U.S. clears way for bailout to begin

The government has cleared the way to ship out $125 billion this week to the largest U.S. banks, beginning the biggest government bailout in history.
Not only is the money ready to be sent to nine major financial institutions, including Bank of America, Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase, but the government is reaching preliminary agreements with a group of more than a dozen major regional banks, who will share a part of an additional $125 billion the government hopes to pump into the banking system.
Before the end of the year, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson intends to spend $250 billion of the $700 billion bailout package buying ownership stakes in U.S. banks. The goal is to improve their balance sheets so that they will resume more normal lending practices and prevent the country from sliding into a deep recession.
Another $100 billion is earmarked to be spent buying troubled assets from banks such as bad mortgage loans as another way to spur banks to resume lending.
A long line of other industries are hoping the government will decide to help them as well. Insurance companies, automakers, hedge funds and foreign-owned banks are all making appeals to be included in the rescue package, contending that they need assistance as well.
The rescue programme is just one of the efforts the government is making to combat the worst financial crisis to hit the country since the 1930s. The Federal Reserve began a programme on Monday to purchase the short-term debt of businesses. This market has been frozen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers spooked credit markets last month. Major change
That programme has undergone a major change in emphasis since it was passed by Congress. After global markets imploded, forcing other countries to rush to the aid of their banks, Mr. Paulson decided that it was urgent to get assistance to U.S. banks more quickly. He earmarked $250 billion for the stock purchase plan and only $100 billion for what had originally been the centrepiece of the proposal, the purchase of troubled bank assets.
Treasury has given the go-ahead for stronger banks to use the money to acquire troubled banks. That has prompted criticism the government could be getting into the position of picking winners and losers. —

Panel to integrate Maoists’ army formed

The Maoist-led government of Nepal has finally formed the special committee to integrate and rehabilitate Maoist combatants.
The five-member committee formed on Tuesday comprises leaders of the major allies of the government with Mr. Bam Dev Gautam (Deputy Prime Minister and a senior UML leader) as the coordinator. Other members are Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa (Maoists), Peace and Reconstruction Minister Janardan Sharma (Maoists) and Mohammed Habibullah of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum.
The government had earlier announced that a special committee would be formed to conduct the process. However, a dispute over leadership of the committee had delayed its formation. As per the government’s programmes and policies, the Maoists’ army would be “managed” by March 2009.
The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) is monitoring the cantonments where the Maoist combatants — the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) — are sheltered.

I will not give in to blackmail: Livni

Israel appeared headed for polls early next year as leader of Kadima Party Tzipi Livni is set to announce her inability to form a stable coalition government.
The attempt to form a coalition has proved futile mainly because the Kadima and the ultra-religious Shas Party failed to arrive at a compromise. The Shas had demanded a pledge from the Kadima that it would exclude discussions on Jerusalem in talks with the Palestinians. It also sought additional social welfare spending by the new government, once it was formed.“I’m not willing to be blackmailed, either diplomatically or in terms of the budget, and therefore, I will go to elections,” the Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Ms. Livni as saying. “The other possibility was for me to capitulate to extortion. But a government is supposed to advance processes and represent the good of the country, not just to survive in this or that coalition. I promised to exhaust efforts to form a government, and that’s what I did.”
Ms. Livni was elected leader of Kadima following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s decision to step down in the face of multiple corruption scandals. She had 90 days to form the coalition after assuming the party leadership.
Ms. Livni said the Shas Party had on Thursday rejected her “very good offer” for joining the coalition.
Analysts point out that after the Shas Party’s exit from contention, opinion within ruling circles favouring fresh elections began to gather momentum. Efforts to form a narrow coalition minus the Shas were apparently abandoned after talks with the smaller United Torah Judaism and the Pensioners Party failed to make headway.
The Labour party headed by Defence Minister Ehud Barak was also disinclined to form a government with a razor thin majority.
Elections are expected in February or March 2009. Till that time, Mr. Olmert’s government would continue to perform a caretaker role

Speed up probe into nun rape case

The Orissa government on Saturday directed the Director-General of Police and the Inspector-General of the Crime Branch to expedite the investigation into the case of rape of a nun in Kandhamal district on August 25.
The direction was issued after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a review meeting to discuss the steps to be taken in view of the recent Supreme Court order rejecting a CBI probe into the case.
The investigation into the nun rape case was being expedited, the Chief Minister said after the meeting. Nine persons had already been arrested in the case, he added. Identification parade
As regards the test identification parade of the accused in the rape of Sister Meena Lalita Barwa, Mr. Patnaik said they could be paraded for identification anywhere in the country. However, it could be conducted only if the victim cooperated with the Crime Branch.
Sister Meena had on Friday told journalists in New Delhi that she wanted a CBI probe.
The government also decided to involve non-governmental organisations with a good track record in the relief and rehabilitation work in riot-hit Kandhamal.
No NGO had been allowed to do any relief work in Kandhamal after communal violence broke out in the aftermath of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati on August 23.
The government directed the Kandhamal district administration to complete within 15 days an assessment of the damage caused to churches during the violence. Assistance for rebuilding the churches would be paid as per the apex court after receipt of the report. Fast track court
It was also decided that a fast track court would be set up in consultation with the High Court to deal with the Kandhamal riot cases. A Special Prosecutor would be appointed for the fast track court.
The government has also written to the Centre to retain 53 companies of the CRPF till December-end as per the Supreme Court direction

Regulate global finance: Wen

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao highlighted the importance of financial supervision in the face of the current international economic crisis here on Saturday.
He said at a press conference of the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) that financial innovation could help develop the economy, but financial supervision is even more important for the security of the financial system. “Lessons should be learned from the financial crisis, and the responsibilities should be clarified for governments, companies and supervision, respectively,” he said.
He emphasised that the development of the fictitious economy should be balanced with the real economy, so as to prevent the problem of the fictitious economy from affecting the real economy. A normal, balanced and harmonious relation between consumption and saving, or accumulation of wealth, should be maintained in order to ensure economic stability, said Mr. Wen. Cooperation and coordination would give us power to overcome the difficulties, he said, urging Asian and European leaders to attach higher importance to this issue.
The current meeting and the upcoming international financial summit showed the cooperation attitude the leaders held concerning the issue, said Mr. Wen. The heads of 20 developed and emerging countries would gather in Washington on November 15 to review the whole global financial structure. Mr. Wen urged all countries, especially developed countries, to take resolute measures to stabilize financial market as soon as possible, so as to redeem people’s confidence.
“We are glad to see that many countries has made their efforts and achieved some results. But it is not enough as we now see it, and more endeavours are needed,” said Mr. Wen. The most important thing is to stabilise the financial order, to curb and guard against the financial risk, said Mr. Wen, adding that no effort should be spared to prevent the financial crisis from hindering real economic growth. “It demanded that all governments carry out their duty firmly, bravely and responsibly,” he said. As for China, Mr. Wen said to maintain a stable and relatively rapid development of the economy is the biggest contribution the country could make to the world. “The ongoing credit crunch has affected the country’s financial sector, but the direct impact was limited,” he said.
He said this was because China has pushed forward the opening up of its financial sector steadily and the result was that the sector was not fully exposed to the global market. It adjusted its macro-control policies as early as in June to set economic growth as its top priority, and had also adopted measures to expand domestic demand, he said.

Big-name defections from GoP

Joel Haugen, a Republican fighting a tough Congressional race against the Democrats in Oregon, has fallen out with his party. The reason: his surprise endorsement of Barack Obama for the presidency.
“I believe in putting nation before party and my first priority is following my conscience with regard to what is best for America,” said Mr. Haugen in a statement on Friday. “I have a huge amount of respect for John McCain, but I believe that he has more of a Cold War mentality,” he added.
Mr. Haugen is just one of many Republican politicians, dubbed Obamicans, who have defected to Mr. Obama. The latest high-profile desertions include Scott McClellan, President George Bush’s former Press Secretary, who endorsed Mr. Obama in a CNN programme, and William Weld, the ex-Republican Governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Weld, in a statement released on Friday, described Mr. Obama as “an once-in-a-lifetime candidate.”
Last weekend, Mr. Bush’s former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, backed the Democratic candidate in Mr. Obama’s biggest Republican catch so far. It is unusual to see so many Republican politicians and columnists shift, even allowing for the fact that affiliations are more fluid in the U.S. than Europe.
The Obamicans have a website, http://www.republicansforobama.org/, listing those who have endorsed Mr. Obama. Campaign paraphernalia is also available from Mr. Obama’s team, including a badge “Republicans for Obama.”
According to Mr. Haugen’s campaign manager Sarah Tiedemann, he made no secret of his views while fighting for the nomination, telling the press about his unhappiness with Mr. Bush’s eight years in office and that he was likely to endorse Mr. Obama over Mr. McCain. He won 70 per cent of the nomination vote. Unfriendly
The Republican Party became increasingly “unfriendly,” said Ms. Tiedemann, and has withdrawn all financial support. Mr. Haugen, as a compromise, is now standing under an independent banner, though he remains a registered Republican. Ms. Tiedemann said the reaction among Republicans over his endorsement was mixed. She acknowledged it was “unusual” to make such an endorsement, but Mr. Haugen “feels the Republican Party has got so far from its roots.”
Other defectors include Arne Carlson, Republican Governor of Minnesota from 1991-1999, who wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on Thursday: “The choice of Governor Sarah Palin as a running-mate, and the resultant shallow campaign based on fear and suspicion, looks frighteningly similar to the politics of Karl Rove [Bush’s campaign strategist].” He described Mr. Obama as having “the potential to become a truly great President.”
Mr. McClellan, who published a book this year critical of the Bush administration, accusing it of lying, told CNN he would vote for Mr. Obama because he offered the best chance of changing the way Washington works. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

