NITISH WINS VOTE
Could lose some admirers
DAYS ago Nitish Kumar stood tall for carrying his resentment of Narendra Modi&’s style of functioning ~ and personal animosity, perhaps some rivalry too as aspirants for the prime ministership ~ to its logical conclusion. Even risking his Bihar government and leading the JD(U) out of the NDA, though not all his party colleagues favoured the break-up. Yet after retaining his office in Patna the man does not emerge so upright ~ his flirtation with the Congress has tarnished some of his sheen. The old adage about “supping with the devil” and its contemporary equivalent, “sleeping with the enemy” have come into play. It is perhaps true that the Congress made the “pass” ~ Nitish did not even pretend to play “hard to get”. His expression of gratitude to the Prime Minister for hailing him as “secular” was in some contrast to an earlier comment that he required no such certification from anybody. For those who claim to have been inspired by Ram Manohar Lohia, Raj Narain and Jayaprakash Narayan, compliments from the Congress would once upon a time have been deemed insulting. Not anymore. Nor indeed can Nitish and Co. overdo the “secular” stuff: they contested elections on a common platform with the BJP so some of the votes the JD(U) secured in the last Assembly poll were obviously from BJP supporters, and the other way around. So all talk of “communal” and “secular” rings a trifle hollow, as indeed does Nitish&’s new-found admiration for LK Advani. The situation was clear and simple: Nitish knew he would lose the Muslim vote by maintaining any links with a Modi-propelled BJP. Why try to “justify” doing what he thought was pragmatic?
There is, of course, a bigger picture. Nitish&’s playing ball with the Congress (even if other leaders of the JD(U) are not enthusiastic) virtually completes the dismantling of the anti-Congress forces that had rallied around “JP”. The Jana Sangh element re-expressed itself as the BJP, Lalu Prasad went into an electoral arrangement with the Congress (shattered by Wednesday&’s vote in Patna), and Mulayam Singh props up the UPA at the Centre. Maybe all this confirms Mr Manmohan Singh&’s theory about there being no permanent enemies in politics. Yet the wooing of Nitish also confirms that the so-called “clean” Mr Singh indulges in dirty politics too. The upshot of that being that manipulation is misconstrued as management, which translates into the misgovernance that plagues the nation.

HC REDEFINES MARRIAGE
Sexual union is sufficient
IN a judgment of far-reaching consequence, Justice CS Karnan of the Madras High Court has ruled that if a bachelor aged 21  and a spinster of 18 have “consummated their sexual cravings” it is sufficient to declare them man and wife.  Even if the woman does not become pregnant after having sex with a man but there is strong documentary evidence to show the existence of such a relationship, then also the couple involved would be termed as husband and wife. Formalities such as tying a mangalsutra, the exchange of garlands and rings, or the registration of marriage were only to comply with religious customs for the satisfaction of society. If a married couple is unable to have sexual relationship, such a marriage would be invalid, the judge said, and added that when a couple seeks to separate after being in a sexual relationship, the man cannot marry anyone without getting a divorce from the woman. It is not clear the grounds on which such a union can be dissolved legally. To prove pre-marital sex in a court of law is practically impossible. Medical proof would be possible only if the woman became pregnant and delivered a child, when maternity and paternity tests would be possible. If Justice Karnan&’s ruling is accepted, many men would end up with multiple wives and many women would become polygamists. It opens up the need for a debate on live-in relationships and possible legislation for giving them legal protection. Marriage involves rights and responsibilities and cannot be conferred lightly based on a one-night stand. The sanctity of marriage cannot be reduced to just a means of sexual gratification. The Madras High Court judgment vastly differs from the Delhi High Court judgment in the Alok Kumar case where it was held live-in relationships were more like walk-in and walk-out relationships with no strings attached. Except for the Special Marriage Act, all other marriage laws in India are personal and are governed by the religion to which the spouses belong. Justice Karnan&’s ruling is inappropriate in a plural society like ours. Pre-marital sex is the norm among certain sections of the tribal community. Polygamy and polyandry are legal in several parts of the country. In Tamil Nadu, having multiple wives, particularly among the political class, is a matter of prestige and a passport to Cabinet berths in governments formed by the Dravidian parties. While the Madras High Court ruling was welcomed by several women&’s groups, there is every danger of promiscuous women exploiting it to extract money from well-heeled men after a one-night stand.

