Saturday 24 September 2011

Us Shutdown A Step Closer As Senate Kills Bill

WASHINGTON: The Senate voted on Friday morning to reject the House's stopgap spending bill, less than twelve hours after the House's Republican leaders had forced it through on their second try.

The Senate vote was 59 to 36 to table the House bill, effectively killing it. Some conservative Republicans joined in rejecting the measure . The House, in the wee hours of Friday morning, had passed its latest version of a stopgap spending bill after rejecting on Wednesday a nearly identical version of the legislation, which is needed to keep the government open after September 30 and to provide assistance to victims of natural disasters. The House vote was 219 to 203. The bill, to finance government operations for seven weeks after start of the fiscal year on October 1, faces problems in the Senate.

Global Ceos Head For India

MUMBAI: India's significance as an emerging market is growing steadily with more global CEOs flying into the country to review operations and look at growth opportunities. While the trickle used to start closer to the winters, this year it seems to have picked up pace early. The latest to join the list is GlaxoSmithKline CEO, Andrew Witty who will be in Mumbai on September 26 for a two-day visit.

Around the same time the top leadership team of GE, including CEO Jeff Immelt, top bosses of Tokio Marine Holdings, Shuzo Sumi, and EMA Partners International, James Douglas, would also be flying down, while that of German giant Siemens Peter Loescher and Reckitt Benckiser, Rakesh Kapoor are already here. Other top bosses like that of Walt Disney and ANZ Grindlays were also on a visit here recently.

Sources said Witty will hold a review of the domestic company's operations and discuss future plans of the subsidiary. GSK India has 4.2% share of the Rs 60,000 crore organized retail market, and grew around 8% in August ( IMS Health). Overall, the pharma market had a growth of around 16%. One of the top products of the company, antibiotic drug Augmentin is the largest selling retail brand with sales of around Rs 240-odd crore. The company is ranked fourth in terms of market share and has been posting a strong growth over the last couple of years. In an attempt to improve access to medicine, Witty has been making key changes in the company's strategy, and `tier pricing' policy in developing countries like India is a step in this direction.

India is becoming a key driver for global companies, with its growing domestic market, steady growth rate and burgeoning middle class.

Emerging economies like China, Russia, Brazil and India are attractive to global companies across sectors as most developed markets are stagnant. As against this, emerging markets, particularly for pharma, are growing at a faster rate, mostly double-digit.

Not just the global CEOs, even celebrity Paris Hilton is in India this weekend to get a piece of the growing luxury market, and launch her exclusive line. Other CEOs slated to visit later this year include Jeffrey Joerres of Manpower group, and Ben J Verwaayen of Alcatel-Lucent France.

117 Indians Deported From Saudi Arabia

CHENNAI: More than 100 Indian nationals, who were deported from Saudi Arabia for not possessing valid documents, arrived here on Sept 22.

A total of 117 people, many residents of several states in northern India, arrived by a Saudi Airlines flight, airport officials said.

They were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia as they did not possess valid travel documents.

Australian Varsity Seeks To Attract More Indian Students

NEW DELHI: With the Australian government easing visa norms, flow of students from overseas, including India, is expected to increase, the vice chancellor of the prestigious New South Wales University of Sydney believes. He also expects greater cooperation with universities and institutes in India.

"We are very delighted with the new visa regulations," Vice Chancellor Fred Hilmer told IANS after the announcement on the new visa norms Thursday. "The new policy will see an increase in the flow of students."

Hilmer, who was in India for the first alumni meet of the university in India, says the earlier regime was not competitive with other countries. Australia had tightened the visa regime, stating that many students came to the country to settle down by taking admissions in non-skilled vocational courses like cookery and hair-cutting.

The number of students going to Australia also went down significantly earlier this year following attacks on Indian students and tough immigration policies. According to Australian government figures, the numbers fell by almost 50 percent in January.

The vice chancellor said the attacks were a matter of the past and were not necessarily racial.

"We had no problems in the universities; it was in some vocational colleges. But the publicity was damaging. Now that is behind us and the atmosphere in Australia is friendly and safe," he said.

"We felt visa requirements in Australia were not in competition with other countries. It took too long, and the cost was too high," he said.

"We have 20 MoUs with Indian universities, I also met the VCs of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and National Law University. We are looking forward to how we can get in student- and research-based collaborations," Hilmer said.

The New South Wales University is known for its courses in engineering, management, medicine and science. Out of an approximate 40,000 students, around 400 are Indian.

The university has some student exchange programmes and is looking forward to forging more ties. Some of the premier institutes being looked at are the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and IIM Ahmedabad.

