SP, RJD and LJP form 'secular alliance'

New Delhi, March 26: Hitting back at Congress

, two UPA constituents and an ally, RJD, LJP and SP, announced the formation of a "secular alliance" that will contest 120 seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar unitedly.

"We three are together. We will fight jointly in North India. We will not clash with each other in the two states having 120 Lok Sabha seats," Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh declared at a press conference in New Delhi.

LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan said in Patna that he had talked to SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad and the three parties would provide an "alternative" in the fight against "communal forces".

Singh said a formal announcement of the alliance would be made at a function here on March 30. He also announced that Paswan has agreed to drop his plans to field former Prime Minister V P Singh's son Ajay Singh from Fatehpur seat in Uttar Pradesh.

The SP leader's assertion comes close on the heels of Congress announcing that it would contest most of the 40 seats in Bihar and a large number of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

US announces $5m reward for info about Haqqani, Mehsud

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday offered $5 million bounty each for Sirajuddin Haqqani, believed to have been involved in the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul at the instance of Pakistan's ISI, and Baitullah Mehsud, a suspect in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The remuneration, under the state department’s Rewards for Justice scheme, is for ''information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction,'' of Haqqani and Mehsud, officials said. A separate $1 million reward was also announced for Abu Yahya al-Libi, described as a prominent member of al-Qaida. The reward for Haqqani particularly will interest New Delhi since Washington believes the Haqqani network executed the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul at the instance of ISI. US electronic intercepts is said to have yielded ''ISI fingerprints'' on the operation in the form of communication about the attack, which some experts believe was conducted by Pakistan to warn India about its growing influence in Afghanistan. The US reward incidentally covers only Siraj Haqqani while leaving out his father Jalaluddin Haqqani, who was once seen as an American ally during the Afghan War when Washington used the mujaheddin to oust the then Soviet Union. Haqqani sr. is also believed to be ailing and close to death. Terrorism analyst Bill Roggio told ToI that the reward for the junior Haqqani alone was probably made at the behest of ISI, which believes it can cause a rift between the father and son. Pakistan has routinely tried the strategy of playing off one faction of extremists against another to achieve its tactical goals. In Swat, Islamabad has signed a peace deal with what it regards as a moderate Talibanist, Sufi Mohammed, in an effort to rein in his more extremist son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah. Subsequent to the Kabul attack, Pakistan’s army chief Pervez Ashraf Kiyani, a former ISI Director General, had described Haqqani as a strategic asset. It was not clear whether he was referring to the father or son or both. In another example of the wages of Pakistan’s divide-and-rule tactics, a suicide bomber sent by Baitullah Mehsud on Thursday blew himself up in a restaurant near the town of Tank in an effort to kill a pro-government militant named Turkistan Bitani, resulting in the death of 11 Bitani men. Bitani himself escaped the attack. The Mehsud and Bitani clans have been at loggerheads in Pakistan’s restive frontier province. Mehsud had killed Bitani’s brother, who was strangely named Hindustan, in an attack last year to avenge the death of 35 of his men. Such internecine fighting is in any case common in the Frontier region. The rewards for justice program has unclaimed booty of $ 25 million each for Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri, both accused in the 9/11 attacks and on the lam in nearly a decade since. However, the program has paid more than $77 million to over 50 people who provided information that ''prevented international terrorist attacks or helped bring to justice those involved in prior acts.'' Those reported under the program include Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusai, first World Trade Center attack accused Ramzi Yousef, and Mir Aimal Kansi, who was charged with the brazen assassination of CIA analysts right outside the agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

First-Time Homebuyers Have Several Options to Maximize New Tax Credit

WASHINGTON — As part of the Treasury Department’s consumer outreach effort and with the April 15 individual tax filing deadline approaching, the Internal Revenue Service today began a concerted effort to educate taxpayers about additional options at their disposal to claim the new $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit for 2009 home purchases. For people who recently purchased a home or are considering buying in the next few months, there are several different ways that they can get this tax credit even if they’ve already filed their tax return.

The Treasury Department encourages taxpayers to explore these options to maximize their credit and get their money back as fast as possible.

“The new credit can get money in the pockets of first-time homebuyers quickly,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “For people who recently purchased a home or are considering buying in the next few months, there are several different ways that they can get this tax credit even if they’ve already filed their tax return.”

First-time homebuyers represent a significant portion of existing single-family home sales. The expansion in the first-time homebuyer credit will make it easier for first-time homebuyers to enter the housing market this year.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, qualifying taxpayers who purchase a home before Dec. 1 receive up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately. People can claim the credit either on their 2008 tax returns due April 15 or on their 2009 tax returns next year.

The filing options to consider are:

• File an extension. Taxpayers who haven’t yet filed their 2008 returns but are buying a home soon can request a six-month extension to October 15. This step would be faster than waiting until next year to claim it on the 2009 tax return. Even with an extension, taxpayers could still file electronically, receiving their refund in as few as 10 days with direct deposit.
  
  
• File now, amend later. Taxpayers due a sizable refund for their 2008 tax return but who also are considering buying a house in the next few months can file their return now and claim the credit later. Taxpayers would file their 2008 tax forms as usual, then follow up with an amended return later this year to claim the homebuyer credit.
  
