No third-party role in India-Pakistan ties: Congress, BJP

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday made it clear that there was no scope for a third party in India-Pakistan bilateral ties.

Commenting on Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's remarks on Saudi Arabia's potential as an interlocutor in India's relations with Pakistan, a source close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: "India's position on 'no' to third-party mediation in India-Pakistan issues is unchanged. There is no change in the Congress position."

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar reiterated India's known stand that no third party can intervene in issues between India and Pakistan.

"Tharoor's remarks are objectionable. The prime minister must explain such irresponsible remarks," Javadekar told IANS.

"We will raise the issue in parliament. The prime minister must explain. The government stands exposed on flip-flops over foreign policy issues," he said.

Tharoor, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his three-day official visit to Riyadh, said: "We feel Saudi Arabia has a long and close relationship with Pakistan and that makes Saudi Arabia a more valuable interlocutor to us."

He was asked if India would seek Saudi support to influence Pakistan to address Indian concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistani territory.

As a mini-storm erupted over Tharoor's remarks, he clarified that New Delhi's desire to seek Riyadh's support on terrorism related issues with Islamabad did not mean giving it the role of a mediator in India-Pakistan disputes.

He said he had never used the word 'mediation' or 'mediator' while talking about a possible Saudi role.

"No chance of my saying Saudi Arabia should be a mediator... Never said that or anything like it," Tharoor said a couple of hours after the media publicised his earlier remarks.

India is firmly opposed to any third party role in its relations with Pakistan.

SRC:TOI

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it:

Now, after Congress Shiv Sena also recommend Bharat Ratna for master blaster Sachin Tendulkar after his double-hundred

MUMBAI: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's double-hundred against South Africa in Gwalior on Wednesday has not only silenced his critics, but also clean bowled the Shiv Sena, which took on the little master for his 'Mumbai for all' remark.

A day after Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan said his government would recommend Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar, Shiv Sena on Saturday batted for the country's highest civilian honour for the cricket icon.

"Sachin definitely deserves 'Bharat Ratna'. He is breaking record after record," Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score a double-century in one-day internationals on Wednesday. He made the double-ton against South Africa in Gwalior.

Not long ago, the champion batsman faced acerbic criticism from Uddhav's father and Sena chief Bal Thackeray for his "Mumbai for all" remark.

On November 16 last year, Thackeray senior had slammed Tendulkar, saying he had no need to take a "cheeky single" and hurt the Marathi psyche.

"By making these remarks, you have got run-out on the pitch of Marathi psyche. You were not even born when the 'Marathi Manoos' got Mumbai and 105 Marathi people sacrificed their lives to get Mumbai," Thackeray had written in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Mumbai belongs to India. That is how I look at it. I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that but I am an Indian first," the cricket icon had said drawing Thackeray's anger.

[src: TOI]

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it:

Petrol, diesel prices hiked from midnight

Fuel prices in the country are set to increase with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday announcing restoration of basic duty on petrol, diesel and crude petroleum and a rise of Re 1 in central excise duty.

In his Budget speech 2010-11, Mukherjee said the government had exempted fuel from basic customs duty to give relief to the oil marketing companies. The global oil prices rose alarmingly to $112 per barrel last year.

But, with global prices comparatively low right now, the government has taken the step to improve the fiscal position by restoring basic duty and increasing excise duty.

"In view of the pressing need to move back to a fiscal consolidation path, I propose to restore the basic duty of 5 per cent on crude petroleum; 7.5 per cent on diesel and petrol and 10 per cent on other refined products. I also propose to enhance the central excise duty on petrol and diesel by Re 1 per litre each," said Mukherjee.

This provoked loud protests from the opposition parties who walked out from the Lok Sabha.

Mukherjee also made a special mention of the Kirit Parikh committee which submitted its report recently on a viable and sustainable system of pricing of petroleum products.

It had recommended price deregulation of petrol and diesel, as well as a sharp decrease in subsidy of cooking gas and kerosene. However, the government has so far dithered on implementing the recommendations, expecting a political fall-out due to rising inflation.

"Decision on these recommendations will be taken by my colleague, the minister of petroleum and natural gas, in due course," said Mukherjee.

The total under-recoveries of the oil marketing companies are expected to reach Rs 40,000 crore this year, with the government not willing to go by the earlier formula of providing oil bonds. Instead, the finance ministry has only given Rs 12,000 crore in cash so far.

"I have made a conscious effort to avoid issuing bonds to oil and fertiliser companies. I would like to continue with this practice of extending Government subsidy in cash, thereby bringing all subsidy related liabilities into our fiscal accounting," he said.

SRC:TOI

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it:

10 truths about Software Professionals in the IT industry specially in India

*10% of Software Professionals are predicted to be affected by major diseases like Carpal tunnel syndrome, heart diseases etc 

*20% of Software Professionals marry their co-workers (Oh, no!!) 

*30% of Software Professionals are interested in Live in relationship because they tend to hate the responsibility both in office and house 

*40% of Software Professionals are confused about settling down (India or abroad) K K 

*50% of Software Professionals has No savings in their Bank Account  (oops) 

*60% of Software Professionals are not satisfied with their current wages 

*70% of Software Professionals work more than 8 hours across globe 

* 80% of Software Professionals live away from their Parents L L L 

*90% of Software Professionals are NOT HAPPY about their Life, meeting deadlines, client satisfaction, incentives, promotions, increment, onsite trips, wife, children, visa status, and commitments 

*100% of Software professionals wish they had a choice other than computers in their life at least once in their lifetime . J  

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it:

Tendulkar zooms to ICC ODI third spot after historic innings

Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday jumped three places to third in the ICC ODI batsmen rankings after is record-breaking double-century against South Africa while India are almost assured of $75,000 for ending the calendar year at number two position in the championship table.