Bush signs nuclear deal

The US President, Mr George W. Bush, on Wednesday signed into law the legislation to implement the historic Indo-US civil nuclear deal paving the way for the two countries to formally ink the 123 agreement on Friday.In significant comments at the signing ceremony, Mr Bush assured there will be no changes in fuel supply commitments as contained in the 123 Agreement. “India can count on reliable fuel supplies (from US) for its reactors,” Mr Bush said.Mr Bush inked the authorising legislation finally approved by the US Congress last week in a high-profile ceremony at the White House’s ornate East Room reversing 34 years of US policy to eventually allow American businesses to have a share of India’s 100-billion-dollar nuclear pie. The external affairs minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the US secretary of state, Mr Condoleezza Rice, will formally sign the overall bilateral nuclear co-operation accord on Friday evening itself in a surprise announcement made by the State Department hours before Mr Bush’s signature on the implementing legislation.“On Friday at 4 O’clock (1.30 am IST Saturday), the secretary will sign with the Indian foreign minister, Mr Mukherjee, the India Civil Nuclear Agreement,” the state department spokesman, Mr Sean McCormack, told reporters.

Situation in Kandhamal out of control: Archbishop

Simply out of control,” is how Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, described the situation in Kandhamal, the district in central Orissa that has seen sustained violence against Christians by Sangh Parivar groups since December 2007.
“I see an attempt to appease the majority, because of the coming elections, in the statement given by the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, when he went to Phulbani [the district headquarters of Kandhamal] yesterday [on Saturday],” he told The Hindu in an interview in Bhubaneswar at the Archbishop’s House. “There was not one word in his statement about the 40,000 persons displaced and in relief camps, not one word about the 4,200 homes destroyed, and not one word about the 45 persons — including a pastor who was cut to pieces just a few days ago in front of his wife — who have been murdered. Why did he go?”
A tired and anguished Archbishop severely indicted the State and Central governments of insensitivity and inaction in respect of the violence and injustice perpetrated against the Dalit Christians of Kandhamal.
“My impression is that the State government is trying its best to cover up the violence by giving the impression that the normalcy has been restored, and that there is no need for further action.” The Supreme Court, he said, in response to a petition filed before it on September 8 seeking protection from the relentless violence against Christians, had given the State government four weeks to respond. The Archbishop said the Sangh Parivar had used this period to “systematically destroy one village after another.” “Excuse unacceptable”
The excuse of the State government that marauding mobs often outnumbered the police force present at the spot, he said, was unacceptable. “Why did they allow the numbers to swell in the first place?” “We know that in cases of attack and even rape the police just stood by and took no action. What is left to destroy now?”
The Archbishop said he had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh three times, President Pratibha Patel twice, Home Minister Shivraj Patil twice and Congress president Sonia Gandhi once over the situation in Kandhamal. The Prime Minister, he said, called it a “national shame” and promised help, but there had not been any real change in the situation as Dalits continue to live in relief camps and were too frightened to return to their villages.
According to the Archbishop, the Sangh Parivar has “issued a fatwa” that by September 30, residents must return to their villages to be re-converted to Hinduism. “I am issuing a letter that will be distributed to Christians telling them not to worry and to be firm. No conversion is valid unless it is free. A document signed under duress is not valid under law.”
He is also planning to call a meeting of Bishops and heads of religious groups to organise a rally in Bhubaneswar protesting the grave violence and injustice against Christians in Kandhamal

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said it is the Chinese people’s persistent aspiration to develop the manned spaceflight technologies for the peaceful explo

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said it is the Chinese people’s persistent aspiration to develop the manned spaceflight technologies for the peaceful exploration and use of the outer space.
“The successful mission marked a milestone and great leap forward of China’s space technology development as China became the third country capable of spacewalk,” said Mr. Wen after the landing of the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft. Mr. Wen congratulated the taikonauts and the staff, saying: “It is a new important success in our nation’s space technology field, and the country and the people will always treasure up your historical achievements.”
The success would also play a significant role for the development of the economy, technology and national defence, as well as for the promotion of national solidarity in the modernisation drive, he added. Mission ends
Earlier, the Shenzhou-7 space module carrying the three taikonauts landed safely on Sunday afternoon in China’s northern grassland. Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haipeng came back from a 68-hour flight, which included a 25-minute spacewalk on Saturday. “It was a glorious mission, full of challenges with a perfect result. I’m proud of my country,” said Mr. Zhai, sitting on a chair after emerging from the module. Mr. Liu said: “Before I took off, I told you the Chinese taikonauts are the best. Thank the motherland and the people.” Mr. Jing said: “We could felt the care of the country and people while in the abysmal space. Now we have safely returned.”
Mr. Wen, who was at the Beijing ground control centre to watch the landing, said the mission was “a victory of the Chinese space and technological field and a monumental achievement in the Socialist causes.”
“Your historical feat will be remembered by the country and the people,” said Mr. Wen, delivering a congratulatory note from the central authorities.
The space capsule was suspended down by a 1,000-square-metre parachute and landed on its flank at Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia, where 300 search and rescue staff waited.Taikonauts safe
The taikonauts were examined by doctors and adapted themselves to the gravitation on the Earth before exiting the module. They were taken to a hospital in the Inner Mongolian capital of Hohhot for medical examination and are scheduled to fly back to Beijing on Monday for a two-week quarantine.
During the spacewalk on Saturday, Mr. Zhai wore a hulking $4-million homemade Feitian space suit and spent 25 minutes outside the spacecraft. Tethered to the craft with two safety wires and a long electric cord providing oxygen and communications, he moved slowly along a set of handrails around the orbiter. “Shenzhou-7 is now outside the spacecraft. I feel well. I am here greeting the Chinese people and people of the whole world,” he said. He waved a Chinese flag handed over by Mr. Liu

‘Genetically-engineered humans by 2028’

Noted molecular geneticist, Charles Cantor, has predicted that there would be genetically-engineered humans on the planet by 2028 with an “entirely new biology”.
In another 20 years, individuals would be routinely sequenced either prenatally or neonatally. He said that gene expression data would be used routinely for diagnosis.
The whole genome sequencing would cost less than $100! However, he cautioned that many aspects of complex diseases would not be fully understood even then.
He disclosed this while delivering the Hugo 20th anniversary lecture on “Genomics: 20 years ago and 20 years from now” at the 13th International Human Genome Meeting which was earlier inaugurated by Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal.
Earlier, Jay D. Keasling, Division Director, Physical Biosciences Division of the Laboratory, told reporters after making a presentation at the first plenary session that a low-cost genetically-engineered, anti-malarial drug would hit the market by late 2010. The Atreminisin–based drug has been produced through microbial synthesis by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA.Inexpensive drug
Dr. Keasling said the technology had been transferred to Sanofi Aventis company by the University of California which held the patent for the drug.
It had given the licence free to the company with a request that it be priced inexpensively. Initially, the price would be fixed to meet the cost of the plant-derived version and reduced gradually. “The goal is to make the drug as inexpensive as possible,” he added.
Pointing out that malaria affected 300-500 million people worldwide, he said that one to three million succumbed to the disease every year.
He said that quinine-based drug treatment was now “largely ineffective”.
He said his laboratory had also inked an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for producing an anti-cancer drug. It would be a “great project” and started soon. The Berkeley-based laboratory had also begun work on cloning genes for anti-HIV drugs. The clinical trials would be started shortly.

