The United States has not been talking to Pakistan about any nuclear deal and it will be in a "listening mode" if the issue is brought before it during the US-Pak Strategic Dialogue in Washington, the State Department said.
"As far as I know, we have not been talking to Pakistan about a civilian nuclear deal. If Pakistan brings it up during the course of the meetings in the next two days, we will be happy to listen," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley told reporters on Tuesday.
When asked if the civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan has been considered in any of the bilateral working groups, Crowley said: "Well, one of the groups that will meet tomorrow will be focused on energy. If this comes up during the course of the meeting, there will be a press conference tomorrow with Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Qureshi, you can ask if this came up tomorrow."
Crowley said the first ever Cabinet-level Strategic Dialogue signifies the importance and the expanding relationship between the United States and Pakistan.
"We will, of course, talk about security, but, as you see from the agenda, we will talk about a lot of other things," he said.
"Our relationship is growing. It is expanding. We are, in our relationship, trying to understand what it is that Pakistan needs or feels important. We want to continue to find ways to expand interaction with Pakistan and other countries in the region," he said.
His comments assume significance in the wake of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying that the US would "consider" Pakistan's request for a civil nuclear deal. Visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Clinton would co-chair the day-long meeting at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of State Department on Wednesday. (Read: We will discuss N-deal with Pak, says Hillary)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Uthappa guides Bangalore to huge win
Robin Uthappa cracked a dazzling half-century, while R Vinay Kumar scalped four wickets to help Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Chennai Super Kings by 36 runs in their Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.
Put into bat, Bangalore first rode on Uthappa, who blasted 68 runs off 38 balls, to post a competitive 171 for five after a slow start and then restricted Chennai at 135 for seven to stretch their winning streak to three games.
Pacer Vinay Kumar emerged as the wrecker-in-chief and he was ably supported by skipper Anil Kumble and Praveen Kumar, who picked one each giving away 15 and 21 runs to bring Chennai's downfall at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here.
Earlier, Uthappa starred in a 19-ball 52-run stand with Mark Boucher to take Royal Challengers Bangalore past the 150-mark.
Struggling at 119 for five in 17 overs, RCB piled up 52 runs in the last three overs, thanks to the unalloyed blitzkrieg of Uthappa, who unleashed an array of attacking strokes to destroy the Super Kings.
In the 19th over, the Karnataka batsman launched a brutal attack on Lakshmipathy Balaji and clobbered him for three successive sixes to set the stands on fire.
Full Scorecard | Points Table | Stats
His awe-inspiring innings was studded with three fours and six sixes.
Chasing 172 to win, Chennai had a shaky start when they lost opener Parthiv Patel (1) in the last ball of the first over off Praveen Kumar.
However, Matthew Hayden (32) and George Bailey (18) steadied the ship with a crucial 55-run partnership for the first wicket but with Praveen and Dale Steyn bowling a tight line, the duo could not free their arms.
Skipper Anil Kumble also bowled brilliantly to further suffocate the duo as Chennai reached 29 for one in six overs.
Still needing 143 off 84 balls, Hayden took refuge to his Mongoose bat and belted three successive fours off Jacques Kallis in the eighth over to ease the pressure.
However, the euphoria was shortlived as the Chennai lost both the set batsmen in the 10th over off R Vinay Kumar.
While Hayden was run out by Rahul Dravid, Bailey failed to negotiate an away going delivery and edged it to Mark Boucher as Chennai were reduced to 59 for three in 9.4 overs.
Vinay Kumar struck again in his next over, removing skipper Suresh Raina (9) in his third ball. After hitting a six of the first ball, Raina miscued one to wide third man and Kallis made no mistake.
Kumble then dismissed Murali Vijay (3) in his fourth over when going for a slog sweep, the Tamil Nadu batsman ended up giving a simple catch to Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket as Chennai looked down the barrel at 74 for five in 12.3 overs.
S Badrinath tried to breakfree with his 17-ball 31 but he soon perished as Vinay Kumar took his third wicket of the day.