OFF THE PEACE TRACK
Karzai&’s spanner in the works
DOHA is a long way from Kabul, and not merely in terms of distance. Hamid Karzai has thrown a spanner in the works, quite obviously driven by national sentiment in the face of negotiations with the Taliban in Doha brokered by Barack Obama. The outlook becomes still more critical both for Afghanistan as much as for Pakistan in the months leading up to the pullout of US troops in 2014. The Afghan President does have a point when he rejects talks with an offshore outpost of the Taliban. Yet the fact that he has pulled out a day ahead of the meeting would suggest that realisation came rather late. Neither he nor his government had any issue with the venue when the peace conference was mooted. Logically enough, the trilateral negotiations between the USA, Afghanistan and the Taliban ~ aimed at bringing the militants on board after the NATO withdrawal ~ ought to have been convened on Afghan soil. It is more than obvious that Mr Karzai has taken umbrage to the fact that militants are using the territory of Qatar for purported peace negotiations. On closer reflection, any Head of State would have objected to the offshore banner ~ Political Office of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ~ at the Doha establishment of the Taliban. It can only be interpreted as a symbol  of a government in exile. From the Af-Pak frontier to the Gulf, it is a measure of the twists and turns of geo-politics that Mr Karzai has taken strong exception to what he calls the “rise of a virtual Taliban embassy in Qatar”. At one stroke, he has called off the critical security talks with the USA and scuttled the despatch of his government&’s peace delegation to the insurgents. Mr Karzai has gone off at a tangent despite his country&’s pivotal role in the overall construct, though the world must concede that he has effected a diplomatic rebuff to Washington as much as to the Taliban leadership. Indeed, Mr Karzai has scuttled two major facets of President Obama&’s long-term perspective on Afghanistan. Chiefly, to talk peace with the Taliban and thereby blunt the edge of the insurgency when the US troops withdraw. The other underpinning was to conclude an agreement that would ensure American military presence beyond 2014. Both President Obama and the Taliban ought now to respond to President Karzai&’s plea that the peace process should be “Afghan-led”.

press trust of india
NEW DELHI, 20 JUNE: Former Coal secretary H C Gupta was today questioned for over seven hours by the CBI over alleged irregularities in the coal blocks allocation from 2006 to 2008 during his tenure.
Mr Gupta faced tough questions for allegedly overlooking the misrepresentation of facts by AMR Iron and Steel Private Limited which was allocated Bander Coal block in Maharashtra.
Mr Gupta, who resigned as member of Competition Commission of India (CCI) after CBI summoned him as an accused in the case, was asked about a Screening Committee meeting chaired by him.
During this meeting, Mr Gupta, a 1971 batch IAS officer of UP cadre, had cleared the coal block in favour of AMR group.
CBI had last year registered a case against AMR directors Devendra Darda, son of Congress MP Vijay Darda, along with Arvind Jayaswal, Manoj Jayaswal and Ramesh Jayaswal.
The CBI claimed AMR had “fraudulently and willfully” concealed the fact that its group of companies have already been allocated five coal blocks with an “object to avoid scrutiny on this count which would have weakened its claim”, they said.
The allegation against the former Coal secretary was that the committee did not follow the mandatory procedures and did not carry out proper background checks while allocating coal blocks to the companies.
The government had initially refused to grant permission to CBI to question Mr Gupta as he was a member of CCI but yielded after the agency decided to inform the Supreme Court about not getting the sanction to proceed against him.
During his period as secretary beginning from June 2006 to November 2008, 68
coal blocks were allotted to 151 companies and files of some of them had gone missing.
The government gave the permission on 11 June and a day later Mr Gupta submitted his resignation from CCI.

MADURAI, 20 JUNE: The BCCI today strongly refuted charges that all its activities are being kept away from the public eye, that it enjoyed tax exemption and that its affairs are being conducted illegally to the detriment of public interest and sought to dismiss a PIL seeking a direction to Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs to take over the body and IPL. Countering the allegations on a PIL filed by advocate V Sankarakumaresan, BCCI Honorary Secretary S Sanjay Patel said the PIL relied purely on news reports and as such without any specific detail which would suggest genuine cause of action.
On complaints against the IPL season, he said, the BCCI had taken action ‘without fear or favour’ against individuals concerned. 
Meanwhile, BCCI official Ratnakar Shetty will discuss with the two judges appointed to inquire into the complaints against Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, and the owners of CSK and Rajasthan Royals, the “preferred mode of operation” in the IPL-6 spot-fixing and betting scandal. pti

John Kerry&’s visit next week
NEW DELHI, 20 JUNE: The US Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry, will arrive in India on Sunday and co-chair the 4th India-US strategic dialogue on Monday. This was announced by the US State Department in Washington yesterday. “Topics for discussion will include bilateral and regional economic engagement, regional security and Defence, science and technology, climate change, and other global issues such as women’s empowerment, non-proliferation and space cooperation,” said US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki in a statement. Mr Kerry is on a 10-day visit to various Asian nations. Before arriving in the Capital, he will make a stopover in Doha on 23 June. Mr Kerry will co-chair the annual US-India strategic dialogue with external affairs minister Salman Khurshid on 24 June. sns
BJP for early decision on JD-U MPs
NEW DELHI, 20 JUNE: The changed political equations between BJP and JD-U today played out in the open in a Parliamentary panel when the main Opposition demanded an early decision on disqualification of three MPs of its erstwhile ally. The agenda regarding the JD-U petition to disqualify three of its Lok Sabha MPs ~ Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’, Sushil Singh and Mangni Lal Mandal ~ is pending for months with the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha. pti
ACB may question Alemao in PWD scam
PANAJI, 20 JUNE: Anti-Corruption Bureau may summon former Goa PWD minister Churchill Alemao for questioning after allegations came up that he was allegedly involved in a scam where tenders were issued for carrying out various works in violation of procedures. The minister, however, has denied the allegations.pti
Trial against Jagan can start: CBI
HYDERABAD, 20 JUNE: The CBI today told a local court that it had completed investigation in the three charge-sheets filed against YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in the case related to ‘quid-pro-quo’ investments and the trial can start. The CBI has filed five charge-sheets and three supplementary charge-sheets against Mr Reddy and others, including three former Andhra Pradesh ministers, so far. pti
Man kills father&’s murderer after 37 yrs
CHANDIGARH, 20 JUNE: A 41-year-old man killed his father’s murderer 37 years after the murder in Punjab district, and after the latter served a life term in the case. A resident of Ralla village under the Joga police station in Mansa district, Jarnail Singh&’s father Harmel Singh was murdered in 1976 by Chotta Singh following some argument. Chotta had returned to the village after serving life imprisonment for the murder of Harmel. But apparently, Jarnail was waiting to take revenge and murdered Chotta with an axe on 18 June. He fled from the spot but was arrested on Wednesday. The axe used in the crime has also been recovered. sns