China spacewalks into history

Taikonaut Zhai Zhigang slipped out of the orbital module of Shenzhou-7 on Saturday afternoon, starting China’s first spacewalk — or extravehicular activity (EVA) — in outer space.
“Shenzhou-7 is now outside the spacecraft. I feel well. I am here greeting the Chinese people and people of the whole world,” he told ground control in Beijing, where President Hu Jintao watched the proceedings with top space scientists. Donning a $4-million homemade Feitian space suit, Mr. Zhai waved to the camera mounted on the service module after pulling himself out of the capsule in a head-out-first position, video monitor at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre (BACC) showed.
Mr. Zhai, who will be 42 next month, was an Air Force pilot before enrolling in the space programme. Minutes after he was outside the capsule, teammate Liu Boming also emerged from the orbital module hatch and handed Mr. Zhai a Chinese national flag which he waved. Their third crew member Jing Haipeng monitored the ship from inside the re-entry module.
Video monitor at BACC showed Mr. Zhai then slowly leaning towards a test sample of solid lubricant placed outside the module. He took the sample and handed it over to Mr. Liu.
Solid lubricant is widely used in spacecraft. The test samples carried by Shenzhou-7 include 11 types of solid lubricants. Scientists hoped to improve the property and lifetime of the materials by studying the samples. After the handover, Mr. Zhai started the core part of the space adventure, the spacewalk. Tethered to the spacecraft with two safety wires and a long electric cord providing oxygen and communications, Mr. Zhai moved slowly along a set of handrails around the orbital module.Televised event
He “walked step by step” by shifting the wire hooks connecting him and the spacecraft, in a televised event watched by millions of Chinese and met with applauses and cheers by crowds before downtown outdoor screens and office TV sets. Twenty-five minutes after the spacewalk, he returned to the module, marking a complete success of China’s first attempt at spacewalk.
The historical moment was witnessed by tens of millions of Chinese with bated breath. The success makes China the third to master the EVA technology following the U.S. and Russia. Performing a successful spacewalk is a key step in mastering docking techniques, technology that is needed for the establishment of a space station.
After leak check by ground control, Mr. Zhai and Mr. Liu turned off the depressurising valve and started re-pressurising the module. They also adjusted their spacesuits to the intra-capsule condition.
The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft took off from northwest China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Thursday and is scheduled to land on the Inner Mongolia steppe on Sunday. — Xinhua

West Bengal doing everything to solve Singur issue: Karat

The West Bengal government is “doing everything” to settle the Singur problem, Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said here on Thursday.
On the protests being planned by the Left parties and some other parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party, against the Parliament session not being convened by the United Progressive Alliance government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the United States on September 25 to finalise the nuclear deal, Mr. Karat said the matter would be taken up at a meeting in New Delhi on Friday. He also blamed the Centre for failing to control terrorism.
Mr. Karat called on veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu at his Salt Lake residence here.
Mr. Basu was discharged from a city hospital on Tuesday after he was admitted there on September 7, three days after suffering a fall in his home.

Pakistan: banned groups reappearing

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi acknowledged on Thursday that banned militant groups had reappeared in the country under “different cloaks” but said a democratic government had to walk “a fine balance” in dealing with them.
Mr. Qureshi said it was difficult for the government to stop “peaceful” public meetings and rallies by such groups as it could bring into question its democratic credentials.
In recent weeks and months, banned organisations such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba have resurfaced. As recently as last week, LeT founder Hafiz Saeed addressed in Karachi a public rally of the Jamat-ud-dawa, the still-legal front organisation of the LeT, advising the government that “this was not the time for friendship with India, but the time to take revenge for the Kashmir people.”Plea turned down
The News reported on Thursday that Mr. Saeed had even applied to the government for permission to import a bullet-proof vehicle. The application has been turned down.
The Foreign Minister, responding to questions at a press conference why the government was allowing these groups to operate freely, said Pakistan had “no sympathy” for them, and they were “destroying the image” of the country world-wide.
“At times these organisations, they wear a different cloak while making political statements and holding political processions, and if you check those processions, your democratic credentials are questioned [as to] why under a democratic set up, under a democratic dispensation, people are not allowed to make a peaceful protest. It is a very difficult balance we have to keep.” India’s concern
India has expressed concern at the resurgence of banned organisations in Pakistan, and wants an assurance that the new government in Islamabad will rein them in. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while underlining the involvement of home-grown terrorists in last week’s Delhi blasts, also spoke about a continuing role by Pakistan-based militant groups.
Mr. Qureshi appealed to India to avoid making such allegations.
“We have to be very careful and we have to avoid the blame game. Pakistan has shown utmost restraint, and our reactions have been very measured. It is easy to up the ante with statements and counter-statements. That’s what we have been doing for years. It’s the easiest thing to do, and it vitiates the atmosphere. But we now want to move in a positive direction,” he said. “We have to give up the concept of one-upmanship.”
Resolving the Siachen and Sir Creek disagreements, and increasing trade and people-to-people contacts, he said, would present a “win-win” situation for both countries.Zardari-Manmohan meeting
The Minister said he was expecting a “productive meeting” between President Asif Ali Zardari and Dr. Singh on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
Angry over the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, New Delhi has yet to agree on a calendar of meetings for the fifth round of the composite dialogue, the Secretary-level talks on eight subjects.
“The meeting in New York, I agree is important because we have to continue to pursue the peace process,” he said, adding that there would be “hiccups” but both sides had to remain “steadfast”.Focus on trade
Dismissing suggestions that the peace process had come to a standstill, he pointed to scheduled talks next Monday between India and Pakistan on Kashmir-related confidence building measures, with focus on launching the cross-Line of Control trade between the two sides of Kashmir.
“That I would not call a stalling of the peace process,” he said

India, Nepal must join hands: Prachanda

At least 50, 000 people have been displaced, five dead and dozens missing in Nepal due to the collapsing of the Saptakoshi Barrage in Sunsari district.
Four Village Development Committees, Haripur, Sripur, Laukahi, and western Kusaha have been affected. Suman Ghimire from the Disaster Management Section of the Home Ministry said 20,000 people have been rescued and are being looked after in 16 camps in Inaruwa and Saptari. The East-West Highway has also been affected.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) and other political leaders visited the flood-hit areas. After inspecting the temporary shelters, Mr. Prachanda said: “We should have thought about the situation’s severity at least some months back, which could have avoided this calamity.”
He said Nepal and India should take the issue seriously to avoid calamities in the future.

I’m staying right here, says Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf, who resigned as President of Pakistan on Monday, has told supporters he is not going anywhere out of the country, and intends to stay on here and “relax.”
Dismissing reports that he was looking for exile destinations abroad, the retired General Musharraf told a group of parliamentarians from the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) who called on him on Wednesday that he wants to continue living in Pakistan.A Mukesh fan
“He said ‘I am going to be around, my house [in Chak Shahzad on the capital’s outskirts] will be ready in three months, I will move in there, smoke my cigars, play bridge with my friends, relax’,” PML (Q) secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed told The Hindu. And no, General Musharraf was not listening to the Rafi song “Udh jaa re panchchi, ab des hua begana” on his first day of retirement, as reported by The News.
Mr. Sayed said when he teased him about that, General Musharraf told him the report could not be more incorrect, as he is a Mukesh fan and does not like Rafi that much.
The former President was dressed in shirt sleeves and khakis, and “looking very relaxed,” Mr. Sayed said.
Media reports have said he will leave the country soon, perhaps under the pretext of going on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and from there, perhaps go the U.S. where his son and brother live.
“I don’t know if he is going on a holiday somewhere, but he was extremely clear that he was going to stay on in Pakistan,” said Marvi Memon, a PML (Q) National Assembly member, who was also in the group that went to see him at his official home in Rawalpindi. “He said he was going to relax for a while.”
Ms. Memon said around 30 PML (Q) parliamentarians paid a “courtesy call” on General Musharraf, the creator of the party in 2001 with hacked out chunks of Nawaz Sharif ‘s Pakistan Muslim League (N) and defectors from the Pakistan People’s Party. Mr. Sayed called it a “visit to express solidarity” with General Musharraf, and denying reports the PML (Q) had asked him to take over the leadership of the party, said the parliamentarians had advised him to keep away from politics.
“Our advice to him was also that he should take a back seat. We too would live to move on. The Musharraf era is over, and the post-Musharraf era has begun,” said Mr. Sayed. “The PML (Q) would live to play its role as a robust vibrant opposition, and Pervez Musharraf should play the role of Citizen Musharraf. He should enjoy himself in the surroundings of Islamabad.”
The PML (Q) leader said a Nixon model-agreement had been clinched for the former President — “resignation, no impeachment, no charges, no case, no prosecution” — and the guarantor “lives within a 10-mile radius of Islamabad,” hinting that it was the Rawalpindi-headquartered Pakistan Army and more specifically, Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Meanwhile, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islami, and Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali Khan said there were no differences in the ruling coalition on the judges’ issue and it would be resolved “amicably with a consensus” by this weekend

