of Star Plus' "Master Chef India", will be flying back to Mumbai for Diwali.
"I'm now quickly flying back to my family so we can start celebrating Diwali together. I know my wife, with a little help from (my son) Aarav has decorated our home while I was gone. And I can't wait to get back and see it," he posted.
"I quickly flew from Dubai to Delhi where I waited for the fog to clear so I could fly to Kullu Manali to visit the wonderful Hadimba Temple. This is where I came when shooting with Ash," Akshay posted on his Twitter page.
The actor was in Dubai with co-star Aishwarya Rai for the premiere of "Action Replayy" on Tuesday.
"I promised I would return before my movie released and here I am sitting at the foot of the temple surrounded by Yaks and the biggest of smiles on my face. I feel at so much peace right now… that's all I can ask for," he added.
Akshay, who is currently seen on the small screen as the host of Star Plus' "Master Chef India", will be flying back to Mumbai for Diwali.
"I'm now quickly flying back to my family so we can start celebrating Diwali together. I know my wife, with a little help from (my son) Aarav has decorated our home while I was gone. And I can't wait to get back and see it," he posted.
Tight security, alert in Kashmir ahead of Obama visit
Srinagar: Security across the Kashmir Valley has been tightened and an alert sounded ahead of US President Barack Obama's four-day India trip. Also, curfew was re-imposed in parts of Srinagar though separatists have not called for a shutdown on Diwali.
"Extraordinary security arrangements have been made across the state and a general alert has been sounded throughout to ensure that militants don't carry out any major strike," a senior intelligence officer here said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that he was more concerened about Obama's visit than his Maharashtra counterpart although the US president would not be coming to Kashmir.
Obama arrives in Mumbai Saturday and heads to New Delhi Sunday.
Abdullah said that separatist guerrillas might try and attempt something that would focus the US president's attention on Kashmir.
The apprehensions of the state government about the guerrillas attempting a major strike in the state stem from the massacre staged way back in March 2000 when then US president Bill Clinton visited India.
On March 28, 2000, unidentified gunmen killed 35 Sikh villagers in Chattisinghpora village of south Kashmir Anantnag district.
The identity of the perpetrators of that massacre is still shrouded in mystery although the state government maintains it was carried out by separatist guerrillas.
"Minority pockets throughout the state have been put on extraordinary vigil and deployments around sensitive installations have been strengthened," the intelligence officer said.
"We have taken all possible steps to defeat any designs by militants," he added.
Other senior officers responsible for counter-insurgency operations say they have increased their offensive against militants to keep them at bay.
"Attack is the best form of defence. We have increased our offensive against the militants and this is the most effective way of preventing them from planning something big," an officer on counter-insurgency duties in the Valley said.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has asked people to observe civil curfew during Obama's India visit and ensure that the shutdown called by his group is successful.
"This is very essential to tell the world, especially the US president, that permanent peace will continue to elude South Asia unless the people of Kashmir are given their inalienable right to freedom," Geelani said here.
Authorities, meanwhile, imposed curfew in eight police station areas in summer capital Srinagar to prevent post Friday prayer violence.
The separatists, however, have not called for any shutdown or protests today so that the non-Muslims living here are able to celebrate Diwali without any hardship.
"Extraordinary security arrangements have been made across the state and a general alert has been sounded throughout to ensure that militants don't carry out any major strike," a senior intelligence officer here said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that he was more concerened about Obama's visit than his Maharashtra counterpart although the US president would not be coming to Kashmir.
Obama arrives in Mumbai Saturday and heads to New Delhi Sunday.
Abdullah said that separatist guerrillas might try and attempt something that would focus the US president's attention on Kashmir.
The apprehensions of the state government about the guerrillas attempting a major strike in the state stem from the massacre staged way back in March 2000 when then US president Bill Clinton visited India.
On March 28, 2000, unidentified gunmen killed 35 Sikh villagers in Chattisinghpora village of south Kashmir Anantnag district.
The identity of the perpetrators of that massacre is still shrouded in mystery although the state government maintains it was carried out by separatist guerrillas.
"Minority pockets throughout the state have been put on extraordinary vigil and deployments around sensitive installations have been strengthened," the intelligence officer said.
"We have taken all possible steps to defeat any designs by militants," he added.
Other senior officers responsible for counter-insurgency operations say they have increased their offensive against militants to keep them at bay.