Under the new visa rules, the financial requirement for student visas will be eased and applicants will need around 36,000 Australian dollars less.

Post-study work visas will allow students to remain in Australia for two to four years after their course ends, depending on their level of qualification.

"I don't see racial bias. Australia is an immigrant country; we have people from different nationalities," he said.

Citing an example of diversity, Hilmer said: "We have a park in front of our library, and the only statue in that park is of (Mahatma) Gandhi. You won't have that if we were racial. We identify people on the basis of their work."

The university is now focussing on attracting more students from India through exchange programmes and research collaborations with Indian institutes.

Japan Launches New Spy Satellite

TOKYO: Japan launched a new spy satellite into orbit on Friday, officials said, in its latest effort to beef up surveillance against the threat of North Korean missiles.

The Japanese H-2A rocket carrying a new information-gathering optical satellite lifted off at 1.36pm (0436 GMT) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.

"The rocket was launched successfully and the satellite was separated into an orbit around the earth later," Naoki Takarada, an official of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), said by telephone from Tanegashima.

It was Japan's latest effort to build an intelligence-gathering system following North Korea's missile launch in 1998 over the Japanese archipelago.

In defiance of international pressure, North Korea launched again what was believed to be a three-stage Taepodong-2 missile in April 2009, with an estimated range of 6,700 kilometres (4,100 miles).

Japan currently has three information-gathering satellites in orbit and the latest satellite will replace one of them which has passed its use-by date.

The three are all optical satellites, which can capture images in daylight and in clear weather.

In the next two years, Japan plans to launch two radar satellites, which can capture images at night and in cloudy weather.

The development cost of the fourth satellite has reached 36 billion yen ($470 million) with its launch expenses amounting to 10 billion yen, according to the government.

The rocket had been initially scheduled to be sent into orbit on August 28.

But the state-run JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had to postpone the launch three times due to poor weather conditions with the approach of a powerful typhoon and the discovery of a system glitch.

China Fails To Get Tibetan Refugees Deported From Nepal

KATHMANDU: An outcry by human rights groups and a tough ruling by Nepal's Supreme Court demolished the bid by Chinese authorities to compel Nepal's government into handing over to them a group of 23 Tibetan refugees, who had escaped from Tibet to Nepal earlier this month.

"We had been asking the government to release the 23 Tibetans who had been arrested by police," said advocate Indra Prasad Aryal, whose petition on Wednesday was the final straw that made Nepal's new Maoist government knuckle under pressure and free the detained group.

"Initially, state officials told us they would release the detainees. However, when the period of detention lengthened, we were alarmed, especially after the officials told us the Chinese authorities were asking them to deport the group. As for the refugees, they told us they faced torture if they were sent back, and possibly even hanging."

The refugees, including five women, were travelling in two different groups from Tibet with the aim of proceeding to India, where, under the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government in exile, they could be placed in appropriate religious schools or monasteries. While two members were in their 40s, 13 were between 18 and 28 years and the rest minors between 13 and 17.

The largest group of 20 fugitives was arrested in Bajura district, western Nepal, after crossing the Tibet-Nepal border in Humla district. Later, three more were arrested in Barabise, Sindupalchowk district, north-central Nepal.

Though in the past Nepal used to hand over such fugitives to the care of the UN refugee agency in Nepal, it has been increasingly under pressure from the Chinese government to crack down on them and even deport them to China. Police reportedly told the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal, the rights group Aryal is associated with, that the Chinese had asked Nepal that the issue be treated as one of trafficking and the group be handed over to the Chinese authorities.

While rights groups and western diplomats were urging the new Maoist government to free the Tibetans, the protests received a boost when Aryal filed a writ in court and the judge, Bharat Raj Upreti, ordered the government to stay the deportation till he had given his verdict.

"We had a strong case and would have won," Aryal told TNN. "We had a precedent 14 years ago when a Shia Muslim from Pakistan sought to stay his deportation, saying he would face torture if sent back. Realising its case was weak and also realising the negative international buzz it would create and affect the image of the government, the home ministry decided to release the Tibetans."

On Thursday, immigration authorities handed over the fearful group to officials of the UN refugee agency.

"Chinese authorities have taken advantage of political instability, the rise of the Maoists, and the need for resources to develop Nepal's infrastructure to gain an unprecedented leverage over Kathmandu's treatment of its long-standing Tibetan community," the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said.

"Beijing's influence over the Nepalese government, border forces, the judicial system and civil society at a time of political transition in Nepal means that Tibetans in Nepal are increasingly vulnerable, demoralized and at risk of arrest and repatriation."

