Conclusion of Doha talks will boost global rade: FICCI

New Delhi, Aug 30: With the stage set for a mini-ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) here this week, a leading industry lobby in India has urged the member countries to prepare an action plan for the early conclusion of the Doha Round trade talks.
If the world leaders reach a consensus on the Doha Round, it will boost global exports by $185 billion, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said in a report. “We urge the participating ministers to use this opportunity for readying a blueprint with timelines. This would be critical for completing the Doha talks within the present deadline of next year,” FICCI president Harsh Pati Singhania said. The mini-ministerial meeting, scheduled for September 3-4, would re-engage a large number of key players after a gap of nearly nine months and inject a fresh momentum to the limping multilateral trade talks, the federation said. The Doha talks began in 2001 but were stalled last year after countries disagreed on proposed tariff and subsidy cuts.

UPA Government’s 100 days

NEW DELHI, Aug 30: The first 100 days of the second innings of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government have been disappointing for the common man and its performance has been below par, say political parties. “The performance has been pathetic. The government has failed to deliver both on the economic front and the issues of country’s security,” GVL Narasimha Rao, member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive, told IANS.

Rao said the government had not been able to handle the drought situation and price rise and the “worst hit has been the common man,” on whose welfare talk the Congress came to power.
The views are echoed by the Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Gurudas Dasgupta. According to Dasgupta, the performance of the UPA Government has been “unsatisfactory and not up to the expectation of common man”. Manmohan Singh Government took oath on May 22 for the second consecutive time following a sweeping victory in the April-May Lok Sabha polls.
The government’s emphasis has been on infrastructure development, schemes for the poor like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, stimulus packages to pull the economy out of the global slowdown and deal with the drought situation and spiraling prices of essential commodities.

Left Front expects huge turnout at August 31 rally

Left Front expects huge turnout at August 31 rally

KOLKATA, Aug 27: The ruling Left Front in West Bengal expects a huge gathering at a rally it is holding August 31 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a mass movement that battled food shortages. “We expect at least 500,000-600,000 people in the rally,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose told reporters here on Thursday. The rally will be held in the heart of the city — the Metro Channel. Left Front leaders will pay homage to those who fell to police firing during what was known as the Food Movement. It was launched in 1959 when the State was suffering from acute food shortage. The movement reached its peak when a strike was organised in Kolkata and surrounding districts in August-September 1959. On August 31, 1959 more than 20 demonstrators were killed by the police. (IANS)

Vajpayee was thwarted over Modi exit, reveals Shourie

NEW DELHI, Aug 25: Supporters of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi thwarted then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who wanted Modi to quit over the 2002 communal violence, according to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Shourie. In an interview to NDTV news channel, Shourie alleged that the party almost “orchestrated a coup” against Vajpayee over Modi’s future when the BJP national executive met in Goa in 2002.

Shourie recalled that the BJP had made up its mind to sack Modi following the 2002 violence that left over 1,000 people dead. Most victims were Muslims. Shourie claimed that party veteran LK Advani was to ask Modi to quit at the Goa meeting but things turned out to be quite the opposite.
Shourie, who called Modi prime minister material in the run-up to this year’s Lok Sabha elections, said: “It was definitely decided that when we get down (from the plane in Goa), Advaniji will ring up Modi and say in the (national executive) ... offer to resign. (The) meeting starts, speeches start? Atalji and Advaniji are sitting on (the) stage. Modi got up and said ‘mujhe kuch kehna hai (I want to say something)’ and he offered to resign”.