"Attack is the best form of defence. We have increased our offensive against the militants and this is the most effective way of preventing them from planning something big," an officer on counter-insurgency duties in the Valley said.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has asked people to observe civil curfew during Obama's India visit and ensure that the shutdown called by his group is successful.
"This is very essential to tell the world, especially the US president, that permanent peace will continue to elude South Asia unless the people of Kashmir are given their inalienable right to freedom," Geelani said here.
Authorities, meanwhile, imposed curfew in eight police station areas in summer capital Srinagar to prevent post Friday prayer violence.
The separatists, however, have not called for any shutdown or protests today so that the non-Muslims living here are able to celebrate Diwali without any hardship.
Kashmir bilateral issue between India and Pakistan: US
Washington: With President Barack Obama arriving in India on Saturday, the US has reiterated its hands off approach on Kashmir saying while it supported an India-Pakistan dialogue, "clearly it is something that the two need to resolve" directly.
"As you've heard repeatedly from others in the Administration, we support and encourage ongoing efforts between India and Pakistan to resolve their issues directly," US National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer said on Thursday.
"We've seen some efforts in the past and the meetings that they've had are encouraging, but clearly it is something that the two need to resolve," he said briefing foreign media on Obama's "very important trip to Asia".
The 10-day trip takes Obama to India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan and includes two major economic summits, the G-20 in Seoul and the APEC summit in Yokohama.
Asked by a Pakistani correspondent how Islamabad should view Obama's visit to India, Hammer said: "The United States does enjoy very positive and fruitful relations with both countries, with both India and Pakistan. And one is not at the expense of the other."
On the issue of sharing information on Pakistani American David Headley, who has confessed to his role in 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Hammer said US had provided India access to Headley and "shared information relating to terrorist threats as we had them at the time that we had them."
"The Director of National Intelligence was conducting an after-action review to look back and see if there are lessons learned that can be taken from whatever information was out there," he said.
Hammer said US enjoys "terrific and excellent counterterrorism cooperation with India," and Obama "administration in particular has gone to great lengths to make sure that we are working together."
"Both India and the United States suffered tragic losses in the Mumbai bombing and it's a shared experience. And we both. want to ensure that incidents like this never occur."
"In the broad umbrella, I can assure you that strengthening counterterrorism cooperation will be on the agenda" of talks between President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said.
On US companies' concerns about the nuclear liability law despite India signing the Convention on Supplementary Compensation, Hammer said the US saw it as "a positive step" and "It's something that's continuing to be worked and that the American companies are addressing themselves."
"As you've heard repeatedly from others in the Administration, we support and encourage ongoing efforts between India and Pakistan to resolve their issues directly," US National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer said on Thursday.
"We've seen some efforts in the past and the meetings that they've had are encouraging, but clearly it is something that the two need to resolve," he said briefing foreign media on Obama's "very important trip to Asia".
The 10-day trip takes Obama to India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan and includes two major economic summits, the G-20 in Seoul and the APEC summit in Yokohama.
Asked by a Pakistani correspondent how Islamabad should view Obama's visit to India, Hammer said: "The United States does enjoy very positive and fruitful relations with both countries, with both India and Pakistan. And one is not at the expense of the other."
On the issue of sharing information on Pakistani American David Headley, who has confessed to his role in 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Hammer said US had provided India access to Headley and "shared information relating to terrorist threats as we had them at the time that we had them."
"The Director of National Intelligence was conducting an after-action review to look back and see if there are lessons learned that can be taken from whatever information was out there," he said.
Hammer said US enjoys "terrific and excellent counterterrorism cooperation with India," and Obama "administration in particular has gone to great lengths to make sure that we are working together."
"Both India and the United States suffered tragic losses in the Mumbai bombing and it's a shared experience. And we both. want to ensure that incidents like this never occur."
"In the broad umbrella, I can assure you that strengthening counterterrorism cooperation will be on the agenda" of talks between President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said.
On US companies' concerns about the nuclear liability law despite India signing the Convention on Supplementary Compensation, Hammer said the US saw it as "a positive step" and "It's something that's continuing to be worked and that the American companies are addressing themselves."
Nikki Haley victory triumph for Indian diaspora in North America
Toronto: Ecstatic over the victory of Nikki Randhawa Haley as governor of South Carolina in the US on Tuesday, Indian Canadian lawmakers have congratulated the fellow Indian-origin leader for making it to the top position.