India for fresh WTO talks if flaws are removed, says Kamal Nath

India on Tuesday indicated to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) its readiness for another go at reaching a world trade agreement provided the flaws in multilateral rules are effectively addressed and removed.
“If the basis of the round [Doha negotiations initiated seven years ago] has to see a change in its very objectives, it would be a tough going for global trade integration,” Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said while sharing the dais with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy at a CUTS-FICCI organised conference on global development goals.
Responding to Mr. Lamy’s remarks, Mr. Nath unequivocally declared that “revival of the weakest” and “not survival of the fittest” should form the core of the negotiations for reaching an agreement.
Otherwise, he warned that the renewed attempt being made by Mr. Lamy and others to bring the talks back on track could meet the fate of the recently abandoned talks in Geneva. While India, he said, was keen on resumption of multilateral negotiations, “it cannot be expected to accept the flaws — the price developing countries are being asked to pay for developed countries to cut subsidies,” he said.
Later in the day, Mr. Lamy met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is understood to have sought a clear indication whether India wanted to move ahead in the troubled Doha negotiations or take a pause.
The meeting was significant as the WTO chief has renewed efforts to bridge differences, mainly on the issue of the safeguard for agriculture in the developing countries, between India and the U.S. following the failure of the Geneva talks a fortnight ago on the issue, known as the Special Safeguard Mechanism in WTO parlance.
“My simple message here in Delhi and next week in Washington is that (members should) look carefully at what is on the table and not on results, listen to all WTO members and efforts should be to conclude the talks,” Mr. Lamy had said earlier.After getting the feedback from New Delhi based on consultations with the Prime Minister and the Commerce Minister, industry and the NGOs, Mr. Lamy will visit Washington next week.
Mr. Lamy said after his meetings with Dr. Singh and Mr. Nath: “The good news is there may be still a possibility to move this forward and conclude negotiations within the time-frame, that is end-2008.”
Speaking at the CUTS-FICCI meet, Mr. Lamy had observed that if the WTO could not reach a deal, the U.S. agricultural trade distorting subsidies could see a sharp jump to over $48 billion a year from a ceiling of $14.5 billion, which the Bush administration had offered at the Geneva Mini-Ministerial Meeting.
If the Round was not to conclude, “the U.S. will be able to spend much more (on subsidies),” Mr. Lamy said.
The WTO chief, who is India within two weeks of the collapse of Geneva talks to seek India’s help for reviving the negotiations, said the success of the Doha Round could result in worldwide duty cuts of $150 billion a year.
Further, he said, two-third of these cuts would be expected from the rich nations. In other words, this would be the level of market access for the developing countries. Mr. Lamy, however, acknowledged that the current food crisis is also a result of the lack of investment in the developing countries. “One of the reasons for decline in production is the trade distorting subsidies and high tariffs in the rich countries,” he added.
Mr. Nath also underlined that the devil lies in the details of the proposals being put on the negotiating table.
“If the EU says we are going to reduce tariffs for airplanes, what does it mean for India and Africa,” he asked during the interaction attended among others by several diplomats from Africa.
Signalling to the American negotiators that India would fully leverage the issue of high cotton subsidies in the negotiations, Mr. Nath said: “I want to import cotton from Africa. But if there is 40 per cent subsidy in the U.S., my industry is not going to buy it from Africa.”
Significantly, Mr. Nath received support from the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Supachai Panitchpakdi, who said, “I would have thought cotton would have become a goodwill case...cotton must be tackled seriously.” Dwelling on the reasons for failure of the negotiations between 30 trade ministers, Mr. Nath said India could not have accepted a remedy against import surges with several strings attached. Differences over the level of Special Safeguard Mechanism between the U.S. and India proved to be a deal-breaker in Geneva, he said

Status quo not possible: Moscow

The status quo in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is no longer possible,” said Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who brokered peace settlement in the Caucasus crisis, will now go to Tbilisi to secure President Mikheil Saakashvili’s agreement to the peace terms negotiated in Moscow.
As the peace plan was presented in Moscow Mr. Saakashvili in Tbilisi announced Georgia’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States and repudiation of peacekeeping agreements with Russia regarding South Ossetia and Abkhazia signed in the 1990s. He declared the Russian peacekeepers an “occupational force.”
Russia sent troops to South Ossetia last Friday to stop Georgia’s massive offensive against its breakaway territory in which some 2,000 civilians and about 20 Russian peacekeepers were killed. In five days of fighting the Russian forces recaptured the regional capital Tskhinvali, pushed back Georgian troops, and largely destroyed Georgia’s military infrastructure in air raids deep inside its territory.
In Abkhazia, the other breakaway territory of Georgia, separatist forces launched a military offensive on Tuesday to oust Georgian troops out of a demilitarized zone on the border with Georgia.
On Monday night Russian paratroopers deployed in Abkhazia a day earlier carried out raids deep inside Georgian territory to destroy military bases from where Georgia could sent reinforcements to its troops sealed off in Abkhazia. The Russian military said they were not taking part in the Abkhaz assault on the Georgian forces. U.S. criticised
Russia has accused the U.S. of inspiring Georgia’s foiled offensive in the breakaway territory of South Ossetia and helping prepare for it.
“The invasion plan was rehearsed and perfected during Georgian-American war games in Georgia,” said Deputy Chief of Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces, General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, at a press conference on Tuesday.
About 1,000 U.S. troops took part in large-scale military exercises with the Georgian military held recently in the area from where Georgia began its offensive to regain control over South Ossetia last Thursday, he said. Earlier, Russia’s envoy to the U.N. accused Washington of giving a go-ahead for Georgia’s invasion of South Ossetia.
“It is hard to imagine that Georgia could dare to launch its aggression against South Ossetia without a nod from abroad,” said Vitaly Churkin, adding: “We hate to think that the U.S. gave a green light for the assault

All-party team to visit Jammu, valley

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday that various suggestions were given at the all-party meeting here to end the violence in Jammu and Kashmir over the Amarnath land transfer issue. All decisions taken at the meeting were unanimous, he said.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said there was no difficulty if an all-party delegation visited Jammu for holding talks with the agitationists.
(Agencies reported that a multi-party team will visit Jammu and the Kashmir valley as well. An official in the Prime Minister’s Office said it would also travel to the area where the land transfer had become a bone of contention. The team would also interact with Amarnath yatris.)
Asked pointedly if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offered to take the initiative in defusing the situation in Jammu and help restore peace, Mr. Mukherjee said that the BJP agreed to the suggestions made at the meeting. “Senior leaders like the party president Rajnath Singh, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh and Arun Jaitley attended the meeting from the BJP. Their attitude was supportive,” he said. PM’s warning
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a detailed assessment of the grim situation and cautioned that there was a possibility and danger of the situation turning communal and spreading to other States. Describing it as serious, Dr. Singh said that people were suffering because of stoppage of supply of medicines, food and other essential items.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi appealed to all the leaders to lend their support to the government to tackle the situation so that peace and normality could be restored fast.
She also appealed to the leaders to put up a united effort for dealing with the situation rising above their narrow political considerations.
Informed sources said the all-party meeting, attended by 39 parties, witnessed lengthy and heated arguments among the former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.
Sources said that Mr. Mukherjee impressed upon the Left leaders A.B. Bardhan and Sitaram Yechury to request the BJP to take the lead in clinching the initiative for holding talks with the Sangharsh Samiti in Jammu, which is spearheading the agitation there.
Interestingly, it was the first all-party meeting attended by the Left leaders after the four parties withdrew support to the UPA government last month.
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The Olympic torch relay began its final leg in Beijing on Wednesday, travelling through the host city, which celebrated the torch arrival with flying flags and beaming smiles.
“Beijing is fully ready for the Olympic Games. The city is opening its arms to guests from around the world,” said Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong at a brief ceremony. The torch returned from a journey of 129 days and 1,37,000 km through six continents under the theme “Journey of Harmony,” the longest since the tradition started at the 1936 Berlin Games.
A cheerful and eager crowd had gathered in Tiananmen Square since early morning, holding high the Chinese national flag and Olympic flags. Besides them was a clock numbering the days before the Games start. The square was decorated with a multitude of flowers, Olympic signs and flags were seen in every corner and songs with Olympic themes were played in taxies passing by.
In the northern part of the city, the National Stadium and National Aquatics Centre — nicknamed Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, respectively — showed their magnificence. After a century-old Olympic expectation and seven years of preparation, China is opening its arms to guests from all over the world with hospitality, and with confidence.
All venues and facilities are in operation, and all staff are in their posts. Most of the 205 delegations have checked into the Olympic Village, and were satisfied with the best-ever Olympic venues. Volunteers could be the first ones to impress guests with hospitality.
There were about 47,000 volunteers for the Sydney Games, while Beijing has nearly 1,00,000 in Olympic venues, 4,00,000 around the venues and along the streets, and 1 million serving in communities. Meanwhile, drivers of about 67,000 taxis in Beijing wore their new uniform, a yellow shirt and blue trousers, for the first time on August 1.
“They say our taxi drivers are the face of Beijing. We should leave visitors a good first impression,” said driver Jin Shunhai. On the same day, about 25,000 security personnel started working on thousands of buses and at stations to remove possible safety risks during the Games.
The security personnel, comprising mechanics, management and support personnel of the Beijing Public Transport Holdings Ltd., were deployed at every bus station and on every bus.
Beijingers were also encouraged to learn English, queue for buses, stop spitting and use correct translations for restaurant menus.
China has also been opening up to international media. The government issued a series of regulations at the end of 2006, which stipulated foreign journalists could conduct interviews in China as long as they had consent from the intended interviewees.Open door
“China’s open door to the foreign media will not close after the Games,” said Liu Binjie, the General Administration of Press and Publication Minister. With this policy, the international media reported China’s preparations for the Olympic gala, and the violent protests in Tibet, Zhejiang and Guizhou, as well as other scandals.
The open-door policy has shown the confidence of the Chinese government, which now believes negative reports, seen in every country, cannot negate what China’s achievements over the past 30 years, said Yin Yungong, a member of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Li Meiying, a 67-year-old retiree, greeted foreign photographers with smiles at a downtown plaza, where she dances for daily exercise. “Welcome to China watching Olympic Games!” Ms. Li told the photographers in English. — Xinhua