agence france-presse  
FORTALEZA (Brazil), 20 JUNE: Brazil superstar Neymar (in photo) scored one goal and set up the other to give hosts Brazil a 2-0 win over Mexico in their Group A game and all but assure them of a place in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup in Fortaleza on Wednesday. 
The 21-year-old took his tally to 13 goals in his last 15 games for his country with a superb left-footed volley early in the first-half, and then produced a brilliant shimmy between two Mexican defenders in second-half stoppage time to set up Jo for the second goal. 
While Brazil – who had lost six of their last seven meetings with the Mexicans – are all but in the semis, Mexico’s hopes hang by a thread after two defeats as Japan, who lost 3-0 to Brazil in their opener, must beat Euro 2012 finalists Italy later on Wednesday to give them any hope of reaching the last four. 
For Brazil it was a much cheerier occasion than the last time they played in Fortaleza in 2002 as their celebrations at winning the World Cup in South Korea and Japan fell flat as Mexico beat them 1-0. 
Neymar confirmed Brazil’s early dominance with a stunning left-footed volley in the ninth minute after Mexico defender Francisco Rodriguez’s header fell to him. 
Dani Alves, who had provided the cross which Rodriguez failed to clear properly, then went close with a shot towards the far right corner but Mexico goalkeeper Jose Corona did well to tip it over the bar. 
The signs had been there right from the start that Brazil were intent on sealing their place in the last four as Chelsea star Oscar scored after a flowing move only for it to be ruled out by English referee Howard Webb for offside.  Neymar went close to doubling his tally in the 23rd minute as he chested the ball down outside the area and let fly with his shot going just over the bar.  Brazil went slightly off the boil after that and weren’t helped when Oscar’s Chelsea clubmate David Luiz had to go off for lengthy treatment after injuring his nose in a clash with one of his team-mates. However, not even with the hosts down to 10 men could Mexico press home the advantage, as they produced lots of pretty football, stemming from Mallorca’s Giovanni dos Santos, but failed to round it off with the killer touch. 
The Brazilians had the ball in the net early in the second-half as Thiago Silva headed home, but once again it was ruled out for offside. Brazil had several chances after that as they looked to seal the win but Hulk hit a shot into the side netting, after being set up by Neymar, while the goalscorer also went close. 
Luiz, fully rehabilitated after his nose bleed, produced probably a goal saving clearance on the hour mark as he slid in to turn behind a dangerous ball played across goal with Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez lurking just behind him.
 The pace of the game slowed dramatically in the second-half as the high humidity had an inevitable effect on the players.
However, it didn’t stop Neymar from one last moment of brilliance to set up Jo and send the home fans into ecstasy.

Spain face Tahiti
World champions Spain are likely to make massive changes to the team that won against Uruguay 2-1 on Sunday, with Victor Valdes, Fernando Torres and striker David Villa all expected to start. Defender Cesar Azpilicueta could win his third cap for the seniorside, while the likes of David Silva and Jesus Navas are also setto make their first appearances of the tournament.
In another development, Brazilian police are investigating the case of robbery involving Spanish national football team players at their hotel in the northern city of Recife. FIFA confirmed the investigation after Spanish media said players had money stolen from their rooms while in Recife for a Confederations Cup match against Uruguay on Sunday. agencies

