Virbhadra Singh to be Himachal CM

SHIMLA: Congress Party's old warhorse Virbhadra Singh will be the next chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. This will be his sixth term as the head of the hill state. After a meeting of Himachal Pradesh Congress Legislature Party (CLP) here on Saturday, Virbhadra's name was cleared by party president Sonia Gandhi.

At the CLP meet, the MLAs had sent a one-line resolution asking Sonia Gandhi to decide on who would be the chief minister. Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said here that the Congress leadership on Saturday evening decided on Virbhadra to head the government in the state.

Earlier, hundreds of Congress supporters had gathered at Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha complex to witness the election of CLP leader despite tight security.

Party observer Sheila Dikshit arrived late and the CLP meeting began after 6.40pm, when she reached there along with Birender Singh and Janardhan Dwivedi. Out of the 34 MLAs present, 22 backed Virbhadra, while one of the contenders for the CM's post, Kaul Singh Thakur, claimed the support of 18 MLAs.

While most of the MLAs had reached the venue much in advance, Virbhadra Singh arrived at 6:08pm with his supporters raising slogans like "Raja nahin faqir hai ... Himachal ki taqdir hai". Senior Congress leaders Vidya Stokes and Asha Kumari were present at the meeting. On Friday, Virbhadra had met Stokes at her residence.

The Congress had defeated the BJP in the assembly polls, winning 36 out of 68 seats on Thursday. BJP got 26 while six seats went to independents.

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Pictures: Fungi Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Photograph courtesy Stephanie Mounaud, J. Craig Venter Institute

Mounaud combined different fungi to create a Santa hat and spell out a holiday message.

Different fungal grow at different rates, so Mounaud's artwork rarely lasts for long. There's only a short window of time when they actually look like what they're suppose to.

"You do have to keep that in perspective when you're making these creations," she said.

For example, the A. flavus fungi that she used to write this message from Santa grows very quickly. "The next day, after looking at this plate, it didn't say 'Ho Ho Ho.' It said 'blah blah blah,'" Mounaud said.

The message also eventually turned green, which was the color she was initially after. "It was a really nice green, which is what I was hoping for. But yellow will do," she said.

The hat was particularly challenging. The fungus used to create it "was troubling because at different temperatures it grows differently. The pigment in this one forms at room temperature but this type of growth needed higher temperatures," Mounaud said.

Not all fungus will grow nicely together. For example, in the hat, "N. fischeri [the brim and ball] did not want to play nice with the P. marneffei [red part of hat] ... so they remained slightly separated."

Published December 21, 2012

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Urban Advocates Say New Gun Control Talk Overdue

For years, voices have cried in the urban wilderness: We need to talk about gun control.

Yet the guns blazed on.

It took a small-town slaughter for gun control to become a political priority. Now, decades' worth of big-city arguments against easy access to guns are finally being heard, because an unstable young man invaded an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., with a military-style assault rifle and 30-bullet magazines. Twenty young children and six adults were slain.

President Barack Obama called the tragedy a "wake-up call." Vice President Joe Biden met Thursday with Obama's cabinet and law-enforcement officers from around the country to launch a task force on reducing gun violence. Lawmakers who have long resisted gun control are saying something must be done.

Such action is energizing those who have sought to reduce urban gun violence. Donations are up in some places; other leaders have been working overtime due to this unprecedented moment.

The moment also is causing some to reflect on the sudden change of heart. Why now? Why weren't we moved to act by the killing of so many other children, albeit one by one, in urban areas?

Certainly, Newtown is a special case, 6- and 7-year-olds riddled with bullets inside the sanctuary of a classroom. Even in a nation rife with violence, where there have been three other mass slayings since July and millions enjoy virtual killing via video games, the nature of this tragedy is shocking.

Critics Slam NRA for Proposing Armed School Guards Watch Video

Gun Violence Victims, Survivors Share Thoughts After Newtown Massacre Watch Video

But still: "There's a lot of talk now about we have to protect our children. We have to protect all of our children, not just the ones living in the suburbs," said Tammerlin Drummond, a columnist for the Oakland Tribune.