Pandas take centre stage on Olympics-eve

With only two days to go for the Olympics to start, the Chinese capital is abuzz with excitement and anticipation alike. The air has miraculously cleared, 40 million potted plants are in place to beautify the cityscape, and special protest pens have been set up for any malcontents to hold demonstrations in. Tens of thousands of foreign visitors are pouring in.
But it is not only the stars of the sporting world and the visiting heads of state who are making headlines here. As is inevitable in China, pandas are stealing some of the Olympics limelight as well.
A little distance from the main venues, thick crowds gather through the day to sneak a peak at a cuddly crew of eight giant pandas, specially brought from the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan province for the duration of the Games.
Wolong hosts China’s largest captive breeding programme for pandas, as well as more than 140 wild pandas. All, save one, of the reserve’s captive pandas survived the quake, but it is unclear how many wild pandas may have perished.
The “Olympics pandas,” as they have been dubbed, on display at the Beijing zoo are thus attracting even more than their usual share of sympathy, being seen by some visitors as a symbol of survival in the face of tragedy. Adjustment
According to Wu Zhao Guo, the director of the zoo, although the pandas suffered from nervous exhaustion in their first few days in Beijing, they have slowly adjusted to their new setting and seem to have left the trauma of the quake behind them. Indeed, while they gobble up long stems of bamboo and cavort around their lush pens in play, they look anything but unhappy. Some six million people are expected to visit the bears by November, when they will be sent home.
In China, the giant panda, an animal that is exclusive to its bamboo forests, has long been part of a nationalistic discourse that has imbued it with a unique symbolic importance. Saving pandas has been a priority for the government, and no costs have been spared — while animals such as the Yangtze river dolphin have died out.
Gifting pandas is a favoured tool of Chinese diplomacy: over the years panda power has come to rank alongside ping-pong diplomacy in achieving diplomatic breakthroughs.
Pandas, moreover, have a long and honourable Olympics history. The first pandas ever to be sent abroad went to Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympics — the first Games China participated in after a gap of over three decades.Duty
An explanatory plaque at the Beijing zoo attributes Beijing’s successful bid for the 2008 Olympics in part to the popularity of a panda display held in Moscow in July 2001 during the bidding process. “The giant pandas perfectly fulfilled their historic duty,” the plaque concludes.
For panda enthusiast there is further good news. According to the Director of the Zoological Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Wei Fuwen, the future of the once threatened animal is increasingly looking secure. His recent research strives to prove that the panda is not at an evolutionary dead-end as was thought.
While the official figure for giant pandas in the wild is around 1,600, up from some 1,000 a decade ago, Professor Wei’s research puts the number at 2,000-plus. He holds that although wild pandas may not quite be out of the woods yet, they are no longer critically endangered.
While the debate on the panda’s future continues, the eight Olympics bears seem content to munch on their bamboo and pose for the cameras, seemingly unaware of the excitement they are causing.

Mafia don Gotti arrested in U.S.

John A. “Junior” Gotti has been arrested on charges linking him to three New York murders, said a law enforcement official on Tuesday.
Gotti (44) was arrested by the FBI at his Long Island home. Federal authorities in Tampa, Florida, are expected to announce a racketeering indictment, charging Gotti with murder conspiracy in connection with killings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to the official. A separate indictment charges five other men with racketeering.
It alleges some of them were involved with Gotti in one of the three New York murders, according to the official. It also alleges a fourth killing in New York, not linked to Gotti. He and two other suspects are expected to appear in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday for a removal hearing. At least one other man has been arrested in Florida. Gotti is the son of “Dapper Don” John Gotti, the late Gambino family boss. In 1999, Gotti Junior pleaded guilty to racketeering crimes including bribery, extortion, gambling and fraud. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison and was released in 2005.
Gotti also was tried three times in Manhattan on racketeering charges for an alleged plot to kidnap Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. The trials in 2005 and 2006 ended in hung juries and mistrials.
Federal prosecutors announced at the time that they were giving up — and Gotti said he had long since retired from his life of crime. —AP

Government not budging from Singur

The State government is not budging from Singur and neither are the Tatas; there is no reason for worry,” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said here on Tuesday reacting to threats by the Trinamool Congress to intensify its stir over the setting up of the Tata Motors’ automobile project there.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has called for indefinite stir outside the project site from August 24 till 400 acres of land (out of the 997 acres acquired) that she claims was acquired without the consent of the farmers is handed back to them. This land, she has said, was not required to set up the plant.
“Not even an inch more of land necessary for the project has been acquired,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said, ridiculing the demand to return the land in question.
“There is still time for the Opposition to sit for relevant discussions over the Singur issue,” he said. “We are willing to show respect to the Opposition but not for talks that are irrelevant and illogical,” Mr. Bhattacharjee added.
He was speaking at a function to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Muzaffar Ahmed, a pioneering figure in the Communist movement in the country.
Security will be tightened in and around the Tata Motors’s automobile manufacturing project in view of the Trinamool agitation.
Work on the project was going on as per the schedule and the first car, it was hoped, would be rolling out of the factory by the Pujas, State’s Industries Minister Nirupam Sen said earlier in the day.
Dismissing reports in a section of the media that the Tata Motors authorities were considering pulling out of Singur, he said that the State government had “no such information.”
Mr. Sen said that Ravi Kant, managing director, Tata Motors, had visited the project site the last time he was in the State. “Seventy-five per cent of the (construction) work had been completed by then and I hope some more has been completed since. I still hope that the cars will be coming out (of the plant) by the Puja,” he said.
State’s Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakravarty along with Director General of Police A.B. Vohra had a meeting with officials of the Tata Motors at Singur.
“The State government can only give alternative land (to those claiming that their plots at Singur had been forcibly acquired) if it does have land to give. It will have to acquire such land elsewhere and there could be similar problems then,” Mr. Sen said.

Japan for India signing NPT

Japan has asked India to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). It also hopes that a free trade agreement between the two countries would be finalised by the time Prime Minister Manohan Singh visits Tokyo by the year-end.
While Tokyo understood the need for India to diversify its sources of energy, it wanted to be sure that the India-U.S. nuclear deal would not undermine the non-proliferation regime, Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura told newspersons at the end of the second strategic dialogue with his counterpart Pranab Mukherjee here on Tuesday.
Mr. Mukherjee responded, saying the nuclear deal was limited only to peaceful energy programme. “We would also like to have access to nuclear technology with the cooperation of the international community. We are fully aware of Japan’s sensitivity and reiterate our firm commitment to total nuclear disarmament and strictly adhere to the conditionalities of non-proliferation as enshrined in various international treaties.”
He said: “Though India has not signed the NPT our commitment with respect to nuclear trade is impeccable,” he added.
Other senior diplomats said Japan intended to “actively participate” at the NSG meeting in a manner that would not hamper but strengthen the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
Meeting a day before the 63rd anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two Ministers decided to further step up cooperation in the field of security and continue high level exchanges and bilateral consultation.
On the security front, Japan expected a greater resolution to work together during Dr. Singh’s visit. And as was the case last year, it was willing to participate in the India-U.S. joint naval exercises, the Japanese Minister said. Free trade agreement
In his meetings with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, Mr. Koumora touched upon the need to hasten the free trade agreement (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement - CEPA) and expressed satisfaction that the increase in bilateral trade was on track to touch the targeted figure of $20 billion by 2010.
The two sides also touched on the progress made in the dedicated freight corridor in which an investment of $80 to 100 billion from Japan is anticipated. Japan is hoping that India would opt for electrified traction for “environmental reasons.”

