CJI favours holding of Lok Adalat at all levels of courts

NEW DELHI, May 3: Burdened with large pendency of cases, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today favoured holding of Lok Adalats at all levels of courts for amicable settlement of disputes.

Inaugurating the first Lok Adalat in the Supreme Court, the CJI said courts below it should take initiative to settle disputes through Lok Adalats at regular intervals to meet the greatest challenge of pendency of cases for judiciary.

"We want the High Courts to organise Lok Adalat at a larger scale," he said and also stressed the need for cooperation from public for making adjudication of disputes through such a medium a success.

"Lok Adalat comes as a relief for a large number of litigants and as salvation for the courts burdened with large pendency of cases," Justice Balakrishnan said.

"For large number of litigants, Lok Adalat is a relief. May be a few drops of water (in the occean) as some cases could be settled with consent of both the parties," the CJI said.

To start with, as many as 45 cases were listed at the Court, he said, adding even if 50 per cent cases are settled, it would be a healthy sign.

The Lok Adalat would help in settlement of cheque dishonour cases, motor accident claims cases and other criminal cases which are compoundable, Balakrishnan said.

The Lok Adalat was organised by the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.

Parliament has enacted the Legal Service Authorities Act 1987 with an aim to organise Lok Adalat by giving statutory recognition to the resolution of disputes by compromise and settlement to it. (PTI)

DD earning by selling footages from
its archives to channels

NEW DELHI, May 3: Doordarshan archives, which is in the process of digitising its legacy tapes since 2003, has so far produced 80 DVDs of its heritage possession, the most prestigious being ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’.

The Archives is selling footage to broadcasting organisations and individuals besides providing programmmes to Urdu Channel, DD India and DD Bharati on a regular basis.

DD is acquiring content lying in its Kendras in legacy format for digitisation.

The Central Archives has also undertaken language dubbing of series and serials stored in archives for telecasting in the regional services and also to provide language option in its Broadband project, says the annual report of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Recently a science serial for children ‘Aisa Hi Hota hai’ was dubbed in 11 languages.

Besides, classics which have been produced in various languages were being dubbed in Hindi.’Godan’ of Munshi Prem Chand directed by Gulzar is being released with eight language tracks in DVD format for sale.

DD is also digitising programmes from various legacy tapes for telecast as per the request from regional as well as National Channels.

A project has also been taken up for digitisation of AIR archives. In the first phase of the digitisation, 15,900 hours of programmes have been transferred from analogue tapes into digital medium.

In the second phase, which started last year, about 10,000 analogue tapes are to be digitised. (UNI)

Salem denies threat to life

MUMBAI, May 3: Extradited gangster Abu Salem, who was today taken to J J Hospital for a routine check up, has denied that there was any threat to his life.

The State Government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have stated that Salem’s life was in danger and thus he should not be brought out of Arthur road jail premises.

Salem was taken to the hospital after he complained of severe backache two days back.

He told the media outside the hospital that there is "no threat to his life" and restraining him inside the jail "was just the CBI’s manner to delay his trial and court proceedings."

Earlier, the State Government had restrained Salem’s movements outside the Arthur Road prison following threats to his life.

However, last week Salem filed an application before the special TADA court seeking permission to be sent to the J J Hospital for his backache treatment.

Special TADA Judge P D Kode permitted Salem to be taken to the hospital yesterday.

Salem, who was extradited from Portugal, has been accused of supplying arms and ammunitions to the other accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. (PTI)

Salem taken to hospital for medical check up

MUMBAI, May 3: Extradited gangster Abu Salem was today taken to the J J Hospital here for a medical examination. Salem has been taken to the state-run J J Hospital for a medical examination as he has a severe backache, his lawyer Tejbahadur Thakur said.

"He has been removed from the Arthur Road prison premises for the first time after the state’s order restraining him from being taken out as there was a threat to his life," Thakur added.

