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India, Pak ready to counter terror together: Vajpayee

          Khalilabad (Basti): Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday said both India and Pakistan were ready to counter the menace of terrorism together. Addressing an election rally here, Vajpayee said: "Times have changed and even those in power in Pakistan are averse to terrorism." Referring to the naxalite problem in the country, he said "some people take up arms, hurl bombs and set off land mines to claim the lives of policemen but they should understand that violence cannot solve the problems related to rozi roti". "All-round development can be ensured only through peaceful means, Vajpayee added. Hitting back at those charging him with often shifting his stand, he said "a person changing his stand cannot get elected to the lok sabha continouosly for 40 years". He further said that "Those criticising me should understand that ways of expression change as per the situation but principles and policies remain unchanged."

Kashmiris in Islamabad demonstrate against Indian polls (Go To Top)

         Islamabad: Scores of Kashmiris belonging to the Azad Kashmir chapter of All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC) took to the streets in Islamabad on Tuesday to protest against the elections in India. The demostrators gathered outside the Foreign Office from where, undeterred by a light drizzle, they marched to the Indian High Commission, chanting,"Fraud elections! Fraud elections" Many carried placards demanding a "free and fair plebiscite" in Jammu and Kashmir. "We want freedom," they chanted as they stood outside the Indian High Commission. Muslim rebels and separatists in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir have urged a boycott of the polls, saying they are not a substitute for a resolution of the decades-old dispute over the Muslim-majority region.

Bangla President sacks judge on bribery charge (Go To Top)

          Dhaka: Bangladesh President Iajuddun Ahmed has sacked a High Court Judge for bribery and bail fixing in a generally non-bailable case under the tough Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. "The President removed Shahidur Rahman, an Additional Judge of the Supreme Court High Court Division, as per the authority given to him under Article 96 (6) of the Constitution," a law ministry circular said on Tuesday. This is the first case of removal of a higher court judge for misconduct from the High Court in Bangladesh, which ranked three consecutive years as top most corrupted country in the world by international watchdog body Transparency International. Earlier, Justice Shahidur Rahman faced the Supreme Judicial Council that investigated the bribery and bail fixing charge and found him guilty. The President's action came as per the investigation report by the council, headed by immediate past Chief Justice K M Hasan. Appointed as Additional Judge in the High Court on April 24, Shaidur was accused of taking bribe of Tk 50,000 (850 dollars) to fix bail in a women and children repression case in October last year.

Violence spreads in Nepal (Go To Top)

          Kathmandu: Nepalese police, trying to quell a wave of protests against the king and for democracy, broke up a massive demonstration on in Kathmandu, detaining hundreds who defied a ban on public gatherings. The protesters on Monday set afire a vehicle at a busy marketplace, causing a flurry amongst the people. Last week the government banned protests by five or more people in a bid to defuse the wave of rallies critical of King Gyanendra, who has ignored demands for a more democratic administration. Dozens of human rights activists have also been detained but defiant protesters have vowed to continue with their struggle. "This autocracy should end at all costs, it is bound to end. There is nothing in front of the will of the people, everybody should bow down to the people's wish," Rajendra Mahato, general secretary of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, fighting for democracy, said.

          So far more than 3,500 people have been held, though many have been freed a couple of hours after being detained. King Gyanendra has faced sustained protests since he postponed elections and fired the prime minister in October 2002, accusing him of incompetence in his efforts to contain a Maoist revolt in which more than 9,300 people have died. The king appointed a royalist prime minister, but he too has been unable to defeat or make peace with the rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 to replace the monarchy with a communist state.