Mulford hoping only for ‘clean exemption’

NEW DELHI: The United States expects the Nuclear Suppliers Group to amend its guidelines to accommodate India this month and will then table the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement before Congress in September first week, U.S. Ambassador David Mulford has said.
“The U.S. understands that India will not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This was the basis of the negotiations with which we had gone forward and that was addressed throughout the negotiations,’ he told journalists here over phone from Washington on Tuesday.
On the clean exemption issue, he offered a personal opinion. “Unconditional is not a very good word in this context…. there is a huge amount of work on this understanding and, therefore, to use the word unconditional to me is oversimplification. I will be hoping only for a clean exemption. That is my personal view and not of the U.S. government,” he said.
Mr. Mulford said the U.S. had launched a major diplomatic offensive to convince the NSG nations to approve India’s entry into global civil nuclear trade and was confident that the U.S. sponsored draft would soon be ready for circulation among the 45-member countries.
He, however, did not wish to speculate on whether Congress would be able to approve the agreement in the short time that is left before it goes into recess.
“The U.S. Congress is a sovereign body and it has its own procedure and rules. So at this point, nobody really knows whether it will be able to act in the very short period of time at its disposal. What we are trying is to position the 123 Agreement in Congress. The goal is to complete the NSG process in August and submit it in early September,” he told journalists over phone from Washington.
“The notice period can be changed but it is not possible to speak on behalf of Congress,” he added, when asked whether Congress would waive the mandatory time period for considering the bill.
Mr. Mulford said:
“The U.S. is very heavily engaged in a major diplomatic offensive at all levels. We continue to move forward and are working very closely with the Government of India to coordinate this process. We are working out the language we want to submit to the NSG. One that is done, we will submit it to the NSG and hope it moves quickly in August.
“We want to underline that we have already shared the draft with India. We want to get the right sort of draft that will be most effective with the NSG. In the coming days we will complete the work and distribute it to NSG members.”
Refusing to speculate about what will happen at the NSG meeting, he expected “people to listen seriously and hope at the end of the day they will accept. We would not wish to see the additional points raised so that they become part of the process. This is a very complex process and we are now moving to the final stage. And obviously we hope that all players come together at the NSG and accept that the aim of this to normalise civilian nuclear process with India.”
Mr. Mulford could not confirm whether President George Bush had invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a visit next month. But, if Dr. Singh goes to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September, “it is possible for them to meet,” he said.

ANAND RETAINS CROWNS

World champion Viswanathan Anand produced a masterly display to crush young challenger Norway’s Magnus Carlsen 3-1 to win the 13th Grenkeleasing rapid world chess championship at Mainz, Germany, on Sunday.
In the best-of-four rapid games, Anand won the first two games in 50 moves and then drew the third in 56 moves to make sure of the title. In the inconsequential fourth game, the players agreed to a draw in just 11 moves.Great run
This was Anand’s 11th title-victory in the tournament and ninth on the trot. Anand won in 1997, 1998 and 2000 before the chess festival moved from Frankfurt to Mainz. Since then, Anand has tamed Vladimir Kramnik (2001), Ruslan Ponomariov (2002), Judit Polgar (2003), Alexei Shirov (2004), Alexander Grischuk (2005), Teimour Radjabov (2006), Levon Aronian (2007) and added Carlsen to the list this year.
On Sunday, Anand punished the teenager in the first game that followed the opening moves of Sicilian Defence. In the middle game, Carlsen chose to give up his queen for a rook but that did not help his cause.
In the second game, Anand played black and seized the initiative early in Catalan. Again, it was Carlsen who was on the defensive. Anand went 2-0 up when Carlsen gave up as he could not prevent the loss of a rook.
The third game saw Anand settle for a draw after pressing for victory with an extra pawn. With the title decided, the players drew the fourth game quickly.
For the third place, Alexander Morozevich defeated Hungary’s Judit Polgar in the fourth game for a 2.5-1.5 victory. Kore holds Rodshtein
In the World junior chess championship, which began at Gaziantop, Greece on Sunday, Akshayraj Kore surprisingly held second seed Maxim Rodshtein of Israel in the first round.
However, GM G.N. Gopal lost the opener, while Abhijeet Gupta was held in the second. Parimarjan Negi, seeded 26, won both his matches to be among the leaders.
Similarly, in the girls’ section, top seed D. Harika and Padmini Rout won two games each to set up an interesting third-round clash.
The results:
Rapid world championship (final): Viswanathan Anand (3) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 1); Game 1: Anand bt Carlsen in 50 moves; Game 2: Carlsen lost to Anand in 50; Game 3: Anand drew with Carlsen in 56 moves; Game 4: Carlsen drew with Anand in 11 moves.
For third place: Alexander Morozevich (Rus, 2.5) bt Judit Polgar (Hun, 1.5).
World junior championship (involving Indians):
Open (second round): Deep Sengupta (1.5) drew with Wesley So (Phi, 1.5); Ashwin Jayaram (1) lost to Martyn Kravtsiv (Ukr, 2); Daniel Baratoshi (Rom, 1.5) drew with Abhijeet Gupta (1.5); Parimarjan Negi (2) bt Daniele Vocaturo (Ita, 1); Davit Bendize (Geo, 1.5) drew with S. Arun Prasad (1.5); Akshat Nukin (Kaz, 0.5) lost to Akshayraj Kore (1.5); G.N. Gopal (1) bt Tyler Hughes (USA, 0); P. Karthikeyan (1) bt Slavisa Ilic (Bih, 0); Vishnu Prasanna (1) bt Atsuhiko Kobaysashi (Jpn, 0); Eray Gurcan (Tur, 0) lost to Sahaj Grover (1).
First round: Rauf Mamedov (Aze) bt Karthikeyan; Kore drew with Maxim Rodshtein (Isr); Nguyen Ngoc Troung Son (Vie) bt Vishnu; Orkhan Abdulov (Aze) bt Gopal; Grover lost to David Howell (Eng); Abhijeet bt Ivan Serenac (Srb); Gareth Oliver (Aus) lost to Negi; Arun bt Can Ertan (Tur); Atsuhiko Kobayashi (Jpn) lost to Deep; Pratish Ramsurrup (RSA) lost to Ashwin.
Girls (second round): Anya Corke (Hkg, 1) lost to D. Harika (2); Nafisa Muminova (Uzb, 1.5) drew with Mary Ann Gomes (1.5); Zoja Severiukhina (Rus, 1.5) drew with Kruttika Nadig (1.5); Soumya Swaminathan (1) lost to Sona Pertlova (Cze, 2); R. Preethi (1) lost to Gulmira Dauletova (Kaz, 2); Silvia-Raluca Sgircea (Rou, 1) lost to Padmini Rout (2).
First round: Harika bt Madina Davletbayeva (Kaz); Mary bt Jovena Eric (Srb); Marsel Efroimski (Isr) lost to Soumya; Padmini bt Daleen Wiid (RSA); Kruttika bt Liria Caetano Garcia (Bra); Saadet Kaya (Tur) lost to Preethi.
Kavala International (fifth round): Vladislav Nevednichy (Rou, 3) drew with Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury (3); Alexander Zubarev (Ukr, 3) drew with V. Saravanan (3); Slavoljub Marjanovic (Srb, 3.5) drew with Prathamesh Mokal (2.5); S. Satyapragyan (3.5) bt Ekaterini Fakhiridou (Gre, 2.5).
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A CURIOUS BUT FACINATING TEST MATCH