When asked that Salem was ordered to remain in the prison premises and not removed for any reason, not even court hearings, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Rakesh Maria said, "The state’s order restrained Salem’s movement outside the jail, except for medical reasons."

Salem is accused of having supplied arms to others involved in the 1993 blasts and participating in the conspiracy to carry out the explosions that rocked Mumbai.

Salem is currently undergoing trial before the special TADA court after he was extradited from Portugal in November 2005. (PTI)

Petroleum traders threaten strike

NEW DELHI, May 3: The federation of All India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT) today threatened to go on indefinite strike unless the Government considers its demands within 15 days.

The federation in a statement said, "the representatives of about 37,000 petrol pumps, spread across the country are meeting in Pune on May 24 to deliberate on the date of the strike call."

The release also said, "the demands included, increase in Commission to five per cent of the invoiced value by applying the percentage basis formula. The pumps should not be closed for stock loss as promised last year. Besides, there must be increase in the evaporation limits."

The federation accused the Government of repeatedly failing to keep its assurances, leaving them with little choice but to call a strike. (UNI)

‘Explosion cracks remains of Buddha statue in Bamiyan’

KABUL, May 3: An explosion has cracked historic remains of one of the famed Bamiyan Buddha statues that were destroyed by the Taliban seven years ago, an Afghan culture official said today.

NATO-led troops destroyed two pieces of unexploded ordnance close to the smaller of the two statues on Thursday, Najibullah Harar, chief of information and culture for Bamiyan, told The Associated Press.

The blast caused cracks in what is left of the 34.5 meter-high statue and its side walls, he said.

UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said there had been a controlled explosion about 100 meters from the statue and the UN was checking into the incident. He said it was unclear if the Buddha remains were damaged.

Controlled explosions are forbidden in the area of the World Heritage Site, Siddique said. (AGENCIES)

Mandela on US terrorist watchlist

WASHINGTON, May 3: Nobel Peace Prize winner anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela still figures on the US terrorist watchlist and needs special permission to visit America.

The requirement applies to Mandela and other members of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), the once-banned anti-apartheid organisation.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has termed the situation "embarrassing," and some members of the Congress have vowed to fix it, the USA Today reported.

In the 1970s and ‘80s, the ANC was officially designated a terrorist group by the country’s ruling white minority. Other countries, including the US, followed suit. Because of this, Rice told a Senate committee recently, her department has to issue waivers for ANC members to travel to the USA.

"This is a country with which we now have excellent relations, South Africa, but it’s frankly a rather embarrassing matter that I still have to waive in my own counterpart, the foreign minister of South Africa, not to mention the great leader Nelson Mandela," Rice said.

Chairman of the House International Relations Committee Howard Berman is pushing a bill that would remove current and former ANC leaders from the watch lists. Supporters hope to get it passed before Mandela’s 90th birthday on July 18.

"What an indignity," Berman said. "The ANC set an important example: It successfully made the change from armed struggle to peace. We should celebrate the transformation."

Mandela, the hero of movement against apartheid, a repressive regime that subjugated black South Africans, was imprisoned for 27 years before being freed in 1990. He was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

Republican Senator Judd Gregg called ANC members’ inclusion on watch lists a "bureaucratic snafu" and pledged to fix the problem.

Members of other groups deemed a terrorist threat, such as Hamas, also are on the watchlists.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said "common sense" suggests Mandela should be removed. He said the issue "raises a troubling and difficult debate about what groups are considered terrorists and which are not."

When ANC members apply for visas to the USA, they are flagged for questioning and need a waiver to be allowed in the country.

In 2002, former ANC chairman Tokyo Sexwale was denied a visa. In 2007, Barbara Masekela, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States from 2002 to 2006, was denied a visa to visit her ailing cousin and didn’t get a waiver until after the cousin had died, Berman’s legislation said. (PTI)

Tata, ArcelorMittal, Essar in race to buy Krakatau

NEW DELHI, May 3: World’s fifth largest steelmaker Tata is likely to join the race to acquire Indonesia’s state-run steel mill P T Krakatau alongwith ArcelorMittal and Australia’s BlueScope, the country’s leading daily The Jakarta Post reported.