"It is really a great and sweet moment for us in the Indian diaspora that an Indian-origin woman has made to the top in the US. I am really excited by Nikki's victory,'' MP Nina Grewal, who in 2004 became the first Indian-origin woman MP in Canadian history, told the media.
"For me, her victory is a reminder of how much the Indian diaspora has accomplished here (in North America). Nikki has made us all very very proud,'' said Grewal who, like Nikki Haley, traces her roots to Punjab.
Considering that America is now going through some very tough times, Grewal said, "It will a test for Nikki to tackle the crisis and I am sure she will turn out to be a great leader.''
For top Indian Canadian leader Ujjal Dosanjh, who too made history 10 years ago by becoming the first-ever non-white premier of any province in Canada when he won the top post in British Columbia in 2000, Nikki's victory was another sign of the spread of diversity in North America.
"I am pleased that browns are making to the top along with the blacks in the US. I am happy that diversity is spreading everywhere (from Canada to the US) and this is a new era. After Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana), Nikki is the second person of Indian origin to become a governor in the US,'' Dosanjh, who till 2008 also served as Canada's health minister, told the media.
He said, "Her victory is doubly significant because she is not only of Indian origin but also a woman.''
Deepak Obhrai, who as parliamentary secretary is the highest-ranking Indian Canadian in the current government, said, "Every time someone from our community reaches high office, it is a momentous occasion for all of us.
"Nikki's success sends a very strong message about the strength of our community globally.''
Obhrai said India's greatest export to the world are its people.
"That's what I told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he was here in June. We have made a name for ourselves wherever we have gone and the Indian diaspora is breaking new ground everyday,'' said Obhrai who in 1997 became the first Hindu MP of the Canadian parliament.
"It is really a great and sweet moment for us in the Indian diaspora that an Indian-origin woman has made to the top in the US. I am really excited by Nikki's victory,'' MP Nina Grewal, who in 2004 became the first Indian-origin woman MP in Canadian history, told the media.
"For me, her victory is a reminder of how much the Indian diaspora has accomplished here (in North America). Nikki has made us all very very proud,'' said Grewal who, like Nikki Haley, traces her roots to Punjab.
Considering that America is now going through some very tough times, Grewal said, "It will a test for Nikki to tackle the crisis and I am sure she will turn out to be a great leader.''
For top Indian Canadian leader Ujjal Dosanjh, who too made history 10 years ago by becoming the first-ever non-white premier of any province in Canada when he won the top post in British Columbia in 2000, Nikki's victory was another sign of the spread of diversity in North America.
"I am pleased that browns are making to the top along with the blacks in the US. I am happy that diversity is spreading everywhere (from Canada to the US) and this is a new era. After Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana), Nikki is the second person of Indian origin to become a governor in the US,'' Dosanjh, who till 2008 also served as Canada's health minister, told the media.
He said, "Her victory is doubly significant because she is not only of Indian origin but also a woman.''
Deepak Obhrai, who as parliamentary secretary is the highest-ranking Indian Canadian in the current government, said, "Every time someone from our community reaches high office, it is a momentous occasion for all of us.
"Nikki's success sends a very strong message about the strength of our community globally.''
Obhrai said India's greatest export to the world are its people.
"That's what I told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he was here in June. We have made a name for ourselves wherever we have gone and the Indian diaspora is breaking new ground everyday,'' said Obhrai who in 1997 became the first Hindu MP of the Canadian parliament.
20101104
Let Rahul Gandhi first learn politics: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata: Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday brushed aside queries on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to West Bengal to strengthen his party, saying the young leader first needed to learn the nuances of politics. "I don't want to say anything about his (Rahul Gandhi) visit to Bengal. Please don't ask me to say anything on him. Ask me about Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi, I will talk. I can comment on those people with whom I have worked in politics.
"But I want to say one thing. It's good that he is in politics. He has my blessings, but first let him cut his teeth in politics," Banerjee said in an interview to private Bengali news channel Star Ananda when asked about her reaction to Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to the state.
Gandhi was on a tour to West Bengal Sep 14-16 to boost the Youth Congress' membership drive in the state.
When asked whether she is trying to imply that Gandhi was a kid in politics, Banerjee said: "I am not saying any such thing. You are saying."
She added that every party had the right to strengthen its organisation. "That is ok".