The second Test which concluded here on Sunday confirmed what has been known for a while now but requires to be shown anew, scrubbed of the glaze that is applied by constant cricket.
These, to name two, are: a playing strip that offers bounce — whatever else be its failings — will spark rich, varied, fulfilling Test cricket between two closely matched opponents; this Indian team over the last few years has proven itself not just as a formidable touring side, but as one that is particularly combative when down for the count.
The Galle International Stadium wicket, hollowed and re-laid after the tsunami had caked it with salt, was a curious surface. It appeared a pitch of two parts — dryly cracked at the half closer to the City End, moistly spotted at the end back-dropped by the fort. It produced both a double-hundred at very nearly a run a ball, and a rush of nine wickets in a two-and-a-half hour session.Something for everyone
Virender Sehwag, the author of the double-century, said the ball came on. Ajantha Mendis, who scalped ten, found his undercut carom ball skidding like a fish on ice. Ishant Sharma, having flogged the strip from his 6ft 6in frame, raised discomforting bounce.
The conditions arranged themselves for a fascinating Test match. Through the four days, the spinners found turn — both slow and sharp — and the seamers found cut. To add to all this, the breeze from the sea brought drift and swing.
The contest progressed rapidly, finishing a day early despite losing nearly four hours to a sharp shower; yet there were moments when the cricket snailed along. The shape of battle was determined by spin, but two vital blows with the game still open were struck with the new ball before lunch on day four.
It was indeed a curious Test match, comprised — as Mike Brearley wrote describing the coincident Test between England and South Africa — of the brilliant and the brainless. Although rich, varied, and fulfilling, the second Test didn’t produce consistently sound cricket.
Perhaps it was a good thing, for the sublime moments — and there were several — were thrown into relief, contrasted against the mundane. Shifting gears
India won the Test because it lifted itself when the game was in the balance. This quality, more than any other, has come to define the side. India did it in Galle through Sehwag, Gambhir, Harbhajan, and Ishant — and each time the increase in intensity was palpable.
Sehwag showed the way, carrying his bat in the first innings and sweeping the cloak of mystery off Mendis and Murali. His role in emancipating a sometimes careworn-looking middle-order has not always been given its due (shockingly, after all he has done, he is still seen in some quarters as a hit-or-miss batsman), but at Galle there was no more significant performance.
Gambhir’s two half-centuries, supporting Sehwag’s 201 n.o. and 50, allowed India swift getaways in both innings — agenda-setting in the first, distance-opening in the second. Moreover, Gambhir’s mastery in playing spin, particularly in reading Mendis, bought India tactical space for its middle order.
Harbhajan stopped Sri Lanka in its tracks, arresting the momentum Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara had built. The off-spinner’s spell after tea on the second day ensured India would gain the first-innings lead. Ishant realised that a shortening of length was required, and on finding his rhythm delivered a spell of prolonged hostility, breaking Sri Lanka in the second innings.Bouncing back
What makes the comeback from the innings-and-239-run defeat in the first Test all the more remarkable is the fact that there were moments at the SSC when India appeared singularly incapable of such resilience.
But this side, as Anil Kumble pointed out, has done it before.
For a team perceived to possess a soft underbelly (an impression that has surprisingly lingered), India’s record in crunch situations is impressive.
In the last two and a half years, India has overmastered opponents in Kingston and Johannesburg (2006), Trent Bridge (2007), and Perth (2008).
The other facet vital in being recognised as the world’s best — the ability to string together wins, getting the job done day-in, day-out — is yet to be achieved, which is why India isn’t Australia but the side Australia fears most.

POWER WORDS ON M.PS BRIBARY MATTER

Three United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stage-managing the “cash for vote” scam for political gains.
Addressing a joint press conference here, leaders of the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) said the BJP could be charged with suppression of truth as it did not report the matter to the police when a bribe was allegedly offered to its MPs.
A CD was shown to the media as ‘proof’ that it was a BJP act. “All the claims of the BJP leaders have been proved wrong,” SP chief Mulayam Singh said. He said when some people visited the BJP MP Ashok Argal’s house to deliver money, the matter should have been reported to the police and fingerprints immediately lifted.
The CD shows Faggan Singh Kulaste (BJP MP) admitting that the show was planned by his party and that he had never met Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh at his residence. “The entire incident was cooked up by the BJP to make it an issue in the next elections,” Mr. Mulayam Singh alleged. The disc shows Mr. Amar Singh’s alleged aide Sanjeev Saxena going inside the BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s house and coming out with a heavy bag suggesting that the money for the “bribe” was arranged by him.
Mr. Amar Singh, accused of being involved in the scam, questioned the integrity of the BJP leaders. He said that assuming he had given the money the complainants should have asked for a forensic test.
On Sanjeev Saxena’s role, the Samajwadi Party leaders said that he was close to Shahid Siddiqui and had left the party along with him to join the Bahujan Samaj Party. Being probed on the SMS sent by him on behalf of the party, they said he (Mr. Saxena) had disassociated himself from the party on July 20.
Union Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP) said the three MPs should have informed the Lok Sabha Speaker when the offer was made to them. Why were the people entertained and allowed to bring the money, he sought to know. “No one believed it”
Demanding that a narco-analysis test be carried out on the MPs who made the allegation, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said the BJP had been “exposed” and no one actually believed the scam.

INDIA AND KABUL TOGETHER ATTACK ON TERRARISUM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday pledged to not allow terrorism come in the way of India’s “abiding commitment to Afghanistan’s efforts to build a democratic, pluralistic and stable polity” and announced the allocation of an additional $450 million in assistance to the war-torn nation.
The announcement came after discussions with visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
Describing the July 7 terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul as an attack on the friendship between India and Afghanistan, Dr. Singh said terrorism had no barriers and was not bound by any restraints.
The additional aid, coming on top of the existing commitments totalling $750 million, will push the quantum of New Delhi’s assistance to Kabul above $1 billion, a sign of the importance India attaches to peace and stability in the newest member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
India has just completed the construction of the Zaranj-Dalaram road, part of a larger project to create a route for Indian exports via Iran. Ready to host meet
Dr. Singh expressed India’s willingness to host a meeting of the Joint Coordination Monitoring Board (JCMB), the multilateral body that oversees and harmonises the efforts of countries contributing financially and militarily for restoration of peace in Afghanistan.
Other members of the JCMB include the U.S., China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Japan, Germany and the U.K.
In a statement, Mr. Karzai said India and Afghanistan together faced the “challenges of terrorism, of cold-blooded, brutal murderous activity” and that the two countries had no option “but to be united in fighting the menace.”

B J P PUTS ON HOLD CANDIDATES' SELECTION

The Bharatiya Janata Party will launch on Sunday a weeklong protest the alleged offer to money to MPs to defy their party whip during the recent trust vote.
Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani will address a rally in Delhi on Sunday, while BJP president Rajnath Singh will go to Rameswaram on August 1 and to Lucknow the next day.
The former Union Minister, Jaswant Singh, will address a meeting in Chennai on Monday. A large number of party leaders will participate in this exercise up to August 2, vice-president M.A. Naqvi said here on Saturday.
Mr. Naqvi alleged that “power brokers” had invested Rs. 600 crore to save the government and now they would be looking at getting their money back with interest. The bhanda phod abhiyan (expose the truth campaign) agitation would be held in all State capitals.
While BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha V.K. Malhotra lamented that “eight of our MPs had sold themselves out,” Mr. Naqvi said the process of selection of candidates for the next Lok Sabha election, which had begun, was put on hold. For, there was rethinking on the question of checking the credentials of potential candidates.
“Earlier we used to give 50 per cent marks for ‘personality’ and 25 per cent each for party and principles, now we plan to keep only 25 per cent for personality,” Mr. Naqvi said. He explained “personality” as the candidate’s ability to win an election.
“Rethinking” means State units have been asked to revise their lists of candidates and a meeting of the Central Election Committee, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed indefinitely.

ANICIANT BURIAL SITE FOUND

An ancient burial site dating to the 15th century has been discovered at the Malacca Fort, in the historic Malaysian city of Malacca, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia on Friday unveiled an initial analysis of the site, a press release said.
Malacca was a strategic trading post for South-East Asia in the 15th and 16th century. The burial site is pre-Portuguese and could hold clues to the history of the region.
In late May 2007, human skeletal remains were found during excavation undertaken to trace the walls of the ancient Malacca Fort known as Bastion Courassa (Portuguese) and Fredrick Hendrick (Dutch) by the Department of National Heritage; and the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, in the compound of a Tourist Police Station in Bandar Hilir. Further excavations until early September 2007 uncovered at least 10 human skeletons and hundreds of broken pieces of human bones.
The removal, conservation and analysis of the remains were carried out by researchers from the Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, with staff from the Department of National Heritage.
Four of the better preserved and more complete skeletons were removed for further study. These were rather fragile and had to be conserved on-site as well as in the laboratory at the Centre for Archaeological Research. A tibia of one of the skeletons was sent for AMS dating in Florida. The results suggested a date between A.D. 1400 and 1450.
Since the discovery in the Fort, an area of about 6 sq m was excavated to a maximum depth of 120 cm by the Department of National Heritage, revealing a burial site with more than 10 skeletons. It is believed to be part of a much larger burial site, as suggested by some of the unexcavated human skulls exposed at the site, as well as human bones found at the walls of the trenches.
A large number of loose human bones, broken tiles, ceramics, animal bones, shells, and coins were found scattered, especially in the upper layer.
Observation of the finds and the soil profile suggested that the upper layer probably comprised backfill or “tanah tambak” with broken tiles, ceramic shards, shells, coins and animal bones. All the intact skeletal remains appeared to have come from the burial ground, which is situated on the lower layer, 80 cm to120 cm deep.
A preliminary on-site examination revealed that the four skeletons were laid in an extended position and placed in an east-west orientation with the head pointed west. Three of them were identified as those of males; one was of a female. The skeletons of a male and a female were together in a grave.
Testing of the soil surrounding the first of the skeletons showed slightly alkaline soil. This must have helped preserve them for more than 600 years; acidic soil would have destroyed them.
Malacca, locally known as Melaka, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list on July 7. Along with Georgetown, the historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca.
The influences of Asia and Europe have lent the towns a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century.