According to the Director General for Metal, Machinery and Textiles in Indonesia Ansari Bukhari, Tata has sent a letter to the Ministry inquiring how it could take part in the privatisation process.

"Tata Steel’s Chief Executive Indranil Sengupta, plans to meet with Minister of Industry Fahmi Idris sometime on May 5 or 6. He has some questions on the Government’s plan to privatise Krakatau Steel," the daily quoted Bukhari as saying.

Another report quoted Bukhari as saying that Essar has also evinced interest in acquiring Krakatau.

BlueScope has also expressed its desire to meet the country’s Industry Minister on May 8 or 9 to discuss the privatisation, it said and added that Tata would have to compete with these companies, especially ArcelorMittal that has already offered to acquire 40 per cent stake in Krakatau.

On April 10 ArcelorMittal CEO L N Mittal met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and expressed his interest to invest 3 billion dollars in the country’s mining and steel companies, it said.

"With so much interest in Krakatau Steel, we will make the choice based on investors’ ability to provide up-to-date technologies and financial support," the daily quoted Ansari as saying.

The Indonesian Government has been considering to privatise Krakatau through an IPO or by conducting a strategic sale. (PTI)

India, Malaysia hold joint naval exercise

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3: India and Malaysia today held a joint naval exercise here marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, with Navy vessels from the two countries staging live-fire drills.

Usually live firing is not part of a joint passage exercise but the fact that Indian naval ships INS Kora and INS Kirpan and Malaysian Royal Navy’s KD Amin and KD Nadim staged the drill shows the close friendship and strong maritime ties between the two countries, official sources said.

Both the Indian ships are missile corvettes which arrived in Malaysia on April 29. The joint exercise is being held on the waters of Malacca Straits and on its conclusion INS Kora and INS Kirpan will head to Port Blair.

The two Indian ships were docked at the Royal Malaysian Naval Base at Lumut in Perak State.

Exchange of goodwill visits by naval ships of India and Malaysia to each other’s ports has traditionally been an important component of friendly relations between the two countries, the sources added.

During the visit, the personnel of Indian Navy also held professional interactions and sports exchanges with their counterparts in the Royal Malaysian Navy.

They undertook community service at Sekolah Semangat Maju, Setiawan-a school for special children. (PTI)

Bush links high food prices to demand
in countries like India

WASHINGTON, May 3: Prosperity in countries like India is "good" but it triggers increased demand for "better nutrition" which in turn leads to higher food prices, US President George W Bush said.

The comments come close on the heels of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s controversial statement that "apparent improvement" in the diets of people in India and China and consequent food export caps is among the causes of the current global food crisis.

At an interactive session on economy in Missouri, Bush argued that there are many factors for the present crisis, only one of which was investment on biofuels like ethanol.

"Worldwide there is increasing demand. There turns out to be prosperity in developing world, which is good. It’s going to be good for you because you’ll be selling products in the countries, you know, big countries perhaps, and it’s hard to sell products into countries that aren’t prosperous. In other words, the more prosperous the world is, the more opportunity there is," the US President said.

"It also, however, increases demand. So, for example, just as an interesting thought for you, there are 350 million people in India who are classified as middle class. That’s bigger than America. Their middle class is larger than our entire population.

"And when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up," he said.

Bush also listed change in weather patterns and increase in basic costs like that of energy as factors contributing to higher food prices.

"No question that ethanol has had a part of it. But I simply do not subscribe to the notion that it is the main cost driver for your food going up," Bush said.

Several international experts have in recent days held biofuels, until recently cast as a miracle alternative to polluting fossil fuels, for being responsible for usurping arable land and distorting world food prices.