In her column Monday, Drummond wrote about 7-year-old Heaven Sutton of Chicago, who was standing next to her mother selling candy when she was killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout. Also in Chicago, which has been plagued by a recent spike in gun violence: 6-year-old Aaliyah Shell was caught in a drive-by while standing on her front porch; and 13-year-old Tyquan Tyler was killed when a someone in a car shot into a group of youths outside a party.

Wrote Drummond: "It has taken the murders of 20 babies and six adults in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Connecticut to achieve what thousands of gun fatalities in urban communities all over this country could not."

So again: What took so long? The answers are complicated by many factors: resignation to urban violence, even among some of those who live there; the assumption that cities are dangerous and small towns safe; the idea that some urban victims place themselves in harm's way.

In March, the Children's Defense Fund issued a report titled "Protect Children, Not Guns 2012." It analyzed the latest federal data and counted 299 children under age 10 killed by guns in 2008 and 2009. That figure included 173 preschool-age children.

Black children and teens accounted for 45 percent of all child and teen gun deaths, even though they were only 15 percent of the child/teen population.

"Every child's life is sacred and it is long past time that we protect it," said CDF president Marian Wright Edelman in the report.

It got almost no press coverage — until nine months later, when Newtown happened.

Tim Stevens, founder and chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project in Pittsburgh, has been focusing on urban gun violence since 2007, when he said Pennsylvania was declared the worst state for black-on-black violence.

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Football: Late-show Juventus go 10 points clear

ROME: Juventus needed two goals in stoppage time to seal a come-from-behind 3-1 win at Cagliari on Friday and move 10 points clear at the top of Serie A.

Cagliari, just a point above the relegation zone, went ahead after 16 minutes through a Mauricio Pinilla penalty awarded after Arturo Vidal had chopped down Marco Sau in the box.

In a contentious game, Cagliari played the last 30 minutes a man short after the sending off of Davide Astori, who had already been booked, for a foul on Sebastian Giovinco.

Alessandro Matri, playing against his old club, levelled for Juventus 10 minutes later and added another in the second minute of injury time.

Mirko Vucinic put away the third in the fifth minute of time added on.

"I have waited for this moment for a long time. My morale had gone down because I wasn't scoring but I always believed in myself," said Matri, who hadn't found the back of the net since September 29.

Inter Milan can close the gap on Juve back to seven points if they beat Genoa on Saturday.

- AFP/jc

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Supreme Court orders to jail convicts on bail ignored for 4 years

NEW DELHI: Here is why people are increasingly getting frustrated by the absence of deterrent effect of law on criminals — the authorities ignored for four years a Supreme Court order directing immediate arrest of convicts, who were on bail, in a murder case to serve out the 10-year imprisonment sentence.

In a startling case, the Supreme Court in May 2008 dismissed the appeal of one Sambu Rai, who was accused in a murder case, and restored the trial court's August 4, 1989 order convicting him and seven other accused under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to 10 years imprisonment.

Since September 11, 1989, that is for nearly 23 years, all the accused have been on bail since the Patna high court entertained their appeal. The HC decided the appeal on November 10, 2000. The Supreme Court took another eight years to dismiss their appeals and restore the trial court order.

Though the Supreme Court set aside the HC's lenient order and restored the stringent punishment recorded by the trial court 19 years ago, it had little effect on the convicts. A week after the June 17, 2008 judgment of the apex court, the registry sent out a letter to authorities concerned in Bihar directing that "this order be punctually observed and carried into execution by all concerned".

The Supreme Court's warning went unheeded, which allowed the convicts to roam free for four more years when they should have been serving out their 10-year sentence. The SC order was finally complied with on May 9, 2012, when the Motihari trial court issued arrest warrants against the eight convicts.

Three convicts — Sambu Rai, Jhulan Rai and Dila Rai — were arrested the same day the warrants were issued by the additional district judge. Another convict Bali Rai was arrested on May 24. Three others — Manak Rai, Ram Ikbal Rai and Gorakh Rai — had died by the time arrest warrants were issued and the last convict Parshuram Rai was physically handicapped and bed ridden.

This is not an isolated incident of criminals roaming free despite conviction. Another common feature of our criminal justice system is convicts remaining on bail during pendency of appeals, which remain pending for a long time as the appellate court's order summoning trial court records do not get complied with for years.

From Motihari alone, there are seven such instances where appeals have not been taken up for hearing for years, in one case for more than 20 years, as the trial court records have not reached the appellate court.

In the appeal filed by Muktar Mian against state of Bihar, the appellate court admitted his plea and requisitioned the trial court records to commence hearing on the appeal. After more than 20 years on November 21 this year, the appellate court said, "Appellant takes no step. Lower court records not received. Put up on February 21, 2013. Appellant and officer concerned to comply with the previous order."

Of the six other cases, one appeal is pending since August 1995, two each from 2004 and 2006 and another from 2010. In all these cases, the accused in all probability continue to enjoy freedom on bail and may continue to do so in the face of judicial lethargy.

In the Baithani Tola massacre, too, a similar trend is visible. The Supreme Court in July this year admitted the Bihar government's appeal challenging the Patna High Court order acquitting all the accused convicted of massacre of dalits in 1996. But the SC's order seeking trial court records is yet to be complied with.

An Ara trial court in 2010 had convicted 23 and sentenced three to death while awarding life sentence to the other 20 for the massacre of 21 landless poor, most of whom were women and children. But on April 16 this year, the HC overturned their conviction and acquitted the accused.

On July 16 this year, the SC did not accept Bihar government's plea for issuance of bailable warrants against the accused for taking them into custody during pendency of the appeal.

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The Healing Power of Dogs

One boy confided in the gentle-faced golden retriever about exactly what happened in his classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School that day—which his parents said was more than he'd been able to share with them. A little girl who hadn't spoken since the shootings finally started talking to her mother again after petting one of the "comfort dogs." Groups of teenagers began to open up and discuss their fear and grief with each other as they sat on the floor together, all stroking the same animal.

The dogs are therapy dogs—professional comforters that were brought to Newtown, Connecticut, almost immediately after the horrific shootings on December 14 that left 20 young children and 6 staff members dead.

Tim Hetzner, leader of the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K9 Comfort Dogs team, traveled to Newtown with nine specially trained golden retrievers and their volunteer handlers from the Addison, Illinois-based group.

Using a local Lutheran church as their base, the K9 teams have spent the past few days visiting schools, churches, activity centers, and private homes in the community. They only go where they're invited and are careful to let people approach the dogs instead of vice versa, in case anyone is afraid of or allergic to the animals.

Counselors With Fur

The response to the dogs has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Hetzner.

"A lot of times, kids talk directly to the dog," he said. "They're kind of like counselors with fur. They have excellent listening skills, and they demonstrate unconditional love. They don't judge you or talk back."

The dogs are also used to reassure victims of natural disasters—most recently, Superstorm Sandy—and to brighten the days of nursing home patients. Hetzner said he got the idea after seeing how well students responded to therapy dogs in the wake of a 2008 school shooting at Northern Illinois University. Now, in addition to the core of 15 that make up LCC's K9 Comfort Dogs team, the group has deployed about 20 other dogs to be based in schools and churches that apply for them.

The human volunteers' main job is to make sure the dogs don't get burned out, which means taking a break to play ball or nap after about two hours of work. Although some handlers have a background in counseling or pastoral care, "the biggest part of their training is just learning to be quiet," Hetzner said.

"I think that's a common mistake people make in crisis situations—feeling obligated to give some sort of answer or advice, when really, those who are hurting just need to express themselves."

The Human-Canine Bond

Why does petting a dog make us feel better? It's not just because they're cute, says Brian Hare, director of Duke University's Canine Cognition Center.

The human-canine bond goes back thousands of years. Dogs descend from wolves and have been attracted to humans ever since we began living in settlements—a source of tasty garbage. That created an advantage for wolves to live near humans, and since it tended to be the less aggressive wolves that could do this more effectively, they essentially self-domesticated over time, according to Hare.

(Read more about the evolutionary history of dogs in the February 2012 National Geographic magazine cover story, "How To Build a Dog.")

Part of what makes dogs special is that they are one of the only species that does not generally exhibit xenophobia, meaning fear of strangers, says Hare.

"We've done research on this, and what we've found is that not only are most dogs totally not xenophobic, they're actually xenophilic—they love strangers!" Hare said. "That's one way in which you could say dogs are 'better' than people. We're not always that welcoming."

People also benefit from interacting with canines. Simply petting a dog can decrease levels of stress hormones, regulate breathing, and lower blood pressure. Research also has shown that petting releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and affection, in both the dog and the human.

Do Dogs Have Empathy?

In situations like the Newtown shootings, it makes a lot of sense that dogs would be an effective form of comfort, says psychologist Debbie Custance of Goldsmiths College, University of London.

"Dogs are social creatures that respond to us quite sensitively, and they seem to respond to our emotions," she said.

Custance recently led a study to see whether dogs demonstrated empathy. She asked volunteers to either pretend to cry, or just "hum in a weird way." Would the dogs notice the difference?

"The response was extraordinary," she said. Nearly all of the dogs came over to nuzzle or lick the crying person, whether it was the owner or a stranger, while they paid little attention when people were merely humming.

"We're not saying this is definitive evidence that dogs have empathy—but I can certainly understand why people would think they do, at least," Custance said.

Other animals can also be useful in what's known as "animal-assisted therapy." The national organization Pet Partners has 11,000 registered teams of volunteer handlers and animals that visit nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and victims of tragedy and disaster. Although most of the teams use dogs, some involve horses, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and even barnyard animals like pigs and chickens.

The presence of an animal can help facilitate a discussion with human counselors or simply provide wordless emotional release, said Rachel Wright, director of Pet Partners' therapy animal program. The group plans to deploy several teams of therapy dogs to Newtown in the near future, working closely with agencies that are already present in the community, she said.

To some, the idea of sending a dog to a grieving person might seem too simplistic. But Custance says that very simplicity is part of what makes the connection between humans and canines so powerful.

"When humans show us affection, it's quite a complicated thing that involves expectations and judgments," she said. "But with a dog, it's a very uncomplicated, nonchallenging interaction with no consequences. And if you've been through a hard time, it's lovely to have that."

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Critics Slam NRA's Call for Armed School Guards

Gun control advocates slammed the National Rifle Association today for its proposal to create a force of armed security guards at schools across the country as a response to the Connecticut school shooting.

"It is beyond belief that following the Newtown tragedy, the National Rifle Association's leaders want to fill our communities with guns and arm more Americans," Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said.

Criticism mounted after the NRA addressed for the first time last week's school shooting in Newtown, Conn., in which Adam Lanza, 20, used a semiautomatic weapon to open fire on students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 26 at the school.

NRA spokesman Wayne LaPierre this morning dismissed the notion that the pro-gun group of about 4 million members would support any kind of gun-control laws, instead saying that "the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who represents the district encompassing Newtown, reacted angrily to the comments after attending the funeral of another victim from last Friday's massacre.

"Walking out of another funeral and was handed the NRA transcript. The most revolting, tone deaf statement I've ever seen," @ChrisMurphyCT tweeted.

LaPierre argued that the answer to gun violence in schools is an armed security force that can protect students, made up of trained volunteers stationed at every school across the country.

"It's not just our duty to protect [our children], it's our right to protect them," LaPierre said at a news conference. "The NRA knows there are millions of qualified active and reserved police, active and reserve military, security professionals, rescue personnel, an extraordinary corps of qualified trained citizens to join with local school officials and police in devising a protection plan for every single school."

He was interrupted twice by protestors who stood in front of LaPierre's podium holding signs and shouting that the NRA "has blood on its hands" and that the NRA is "killing our kids."

The protestors were eventually escorted out of the room.

Lautenberg, who has introduced legislation that would ban large-capacity ammunition magazines, called the NRA "irresponsible."

"The NRA points the finger of blame everywhere and anywhere it can, but they cannot escape the devastating effects of their reckless comments and irresponsible lobbying tactics," Lautenberg said.

Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and husband of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in Arizona, said, "The NRA could have chosen to be a voice for the vast majority of its own members who want common sense, reasonable safeguards on deadly firearms, but instead it chose to defend extreme pro-gun positions that aren't even popular among the law-abiding gun owners it represents."

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

National Rifle Association Calls for Armed Security at Schools Watch Video

President Obama Launches Gun-Violence Task Force Watch Video

President Obama on Gun Control: Ready to Act? Watch Video

The Violence Policy Center, a gun-control advocacy organization, said the NRA's idea of arming security guards at schools would not stop school violence.

"The NRA plan, which cynically allows for the continued sale of the assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines marketed by its gun industry corporate donors, has already been tried, and it did not work," the group said in a statement released today.

It pointed to the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, in which two armed police officers were at the school when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire. The officers exchanged gunfire with the killers, but were unable to stop them from their rampage.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi conceded that the issue is "complicated, but she said the NRA's call for an escalation "is not a positive force" in the renewed gun-control debate.

"For the NRA and others to sort of shield themselves by saying it's the mentally ill or something, and therefore we have to have more armed cops in the schools or more guns in the school -- what are they -- are they going to have [a gun] on the teacher's desk?" Pelosi wondered.

"'Wait a minute, man with a gun; I have it locked up someplace. Wait until I go get it.' I mean, this ... just doesn't make sense; we've got to reduce violence."

LaPierre had dismissed the notion that banning so-called assault weapons or enacting gun-control laws would stop school violence. He instead cast blame for gun violence in schools on violent entertainment, including video games, and the media.

"How many more copycats are waiting in the wings for their moment of fame from a national media machine that rewards them with a wall of attention they crave while provoking others to make their mark?" he asked.

LaPierre announced that former U.S. congressman Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas would lead the NRA's effort to advocate for school security forces. Hutchinson specified that the NRA, with about 4 million members, is calling for volunteers to act as the armed guards, rather than requiring funding from local or federal authorities.

"Whether they're retired police, retired military or rescue personnel, I think there are people in every community in this country who would be happy to serve if only someone asked them and gave them the training and certifications to do so," Hutchinson said.

NRA leaders have held off on interviews this week after refusing to appear on Sunday morning public affairs shows. They said they would grant interviews beginning next week to discuss their position.

NRA News anchor Ginny Simone said Thursday that in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, membership surged "with an average of 8,000 new members a day."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the NRA is partially to blame for the tragedy.

"We're not trying to take away your right to advance the interests of gun owners, hunters, people who want to protect themselves," Bloomberg told "Nightline" anchor Cynthia McFadden in an interview Thursday. "But that's not an absolute right to encourage behavior which causes things like Connecticut. In fact, Connecticut is because of some of their actions."

The guns used in the attack were legally purchased and owned by the shooter's mother, Nancy Lanza, whom Adam Lanza shot to death before his assault on the school.

In the aftermath of the shooting, many, including Bloomberg, have called for stricter regulations on the type of weapons used in this and other instances of mass gun violence this year.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has said she intends to introduce a bill banning assault weapons on the first day of next year's Congress -- a step the president said he supports.

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Boehner urges Senate to vote on Plan B; Democrats reject GOP-only tax bill

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) called on Senate leaders Thursday to schedule a vote on his plan to extend tax cuts on income up to $1 million — known as Plan B — if it passes the House later in the day.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) pledged that the Democratic-controlled chamber would not vote on Plan B even if Boehner could muster the Republican votes necessary to send the measure to the Senate.

Illustrating Boehner’s difficulties, the conservative Club for Growth not only reiterated its opposition to his plan to raise taxes on people earning more than $1 million a year, but urged lawmakers to reject a separate Republican bill that would partially avert a series of spending cuts set to take effect in January.

Boehner argued Thursday afternoon that Plan B would shield more than 99 percent of Americans from a tax hike scheduled to be implemented without congressional action next month along with the huge spending cuts.

“When the Senate Democrats and the White House refuse to act, they will be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history,” he said.

Competing press events by Boehner and Senate leaders Thursday did nothing to resolve the stand-off over the year-end “fiscal cliff.”

Democrats said Boehner was forced to move on his GOP-only plan after discovering he did not have Republican support for a broader deficit-reduction plan he had proposed to the White House.

Boehner charged that President Obama has not put forward enough in spending cuts and proposals to change entitlements to match Boehner’s own concession — offered to the White House on Friday — to allow some tax rates to rise. Republicans have maintained for years that tax cuts enacted under the George W. Bush administration should be extended at all income levels. Obama and fellow Democrats have insisted that the cuts be allowed to expire for the wealthiest Americans.

“For weeks, the White House said if I moved on rates, they would make substantial concessions on spending cuts and entitlement reforms,” Boehner said. “I did my part. They’ve done nothing.”

In fact, Obama has counteroffered a proposal to trim Social Security benefits and extend the tax cuts for families earning as much as $400,000 a year — up from the $250,000 limit that he had stipulated during his presidential reelection campaign. But Boehner indicated that he sought deeper spending cuts in return for his tax concession.

Speaking to reporters before Boehner’s news briefing, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) confidently predicted that Republicans have the votes to pass Plan B, as well as a companion bill dealing with the major automatic spending cuts that form part of the fiscal cliff. Congress set up the fiscal cliff in budget legislation last year as a way to spur a compromise agreement on a major deficit-reduction plan. Economists have warned that allowing the fiscal cliff measures to take effect could plunge the economy into another recession.

But a count being maintained by The Hill newspaper suggests Plan B is on the verge of failure. Based on interviews with members and their votes for or against the rule establishing debate of the plan, the newspaper counts at least 25 GOP lawmakers firmly or leaning towards voting “no” for Boehner’s bill.

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Football: We must remain focused: Duric

BANGKOK: Thanks to Baihakki Khaizan's late strike sealing a 3-1 win for Singapore over Thailand in the first leg of the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup final on December 19, it now appears that the Lions have one hand firmly on the trophy.

But forward Aleksandar Duric has declared that there is absolutely no room for thoughts like that in the Singapore camp.

The 22-man squad arrived in Bangkok on Thursday for the return leg, which will be played on December 22 at the Supachalasai Stadium, and the veteran marksman has urged his team-mates to keep their eye on the ball.

"Sure it's a nice score at 3-1 for us, but it's only half-time," said Duric, 42.

"The Thais will have a second chance and I'm sure they will want to grab it. For us it's important to stay cool and not do anything stupid on the field.

"I have been telling the younger players how important it is not to lose sight of the mission that is yet to be completed.

"To be overconfident at this stage is the worst thing that can happen to us. Stay cool, stay focused, keep up the hard work and we will be fine."

Duric was speaking upon the team's arrival at their hotel in Bangkok, following a long journey made more tiring by Bangkok's notorious evening rush hour. But despite the many hours spent seated in the coach, the squad looked relaxed.

After a quick meal, the players spent 90 minutes in the hotel's swimming pool as part of the recovery process.

It was also revealed that left-back Shaiful Esah, who received a knock to his head on Wednesday, has been declared fit.

"It has been one tiring day," said Lions team manager Eugene Loo.

"Getting to the airport, clearing immigration and the slow bus ride to the hotel. But we knew what to expect, so there is no irritation or frustration on our part. We are here to do a job and finish it successfully."

- TODAY

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Customs books seven diesel smuggling cases since 2009

NEW DELHI: After gold, it's diesel that is increasingly being smuggled into the country. Multiple cases of diesel smuggling from West Asian nations have come to the notice of the finance ministry, and the government has asked Customs and Coast Guard to enhance surveillance along the western coast.

Most of the cases have been detected along Maharashtra and Gujarat coastline. Customs authorities have booked at least seven cases of diesel smuggling — all in Maharashtra — over the last three years.

Four cases were filed in 2009-10 following seizure of diesel consignment valued at Rs 24 lakh. In 2011-12, three more cases were registered, and the value of diesel seized was Rs 115 lakh.

In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for finance S S Palanimanickam said on Thursday that no involvement of Customs officials has come to light so far.

In one of the cases, a vessel from the UAE carrying 890 tonnes of diesel had anchored off Mumbai coast. The Colombo-bound vessel, after offloading half of the consignment, sailed for another destination off Gujarat coast and offloaded part of its consignment mid-sea there.

For more than three weeks, the vessel was shuttling between Gujarat and Mumbai coasts before it was apprehended by Coast Guard officials.

Typically, diesel smuggled from Gulf nations are sold to dealers in western Indian states, and comes at a fraction of the cost of legal procurement that involves Customs and other state duties.

The government is grappling with the surge in gold smuggling after it imposed certain curbs to discourage huge imports of yellow metal since it created major current account deficit.

Gold bars and ornaments were diverted from Singapore and Hong Kong to Thailand and then brought to India, using the loopholes in the free trade agreement. Customs authorities have booked several such smuggling cases in recent months.

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