Put into bat, Royals had to struggle hard to keep the scoreboard ticking as pacers Morne Morkel, Sudeep Tyagi and Lakshmipathy Balaji used the pace and bounce in the wicket to straitjacket the RCB batsmen.
But it was Muttiah Muralitharan who strangled the RCB batting line up most in the middle overs with his off-spin as the Sri Lankan scalped three wickets -- Rahul Dravid (14), Manish Pandey (20) and Virat Kohli (24) -- for 25 runs.
Frustrated at not being able to connect the ball with the meat of their bats, the RCB batsmen charged at Muralitharan only to lose wickets in a heap.
However, Uthappa, who was dropped twice -- first by Ravichandran Ashwin and then by Murali Vijay -- held the innings at one end and stepped the gas in the final overs to take Bangalore past the 150-mark and change the course of the match.
Put into bat, Bangalore first rode on Uthappa, who blasted 68 runs off 38 balls, to post a competitive 171 for five after a slow start and then restricted Chennai at 135 for seven to stretch their winning streak to three games.
Pacer Vinay Kumar emerged as the wrecker-in-chief and he was ably supported by skipper Anil Kumble and Praveen Kumar, who picked one each giving away 15 and 21 runs to bring Chennai's downfall at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here.
Earlier, Uthappa starred in a 19-ball 52-run stand with Mark Boucher to take Royal Challengers Bangalore past the 150-mark.
Struggling at 119 for five in 17 overs, RCB piled up 52 runs in the last three overs, thanks to the unalloyed blitzkrieg of Uthappa, who unleashed an array of attacking strokes to destroy the Super Kings.
In the 19th over, the Karnataka batsman launched a brutal attack on Lakshmipathy Balaji and clobbered him for three successive sixes to set the stands on fire.
Full Scorecard | Points Table | Stats
His awe-inspiring innings was studded with three fours and six sixes.
Chasing 172 to win, Chennai had a shaky start when they lost opener Parthiv Patel (1) in the last ball of the first over off Praveen Kumar.
However, Matthew Hayden (32) and George Bailey (18) steadied the ship with a crucial 55-run partnership for the first wicket but with Praveen and Dale Steyn bowling a tight line, the duo could not free their arms.
Skipper Anil Kumble also bowled brilliantly to further suffocate the duo as Chennai reached 29 for one in six overs.
Still needing 143 off 84 balls, Hayden took refuge to his Mongoose bat and belted three successive fours off Jacques Kallis in the eighth over to ease the pressure.
However, the euphoria was shortlived as the Chennai lost both the set batsmen in the 10th over off R Vinay Kumar.
While Hayden was run out by Rahul Dravid, Bailey failed to negotiate an away going delivery and edged it to Mark Boucher as Chennai were reduced to 59 for three in 9.4 overs.
Vinay Kumar struck again in his next over, removing skipper Suresh Raina (9) in his third ball. After hitting a six of the first ball, Raina miscued one to wide third man and Kallis made no mistake.
Kumble then dismissed Murali Vijay (3) in his fourth over when going for a slog sweep, the Tamil Nadu batsman ended up giving a simple catch to Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket as Chennai looked down the barrel at 74 for five in 12.3 overs.
S Badrinath tried to breakfree with his 17-ball 31 but he soon perished as Vinay Kumar took his third wicket of the day.
Put into bat, Royals had to struggle hard to keep the scoreboard ticking as pacers Morne Morkel, Sudeep Tyagi and Lakshmipathy Balaji used the pace and bounce in the wicket to straitjacket the RCB batsmen.
But it was Muttiah Muralitharan who strangled the RCB batting line up most in the middle overs with his off-spin as the Sri Lankan scalped three wickets -- Rahul Dravid (14), Manish Pandey (20) and Virat Kohli (24) -- for 25 runs.
Frustrated at not being able to connect the ball with the meat of their bats, the RCB batsmen charged at Muralitharan only to lose wickets in a heap.
