Aarushi murder: Dr Talwar released from jail

Dr Rajesh Talwar, accused of murdering his own daughter Aarushi and his domestic help Hemraj, was released on Saturday after spending 50 days in jail.

On Friday, the CBI said that they have no evidence against him.

It was an emotional reunion for the Talwar family as Dr Talwar walked out of the jail. He was received by his wife Nupur Talwar and his brother Dinesh Talwar.

Dr Talwar visited a temple on their way home after coming out of the jail. He spoke very briefly to the media saying that he planned no action against Noida police. His brother Dinesh Talwar asked mediapersons, who were available in full strength, to give them some time.

''Give us some time. Don't you understand our situation? Please bear with us,'' said Dinesh.

Speaking about Dr Talwar's life in the Dasna Jail, jailor Ramji Singh said, ''He used to lead a very simple life. He was fond of drinking tea and reading newspapers. Everyday he would do yoga for 15 to 20 minutes. He wanted to put his expertise as a dentist to proper use in the jail. There was a dentist's chair that we got repaired so that he could use it. We are very happy that he is released. When asked about Aarushi, he used to break down and cry.''

In jail he underwent not only rigorous interrogation by the UP police and the CBI but also a trial by the media.

He lost everything, his job, his reputation and worst of all, he did not even get a chance to grieve for his daughter because he was thrown into jail, just days after her brutal murder.

The Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case took a new turn on Friday with a court giving bail to Dr Talwar after the CBI told the court there was no evidence against him.

The CBI also pointed out that the UP police, which had first arrested him also had no evidence against him. The UP police had made several innuendos about the character of Dr Talwar and Aarushi Talwar.

Exhaustion never forced me out of Test series:Ganguly

Indirectly taking a dig at India Twenty20 and one-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni skipping the upcoming Sri Lanka series citing exhaustion, former captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said during his captaincy days he could not have `afforded` pulling out of a Test series.

I don`t remember missing out on a Test or a series when I was the captain. Perhaps I could not afford that. For captain Dhoni, who is also the wicketkeeper and the batsman of the team, I think he must have felt fatigued," Ganguly said.

"It also depends on your position in the side; I`m sure not many players, with a place in the side not guaranteed, will be able to do that. It depends how much threat for the place you have in the team. I know only one player who has been able to do it successfully --- Sachin Tendulkar."

Ganguly was quick to add that it was the Ranchi wicketkeeper-batsman`s personal decision.

Asked whether the Indian Premier League extravaganza was to be blamed for the player fatigue, Ganguly said, "I don`t think it opens up the IPL vs country debate."

Disappointed that he was not among the 30 best one-day cricketers of the country as announced while picking the Champions Trophy probables, Ganguly said it was high time that he stopped looking forward to the 50-over version.

"I was not part of the side for seven months, and, having been ignored for the Champions Trophy probables, for the next three months also I won`t be part of one-day cricket. So obviously I don`t look forward to that. You may call it I was pushed out or was asked to go out ... what I look forward to is to do well in the Sri Lanka tour," Ganguly said.

The 36-year-old left hander, however, said he was not mulling on retirement from one-day cricket. On India`s final match jinx, especially after losing back-to-back finals, first in Bangladesh tri-series and then in the Asia Cup, Ganguly said, "It will be difficult for me to comment on the side."

"I`m not part of the side for many days and I don`t know about the new team. However, it will be harsh to judge them so early. Give them some time before we make a judgement."

Asked whether Twenty20 had robbed one-day of some lustre, Ganguly said, "I don`t think there is any lack of interest in ODIs after the advent of Twenty20."

"While I was in England, I went to watch an ODI at a venue there and I saw a packed house. I`m sure when the ODI format returns to India, we`ll see the same packed house as it was earlier. All the three formats will have the same public interest."

PM meets President, says ready for trust vote

New Delhi, July 10, 2008: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met President Pratibha Patil on Thursday evening, and sought a trust vote in Parliament. He has reportedly told the President that a special session of Parliament would be convened for a floor test on July 17 or 18. The PM-President meeting lasted for 30 minutes.

Since PM believes he has the numbers to ensure the government does not fall. He is willing to face a trust vote before the board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He believes his position as far as going to the IAEA has been consistent, as he never ruled out beginning the process with the IAEA.

The government will convene a special session of Parliament for a floor test either on July 17 or 18, said the sources adding the government would withdraw the IAEA and NSG texts if the government fails to win the confidence vote.

The President had on Wednesday night asked Singh to meet her today after the Left parties withdrew support to the Congress-led coalition.

The President may follow the precedence set by one of her predecessors K R Narayanan of not calling for a confidence vote if she is convinced that the UPA government has the requisite number of Parliamentarians.

The Prime Minister also met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee this morning, prior to his audience with the President.

Mukherjee is understood to have briefed Singh on the developments in the wake of government's decision to go ahead on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Further, the Congress party is believed to have asked its MPs to remain in the country till July 22, which suggests that the government might convene the special Parliament session and seek trust vote before that date.

Singh returned from Japan after the G-8 summit well past midnight Wednesday.

The Left parties had yesterday submitted letters announcing the snapping of ties with the UPA government and also submitted a list of 60 MPs and a joint letter signed by leaders of – CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc – asking the President to direct the Prime Minister to seek a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha immediately.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and its Parliamentary Party leader Ramgopal Yadav also met the President and gave a fresh letter of support of 39 of its MPs to the government.

Abu Dhabi buys into NY landmark

The iconic Chrysler Building dominates the New York skyline

The controlling stake in one of New York's most famous landmarks, the Chrysler Building, has been sold to the Abu Dhabi government's commercial arm.

Prudential Financial confirmed it had sold its 75% stake in the Manhattan Art Deco skyscraper to the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC).

The council, which has not commented on the deal, was reported to have paid about $800m (£400m) for the stake.

The remaining 25% of the building is owned by property firm Tishman Speyer.

Prudential spokeswoman Theresa Miller confirmed that ADIC had bought its share of the skyscraper, according to the Associated Press.

Sovereign investments

In recent months, a number of iconic buildings on Manhattan's skyline have been the target of Middle Eastern investors.

The investment has often come from sovereign wealth funds, which are established by governments who have large surpluses of money - typically earned from oil and gas revenues - which they wish to invest abroad.

In June, a Dubai fund, Boston Properties and Goldman Sachs paid $2.8bn for the General Motors Building.

The ADIC is one of the world's richest sovereign funds, with an estimated $800bn of assets under management.

Last November, it made a $7.5bn investment in US banking giant Citigroup.

But governments in France, Germany, and the US have raised concerns that these funds could use their wealth to buy up key strategic assets or exert political leverage on Western companies and governments.

The International Monetary Fund's working group on sovereign wealth funds met in Singapore on Wednesday to try and address those concerns and to draw up a voluntary code of conduct for the industry.

Analysts say energy-rich governments in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and other Gulf countries are taking advantage of falling prices to invest in property and financial firms around the world.

Middle Eastern investors have spent $1.8bn this year on commercial US property, according to research firm Real Capital Analytics.

The Chrysler Building at 405 Lexington Avenue was designed by William Van Alen and completed in 1930 for car maker Chrysler.

At 319m (1,046ft) high, the building was the world's tallest skyscraper before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building a year later.