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Curfew relaxed for 15 hours in Manipur

          Imphal: Curfew was relaxed in parts of Imphal east, Imphal west, Thoubal and Bishenpur districts from 4 am till 7 pm today, official sources said here. Meanwhile, protesters demanding removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state have also called for an indefinite closure of all offices, following which security has been tightened in the state and security personnel have been posted at all important central government buildings.

KGL identifies new negotiator for Iraqi hostages release

         Dubai: The Kuwaiti trucking company KGL, which employs the three Indians being held hostage in Iraq, today said it has identified another negotiator to reestablish contact with the kidnappers. The company had on Sunday decided to bypass Iraqi tribal mediator Hisham Al-Dulaimi after the kidnappers made fresh last-minute demands. KGL officials are also expected to brief the Indian Envoy to Kuwait later today. Back home, the Crisis Management Group has said that India will not negotiate with the hostage takers, and will not entertain any demands for ransom. Meanwhile, the families of the victims are said to be quite traumatised. "We are running out of patience. We were hoping that the crisis will end on Saturday but it hasn't ended," said Anu, Antaryami's sister.

Pak not serious in ending terrorism in Kashmir: Washington Times (Go To Top)

          Washington: Pakistan's seriousness as far as tackling terrorism in Kashmir is questionable, the Washington Times said in an editorial. It wrote that Islamabad's "dichotomy" over the issue had put a question mark on its commitment to the war against terrorism. "While Pakistani officials have been willing to pull in foreign Islamic militants, native insurgents and Taliban remnants active in and around Afghanistan, the area near Kashmir is rarely part of the dragnet," it said while hinting that Islamabad was not at all serious in stopping infiltration terrorists into Kashmir. It added that Pakistan's arrest of al Qaeda operatives while ignoring the Taliban "highlights the dichotomy in the government's anti-terror efforts". The editorial said that the information gathered in Pakistan had led to the arrests of 13 Al Qaeda militants in the UK. It said, "however, Pakistan has not arrested a single former Taliban leader since the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban had close ethnic and institutional ties to Pakistan. Most of the Taliban were Pashtun, the ethnicity that is prevalent in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan."

ULFA ready to give up preconditions for talks (Go To Top)

         Guwahati: The banned United Liberation Front of Asom has agreed to give up its precondition of holding talks in a third country under the supervision of UN representatives. It has, however, refused to budge from its earlier decision for complete "sovereignty" of Assam. "We are willing to come down to even Dispur (the state secretariat) to hold talks as long as the agenda revolved around Assam's sovereignty," was caller identifying himself as ULFA's Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua was reportedly quoted as saying. Reports indicate that the ULFA had also refused the involvement of mediators for the talks. "We have everybody's telephone numbers and if the Central government is willing to talk on the sovereignty issue so are we," he further added. Refuting claims that there was a rift in the ranks within the organisation, he said that ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and he himself were associated with the outfit since its inception and that the outfit would never ever give up its demand for 'Swadhin Asom' (independent Asom).

Shiv Sainiks defy ban, court arrest (Go To Top)

         Varanasi: As many as 250 Shiv Sena were arrested today while taking out a procession towards the Kashi Vishwanath and Shringar Gauri temples located adjacent to the Gyanvapi mosque to offer 'jalabhishekh', en masse defying a government ban. Police Officials say that the Shiv Sena workers were arrested at several places in the city including, Luxa, Chitranjan Park and Godowlia. Reports indicate that the Shiv Sainiks had earlier announced that they would offer 'jalabhishekh' and prayers on the sixth Monday of the auspicious month of Shravan at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Shringal Gauri, inspite of a government ban. However, the devotees have continued with their 'Jalabhishekh' with over 50,000 people having offered prayers amidst tight security.

Inflation prompts CPI(M) to harden stand vis-a-vis UPA  (Go To Top)
by Gautam Ghosh

          Kolkata: The rising prices of essential commodities in the wake of unbriddled inflation, coupled with the BJP's threat to launch a country-wide stir, has forced the CPI(M) to harden its stand vis-a-vis the UPA government. The Marxists, who decided to follow a policy of "coordination and confrontation" with the Congress-led government implement the common minimum programme(CMP), now appear undecided on its political strategy vis-a-vis the Centre in view of the latter's failure to contain price rise which is assuming alarming proportions with every passing day. The CPI(M) is all the more concerned over the issue as the saffron party and its Bengal ally, Trinamul Congress, have already decided to initiate separate movements, targeting "the unholy nexus between the Congress and the Marxists."

           There is a growing realisation among the CPI(M) and other Left Front partners that the Congress-led Centre has taken their support to it for granted, encouraging it to follow its own economic agenda in total disregard to their suggestions. A section of CPI(M) leaders feels the party made a mistake by agreeing to accept the Congress diktat for the formation of the much-touted coordination committee which excluded representatives of other UPA partners. The CPI(M) hardliners assert that the party should have done some plain-speaking at the first meeting of the coordination committee itself, instead of reiterating its support to the Manmohan Singh government for its full five-year term. The feeling within the party is that the Congress is simply trying to exploit the CPI(M)'s anti-BJP stand to implement its "anti-people ecnomic policies." These leaders have stressed the need for exerting greater and effective pressure on the Centre to prevent it from taking steps which hurt the common people.

          The Trinamul Congress-BJP combine, however, has described the CPI(M)'s critical stand vis-a-vis the UPA government simply as "an eyewash." "The Marxists have always resorted to double standards regarding vital public matters to conceal their political dishonesty and moral bankruptcy. Their policy of coordination and confrontation with the Centre is nothing but a hoax," said Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee. BJP president Venkaiah Naidu, who was in the city yesterday to attend a party meeting, also accused the CPI(M) of indulging in doublespeak and urged BJP workers to start a sustained campaign to "expose the Marxists' anti-people character." According to informed sources, the CPI(M) has decided to keep a close watch on the Centre's acts and announcements in the coming fortnight in response to its demands. The party intends to raise its critical pitch if the UPA government fails to contain the price rise and inflationary tendencies which have already caused wide-spread discontent among different sections of people. A section of central committee members of the CPI(M) wants the party to reconsider the question of continuing its unconditional support to the UPA government at the party congress scheduled for April next year.

Coimbatore lawyers protest against new code of conduct (Go To Top)

          Coimbatore: Lawyers in Coimbatore went on an indefinite strike today against a new 25-point code of conduct issued by the Madras High Court last week. The notification by the court amended the Advocates' Act and laid down stringent norms for the lawyers' community. The notification restrains lawyers from resorting to any form of agitation anywhere in the court premises. Dozens of lawyers under the banner of the Coimbatore's Bar Association (CBA) demanded the immediate withdrawal of the notification. Agitating lawyers said it was aimed at gagging their attempt to seek accountability and transparency in the judiciary. "The demands of the bar federation is that the disparaging rules made against the lawyers community are to be withdrawn immediately," said Shiva Shanmugam, president of the CBA. The lawyers have threatened to go on a state-wide agitation next week if their demands are not met.