However, Uthappa, who was dropped twice -- first by Ravichandran Ashwin and then by Murali Vijay -- held the innings at one end and stepped the gas in the final overs to take Bangalore past the 150-mark and change the course of the match.
5 killed in two Maoist attacks; toll plaza set on fire
Five people have been killed in two separate incidents of Maoist violence - one at a highway toll plaza in Gaya in Bihar and the second in Orissa.
In a fierce overnight encounter, armed Maoists shot dead a private security guard and a truck driver and looted weapons from a government toll plaza at Mahapur in Bihar's Gaya district.
Superintendent of Police Sushil Khopde said over 200 heavily armed Maoists swooped on the toll plaza spraying bullets and hurling bombs killing one of the guards.
They looted 16 pieces of weapons, including rifles and carbines, besides several rounds of ammunition from the guards providing security to the plaza.
The Maoists also set the toll plaza on fire before leaving the spot, Khopde said.
Meanwhile, three policemen were also killed in an encounter near Parlakhen in Orissa.
The Maoists also blew up a control room and destroyed two vehicles of Essar Steel in Malkangiri district. (With PTI inputs)
In a fierce overnight encounter, armed Maoists shot dead a private security guard and a truck driver and looted weapons from a government toll plaza at Mahapur in Bihar's Gaya district.
Superintendent of Police Sushil Khopde said over 200 heavily armed Maoists swooped on the toll plaza spraying bullets and hurling bombs killing one of the guards.
They looted 16 pieces of weapons, including rifles and carbines, besides several rounds of ammunition from the guards providing security to the plaza.
The Maoists also set the toll plaza on fire before leaving the spot, Khopde said.
Meanwhile, three policemen were also killed in an encounter near Parlakhen in Orissa.
The Maoists also blew up a control room and destroyed two vehicles of Essar Steel in Malkangiri district. (With PTI inputs)
Kolkata's Park Street inferno kills 24
A massive fire at Kolkata's Stephen Court, a heritage building in the heart of Kolkata, has killed 24 people and left about 18 injured, eight of whom are critical.
Firemen recovered 17 bodies overnight as they went from door to door on the 5th, 6th and 7th floor of the building. Only 12 of these bodies have been identified so far.
Stephen Court is a 150-year-old building on Park Street, home to two of the city's best known restaurants - the iconic Flury's and Peter Cat.
The fire began at 2.15 pm on Tuesday. It was brought under control at about 10.30 pm.
Initial findings suggest a short circuit or cylinder burst may have caused it.
The fire, that may have started in a lift between the 5th and 6th floors soon spread upwards and sideways, forcing people out of windows onto narrow parapets and ledges as they waited to be rescued. Reports said at least one woman missed her step and fell five floors below.
"We saw a lady jumping off, but she missed the AC she was aiming for and crashed down", an eyewitness Raja Guha, said.
For over four hours, over 100 firemen battled the Park Street inferno with rescue operations hampered by lack of equipment, massive crowds and even traffic.
The first four fire engines arrived at the spot soon after the fire started from the nearby Free School Street fire station. But they could do little as they did not have the equipment needed to tackle the fire.
Meanwhile, panicky people trapped in the building tried to escape by climbing down rickety ladders or even a rope. Hydraulic ladders were needed to transport fire personnel to the higher floors where the fire raged, but these took more than an hour to get to the site as the fire engines equipped with the ladders were stored in not-so-close Behala.
The police said some of the delays were unavoidable. "The hydraulic ladders which were critical to the rescue were stored in Behala. It takes time through Kolkata's traffic to reach from Behala to Park Street," said Joint Commissioner of Police Javed Shamim.
West Bengal Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Pratim Chatterjee too pointed out that in Kolkata traffic, "It takes one hour to cover a 15 km journey, that is why the delay took place in the fire tenders reaching there."
Even as the fire raged, the blame game had begun. Trinamool leader and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjie, the first politician to reach the scene of the fire, wanted answers. "Where is the disaster management? There is none," she said.
There have been fires in Kolkata before, this being the third major one in less than two years, but there have not been any fatalities before this. As the 150-year-old building built by Kolkata's Armenian community went up in flames, it left behind many questions. Were fire safety norms callously ignored? Could precious lives have been saved?