Prior to Gandhi's September visit to the state, Banerjee - without naming him - had said: "I am not a seasonal Cuckoo which comes and goes."
Banerjee's comment had drawn sharp reactions in the Congress with most of its leaders condemning her.
The Congress and the Trinamool had forged an alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls to decimate the ruling Left Front.
However, the two parties failed to clinch a seat sharing deal in the civic elections earlier this year, with the Congress leaders repeatedly complaining to the leadership that they were not been treated with dignity by Banerjee.
This prompted Gandhi to say "There can be no alliance without dignity. We will extend our hand but not bow our heads."
-agency report
"But I want to say one thing. It's good that he is in politics. He has my blessings, but first let him cut his teeth in politics," Banerjee said in an interview to private Bengali news channel Star Ananda when asked about her reaction to Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to the state.
Gandhi was on a tour to West Bengal Sep 14-16 to boost the Youth Congress' membership drive in the state.
When asked whether she is trying to imply that Gandhi was a kid in politics, Banerjee said: "I am not saying any such thing. You are saying."
She added that every party had the right to strengthen its organisation. "That is ok".
Prior to Gandhi's September visit to the state, Banerjee - without naming him - had said: "I am not a seasonal Cuckoo which comes and goes."
Banerjee's comment had drawn sharp reactions in the Congress with most of its leaders condemning her.
The Congress and the Trinamool had forged an alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls to decimate the ruling Left Front.
However, the two parties failed to clinch a seat sharing deal in the civic elections earlier this year, with the Congress leaders repeatedly complaining to the leadership that they were not been treated with dignity by Banerjee.
This prompted Gandhi to say "There can be no alliance without dignity. We will extend our hand but not bow our heads."
-agency report
984 anti-Sikh riots: Canadian party seeks justice
Toronto: Canadian opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), which is desperately trying to woo the Sikh community, today described the anti-Sikh riots following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination as "the tragic pogroms of 1984 that targeted Sikh men, women and children".
"The New Democratic Party of Canada stands in solidarity with the Sikh community, demands justice for the survivors and an explanation for why and how this community was targeted by organised mobs and government officials," NDP leader Jack Layton said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said, "The victims and survivors of 1984 cannot sit idly by, waiting for the Indian government to recognise their plight and frustration. Rehabilitation and support for the broken families, especially the widows, must be prioritised.
"The negligence of the police must be examined. The truth and those guilty must be brought to justice."
He said, "These are not demands - these are obligations of a democratic government to its people."
Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in the communal frenzy in the days following Indira Gandhi's assassination Oct 31, 1984.
The Sikh community in Canada is traditionally drawn to the main opposition Liberal Party. But the left-leaning NDP is trying to woo them to its side.
To boost its standing in the community, the party also demanded the restoration Punjabi commentary by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on ice hockey at night.
"We would like to bring to your immediate attention the fact that CBC Television has cancelled the Punjabi broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada. We urge you to reinstate this broadcast for the Punjabi-speaking community across the country," two MPs of the party wrote to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore on Wednesday.
The MPs said, "As are you are aware, CBC initiated the weekly Punjabi broadcast across Canada in 2008. Since then, watching the games has become a household tradition enjoyed by the entire family - from grandparents to grandchildren.
"It is been a bonding experience that also provided new immigrants an opportunity to learn about Canada's favourite sport and get a taste of Canadian culture."
"The New Democratic Party of Canada stands in solidarity with the Sikh community, demands justice for the survivors and an explanation for why and how this community was targeted by organised mobs and government officials," NDP leader Jack Layton said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said, "The victims and survivors of 1984 cannot sit idly by, waiting for the Indian government to recognise their plight and frustration. Rehabilitation and support for the broken families, especially the widows, must be prioritised.
"The negligence of the police must be examined. The truth and those guilty must be brought to justice."
He said, "These are not demands - these are obligations of a democratic government to its people."
Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in the communal frenzy in the days following Indira Gandhi's assassination Oct 31, 1984.
The Sikh community in Canada is traditionally drawn to the main opposition Liberal Party. But the left-leaning NDP is trying to woo them to its side.
To boost its standing in the community, the party also demanded the restoration Punjabi commentary by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on ice hockey at night.
"We would like to bring to your immediate attention the fact that CBC Television has cancelled the Punjabi broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada. We urge you to reinstate this broadcast for the Punjabi-speaking community across the country," two MPs of the party wrote to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore on Wednesday.