agence france-presse
RECIFE (Brazil): Italy booked their place in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup on Wednesday with a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win over Japan that also sent Brazil into the last four. 
The Italians looked to be heading for a shock defeat after going 2-0 down to Japan midway through the first half, with Keisuke Honda slotting a 21st-minute penalty before Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa doubled the lead for the Asian champions. 
However Italy fought back with a three-goal blast either side of half-time, courtesy of strikes from Daniele De Rossi, an own-goal from Atsuto Uchida and a Mario Balotelli spot-kick to make it 3-2. 
Japan levelled at 3-3 courtesy of a thumping header from Shinji Okazaki on 69 minutes as the momentum shifted again before Italy substitute Sebastian Giovinco sealed a dramatic encounter with the winner four minutes from time.
The result saw Japan eliminated along with Mexico, while Brazil and Italy will now face each other in the final round of matches to determine who qualifies as group winners. 
It was an agonising exit from Japan, whose coach Alberto Zaccheroni had challenged his team to take the game to his Italian countrymen after a lacklustre display in their opening defeat to Brazil. 
For 40 minutes they looked a team transformed with a swashbuckling display that ought to have given them a first ever success over the Azzurri, as goals by Honda and Kagawa put them in the driving seat. 
Ryoichi Maeda had almost opened a hugely entertaining game with a header on seven minutes but Gianluigi Buffon made a smart stop from an effort placed too close to the Italian shot-stopper. 
At the other end, Balotelli, whose late goal against Mexico gave the Italians a winning start at the tournament, raced down the right flank and whipped over a speculative cross but Eiji Kawashima palmed away and no Italian followed up. 
Kagawa fired a left foot effort goalwards in the 19th minute that Buffon parried to safety. 
But two minutes later, Japan took the lead from the spot as Buffon clattered into a 50-50 challenge with Okazaki and referee Diego Abal of Agentina ruled the Italian veteran had impeded his rival. Honda, whose penalty-taking exploits earlier this month had ensured qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, drilled his kick low to Buffon’s left and just inside the post.  Thereafter, Japan enjoyed a purple patch and after 33 minutes it was 2-0, Kagawa swivelling in the box to plant a left-foot shot low past Buffon.  Italian midfielder De Rossi then picked up a booking for tripping Honda as the Japanese, their confidence suddenly sky-high and playing neat one-touch football that brought shouts of ‘ole’ from the crowd, looked to go for the kill. 
Against an Italian side that had before Wednesday lost only one of 23 competitive games under Cesare Prandelli, they failed to find the coup de grace. 
And Andrea Pirlo gave Italy hope when he arrowed in a corner that was met by a powerful De Rossi header just before half-time for 2-1. 
In what was turning into a superlative advert for attacking football Emanuele Giaccherini then saw a low drive come back off the base of the post with almost the last kick of the first half. 
The second half was no less action packed and soon after the restart Giaccherini beat Maya Yoshida and saw his low cross turned into his own net by a Uchida. 
Italy had already made a change before the breakchange, midfielder Alberto Aquilani giving way to striker Giovinco. 
Three minutes after Uchida’s faux pas Balotelli scored from the spot after Makoto Hasebe handballed in the box. 
But Japanese heads did not drop and they made it 3-3 in the 69th minute when Yasuhito Endo crossed for Okazaki to head in. 
Honda then went off on a surging run and fired in a drive which Buffon beat down before Hasebe drove over. 
In an astonishing finale Okazaki hit the post and, with Buffon stranded, Kagawa saw his header bounce onto the bar when it seemed he must score. 
With four minutes left of a pulsating match Giovinco netted from close range from Claudio Marchisio’s cross.

agence france-presse
SALVADOR (Brazil), 20 JUNE: Diego Forlan spoke of his "great pride" on Wednesday as he contemplated the prospect of becoming the first player to make 100 international appearances for Uruguay. 
The 34-year-old striker will reach the landmark in Thursday’s Confederations Cup encounter with Nigeria, 11 years after pulling on the light blue shirt for the first time against Saudi Arabia in March 2002. 
"It’s a matter of pride, being the first player to play all these matches for the Uruguay team," said the former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker. 
"I saw an article today, and I said the same thing yesterday — through all the things I’ve experienced in my career, I never imagined I’d be playing my 100th match at the Confederations Cup. 
"And the match tomorrow (Thursday) means a lot. Obviously it’s 100 matches for me, but it’s a key game and we have to win in order to reach the next phase.
"It’s a matter of great pride to wear the light blue shirt so many times, and I hope I can continue doing this." 
The Brazilian city of Salvador will provide a fitting setting for Forlan’s milestone moment. 
His father, Pablo, played for Brazilian clubs Sao Paulo and Cruzeiro during his professional career, and Forlan followed in his footsteps by signing for Porto Alegre side Internacional last year. 
"For me to play here in this Confederations Cup is an award that was given to me by the national team," Forlan said.  "I’ve been in Brazil for one year, so I’m very happy to be in a place where my father played. The reception I got in Recife (where Uruguay lost to Spain) was spectacular."  Since spearheading Uruguay to success at the 2011 Copa America, a year after they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, Forlan’s form has dipped, and he joined Internacional after an unhappy stint at Inter Milan.  Uruguay are also going through a difficult period, currently lying fifth in South American qualifying for next year’s World Cup, but coach Oscar Tabarez said it was unfair to attach blame to Forlan. 
"There are too many factors in football to say that a team depends exclusively on one player," he said. 
"That’s not the case. He’s a player who has more influence than normal players, which we know.
But footballers are human beings. Sometimes the level of their performances oscillates."  Forlan also expressed support for the protests that have swept Brazil, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to denounce the lavish amounts of public money that have been spent on the organisation of the Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.  "I think each person has their reasons for making a protest," he said.  "I believe that this is a moment where everyone is focusing on the World Cup and looking at Brazil, so it’s a moment for people to speak up and express their opinions about what is wrong. But who am I to talk about it?" 
The game against Nigeria will present Forlan with an opportunity to reclaim Uruguay’s outright goal-scoring record, after Luis Suarez drew level with him on 33 goals by scoring a late consolation against Spain.  