Firemen recovered 17 bodies overnight as they went from door to door on the 5th, 6th and 7th floor of the building. Only 12 of these bodies have been identified so far.
Stephen Court is a 150-year-old building on Park Street, home to two of the city's best known restaurants - the iconic Flury's and Peter Cat.
The fire began at 2.15 pm on Tuesday. It was brought under control at about 10.30 pm.
Initial findings suggest a short circuit or cylinder burst may have caused it.
The fire, that may have started in a lift between the 5th and 6th floors soon spread upwards and sideways, forcing people out of windows onto narrow parapets and ledges as they waited to be rescued. Reports said at least one woman missed her step and fell five floors below.
"We saw a lady jumping off, but she missed the AC she was aiming for and crashed down", an eyewitness Raja Guha, said.
For over four hours, over 100 firemen battled the Park Street inferno with rescue operations hampered by lack of equipment, massive crowds and even traffic.
The first four fire engines arrived at the spot soon after the fire started from the nearby Free School Street fire station. But they could do little as they did not have the equipment needed to tackle the fire.
Meanwhile, panicky people trapped in the building tried to escape by climbing down rickety ladders or even a rope. Hydraulic ladders were needed to transport fire personnel to the higher floors where the fire raged, but these took more than an hour to get to the site as the fire engines equipped with the ladders were stored in not-so-close Behala.
The police said some of the delays were unavoidable. "The hydraulic ladders which were critical to the rescue were stored in Behala. It takes time through Kolkata's traffic to reach from Behala to Park Street," said Joint Commissioner of Police Javed Shamim.
West Bengal Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Pratim Chatterjee too pointed out that in Kolkata traffic, "It takes one hour to cover a 15 km journey, that is why the delay took place in the fire tenders reaching there."
Even as the fire raged, the blame game had begun. Trinamool leader and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjie, the first politician to reach the scene of the fire, wanted answers. "Where is the disaster management? There is none," she said.
There have been fires in Kolkata before, this being the third major one in less than two years, but there have not been any fatalities before this. As the 150-year-old building built by Kolkata's Armenian community went up in flames, it left behind many questions. Were fire safety norms callously ignored? Could precious lives have been saved?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Mumbai man kills teenage neighbour, is shot dead by police
Altercations between neighbours living in close proximity are commonplace. But one such incident turned tragic when a Mumbai man shot and killed his teenager neighbour on Thursday.
The victim, 14-year-old Himani Mehta, was taken hostage by her neighbour Harish Moraliya and then shot dead allegedly over a dispute in their housing society.
The bigger tragedy, Himani had nothing to do with the dispute.
"The girl had just returned from school. He told the guard not to let her in. We said don't harass her let her go. She entered the building and was walking away. He grabbed her, put her into the lift and locked her inside his house," said an eyewitness.
It was the end of one a fight and the beginning of another.
Maroliya had been fighting with his neighbours over carpentry work that a resident above him was doing.
Angry with the society supporting his neighbour, he fired his license revolver in the air, then took Himani hostage.
"He showed the gun at my father. I ran and dragged my father away. He took the girl and went into the lift. Then we called the police," said Ronnel Patni, eyewitness.
What happened then was nothing short of a filmy scene.
"We could hear the girl screaming from the third floor flat. Our ACP tried negotiating with the Harish Moraliya. We told him if he let her go we will not harm him. Then we heard a bullet being fired inside. The girl continued to scream. Then we heard two more bullets. The girl stopped screaming. We broke open the door and entered. Moraliya fired at us. Two of our men got injured. Those behind fired from our AK 47s. We found the girl lying there. His wife was hiding in the next room," said Police Officer involved in the incident.
The bullet holes mark the fire fight between the police and Maroliya. The blood spots inside Maroliya's home mark the spot where Himani died.
Now both her family and that of Maroliya's have to grapple with the almost meaningless bloodshed.
The one question that will continue to haunt them: Why them?