Us Soldier Gets 7 Years In Prison For Afghan Murder

TACOMA: The youngest of five US soldiers accused of killing unarmed Afghan civilians in cold blood was sentenced on Friday to seven years in prison for gunning down a teenage boy whose corpse he posed with as if it were a trophy.

Andrew Holmes pleaded guilty on Thursday to a single count of murder -- reduced in a deal with prosecutors from the more serious charge of premeditated murder -- admitting he made a "bad decision" when he shot the young villager at close range.

"I wish I could tell the father and brothers in Afghanistan I'm sorry," the tearful 21-year-old Army private said on Friday, near the conclusion of his court-martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. "It's a deed that will never be forgotten. It will live on in my mind until the day I die."

Holmes' demeanor was strikingly different from his first hearing last year, when he vehemently professed his innocence to the presiding officer and declared, "I want to tell you, soldier to soldier, that I did not commit murder."

Holmes still insists he had no prior intent to kill the boy but exercised poor judgment when he obeyed an order from a higher-ranking soldier in his unit to shoot the youth.

6-Tonne Nasa Satellite Breaks Up In Plunge To Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL: A six-tonnes Nasa science satellite plunged through the atmosphere early on Saturday, breaking up and possibly scattering debris in Canada, NASA said.

There were reports on Twitter of debris falling over Okotoks, a town south of Calgary in western Canada, most likely the remains of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, which had been in orbit for 20 years.

Scientists were unable to pinpoint the exact time and place where UARS would return to Earth due to the satellite's unpredictable tumbles as it plowed through the upper atmosphere. Re-entry was believed to have occurred between 11:45 p.m. EDT on Friday and 12:45 a.m. EDT on Saturday (0345 to 0445 GMT Saturday).

Stretching 35 feet (10.6 metres) long and 15 feet (4.5 metres) in diameter, UARS was among the largest spacecraft to plummet uncontrollably through the atmosphere, although it is a slim cousin to Nasa's 75-tonnes skylab station, which crashed to Earth in 1979.

Russia's last space station, the 135-tonnes Mir, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2001, but it was a guided descent.

NASA now plans for the controlled re-entry of large spacecraft, but it did not when UARS was designed.

The 13,000-pound (5,897 kg) satellite was dispatched into orbit by a space shuttle crew in 1991 to study ozone and other chemicals in Earth's atmosphere. It completed its mission in 2005 and had been slowly losing altitude ever since, pulled by the planet's gravity.

Most of the spacecraft burned up during the fiery plunge through the atmosphere, but about 26 individual pieces, weighing a total of about 1,100 pounds (500 kg) could have survived the incineration and landed somewhere on Earth.

The debris field spans about 500 miles (805 km), but exactly where it is located depends on when UARS descended.

With most of the planet covered in water and vast uninhabited deserts and other land directly beneath the satellite's flight path, the chance that someone would be hit by falling debris was 1-in-3,200, Nasa said.

"The risk to public safety is very remote," it said. The satellite flew over most of the planet, traveling between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator.

UARS was one of about 20,000 pieces of space debris in orbit around Earth. Something the size of UARS falls back into the atmosphere about once a year.

Protests In Yemen, 17 Killed

SANAA: Government forces attacked an opposition protest camp in Sanaa overnight after President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to Yemen from a three-month absence and at least 17 protesters and soldiers were killed, witnesses and protesters said on Saturday.

Hundreds fled from the midnight raid on the "Change Square" camp and mortar and sniper fire continued through the morning.

A Reuters correspondent saw flashes of light and loud explosions in the area, the heart of an uprising where thousands have camped for eight months calling for Saleh to quit power.

Protesters said the attacking forces included the elite Republican Guard and Central Security forces. Interior Minister Muttahar al-Masri however denied that a raid took place, blaming the gunfire on "extremists".

"They were striking all night up until now. We couldn't sleep because of the firing," said a protester who gave his name as Mohammad.

"The buildings around us were shaking. Look at the chaos that Saleh's return has already caused. These thugs were encouraged by his return."

Saleh, who went to neighbouring Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in June for wounds suffered in an assassination attempt, said he wanted a truce to end days of fighting in the capital. This would allow peace talks to take place, he said.

"I return to the nation carrying the dove of peace and the olive branch," Saleh was quoted as saying by state television.

At least six protesters have been killed since last night, according to a doctor at a mosque converted into a field hospital. Also killed were 11 soldiers from the First Armoured Division, led by General Ali Mohsen who defected and sided with protesters, according to a source in the generals' office.