  
• Amend the 2008 tax return. Taxpayers buying a home in the near future who have already filed their 2008 tax return can consider filing an amended tax return. The amended tax return will allow them to claim the homebuyer credit on the 2008 return without waiting until next year to claim it on the 2009 return.
  
  
• Claim the credit in 2009 rather than 2008. For some taxpayers, it may make more financial sense to wait and claim the homebuyer credit next year when they file the 2009 tax return rather than claiming it now on the 2008 tax return. This could benefit taxpayers who might qualify for a higher credit on the 2009 tax return. This could include people who have less income in 2009 than 2008 because of factors such as a job loss or drop in investment income.

The IRS reminds taxpayers the amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers. Taxpayers can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately.

IRS.gov provides more information, including guidance for people who bought their first homes in 2008. To learn more about the overall implementation of the Recovery Act, visit www.Recovery.gov.

Nicole Kidman to be the next Hollywood star to visit India

Spicezee Bureau Los Angeles, March 21: The list of Hollywood A-listers doing the rounds of India is getting longer by the day. This time it is the Oscar-winning stunner Nicole Kidman.

The actor is mixing pleasure with profession in a single move. She will be in Udaipur shooting for her upcoming film ‘The Eighth Wonder’. Kidman is reported to stay in the picturesque ‘Lake Palace Hotel’ in the city. Then she will visit friends in New Delhi on March 23.

Though details of her film are under tight wraps, grapevine has it that Kidman will be playing a female version of Indiana Jones. The story reportedly revolves around an archaeological discovery that sets off a thrilling race around the world.

Harbhajan bags six as India beat Kiwis by ten wickets

India broke a 33-year drought when a six-wicket haul by Harbhajan Singh spun them to a 10-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first Test in Hamilton on Saturday.

Harbhajan's 6-63 wizardry, following an iconic 160 by Sachin Tendulkar, formed the cornerstone of India's first Test success in New Zealand since 1976.

They wrapped the game up with more than a day to spare after New Zealand were all out in their second innings for 279, and India knocked off the required 39 runs in 5.2 overs.

"It was a very special win because of a couple of players. Sachin getting a big hundred, Harbhajan getting his five wickets," said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Donhi.

"It's great to play with Sachin. Whenever he scores those big hundreds you can't see anything better. I don't think there were any bad deliveries that weren't fetched for four.

"And Harbhajan proved a point why he is among the best and got us important wickets at the right time," he said, adding the next target was to win a series in New Zealand for the first time in 40 years.

A disappointed New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori admitted his side had been outplayed and would need a dramatic improvement to save the series.

"In every aspect India showed us how to do it in this Test match," he said.

Brendon McCullum kept the Test alive longer than expected with a fighting 84 at the New Zealand tail, but it had been a lopsided match from day one when the hosts' top order crashed to six wickets for just 60 runs on a benign wicket.

That highlighted the huge gulf in Test experience between the sides where India's top six batsmen boast a combined 502 Tests between them, compared to 54 for New Zealand.

The hosts went into the fourth day at 75-3, fighting for survival after India had posted 520 in their first innings for a 241 run lead.

On a pitch which offered minimal turn, Harbhajan had India on the verge of victory midway through the middle session when New Zealand were seven for 161.

However, McCullum had other ideas, delaying the inevitable with a 38-run partnership with Vettori for the eighth wicket and 76 with Iain O'Brien for the ninth.

In doing so he ensured India would have to bat again and spared New Zealand the embarrassment of an innings defeat.

After New Zealand's recognised batsmen had failed in the first innings, they needed to produce substantial performances in their second turn at bat.

But only Daniel Flynn offered any serious resistance, atoning in some way for his earlier dropping of Tendulkar when the Indian master batsman was 13 runs into what became 160.

Brought to the crease after Tim McIntosh fell on the third ball of the innings, Flynn stood defiant in the middle for nearly five hours and faced 183 deliveries for his 67.

He survived one chance on 55 when dropped by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Harbhajan.

But the relief was short-lived as he only added 12 runs before the wily spinner had the final say with a bat-pad catch to Gautam Gambhir nine overs after lunch.

New Zealand had lost the wickets of Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder before lunch.

Taylor laboured for an hour to reach four when he ran out of patience and slashed at a short, rising delivery from Munaf Patel and was caught in the gully by Virender Sehwag.

First innings centurion Ryder attempted to knock the confidence out of the Indians, belting a six and a four off a Zaheer Kahn over.

This only hastened the introduction of spin, and the arrival of Harbhajan hastened the fall of wickets.

In his second over Harbhajan had Ryder trapped leg before wicket for 21 and he followed with the dismissals of Franklin (14), Flynn, Vettori (21) and O'Brien (14).

It was the 23rd time the off-spinner had claimed a five-wicket bag and took his career total to 321 dismissals.

But it was Yuvraj Singh who ended the New Zealand innings with a quicker ball to McCullum which was top-edged to VVS Laxman at short fine-leg and his defiant 168-minute stand was over.

Gambhir, not out 30, and Rahul Dravid with eight then wasted no time wrapping up the match.

The second Test starts in Napier on Thursday.