CONTROVERSY OVER TEMPLE LAND HOTS UP

Cambodian officials said more Thai troops crossed into their country’s territory on Wednesday in the second day of alleged incursions amid tensions over disputed border land near a historic temple.
Thai officials have denied any incursion, saying the troops are deploying on what was clearly Thai territory to protect its sovereignty. However, a senior Thai military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said about 200 Thai troops were inside what he called “disputed border territory.”
The director of Cambodian agency in charge of the Preah Vihear temple, Hang Soth, said the Thais continued to cross the border on Wednesday.
The confrontation came after UNESCO declared Preah Vihear, which is at the centre of a long-standing border quarrel between the neighbours, a World Heritage site last week. Both countries claim 4.6 square km of land around the temple, and Thai anti-government activists have recently revived nationalist sentiment. The activists and some government officials fear the temple’s new status will jeopardise their country’s claims to land adjacent to the site.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear and the land it occupies to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex in Cambodia

MOAISTS KILL 20 POLICEMAN

Left-wing extremists struck again in Orissa’s Malkangiri district on Wednesday evening killing at least 20 policemen. They triggerred a powerful landmine blast.
Unofficial reports put the death toll at 24.
“Nearly 20 policemen have been killed in the attack,” Director-General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda told The Hindu over the phone.
This was the second major Maoist strike in the district in less than 20 days. As many as 38 people were killed when a boat carrying Greyhound personnel from Andhra Pradesh was ambushed in the Chitrakonda reservoir on June 29.
The landmine blast occurred at 4 p.m. in the MV-126 area when an anti-landmine van carrying the police team was returning to the district headquarters town of Malkangiri. They had gone to MPV-41 village, where a contractor’s house was attacked by Maoists on Tuesday night.
According to sources, 29 policemen were in the party that visited MPV-41 village. While a majority of them were in the vehicle, the remaining were on motorcycles.
Soon after causing the blast, the Maoists, hiding in the nearby forest, fired at the policemen.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condemned the Maoist attack and condoled the death of the policemen.
The government announced a compassionate grant of Rs.4 lakh and insurance cover of Rs.10 lakh each to the families of the victims.
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RUSSIA,CHINA VETO U. NSANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE

Russia and China vetoed proposed sanctions on Zimbabwe’s leaders on Friday, rejecting U.S. efforts to step up punitive measures against President Robert Mugabe’s regime after a widely discredited presidential election.
Western powers mustered nine votes, the minimum needed to gain approval in the 15-nation council. But the resolution pushed by the Bush administration failed because of the action by two of the five veto-wielding permanent members. The other three nations with veto power — the U.S., Britain and France — argued sanctions were needed to respond to the government-sanctioned violence and intimidation against opponents of Mr. Mugabe before and after Zimbabwe’s recent presidential election. Violent deaths
Zimbabwe’s opposition party reported on Friday that at least 113 of its members have been killed in violence since March.
The proposal would have imposed an arms embargo and an international travel ban, and a freeze on the personal assets of Mr. Mugabe and 13 other officials. It also called for a U.N. special envoy for Zimbabwe to be appointed. In addition to dodging sanctions, Mr. Mugabe “will be coming” to the U.N. General Assembly in September, said Zimbabwean U.N. Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku.
Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said sanctions would have taken the U.N. beyond its mandate by having it interfere in a country’s domestic political disputes and “artificially elevating them to the level of a threat” to international peace and security. Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya, whose nation is one of Zimbabwe’s major trading partners, also expressed fears of nation-tinkering and said Zimbabwe should be left to conduct its own talks on how to resolve its political crisis.
“The development of the situation in Zimbabwe until now has not exceeded the context of domestic affairs,” said Mr. Wang. “It will unavoidably interfere with the negotiation process,” he added. — AP
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WILL MUSHARRAF WALK AWAY FROM OFFICE--ZARDARI HOPS

The ruling Pakistan People’s Party on Saturday announced draft constitutional amendments that will strip the President’s powers to dissolve Parliament and reduce Pervez Musharraf to a figurehead, expressing the hope that he would “walk away” from the office after the changes.
But the proposed constitutional package, which the PPP said it would take to its coalition partners and the presidency for discussions, has raised concerns about a confrontation between the General (retd.) Musharraf and the government if he were to reject the amendments.
On the other side, Nawaz Sharif’s party and the legal community expressed reservations about proposals contained in the package for the reinstatement of the judges sacked by General Musharraf last year.
The Pakistan Muslim League(N) demanded that the judges’ reinstatement be done not through an amendment but by a parliamentary resolution as laid out in the March 8 Murree accord between it and the PPP.
Interstingly, the PPP announced the package as Mr. Chaudhary set off from the capital to address the legal community of Faisalabad in the Punjab province. He left by road accompanied by a massive convoy of cars and buses full of lawyers.
The legal community has announced a long march starting on June 10 from Multan in Punjab to the capital if the judges are not reinstated by then.
Though the clauses relating to the judiciary were not made public, the legal community said any attempt to fix a three-year term for the Chief Justice would be unacceptable as that would imply a plan to retire the deposed Iftikhar Chaudhary, whose three years end next month.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Law Minister Farooq Naek made public only a handful of the 62 proposed amendments contained in the constitutional package that was discussed and approved by the party’s central executive committee this afternoon.
The most important of the proposed changes is the repeal of 58 (2) (B), the controversial article that empowers the President to dissolve Parliament and dismiss the government.
“Whatever powers the President has under the Constitution in relation to the Parliament, we want to take them away and give them back to the Prime Minister,” said Mr. Naek at a joint press conference with Mr. Zardari.
Additionally, the President will also lose his power to appoint Governors. Mr. Zardari said his powers to appoint service chiefs will go too. A President will serve “two full terms” instead of “two consecutive terms”.
An important amendment proposed in the package is to hold judges who validate military takeovers liable for treason. The amendment proposes that they would cease to hold office immediately. Also included in the package is a proposed change of name for the North West Frontier Province to Pakhtunkhwa as demanded by the Awami National Party.
Mr. Zardari, who earlier this week described President Musharraf as a “relic of the past” who was standing between the people and democracy, said he would, however, “engage the presidency in a dialogue” on the proposed changes.
“Utlimately, the power of democracy come from dialogue, not confrontation,” Mr. Zardari said. “We intend to walk [President Musharraf] away rather than impeach him away.”
The PPP co-chairman said his party had authorised him to consult all other parties and the legal fraternity in the coalition on the draft.
“Nothing in this package is sacrosanct. It can be revised, it can be improved,” he said.
PML (N) spokesman Siddiqul Farooq said the party stood by the Murree Accord to which it was a co-signatory along with the PPP, and was “one with the legal fraternity” on the restoration of the judges.
“We have yet to receive a copy of the constitutional package, and we have to study it. If it restores the 1973 Constitution as it was on October 11, 1999 [before Gen. Musharraf’s ouster of the Sharif government], if it accommodates the charter of democracy [signed between Mr. Sharif and Benazir Bhutto], then we can consider supporting it. But on the issue of the judges, we are committed to their reinstatement by a resolution of Parliament,” Mr. Farooq said.
Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan, who is also a member of the PPP central executive committee that discussed the constitutional amendments said nothing in the package was final, and many of the 62 clauses would undergo changes before being presented in Parliament.
But Mr. Ahsan, who recently withdrew his nominations from the June 26 elections, also said a three-year term for the Chief Justice was a “minus-one formula” to get rid of Mr. Chaudhary, and said it would be unacceptable to the legal community

GHATOTHKACH A N UNFORGETABLE FILM

Film: Ghatothkach Direction: S Srinivasa Rao


You don’t mind watching it. You don’t mind missing it either. There are moments of genuine good humour. But they come interspersed with long sermons and inane drama. Not quite the stuff one would expect from Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who still has a little deposit in the memory bank of cinemagoers, courtesy “Pushpak”, a two-decade old silent film starring Amala. Here Rao tries to grow with the times and tries his hand at animation. He picks up the story of the relatively lesser known Ghatothkach to put together this film. However, the lack of comforting familiarity with the lead character limits the film’s appeal. Unlike Hanuman or Krishna, Ghatothkach, the son of Bheema and Hidimba, does need an introduction.

The young viewers have to be taught about the mythological hero who has never evoked as much awe as, say, Bheema or Arjun. For kids he comes across as just another mischievous character from mythology.

The kids don’t identify with his antics as much as they would with Hanuman or Krishna. When the director jumps from the antics of the child Ghatothkach to the brawn of the adult, it is not without a jerk. For adults, there is not enough depth in story-telling, not enough consistency in the narration to hold interest. So many negatives. Any positives? Yes, The initial few minutes are quite good with the child Ghatothkach winning over the viewers with his cute work. The little one sit and clap as Ghatothkach solves problems bigger than his size.

And the adults laugh in a belated attempt to keep pace with kids. Also, some of the animation of the lead characters is good. Unfortunately, that is not something one would say for the whole movie.