terri judd

LONDON, 19 JUNE: The UK&’s top judge has criticised the lack of ethnic minorities in the senior judiciary, describing it as ‘almost monolithic’.
Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, said the legal profession needed to do more to improve diversity in a speech at the Institute for Government last night.
Some progress had been made in addressing gender inequality, he said, acknowledging the three recent female appointments to the Court of Appeal. There are now seven women among the 38 Lord Justices of Appeal.
But he added: ‘A lot more work needs to be done in other respects: the ethnic minority representation among the senior judiciary is very low, and the socio-economic background of the senior judiciary is almost monolithic.’
The problem, Lord Neuberger, added, was that the judiciary was drawn from senior members of a legal profession where only 11 per cent of the leading QCs and partners in top firms were women.
‘The duty on the judiciary to improve diversity also applies to the legal profession,’ he said. ‘Lawyers occupy a special place in society, but that carries with it responsibilities as well as rights. The legal profession must do more to improve diversity. More broadly, if we really want to increase diversity, the problem has to be tackled throughout society, in our universities, schools and at home.’
Of the 12 Supreme Court justices, only one is a woman, while none are from ethnic minorities.
The majority are white, public school and Oxbridge educated. The appointment of three new justices in March did nothing to change the balance.
All five of the senior appointments in England and Wales ~ the Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls, and heads of the three High Court divisions ~ are white men.
While women now represent 18 per cent of judges in the Court of Appeal, there are no black or ethnic-minority justices. In the High Court, women make up 15 per cent of the 110 judges while only 5 per cent are non-white.
the independent

The limits of judicial activism
SIR, ~ This is with reference to the letter, ‘Between judicial activism and over-reach’ by Sukumar Mukhopadhyay (4 June). The dividing line between judicial activism and over-reach is rather thin. Over the years, the judiciary has crossed the line in a number of cases. Some years ago, two former Chief Justices ~ JS Verma and AS Anand ~ had expressed their anguish over the manner in which the judiciary crossed the lakhsman rekha to virtually snap the fine thread that separates the three organs of democracy ~ legislature, executive and judiciary.
The Supreme Court has listed certain cases where the judiciary strayed into the executive&’s domain. These cases related to nursery admissions in Delhi; the legality of constructions and identifying buildings to be demolished in Delhi; overcharging by Delhi auto-rickshaws; increasing number of road accidents, free beds in hospitals etc. In 2005, the judiciary overstretched its limit by directing the Speaker of the Jharkhand Assembly to conduct a trust-vote under the glare of CCTV.
Justices AK Mathur and Markendey Katju of the Supreme Court once cautioned against judicial activism and observed: “They (judges) must remember that judicial activism is not an unguided missile, failure to bear this in mind would lead to chaos. Public adulation must not sway the judges and personal aggrandisement must be eschewed”.
The judiciary ought not to harbour the illusion that it can function as a substitute for the two other organs of democracy. Judicial activism may be described as chemotherapy for a carcinogenic public body. Obviously, a patient is sometimes in need of chemotherapy, but overdose can turn out to be fatal.
yours, etc., jaydev jana, kolkata, 4 june.
Technical, lucid, brilliant
SIR, ~ Mr Bimal Kumar Chatterjee, Advocate-General of West Bengal deserves to be congratulated for his two-part article, “Judicial activism”, published on 31 May and 1 June . He has dealt with a technical subject with remarkable lucidity. The piece was as interesting as it was instructive and could only have been written by a person with considerable command over judicial affairs.
  One particular sentence sums up his contention ~ “While judicial activism is a boon, judicial over-activism is a bane”. He has been able to convey his message to the lay reader, and bereft of technicalities. Even practitioners of law have something to learn.
  Comparisons are odious; nevertheless as a regular reader of The Statesman I feel proud to state that such excellent articles are not to be seen in your contemporaries.
yours, etc., pradip kumar das, kolkata, 4 june.
Minor muddles
SIR, ~ It was most interesting to read Mr Rajinder Puri&’s article “God save America” in The Sunday Statesman today. Mr Puri is a distinguished journalist who has gifted the readers of our newspaper with so many brilliant articles. Therefore, I am a little hesitant to point out that he has made a few minor (and yet important) mistakes in his latest piece. He has muddled up some dates. He writes, “China consented to sign the WTO agreement on 17/11 2001 that would bring its industry under international purview. Six days earlier on 9/11 2001 China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Afghanistan&’s Taliban government headed by Mullah Omar….On that very same day the terrorist 9/11 attack on the twin towers of the WTO in New York was launched.” The 9/11 attack was on the WTC (World Trade Center) twin towers in New York which is not the same as the WTO which is headquartered in Geneva.
yours, etc., nileen putatunda, kolkata, 9 june.