The victim, 14-year-old Himani Mehta, was taken hostage by her neighbour Harish Moraliya and then shot dead allegedly over a dispute in their housing society.
The bigger tragedy, Himani had nothing to do with the dispute.
"The girl had just returned from school. He told the guard not to let her in. We said don't harass her let her go. She entered the building and was walking away. He grabbed her, put her into the lift and locked her inside his house," said an eyewitness.
It was the end of one a fight and the beginning of another.
Maroliya had been fighting with his neighbours over carpentry work that a resident above him was doing.
Angry with the society supporting his neighbour, he fired his license revolver in the air, then took Himani hostage.
"He showed the gun at my father. I ran and dragged my father away. He took the girl and went into the lift. Then we called the police," said Ronnel Patni, eyewitness.
What happened then was nothing short of a filmy scene.
"We could hear the girl screaming from the third floor flat. Our ACP tried negotiating with the Harish Moraliya. We told him if he let her go we will not harm him. Then we heard a bullet being fired inside. The girl continued to scream. Then we heard two more bullets. The girl stopped screaming. We broke open the door and entered. Moraliya fired at us. Two of our men got injured. Those behind fired from our AK 47s. We found the girl lying there. His wife was hiding in the next room," said Police Officer involved in the incident.
The bullet holes mark the fire fight between the police and Maroliya. The blood spots inside Maroliya's home mark the spot where Himani died.
Now both her family and that of Maroliya's have to grapple with the almost meaningless bloodshed.
The one question that will continue to haunt them: Why them?
Orissa: Loans driving farmers to suicide
In 2009, 43 farmers in Orissa committed suicide. It was a year that saw a massive farm loan waiver by the UPA government and also a record investment of over Rs 1400 crore in farm credit by the state government. But they were all small farmers who couldn't access institutional loan and had to borrow from microfinance NGOs at an exorbitant rate of interest. Many, even the state government, suspect it's this exploitative loan network that may have driven loan farmers to commit suicide.
A farmer in Sambalpur, didn't get water for his fields, subsidies, or insurance cover. What he got readily was a loan from a local microfinance NGO, at an incredibly high 24 per cent interest. The fear that he would never be able to pay back, drove him to suicide.
As more and more farmers commit suicide in Orissa, crushed under debt, loans have become a scare.
"I fear taking loans. I've never taken it nor will I ever," said Shankar Dhurua, a farmer from Kusumdihi in Sambalpur.
In rural Orissa today, Microfinance NGOs operate through Self Help Groups and local fertiliser and pesticide dealers - people who are most likely to know which farmer needs a loan.
Banks give loans at 5 per cent interest, but unable to provide documents, small farmers end up going to these NGOs where loan disbursal is quick, but the interest charged could be anywhere between 24 per cent and 50 per cent.
Ninety per cent small farmers fall prey to well-organised loan campaigns by multiple players, without assessing whether it will benefit them or land them in trouble,'' says Durga Bag, a farmer.
A farmer who takes this loan is trapped in a life-long cycle of debt - a burden that has started driving them to suicide.
''The exploitation is visible in cases where farmers had received microfinance from NGOs, and they are exploiting the farmers,'' said Dr Damodar Rout, Orissa Agriculture Minister.
A farmer in Sambalpur, didn't get water for his fields, subsidies, or insurance cover. What he got readily was a loan from a local microfinance NGO, at an incredibly high 24 per cent interest. The fear that he would never be able to pay back, drove him to suicide.
As more and more farmers commit suicide in Orissa, crushed under debt, loans have become a scare.
"I fear taking loans. I've never taken it nor will I ever," said Shankar Dhurua, a farmer from Kusumdihi in Sambalpur.
In rural Orissa today, Microfinance NGOs operate through Self Help Groups and local fertiliser and pesticide dealers - people who are most likely to know which farmer needs a loan.
Banks give loans at 5 per cent interest, but unable to provide documents, small farmers end up going to these NGOs where loan disbursal is quick, but the interest charged could be anywhere between 24 per cent and 50 per cent.