"They're trying to take over the end of the square," said one wounded soldier from the First Armoured Division, who was in a hospital with a bandaged arm and facial wounds.

Dozens of wounded streamed into makeshift clinics. Some of the bodies were badly mangled, a medic said.

"We have one killed in a terrible way by the mortar fire -- we only have half a body," doctor Mohammed al-Qubati said at a mosque converted into a field hospital.

Protesters in the opposition encampment on the 4-km stretch of avenue they have dubbed "Change Square" said some buildings and tents were on fire and that protesters had retreated by about half a kilometre.

QUESTIONS OVER FUTURE Saleh's reappearance raised questions over the future of the Arabian Peninsula state, which has been rocked since January by protests against his 33-year rule.

In Washington, the Obama administration called for Saleh to hand over power and arrange for a presidential election by the end of the year.

"The Yemeni people have suffered enough and deserve a path towards a better future," U.S. spokesman Jay Carney said:

Protesters escalated their marches in Sanaa this week by entering territory controlled by state forces, triggering a battle between loyalist and pro-opposition troops. About 100 protesters were killed in five days of bloodshed.

Yemen, one of the region's poorest countries, also faces a worsening insurgency by al Qaeda militants and has an uneasy truce with Shi'ite fighters in the north and separatists in the south.

Moments after the announcement of Saleh's return, Sanaa's streets erupted with bursts of gunfire and fireworks. But shelling rocked the capital's Hasaba district through the night in battles between pro-opposition and government forces.

Opponents saw Saleh's return as an attempt to rally for war and said they expected more bloodshed while his supporters reacted with joy and said he could restore order.

"I'm so excited," said Akram al-Aghbari, a doorman. "He is an honourable and great man. I know he's coming to stop this terrible violence. People here without him only know how to rule with weapons, but with him back, just you watch."

Abdulghani al-Iryani, a political analyst and co-founder of the Democratic Awakening Movement, said violence lay ahead.

"This is an ominous sign. Returning at a time like this probably signals he intends to use violence to resolve this. This is dangerous," Iryani said.

"His people will feel that they are in a stronger position and they will refuse to compromise. Basically this means the political process is dead in the water."

SIGNING NEEDED

Many Yemenis thought they had seen the last of Saleh when he flew to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after a bomb explosion at his palace left him with severe burns.

Saleh had been involved in negotiations mediated by six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- to leave office, repeatedly promising to step down only to change his position at the last minute.

Two members of Saleh's General People's Congress party denied opposition statements that his return spelled the end for a Gulf-brokered power transfer plan, which could see him hand interim power to Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

"This initiative remains effective and Hadi will continue the dialogue to create a binding mechanism to implement the Gulf initiative," Yasser al-Yamani told al Jazeera television.

The foreign ministers of the GCC expressed concern about the situation during a meeting in New York on Friday, the United Arab Emirates' state news agency WAM reported.

The council condemned the use of private arms and heavy weapons against unarmed demonstrators and called for a ceasefire and an investigation into the bloodshed.

Former Dmk Minister Kpp Samy Arrested On Murder Charges

CHENNAI: DMK former state fisheries minister KPP Samy was on Saturday arrested by the Greater Chennai Police Commissionerate personnel on charges of murder.

Police teams led by the Washermenpet deputy commissioner of police Avinash Kumar on Saturday nabbed him from his house near Thiruvottiyur.

He was slapped with a case for murdering a fisherman Chelladurai in 2006.

The incident was brought to light when the victim Chelladurai's wife approached the police commissioner JK Tripathy in August and demanded reinvestigation into the 'missing man' case. She said she was very sure that many residents witnessed her husband being forced into a vehicle by KPP Samy's brothers and their men after which he diappeared.

She suspected that her husband may have been murdered by Samy and his brothers as he was the 'whistleblower' in the area.

Thiruvottiyur police altered the man missing case registered in 2006 into a murder case and arrested two persons.

Subsequently police personnel arrested four more suspects in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, KPP Samy's brothers KPP Sankar and KPP Chokkalingam surrendered at Thirukazhukundram magistrate court in Kancheepuram district a month ago. Police personnel named KPP Samy as accused number 1 in the first information report (FIR) registered in Thiruvottiyur police station.

"Special teams have been formed to nab KPP Samy and learning of the hunt, Samy went absconding. On Saturday, we learnt about his presence at his house and police teams arrested him," a police officer said.

He will be produced before a magistrate court and remanded him Puzhal prison on Saturday evening.