"Actually, the reason why food prices are high now is because, one, energy costs are high, and if you’re a farmer, you’re going to pass on your cost of energy in the products you sell, otherwise you’d go broke.

"And when you’re paying more for your diesel, paying more for your fertiliser because it’s got a lot of, you know, natural gas in it, in other words, when your basic costs are going up, so does the cost of food," Bush said.

He said there are two aspects of rising food prices-its effect on US citizens and the fact that there is a food scarcity in the world.

"We don’t have a scarcity issue in America...We got a price issue. Our shelves aren’t going empty, it’s just costing more money," Bush said.

"There is scarcity in the world, and I happen to believe when we find people who can’t find food we ought to help them find it," he said adding, "America is by far the most generous nation when it comes to helping the hungry."

"We’re an unbelievably compassionate nation," he said.

"I think we ought to change our food policy in Africa and other developing countries...Buying food directly from farmers as opposed to giving people food. I think we ought to be saying, ‘Why don’t we help you be able to deal with scarcity by encouraging your farmers to grow and be efficient growers? Otherwise, we’re going to be in this cycle forever."

Meanwhile, the head of the cash-strapped United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed Bush asking the US Congress to provide an additional 770 million dollars for food aid and development work and his call for urgent action to combat the advance of hunger among world’s most vulnerable following steep spurt in the price of food.

Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP, said that "urgent consideration by the US Congress will help prevent wide-scale human suffering due to soaring food prices."

"Today, for those living on less than USD 1 a day, the impact of soaring food prices is catastrophic," she said as experts warned that rising prices could push an additional 100 million people into hunger.

The President of the World Bank which provides funding for development around the globe, also welcomed the announcement by Bush.

"These funds will help put food in the mouths of millions of people who are struggling to survive as prices rise," Robert B Zoellick said.

"Importantly, US action goes beyond the critical short-term needs and aims to deal with the causes of the crisis so millions will not suffer again."

Zoellick also welcomed the fact that the announcement came after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had assembled an international task force to tackle the global food crisis.

"By combining emergency support for the neediest, with support for agricultural production, and international action on trade, the US package takes us closer to the integrated international response needed to build sustainable solutions," he said. (PTI)

Now, a special diet ‘to control fits’ in children

LONDON, May 3: Researchers in Britain have developed a special high-fat diet which they claim can control fits in children with epilepsy.

According to them, the "ketogenic" diet alters the body’s metabolism by mimicking the effects of starvation and could be used as a substitute for epilepsy medicines, the ‘Lancet Neurology’ journal reported.

In their study on 145 children aged between two and 16 who had failed to respond to medication, the researchers found the number of seizures fell by a third in those who were on the "ketogenic" diet.

Though the number of seizures in the children on the diet fell to two-thirds of what they had been, but remained unchanged in those who had not yet started the diet. Five kids in the diet group saw a seizure reduction of 90 per cent.

However, the researchers found that there were some side-effects including constipation, vomiting, lack of energy and hunger.

According to study leader Prof Helen Cross of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, the diet has been around for a long time but fell out of favour because it was thought to be too difficult to stick to.

"The parents say the first two weeks are quite difficult, but then it becomes much easier because you can make foods in bulk and it especially helps if you can see the benefits from it.

"We have to be sensible about it, in this study we had children who had complex epilepsy. If your epilepsy is easily controlled on one medication then I wouldn’t advocate the diet, but if at least two drugs have failed then it should be considered," she said.

Experts in this field have welcomed the research but said that the side-effects should be considered before taking that diet.

"The results of this trial add valuable information to what is already known about the diet, presenting evidence that it works for some children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

"In addition to this, however, we also recognise that the ketogenic diet is not without its side-effects, and that risks and benefits should be considered before prescribing," the ‘BBC News’ portal quoted a Epilepsy Action spokesperson as saying. (PTI)