2 Rajinder Puri adds: Error admitted, correction welcomed. Sometimes haste makes careless waste. ~ Ed. S.
Oil import
SIR, ~ The USA has eventually lifted what can be described as an unofficial embargo on India in terms of importing oil from Iran.
  In fact, this was a form of American hegemony over India. We were asked to cut oil imports  from Iran and Delhi bowed to US pressure and abided by the directive. It needs to be emphasised that Iran had been supplying oil to India at a very reasonable price, so very unlike the oil import from Arab countries.
yours, etc., baniprasanna datta, kolkata, 7 june.
 

associated press
MILAN, 19 JUNE: The former head of Italian aerospace and defense giant Finmeccanica, accused by prosecutors of making bribery part of the company culture, went on trial today for his alleged role in the payment of bribes to secure a crucial 560 million euro (US$ 670 million) helicopter contract in India.
Giuseppe Orsi, who resigned in February, faces charges of fraud and corruption in a case that has tarnished the international image of the state-controlled company and jeopardised the defense contractor’s attempts to expand into the lucrative Indian military market.
Also on trial is Bruno Spagnolini, the former chief executive of AgustaWestland, the defense contractor’s helicopter division.
Prosecutor Eugenio Fusco allege that two men presided oversaw a system of bribery and corruption that was part “of the company philosophy,” according to his arrest warrant for the men.
Mr Orsi was head of AgustaWestland
at the time the contract was signed in 2010, and became CEO of Finmeccanica in
2011 when a separate corruption probe led to the ouster of his predecessor. Mr Spagnolini replaced Mr Orsi at AgustaWestland.
The court on the first day of trial admitted both the government of India and the Italian tax office as injured parties in the case. This allows them to participate in questioning witnesses and to seek damages in the event of a guilty verdict.
Mr Orsi has denied wrongdoing, while Mr Spagnolini has not commented publicly. Defendants in Italy are not required to appear in their own trials nor attend the opening session.
Both Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland deny any wrongdoing and have said they are cooperating with investigators. Mr Orsi’s lawyer, Ennio Amodio, said his client intends to attend future hearings to prove there was no illegal dealings for the helicopter contract. Mr Amodio has said in the past that Mr Orsi was in the process of bringing more transparency to the company.
“He is convinced he can demonstrate that those helicopters were purchased because they are the best,” Mr Amodio said.
Mr Orsi was jailed for some 80 days during the investigation before being released pending trial in early May. Mr Spagnolini was released from house arrest at the same time.

statesman news service
KOLKATA, 19 JUNE: Although huge import of gold is often cited as the basic reason for the recent high level of current account deficit (CAD), deleberations at a panel discussion on ‘Modified Exim Policy 2013’ organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry here today revealed that decline in exports was basically responsible for the widening CAD.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sanjiv Kejriwal, member, Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Kolkata explained that decline in exports contributed more to the poor export performance than import of gold.
Mr Suranjan Gupta, additional executive director, Engineering Export Promotion Council said that corruption and lack of infrastructure affected export of engineering exports in recent years. He said that there are 20-25 steps involved in exporting a consignment. It takes about six months to complete all these formalities involving about a 100 signatories. These hassles need to be removed to increase exports, Mr Gupta said.
Dr K Rangarajan, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata and Mr Mritiunjoy Mohanty, Indian Institute of Management said that the current CAD was unprecedented. Although imports had stabilised to some extent, the present problem was of declining exports.
Dr Rangarajan said that the annual exim policy had only cosmetic changes. Time has come to think of the next policy post-2014.
However, Mr Dipankar Sinha, Director General of Commercial Intelligence and Statics, Kolkata, maintained that import of gold and petroleum goods accounted for 50 per cent of the deficit. This month, nevertheless, import of such items have started to come down, he added.
Mr Tapan Chattopadhyaya, executive director, said though we have reached the terminal year of the exim policy, not much success has been achieved so far.

Coca-cola announces key organisational changes
statesman news service
KOLKATA, 19 JUNE: Making significant changes in its management structure, beverages major Coca Cola today announced elevation of Mr Atul Singh, who is currently president and CEO of the company’s India and Southwest Asia (INSWA) division, to the position of deputy president of its Pacific Group.
In his new role, Mr Atul Singh will have the responsibility over the Greater China & Korea (GC&K) division, in addition to India & Southwest Asia unit, the company said in a Press statement.
"Given the enormous growth opportunities in China, and the uniquely competitive beverage landscape, Mr Singh’s focus will largely be on the Greater China and Korea Business Unit, which also includes Taiwan, Mongolia and Hong Kong & Macau," the company said.
He will continue to report to Mr Ahmet Bozer, president, Coca-Cola International, it added.
In addition to that, Coca-Coal announced another two significant organisational changes in its Pacific Group, which will come into effect from 1 July.
As part of the changes, Mr Venkatesh Kini, currently senior vice-president, operations, India region, will be elevated as deputy business unit president of India and Southwest Asia division.
In his new role, Mr Kini will have oversight for all the business unit’s operations and functional leadership. The entire senior functional leadership of the INSWA business unit will now report to him, and he will continue to report to Mr Atul Singh, the release said.
"Mr Singh has led the INSWA business division comprising key markets such as India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives for nearly eight years. Under his leadership, the India operations has registered 27 consecutive quarters of growth, out of which 19 have been quarters of double-digit growth," the company said.
On elevation of Mr Venkatesh Kini, the company said he is a proven business leader and has served the company for more than 14 years. He has more than two decades of experience in India and the USA in marketing, sales and general management roles.
Further, as part of the upgraded focus on mainland China business, the company said, Mr David Brooks, current president of GC&K division, will assume a new leadership role as chairman of the division.
In this role, Mr Brooks will manage the division’s public affairs, communications and sustainability functions, in addition to continuing to oversee the division’s operations in Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia and Hong Kong & Macau. He will be reporting to Mr Atul Singh, the company said.
There are, however, no changes in the organisation structure at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the company-owned bottling operations in India, the statement said.
 