Many DMK functionaries and fishermen gathered in front of Samy's house and some of the women fishermen busted into tears on seeing the police taking Samy in the police vehicle. They alleged that the case was cooked up to eliminate him from the politics.

"We have strong evidence to substantiate t hatthe victim Chelladurai was murdered by Samy and his men. As the person died in 2006, we failed to recover his body. But there are considerable witnesses and evidences to strengthen the case," another police officer said.

Nswb Vs Cc: Cape Cobras Lose Two Quick Wickets

New South Wales wasted a brisk start from their openers as they were restricted for 135 for eight Cape Cobras in their Champions League Twenty 20 match on Saturday.

Scorecard | CLT20 Match Centre

Batting first after the coin landed in their favour, Shane Watson and David Warner gave NSW a rollicking start, racing off to 41 for the first wicket in just under five overs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

But the Australian outfit lost the grip after the dismissal of their top three batsmen.

Some disciplined bowling, especially by Vernon Philander (2/21) and Justin Kemp (1/18), only made life difficult for NSW who had won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2009.

Robin Peterson (1/20) and Dale Steyn (1/26), too, returned with economical figures after the early onslaught.

While Watson top-scored for NSW with a 29-ball 34, which included four boundaries and a six, his partner Warner made 20 off 13 balls. The left-hander hit two fours and a six.

After Charl Langeveldt (2/38) and Peterson dismissed Warner and Watson respectively, Daniel Smith kept the scoreboard moving but his dismissal to Philander at a crucial juncture spoilt NSW's plans.

Smith slammed 24 off a mere 16 deliveries and struck two fours and a six.

Much was expected of skipper Simon Katich, but he failed to deliver when it mattered, falling prey to Kemp.

Steven Smith and Moises Henriques made 16 and 18 respectively to take NSW to a respectable score.

Langeveldt and Philander finished with two wickets apiece while Peterson, Steyn and Kemp took a wicket each.

Teams:

Cape Cobras: Richard Levi, Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy, Owais Shah, Justin Kemp (capt), Dane Vilas, Vernon Philander, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt.

New South Wales: David Warner, Shane Watson, Daniel Smith, Simon Katich (capt), Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Moises Henriques, Steve O'Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Hauritz.

Shoaib Akhtar Should Apologise To Tendulkar And Dravid: Bcci

KANPUR: Senior BCCI functionary Rajiv Shukla on Saturday demanded an apology from Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar for making disparaging remarks against India's batting stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in his biography.

In the just-released book 'Controversially Yours', Akhtar had words of praise for Tendulkar and Dravid but his remark that they lacked ability to finish off games early in their respective careers has created a controversy.

Shukla, a senior BCCI official and IPL chairman, said Tendulkar did not need any certificate from Akhtar as his class was acknowledged by none other than Sir Don Bradman.

"He (Tendulkar) is still touching new heights and as far as Dravid is concerned, he is continuing to play some great knocks, which shows his commitment to the team. Whatever Shoaib has written is distasteful.

"A player such as Tendulkar does not need any certificate from Shoaib as he got that from Australian legend Sir Don Bradman. Tendulkar does not need to prove anything to Shoaib. He must apologise to both Tendulkar and Dravid," Shukla, who was here to attend UPCA AGM, told reporters.

Talking about India's forgettable England tour, Shukla blamed injuries to key players for the debacle.

"The main reason for the defeats was that some of our key players were not in the team due to injuries. But we must say that England players were outstanding and whoever plays better wins," Shukla said.

The new IPL chairman rebutted the suggestions that players were overworked and that their injuries aggravated by playing in the T20 league.

"We have a lot players in the reserve slot. When a player gets injured or want to take rest due to fatigue, he informs and we replace him. We did the same during the England tour and we got some new talent. Nobody now can say that the schedule of the Indian team is tight. We play as much as some other leading nations," he said.

Chidambaram Should Be In Jail With Raja: Bjp

NEW DELHI: Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said home minister P Chidambaram should be in jail for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam.

"The proof against Chidambaram is overwhelming. He should be in jail with A Raja," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told reporters here.

He also said the prime minister acted on Chidambaram's advice on the 2G spectrum allocation, and his silence showed his approval.

Chidambaram was the finance minister at the time the spectrum was allocated in 2008.

The opposition's demands come after Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday submitted to the Supreme Court documents indicating that Chidambaram was involved in deciding the 2G spectrum price along with jailed former communications minister A Raja.

The documents filed by Swamy include a communication of Jan 30, 2008, by the department of economic affairs of the finance ministry recording the gist of a meeting between Chidambaram and Raja.

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