New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today used his first Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort to emphasize on improved governance and attention to mainstream issues. During his 45-minute speech, Singh appealed for a code of conduct for political parties, a code of ethics for all individuals in public life, and a code of best practices for the government at all levels. "Today, I have no promises to make, but I have promises to keep," the Prime Minister said. While economic and political issues figured in the speech, there were no policy announcements. He merely reasserted the government's commitment to implementing the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP), which contained a slew of economic and other proposed welfare measures.

            He also identified seven priority sectors for focused attention - agriculture, water, education, health care, employment, urban renewal and infrastructure. "These seven sectors (Saat Sutra) are the pillars of the development bridge we must cross to ensure higher economic growth and more equitable social and economic development," he held. The other critical areas for the country were power, roads, railways, ports and airports. Singh also elaborated on the importance of dealing with the water crisis in various parts of the country. "Drought and floods are two fundamental problems that continue to bring suffering to our rural population. We need concerted action to deal with these perennial problems," he asserted.

            He spoke of providing various facilities to the farmers in rural India as well. "We are committed to increasing public investment in irrigation and addressing the specific problems of each river basin, in an environment and people-friendly manner," held the Congress leader. The country was also determined to fight terrorism and communalism. "We must fight all anti-national and anti-social forces that try to disrupt normal life be they terrorists or communal and other such divisive forces," he said. "We will fight this menace to civilised existence with determination. There should be no doubts on this score. However, we are willing to talk to any group provided they abjure the path of violence," he added. India is also committed to strengthening and expanding bilateral ties with China. And it would also carry forward the composite dialogue process with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues.

Nation celebrates 57th I-Day amid tight security (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: India today celebrated its 58th Independence Day amid tight security in key cities. The country is on maximum alert, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and the capital New Delhi. Security personnel mounted the vigil from ground to air in the backdrop of intelligence reports that terrorists might try to use some flying object to carry out a strike. Virtually the entire Delhi Police force as well as central paramilitaries were deployed at strategic and other vulnerable locations. The skies were also sealed off and traffic diversions were put in place at several points in the Capital during the duration of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech. A multi-tier security setup is in place in Jammu and Kashmir. The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended for two days and patrolling along the route has been intensified following threats of terrorist attacks. The Army's Quick reaction teams was also been placed on stand by to take on any emergency call from the civil administration. All the roads leading to the Bakhshi Stadium were sealed off and no movement was allowed in the area.

Former Gujarat CM Amarsingh Chaudhary dead (Go To Top)

          Ahmedabad: Former Gujarat Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in state assembly Amarsingh Chaudhary passed away today after a prolonged illness here. Chaudhary, 69, is survived by wife, four sons and a daughter. He was fighting several kidney-related complications arising out of high diabetes at the SAL hospital for the last one month.

Protests continue in Manipur, observes Black Day (Go To Top)

          Imphal: Protests against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, are continuing here despite the Independence Day celebrations. The 32 organizations spearheading the protest today observed the day as "Black Day". The protests have badly affected normal life in the city with the police using tear gas shells and rubber bullets among large crowds. "There is still some tension in valley areas specially Imphal, so we have taken some extra precautions. We have sufficient force to deal with any eventuality. Central government has also been generous in giving its force to meet any eventuality in run up to the celebrations," said A K Parashar, DGP, Manipur. The organizations leading the protests today said that they would intensify their agitation from August 17 and that this would continue for at least a month. They've also called for a boycott of goods made from outside the state.

5-member CWC team heads for Himachal flood threat site (Go To Top)

          Shimla: A five-member team of experts from the Centre will visit the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh today where the swollen river Pareechu enters India. The five-member team comprises of officials mainly from the Central Water Commisson and the Geological Survey of India. The National Hydel Power Corporation has already suspended electricity generation from its Nathpa-Jhakhri hydel power project. Meanwhile, the water level in the Pareechu river has increased by two and a half feet since yesterday. There are now fresh concerns about flash floods in the state.

15 killed in Independence Day blast in Assam (Go To Top)

          Guwahati: At least 15 people were killed on Sunday when a powerful blast ripped through Independence Day celebrations in Assam, police said. The blast took place at the main parade ground at Dhemaji, a town 550-km northeast of Guwahati, the state's principal city. Those killed included students. Assam's Inspector General of Police Khagen Sharma said that he suspected separatist militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom to be behind the attack. The ULFA had called for a general strike, asking people to boycott the Independence Day celebrations. The attack came despite nearly 150,000 police and paramilitary soldiers being deployed in the region ahead of the celebrations.

