 |
|
SC Notice to I and B Ministry on Ads Projecting Leaders NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union Government on a PIL that accuses the Centre and State Governments of spending Rs 2,000 crore every year on projecting photographs of political leaders in newspapers in the guise of big advertisements for certain ceremonies. A Bench ... (Contd) Prime Witness in Raja Bhaiyya Case Shot Dead
LUCKNOW: An eyewitness to the discovery of human skeleton from the palace of Independent legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, Rajendra Yadav, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Kunda on Monday morning. Yadav was being threatened against giving any statement. The police, however, said that the killing "would not affect the case as police had already recorded Yadav's statement" under Section 164 of the IPC. Pak Offers a Small 'Let's Be Friends' Package to India (Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: Clearance of diplomatic visas, release of 286 of the 400 detained Indian fishermen and the offer of a plot of land for building houses for the staff of the Indian High Comission are Pakistan's three proposals to reduce tension with its eastern neighbour. Islamabad has offered to clear diplomatic visas, held in the pipeline for almost 18 months, by February 7 if India reciprocates, Daily Times quoted officials as saying. Under an agreement signed in 1992, both countries are supposed to clear diplomatic visas within 45 days. The 286 Indian fishermen are to be repatriated via the Wagah Border, it was added. Meanwhile, in respect of the tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and officers between the two countries, sources here claimed that one more person working for the Indian High Commision was likely to be expelled foe "activities unbecoming of his status." It is alleged here that "there is a strong lobby in India that wants diplomatic ties with Pakistan severed." Registration Time Extended for Pakistanis in US (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: The Bush administration has agreed to extend the registration period for Pakistanis for 30 to 40 days and to take steps to avoid large-scale deportation. An official announcement is soon expected, diplomatic and US sources told Dawn. They said that those who had applied for adjustment of their status under a general amnesty offered by the Clinton administration would also be accommodated. There are two types of people under this category; those who applied for labour certification and their cases are still in the Labour Department and those whose cases are now with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Those still in the Labour Department will not be ordered to leave the country right away. Instead they will be given six months to a year to appear before a judge and fix their status. Those who have already been certified by the Labour Department and their cases are now with the INS will not face deportation proceedings. When they appear for registration, they will be asked to reappear after some time for review of their 245-I amnesty applications INS officials will also be lenient in dealing with those on student, professional and work visas (J-1, F-1 and H-1). Minor violations by students, such as on the campus jobs without authorization or missing a few classes, will be ignored. Similar concessions will also be given to those on work and professional exchange visas. "This will be a major concession because we were worried about large-scale deportation of students," said an embassy official. On designated days, the INS will allow officials of the Pakistani mission to be present in their offices during registration. "They will not be able to watch the registration but they will be informed if someone is detained and those Pakistanis who want to approach them will be able to discuss their problems with the embassy staff," said the embassy official. But there will be no reprieve for those who do not have legal grounds for adjusting their status or have not yet applied for legalising their cases. US Army Chief Meets Gen Viz and Admiral Singh (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: Chief of the US Army, General Eric Shinseki, met his Indian counterpart Gen NC Vij here on Monday. Shinseki, who is on a three-day official visit to India from February 2 to 4, began his engagements by placing a wreath at the war memorial. Later he inspected a guard of honour outside the South Block office of the defence ministry. Shinseki, who took over as US chief of army staff in 1999, also met Indian navy chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh. Shinseki will also meet defence Minister George Fernandes later on Monday. SC Notice to I and B Ministry on Ads Projecting Leaders (Go To Top) (Contd) ... comprising Justice S Rajendra Babu and Justice GP Mathur issued on Monday the notice to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on a petition filed by Common Cause through advocate Meera Bhatia charging the Governments with indulging in wasteful expenditure resulting in mis-utilisation of public funds. It brought to the court's notice the recent spate of full-page ads put in newspapers by different ministries of the Central as well as State Governments with big photographs of politicians in the guise of functions relating to foundation stone laying, inauguration of bridges, railway links and encouraging rural handicrafts. Giving the cost economics of such full page advertisements, Common Cause requested the court to ask the Centre and the State Governments how this type of situation could be tackled and see that public fund was not misutilised. -ANI |