LONDON, 19 JUNE: Rafael Nadal (in photo) was named fifth seed for Wimbledon on Wednesday, leaving his major title rivals to ponder meeting the 2008 and 2010 champion as early as the quarterfinals.
Nadal, the holder of 12 Grand Slam titles, and fresh from his record-breaking eighth French Open triumph in Paris, was seeded behind compatriot David Ferrer who takes the fourth seeding. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer take the top three places. Wimbledon uses recent grasscourt performances as well as the world rankings to seed players and Nadal was not promoted after he suffered a stunning second-round defeat to Lukas Rosol at the tournament in 2012. Ferrer, meanwhile, was a quarter-finalist last year, having already claimed the title at the ‘s-Hertogenbosch grasscourt event in the run-up to London. As a consequence, Nadal could face 2011 champion Djokovic, seven-time winner Federer or Murray, bidding to become Britain’s first men’s champion since Fred Perry in 1936, in the last-eight. "I’d sign up to be in the quarter-finals against Rafa if someone offered me that," Murray told the BBC. "You could say if I get through that match, then the semi-final might not be as tough but if you want to win the biggest tournaments you have to beat the best players in the world. "It doesn’t really matter where they are in the draw." In the women’s singles, world number one Serena Williams, the five-time champion, takes top seeding, followed by Victoria Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, with Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon winner, named the third seed.Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has pulled out of this year’s tournament because of an ongoing lower back injury. Meanwhile, Leander Paes has been seeded fourth along with Radek Stepanek in the men’s doubles competition. Mahesh Bhupathi and Julian Knowle are seeded eighth while the Rohan Bopanna-Edouard Roger-Vasselin duo is 14th. In the women’s doubles category, Sania Mirza has been seeded sixth with Liezel Huber. agencies

press trust of india
Rotterdam, 19 June: India’s hopes of securing a direct berth in next year’s World Cup went up in smoke after they were handed a humiliating 1-5 defeat by Australia in the quarterfinal of the men’s competition of the FIH World League Round 3, here today.
Six top teams ~ three each ~ will qualify directly for the 2014 World Cup to be held in Hague, The Netherlands from the two editions of FIH World League Round 3 — the ongoing event in Rotterdam and then the next one to be held in Malaysia from 29 June to 7 July .
An error-prone India needed a miracle to topple Australia in what was the 100th international fixture between the two sides.
But it was not be as the Kookaburras dished out a
clinical performance to make short work of the Sardar Singh-led side.
The Australians took the stuffing out of India in the first 35 minutes by scoring as many four goals — Glenn Simpson (2nd minute), Matt Gohdes (20th, Russell Ford (22nd) including an own goal by Indian defender Sandeep Singh while their fifth goal was scored by Matthew Swann in the 39th minute.
Chinglensana Singh scored the consolation goal for India in the 21st minute.
Ranked second in the world, the Australians started the match as favourites against the 11th ranked Indians and they played according to their reputation by dominating the share of possession throughout the match.
The Indians played catch-
up hockey in the entire 70
minutes and did not look convincing at all in all departments of the game.
To add to it, India’s perennial problem, a fragile defensive line continued to hurt them badly.
Australia were on the offensive from the onset and it took them just two minutes to break the deadlock when Simpson scored from their first penalty corner after Christopher Ciriello perfectly laid the ball for him. India got a chance to equalise in the 15th minute when they earned a penalty corner but Sandeep Singh cut a sorry figure with the resultant effort.
The Kookaburras looked menacing and utilised the scoring chances that came their way.
Gohdes doubled Australia’s lead in the 20th minute with a field goal from top of the circle.
India, however, pulled one back in the subsequent attack when Chinglensana scored with a fierce hit, courtesy some sloppy defending from the Australians inside the circle.