Tendulkar (766 points), who returned undefeated on 200 in his 442nd appearance at Gwalior yesterday, now trails
second-placed Mike Hussey (809) of Australia by 43 points with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (827) strengthening his position at the top of the rankings after hitting a 35-ball 68 not out against South Africa in the second ODI.

It is Tendulkar's highest ranking in two years after he had reached second position following an unbeaten 117 against
Australia in Sydney.

While Tendulkar has vaulted into third position, fellow opener Virender Sehwag has dropped one place to 10th position.

After missing a few matches, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir also slipped one and two places respectively to be at
13th and 21st. A player loses one per cent of his ratings points for every match missed.

In the bowlers list headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, Harbhajan Singh is the only Indian at top 20 and the
off-spinner retained his place at fifth.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship, India has all but cemented second position after taking an unassailable
2-0 lead against South Africa. It is now on 123 ratings points while South Africa has slipped to 115 ratings points.

 

SRC:TOI

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it:

Sachin's super double takes India to mammoth 401

Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books on Wednesday, hammering the first double century in the history of one-day cricket to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.

The capacity crowd at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium witnessed history today as Tendulkar, statistically the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, pushed a Charl Langeveldt delivery through the off-side and ran a single to achieve a feat which no other cricketer has achieved.

One Day International cricket, since its 1971 inception, had to wait nearly four decades to see a batsman score 200. The previous best mark was shared by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194).

As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his
eyes to offer a silent prayer.

His captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down from the striker's end to shake hands and hug him. And as Tendulkar set on his way back to the pavilion after the completion of the Indian innings, a tumultuous celebration greeted him.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation as the entire stadium erupted in euphoria while his teammates were simply ecstatic as they clapped and hugged each other, basking in the glory of their senior teammates.

Tendulkar batted like a man with a mission today and the South African bowlers simply had no clue where to bowl. Once he crossed the 150-mark, the crowd anticipated something special and Tendulkar did not let them down.

A six off Roelof van der Merwe took him past Kapil Dev's 175 not out and in the next over, he hit Jacques Kallis for a four to equal his previous best of 186 not out that had come against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999.

The crowd got restless as Tendulkar approached the 194-run mark and a couple off Wayne Parnell saw him eclipse it.

His teammates and spectators were on the edge of their seat with a double century round the corner but with Dhoni going berserk at the striker's end and facing most of the deliveries, it was an agonising wait for all.

Dhoni took singles off the final deliveries of the 47th-49th overs and Tendulkar finally took strike with four balls left in the innings.

The first ball he received from Langeveldt was steered past point and Tendulkar ran for a single to remain unbeaten after an unforgettable unbeaten 200 that came off just 147 balls with 25 fours and three sixes in it.

It was yet another milestone for the man, who has some 30,000 international runs under his belt, including 93 centuries (47 in Tests and 46 in ODIs).

 

SRC:TOI

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it:

9 dead and 70 hurt in major fire at Bangalore's Carlton Towers

BANGALORE: Nine persons were killed — three of them jumping to death in panic — after a major fire broke out in Carlton Towers, a multi-storeyed commercial complex, here today.Three persons died due to fatal injuries after jumping from the top floors of the eight-storeyed building while six lost their lives due to severe burns and asphyxiation, sources at nearby Manipal Hospital said. The fire was brought under control and the building evacuated nearly two hours after it broke out at around 4.30 pm.

At least 70 people were injured. Of them, 22 persons are critical in the Intensive Care Unit while some were being treated in the casualty ward, the sources said.Scores of persons fainted after inhaling the smoke and had to be rushed to nearby hospital for first aid, a senior fire official said."The fire began in a lift service cable in the second floor and spread through the duct with smoke engulfing the remaining floors," Erappa, fire chief officer said. "More than the fire it was the smoke that caused panic", he said.
As a thick blanket of smoke engulfed the building, several persons scampered out of their offices, broke window panes in desperation and jumped out.Scores of panic stricken people screamed for help and 15 fire tenders which rushed to the spot, managed to rescue some of them."We have received around 50-60 patients. Some of the persons are seriously ill. We are evaluating the patients' health," Manipal hospital COO Nagendra Swamy said.One girl clad in a blue salwar kameez landed on the roof of the portico after jumping from the sixth floor and then slipped to the ground. Her condition was not immediately known.
One woman even tried to use her saree as a rope to get out.Passersby also rushed to help those trapped. The fire that occurred at the start of the peak hour caused a huge traffic jam on a two kms stretch.Hundreds of people gathered on the busy street hindering the free movement of fire brigade vehicles and fire personnel. Police said a few people jumped out of the building and suffered minor injuries.A large number of people were stuck in the building. A user trapped in the building tweeted (username: Kiran Jonnalagadda) about the incident:"Carlton Towers is burning and six of us are trapped inside. The fire's above but there's smoke everywhere. Saw people jump to their death.""Don't call me folks, you can't help. Will keep posting."Our rescue ladder. It'll only reach the fourth floor. We're on the fifth." "Massive crowd outside. This must have choked traffic for kilometers around." Many users write in about the massive crowd near the place, which is causing traffic blockage. Tweetizens are also posting latest pictures of the happenings in the building.The Twitteratti doing their bit by telling people the actual on-goings to avoid false rumours.People are also warning the others to not to come on that road to avoid the chaos; one user enquires, "We are 20 minutes from Carlton Towers Bangalore. Which is on fire. Hope Things are not as bad as it seems to me"

 

SRC:TOI

Follow I Love India on Facebook:

Like this Post??? Share it: