Nano set for commercial roll-out Monday

The Nano, touted as the world's cheapest car, will finally be launched from here Monday.
The Tata group, India's largest industrial house, is all set for the commercial roll-out of the small-car that hit the global headlines last year, both after its unveiling at the Auto Show in New Delhi and then becoming the centrepiece of a political controversy over the location of its plant at Singur in West Bengal.
The $62.5 billion group finally had to shift its factory to Sanand in Gujarat after cascading politically-motivated protests over land acquisition from farmers raised questions over the company's ability to stick to its launch deadline, informally set for October 2008.
Showcasing its prototype last year, Tata Motors had announced that it will cost all of Rs.100,000 ($2,000) at factory gates - the lowest cost for any car so far. The group has said the booking process and specific details on the retail price will be announced Monday afternoon.
Tata Motors hope to start from the second week of April advance bookings for the 624-cc jellybean car, which has a snub nose, a sloping roof and just about room for five to squeeze in.
Company officials said arrangements were being made to accept bookings with the existing dealers of Tata Motors, at Westside apparel chain and Croma appliances stores promoted by the group, and select branches of the State Bank of India.
Touted as the next revolution in automobiles after the legendary Model T, The Nano will be available in three variants - standard, deluxe and luxury. The base model will have no air-conditioning.
The four-door, five-seat car has a small 33-bhp engine at the rear and is targeted at the strong Indian middle class population that aspires to trade its two-wheelers for a much safer vehicle at an affordable cost.
With a length of 3.1 metres, a width of 1.5 metres and a height of 1.6 metres, Nano also has adequate ground clearance and can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.
'Let me announce today that the dealer price for the car will be Rs.100,000 only,' Ratan Tata, chairman of the group, had said last year, standing in front of the automobile he had promised to deliver four years ago, taking the project as a personal challenge.
'A promise is a promise,' Tata had said, seeking to drive home the point he will deliver the car at the same price as he had set four years ago, despite major escalations in input costs.

PTIUS H-1B visa restrictions to end in two years

The US government's controversial restriction on companies from hiring skilled foreign workers with non-immigrant H-1B visas will continue for only two years, the immigration department has said. As part of a stimulus package passed last month for revival of the economy, President Barack Obama signed a new law, named "Employ American Workers Act", which makes it difficult for the companies having received government bailout funds to hire H-1B foreign workers.
However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in a circular issued with its invitation of H1-B applications for the next fiscal, has now made it clear that the EAWA requirements are not permanent and would "sunset two years from the date of enactment." EAWA, which prevents a company from displacing US workers when hiring H-1B specialty occupation workers if the company received stimulus funds, took effect on February 17, 2009 and it applies to any "hire" taking place before February 17, 2011.
The Act defines "hire" as an employer permitting a new employee to commence a period of employment; that is, the introduction of a new employee to the employer's US workforce. USCIS has said that it would begin accepting H-1B visa applications from April 1 for the next fiscal 1 and would subject the applications to various terms and conditions related to EAWA.

IPL to take place outside India: BCCI

The Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held outside the country following the authorities' inability to provide security if the hugely popular contest coincides with general elections, the Indian cricket board announced Sunday.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which did not reveal the new venue.
BCCI said it was in consultation with cricket boards of other countries and would come out with a detailed itinerary soon.
'Many cricket boards have expressed their interest (in hosting IPL) and we are in talks with them,' BCCI president Shashank Manohar told reporters.
BCCI said it was forced to take the decision because the government failed to give an assurance about providing foolproof security to the tournament that draws players from the cricketing world.
'Earlier the governments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh had said they have no problems in holding IPL matches. But yesterday they said they are not in a position to provide security till the elections (get over).
'We have been forced to move IPL outside India because of the attitude of the government, especially the Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments.'
Security for the IPL became a major issue ever since terrorists who India says were from Pakistan slaughtered over 170 people in Mumbai in November last year. The security forces would be bogged down during April and May because of the Lok Sabha elections.

Iftikhar Chaudhry returns Sunday as Pakistan's chief justice

Islamabad: It will be sweet revenge for Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry as he returns Sunday as Pakistan's chief justice, 18 months after then president Pervez Musharraf removed him from office.
Chaudhry assumes office on the retirement Saturday of Abdul Hameed Dogar, who had replaced him Nov 4, 2007 after Chaudhry refused to take fresh oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) that Musharraf had promulgated along with an emergency a day before.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who had been dragging his feet on restoring Chaudhry and the 60-odd Supreme Court and high court judges whom Musharaf had also sacked, finally gave in Monday after a lawyers' protest led by opposition leader Nawaz Sharif threatened to spin out of control.
Observers here say one of Chaudhry's first acts on resuming office would be to review three judgements by the Dogar-led Supreme Court validating the emergency Musharraf had declared. This apart, he could order a reexamination of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that Musharraf promulgated in 2007 granting immunity from prosecution in corruption cases to slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, her husband Asif Ali Zardari, and scores of politicians. The NRO had enabled Bhutto and Zardari to return home from exile.
Then, there is the government appeal against last month's Supreme Court verdict barring Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections.
That judgement had led to the fall of Shahbaz Sharif's government in Punjab and the imposition of governor's rule in the province.
The elder Sharif has accused Zardari of having a hand in the judgement.
The government decision on the appeal came Monday, when it also gave in on the judges' reinstatement.
For Chaudhry, the wheel has come full circle.
Musharraf had appointed Chaudhry the country's 20th chief justice May 7, 2005 but fell out with him less than two years later and suspended him March 9, 2007.
This was after Chaudhry refused to go slow on his judicial activism by taking up issues like rising prices and privatisation.
Musharraf also made a presidential reference against Chaudhry on grounds of misconduct but the latter fought back and was reinstated July 20, 2007.
In October that year, Musharraf won a controversial re-election and the Supreme Court opened a hearing on its validity.
It was on the point of delivering a verdict that was expected to go against the president when Musharraf imposed an emergency to prevent this.