statesman news service
NEW DELHI, 19 JUNE: The growing bonhomie between the Congress and the JD-U, which was today evidenced by the former’s support to the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s trust vote in the state Assembly, is expected to be witnessed in Parliament in coming days.
Although the All India Congress Committee (AICC) today sought to play down questions about a new political alignment emerging between the Congress and the Nitish-led JD-U, it was evidently a bid to do a balancing act between Mr Kumar and its existing outside ally, the RJD chief Mr Lalu Prasad, an arch rival of the Bihar CM.
Keeping its options open with regard to joining hands with either of the two Bihar stalwarts for the 2014 general elections, the Congress leadership might keep them guessing down to the wire.  At the Centre, however, the ruling Congress would be keenly eyeing the backing of the 20 JD-U MPs in the Lok Sabha and 9 JD-U MPs in the Rajya Sabha on various issues and crucial legislative business in coming sessions.
After the considerable depletion of the Congress-led UPA’s numbers in both Houses following the pullout of the Trinamul Congress and the DMK from the ruling coalition, the JD-U’s exit from the BJP-led NDA is set to create new support options for the Congress in its bid to push through its priority agenda in Parliament.
AICC spokesman P C Chacko was today, however, at pains to claim that the Congress has not struck any “quid pro quo deal” with the JD-U and that the support of  four Congress MLAs to Mr Kumar during his trust vote was a “separate matter” and “not a prelude to a future alliance” between them.
In Patna, Mr Kumar echoed the same line while thanking the Congress for its support, and said not much should be read into it. 
Mr Chacko said the Congress’s backing for Mr Kumar’s trust vote, which he won smoothly, was “unilateral and unconditional”. “We supported the JD-U in Bihar assembly because we do not want the communal BJP to succeed in its bid to pull down a government. It was to ensure the defeat of communal forces,” Mr Chacko said. 
The AICC spokesman said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent description of Mr Kumar as a secular leader was meant for the Bihar CM as an individual and not for any party.
Asked whether the AICC perceived the JD-U as a “secular party”, Mr Chacko shied away from making a comment and remained non-committal.
On a possible alliance with the JD-U, Mr Chacko said: “Our leadership has constituted the A K Antony Committee to discuss the question of our alliances for the next Lok Sabha polls. This process has not been concluded. Finally, based on the Antony panel’s recommendations, our high command will take a decision on our alliance in Bihar and other places.”  At the same time, the AICC declined to call Mr Prasad "communal” for the RJD’s vote against the Kumar government today. “Every political party has a right to take its own decision,” Mr Chacko said. “The RJD is our outside ally. There are no problems between us. But any future alliance will be discussed and decided later.”
 
 

statesman news service
MALDA, 18 JUNE: Prof Bikash Roy was appointed the officiating Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the University of Gour Banga by the Governor of the state and Chancellor of the Universities. A fax containing the order of Prof Roy&’s ad hoc appointment till the UGB V-C Mr Achintya Biswas, who has been on leave for illness over a month, resumes his office, reached the office of the UGB Registrar.
Prof Biswas has been absent from his office since 28 April.
Acting Registrar Prof SS Bairagya said, “It has been mentioned in the fax received from the secretary to the Chancellor that Prof Biswas&’s leave has been sanctioned from 6 May. Prof Roy would look after the office of the V-C till Prof Biswas rejoins his office.”
Prof Roy said: “My main objective is to work in the interest of the students, teachers, employees and officers of the UGB. Tomorrow I would hold a meeting with the teachers, the officers and all employees of the varsity to seek their suggestions for the development of the UGB.”
He said that the office of the controller of examinations had been verbally directed to adopt measures so that the result of 3rd year final examination of graduation is published by 30 June.
“I have also requested the controller to point out problems, if any, in publishing the results regularly,” the new VC said.

statesman news service
MALDA, 18 JUNE: The District administration today handed over cheques of compensation to the families of those who died after a boat capsized in the Ganga in Manikchak on 14 June. Families of 10 deceased passengers of the boat were altogether paid Rs 20 lakh by the district land and land reforms officer, Mr Sanjib Chaki, at the community hall in Manikchak.
Meanwhile, the District Magistrate (DM) Godala, Mr Kiran Kumar, today held a crucial meeting with the zilla parishad (ZP) officials, Additional District Magistrate (Land Reforms), Block Development Officers (BDOs) and the boating area owners on lease.
Mr Kumar said that it was resolved in the meeting that the government rules and regulations regarding the ferrying of boats on different rivers would be distinctly displayed at the ferry-ghats immediately. The dos and don’ts of running passenger boats would be clearly mentioned in the notice board. “The BDOs would pay surprise visits to those ghats every week to examine if the boats are plying in adherence to the government rules and regulations.
If any violation is found, FIRs would be lodged immediately against the concerned offenders,” Mr Kumar said.
He also said that the particulars of the boatmen, including their address, contact number, photograph would be collected and kept with the administration, for prompt action in case of emergency. The data of boats would also be preserved. The boat-owners would be directed to keep life-jackets compulsorily in the boats.
In addition, training programmes for the boatmen would be organised by the National disaster management and rescue experts, the Malda DM, Mr Kumar, said.
He said that the compensation of Rs 2 lakh was paid to families of 10 victims who died in the boat capsizal.
He informed that Rs 5,000 was paid to each of those families for cremation of the bodies. It may be mentioned that a passenger boat capsized on 14 June at Rustampur ghat of Manikchak. Two bodies were found soon after the accident. Eight more bodies were found the next day. 
The Tourism Minister Krishnendu Choudhury, Manikchak MLA and Social Welfare Minister Sabitri Mitra, DM Mr Kumar, DIG SK Pujari and Malda SP Kalyan Mukherjee were present during the rescue operation.