Ninety per cent small farmers fall prey to well-organised loan campaigns by multiple players, without assessing whether it will benefit them or land them in trouble,'' says Durga Bag, a farmer.
A farmer who takes this loan is trapped in a life-long cycle of debt - a burden that has started driving them to suicide.
''The exploitation is visible in cases where farmers had received microfinance from NGOs, and they are exploiting the farmers,'' said Dr Damodar Rout, Orissa Agriculture Minister.
India can question Headley, says his lawyer
David Headley's lawyer John Theis spoke to NDTV after the court proceedings saying that India will be able to question Headley.
NDTV: Mr Thais, David Coleman Headley's plea bargain says that he could have to testify in a foreign judicial proceeding held in the US. He could have to do so either by deposing or by video conference. Does this mean that Indian authorities will be able to directly sit across the table from him and question him?
Thais: The specifics of how that would be worked out, I don't know, how they would do that at this time. But the plea agreement does interspace that Indian authorities would be able to question him. As you say across the table, I don't know how it's going to happen. But he has agreed to make himself available for interrogation by Indian law enforcement authorities or any authorized Indian authorities on relevant issues particularly involving the kind of course that took place in India.
NDTV: So do you say that the Indian authorities' demands have been met and that this is not a setback for India?
Thais: I can't see how it can be interpretated as a setback for India. They are going to have the same opportunities that the United States Government has to question Mr Headley. He will make himself available and his lawyer will be present. He is required under the terms of the agreement, to cooperate with Indian authorities as well as Danish or Pakistanis, if they chose to do the same thing. And if he were to refuse to answer questions from Indian authorities, he would be in violation of his plea agreement and the agreement would no longer be valid.
NDTV: The defendant will have to testify in a foreign judicial proceeding either by deposing or by video conference. Can you please clarify.
Thais: Well, and there's a third possibility too. I think the reason they left it, different possibilities are because he is in custody and if any questioning would take place, they would determine what had to be done. It could be done, where he is, in one location, the questioner is in another location or he may well be just across the table from an Indian law enforcement group. If that's the way it works out. The problem is that I am his lawyer, I don't get to determine the way it's done, because he is in the custody of the United States. They are going to have a voice in how the physically how it actually happens. But he will be available, I don't know the timing, but he is required to do so under the terms of the agreement.
NDTV: Mr Thais, David Coleman Headley's plea bargain says that he could have to testify in a foreign judicial proceeding held in the US. He could have to do so either by deposing or by video conference. Does this mean that Indian authorities will be able to directly sit across the table from him and question him?
Thais: The specifics of how that would be worked out, I don't know, how they would do that at this time. But the plea agreement does interspace that Indian authorities would be able to question him. As you say across the table, I don't know how it's going to happen. But he has agreed to make himself available for interrogation by Indian law enforcement authorities or any authorized Indian authorities on relevant issues particularly involving the kind of course that took place in India.
NDTV: So do you say that the Indian authorities' demands have been met and that this is not a setback for India?
Thais: I can't see how it can be interpretated as a setback for India. They are going to have the same opportunities that the United States Government has to question Mr Headley. He will make himself available and his lawyer will be present. He is required under the terms of the agreement, to cooperate with Indian authorities as well as Danish or Pakistanis, if they chose to do the same thing. And if he were to refuse to answer questions from Indian authorities, he would be in violation of his plea agreement and the agreement would no longer be valid.
NDTV: The defendant will have to testify in a foreign judicial proceeding either by deposing or by video conference. Can you please clarify.
Thais: Well, and there's a third possibility too. I think the reason they left it, different possibilities are because he is in custody and if any questioning would take place, they would determine what had to be done. It could be done, where he is, in one location, the questioner is in another location or he may well be just across the table from an Indian law enforcement group. If that's the way it works out. The problem is that I am his lawyer, I don't get to determine the way it's done, because he is in the custody of the United States. They are going to have a voice in how the physically how it actually happens. But he will be available, I don't know the timing, but he is required to do so under the terms of the agreement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)