The MPs said, "As are you are aware, CBC initiated the weekly Punjabi broadcast across Canada in 2008. Since then, watching the games has become a household tradition enjoyed by the entire family - from grandparents to grandchildren.
"It is been a bonding experience that also provided new immigrants an opportunity to learn about Canada's favourite sport and get a taste of Canadian culture."
Kamala Harris winning in California attorney general race
Washington: After a dramatic turn around, Indian-American Kamala Harris is clinging to a razor-thin majority in the race to be attorney general of California. But the race is still not over. And it won't be for weeks to come.
Initially trailing, Democrat Harris, daughter of an Indian mother and African-American father, pulled ahead of her Republican opponent Steve Cooley overnight and, with over seven million votes counted, was winning by two-tenths of a percentage point, or 14,800 votes on Wednesday night.
But tens of thousands of provisional, absentee and damaged ballots still have to be tallied, and both campaigns expect that it will be weeks before the final numbers are in.
Harris' campaign says they are confident they'll pull out the win, while Cooley's camp isn't making any bets. They had declared victory around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, but Harris kept creeping up and by early on Wednesday pulled ahead.
If her victory holds, Harris would become the first Indian-African-American and first woman ever to hold the job of California attorney general.
Born and raised in the East Bay, Harris was elected as the first woman district attorney in San Francisco's history in December 2003, and as the first African-American woman and South Asian American woman in California to hold the office.
She was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in November 2007.
In the only presidential endorsement of an Indian-American candidate, President Barack Obama had said: "Kamala has done a remarkable job in San Francisco. Now it's time to send her to Sacramento so she can get those same results for all Californians-but she needs our help if she's going to win this race."
Harris is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a Tamilian breast cancer specialist who came to the US from Chennai, to pursue her graduate studies at University of California, Berkeley.
After attending public schools, her strong commitment to justice and public service led her to Howard University, America's oldest historically Black university, and then to the University of California and Hastings College of the Law.
Harris was recognised as a 'Woman of Power' by the National Urban League and received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the National Black Prosecutors Association.
She has featured on the Oprah Show and in Newsweek as one of "America's 20 Most Powerful Women".
source: agency
Initially trailing, Democrat Harris, daughter of an Indian mother and African-American father, pulled ahead of her Republican opponent Steve Cooley overnight and, with over seven million votes counted, was winning by two-tenths of a percentage point, or 14,800 votes on Wednesday night.
But tens of thousands of provisional, absentee and damaged ballots still have to be tallied, and both campaigns expect that it will be weeks before the final numbers are in.
Harris' campaign says they are confident they'll pull out the win, while Cooley's camp isn't making any bets. They had declared victory around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, but Harris kept creeping up and by early on Wednesday pulled ahead.
If her victory holds, Harris would become the first Indian-African-American and first woman ever to hold the job of California attorney general.
Born and raised in the East Bay, Harris was elected as the first woman district attorney in San Francisco's history in December 2003, and as the first African-American woman and South Asian American woman in California to hold the office.
She was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in November 2007.
In the only presidential endorsement of an Indian-American candidate, President Barack Obama had said: "Kamala has done a remarkable job in San Francisco. Now it's time to send her to Sacramento so she can get those same results for all Californians-but she needs our help if she's going to win this race."
Harris is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a Tamilian breast cancer specialist who came to the US from Chennai, to pursue her graduate studies at University of California, Berkeley.
After attending public schools, her strong commitment to justice and public service led her to Howard University, America's oldest historically Black university, and then to the University of California and Hastings College of the Law.
Harris was recognised as a 'Woman of Power' by the National Urban League and received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the National Black Prosecutors Association.
She has featured on the Oprah Show and in Newsweek as one of "America's 20 Most Powerful Women".
source: agency
Defeated Obama to focus on opening up markets on Asia trip
Washington: "Humbled" in defeat, US President Barack Obama has vowed to "re-set" the button with American business by focusing his trip to Asia, starting with India, on opening up markets to create more jobs at home.
"As I plan for my trip later this week to Asia, the whole focus is on how are we going to open up markets so that American businesses can prosper, and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the United States," he said on Wednesday the day after his Democratic party's rout in the mid-term poll.
"And a whole bunch of corporate executives are going to be joining us so that I can help them open up those markets and allow them to sell their products," said Obama promising to "work harder" to build consensus and admitting that on Tuesday had been a long night for him.
"Some election nights are more fun than others," he told reporters in the East Room of the White House. "Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling."
Obama blamed the anaemic economy for the "shellacking" his fellow Democrats experienced, but also acknowledged his policies hadn't done enough to bring down high unemployment.
"I've got to take direct responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make," he said.
His administration has "stabilised" the economy and spurred private-sector hiring, "but people all across America aren't feeling that progress," Obama said.
Obama faced the media the day after Republicans seized control of the House with a 238-185 majority in the 435-member House and whittled down the Democratic majority in the Senate from 59 to 52 seats in the 100-member Senate Obama acknowledged that he has to push a "reset button" with businesses in America, who he said believe that they have been treated unfairly.
Upon reflection, businesses have drawn the conclusion from his policies that they are "the bad guys" and he accepted responsibility for managing that message poorly, he said.
Going forward he will need to make "absolutely clear that the only way America succeeds is if businesses are succeeding," he said
The "shellacking" he received by the voters on Tuesday made him realise how important it is for a president to get out of the "bubble" of the White House.
"When you're in this place, it is hard not to seem removed," he said.
"As I plan for my trip later this week to Asia, the whole focus is on how are we going to open up markets so that American businesses can prosper, and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the United States," he said on Wednesday the day after his Democratic party's rout in the mid-term poll.
"And a whole bunch of corporate executives are going to be joining us so that I can help them open up those markets and allow them to sell their products," said Obama promising to "work harder" to build consensus and admitting that on Tuesday had been a long night for him.
"Some election nights are more fun than others," he told reporters in the East Room of the White House. "Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling."
Obama blamed the anaemic economy for the "shellacking" his fellow Democrats experienced, but also acknowledged his policies hadn't done enough to bring down high unemployment.
"I've got to take direct responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make," he said.
His administration has "stabilised" the economy and spurred private-sector hiring, "but people all across America aren't feeling that progress," Obama said.
Obama faced the media the day after Republicans seized control of the House with a 238-185 majority in the 435-member House and whittled down the Democratic majority in the Senate from 59 to 52 seats in the 100-member Senate Obama acknowledged that he has to push a "reset button" with businesses in America, who he said believe that they have been treated unfairly.
Upon reflection, businesses have drawn the conclusion from his policies that they are "the bad guys" and he accepted responsibility for managing that message poorly, he said.
Going forward he will need to make "absolutely clear that the only way America succeeds is if businesses are succeeding," he said
The "shellacking" he received by the voters on Tuesday made him realise how important it is for a president to get out of the "bubble" of the White House.
"When you're in this place, it is hard not to seem removed," he said.
Sohrabuddin case: farmhouse owner's bail plea rejected
Ahmedabad: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Gujarat today rejected the bail plea of a farmhouse owner held in connection with the 2005 allged staged shootout of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi's disappearance.
Rajendra Jirawala, owner of Arham farmhouse on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, was arrested following indications that his farmhouse was allegedly used as a safe house by police for keeping Kauserbi before her disappearance.
Jirawala told the CBI that he was out of Gujarat during the period when the police reportedly kept Kausarbi at the farmhouse.
The CBI court has also reserved its order till Nov 18 on the interim bail application of Abhay Chudasama, suspended Ahmedabad deputy police commissioner of the crime branch, who has sought three months' bail for undergoing hip joint operation in a private hospital.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has been accused of killing Sheikh in a staged shootout on Nov 26, 2005, in Ahmedabad. His wife Kauserbi is suspected to have been killed at a farmhouse near the city two days later.
Over a dozen policemen have been arrested for the killings.
-agency report
Rajendra Jirawala, owner of Arham farmhouse on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, was arrested following indications that his farmhouse was allegedly used as a safe house by police for keeping Kauserbi before her disappearance.
Jirawala told the CBI that he was out of Gujarat during the period when the police reportedly kept Kausarbi at the farmhouse.
The CBI court has also reserved its order till Nov 18 on the interim bail application of Abhay Chudasama, suspended Ahmedabad deputy police commissioner of the crime branch, who has sought three months' bail for undergoing hip joint operation in a private hospital.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has been accused of killing Sheikh in a staged shootout on Nov 26, 2005, in Ahmedabad. His wife Kauserbi is suspected to have been killed at a farmhouse near the city two days later.
Over a dozen policemen have been arrested for the killings.
-agency report
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