India must vacate Siachen unconditionally: Pak FO (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: The Pakistan Foreign Office has categorically stated that India should vacate the Siachen Glacier unconditionally while adhering to a commitment made in 1989 to return to the 1972 location of troops. Foreign Office sources told The News that Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukharjee had made two contradictory statements in the past fortnight, which suggested that no tangible progress had been made on the issue. The first statement was that India would not withdraw from Siachen and the second was that military experts were discussing plans to demilitarize Siachen. While the unnamed sources admitted that a report on the talks has been formulated and foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India would review the entire process when they meet in New Delhi on September 4, they said that the two secretaries would not entertain any new proposal during the meeting. They would only prepare recommendations for the foreign ministers, who would be meeting on the following day. The sources further claimed that New Delhi's attitude at the talks had been somewhat stubborn, as kept on insisting on India's interest driven subjects to be tackled on priority basis. Pakistan, they said, also remained adamant about maintaining their principled stand on issues of concern. "This was all about exchange of views on various issues and nothing concrete has come out as yet," the sources said.

16 hurt as militants attack I-Day celebrations in Baramulla (Go To Top)

          Srinagar: At least 16 people were injured after militants attacked an Independence Day parade of an army unit in Dangiwachi area of Baramulla district today. Sources said a rifle grenade was fired at a school building where the 28 Rashtriya Rifles had organized a function in connection with Independence Day. The injured have been moved to a local hospital for treatment. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nine minors rescued from Bihar circus (Go To Top)

          Patna: A voluntary organization here today rescued nine minors working as bonded labourers in a circus. The minors, including eight girls and a boy, belonged to Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Nepal. Most of the children, who performed complex and often life threatening tricks, which included trapeze items, jumping through fire rings and even substituting as dartboards for knife-totting jugglers, were orphans trying to make ends meet. "Today we freed nine children working here. With the help of the administration and our inspection, we freed them and now we are trying to send them back home safely," said Sunit Kumar Rao, a labor inspector. The owner of the circus, Aji Bhunis, however, denied that the children were minors. "No child was below the age of 14 years and they were not here without the permission of a guardian. Still, in accordance with the demands of the officials, I am sending back eight girls and a boy," said Bhunis. "Who will provide us the means to study...I do not have a father, and my mother remains sick. I have two sisters and a brother and we run the family with great difficulty. I joined the circus a year ago when my father died," Monica, one of the rescued minors said.

Tamil Nadu animal fair attracts thousands (Go To Top)

          Andhiyur (Tamil Nadu): Thousands of horse and livestock traders have converged in this town for the region's largest annual animal fair that began today. Animal breeders from across the country arrive here to sell or buy horses, bullocks, poultry, rabbits and even rare wild birds like emus and ostriches. The biggest attraction however remain the horses, with both professional breeders, race enthusiasts and rich landlords bidding for their chosen equestrians. The traditional Kathyyavar, Kattiavadi, Panchakalyani and the dance horses are the most sought after and cost anything between 20,000 to 200,000 rupees depending upon their breed and health. "I am from Bargur and have been coming to the fair for the past four years. I bring horses here for trading, some of which cost up to 200,000 rupees. The stripped horses and cross bred ones however are sold for 40,000 rupees only," Manoharan, a horse trader, said. Besides horses, Emu eggs and Ostriches are in demand with each egg costing over Rs.1, 000. The animal husbandry sector contributes 29 percent to India's agriculture sector, but remains largely neglected.

Reena Kumari moves into second round of Olympics archery (Go To Top)

         Athens: Indian archer Reena Kumari upset Georgia's higher ranked opponent Kristine Esebua to move into the round of 32 in the women's individual archery event at the historic Panathinaiko Stadium today. Reena, 20, was part of the Indian squad which finished sixth in the 2003 World Championship in USA. She logged 153 points as compared to her rival's score of 149 to enter the second round in the 64-woman draw. Kumari had finished 43rd in the ranking round held earlier here while Esebua ended up 22nd. Kumari next faces Tshering Chhoden of Bhutan. Chhoden shocked Sang Lin of China 159-156 in the first round. Chhoden had finished 54th in the ranking round in which her opponent finished 11th. Two other Indian women archers - Dola Banerjee and Sumangala Sharma - are set to make their debut later in the day in the 70-metre event.

Jitender Kumar crashes out Olympics 81kg light heavyweight (Go To Top)

         Athens: India's Jitender Kumar crashed out of his 81kg light heavyweight bout against Ukraine's Andriy Fedchuck under unfortunate circumstances here. Jitender was trailing 11-12 when a left-handed jab by the Ukrainian in the dying seconds of the second round left a deep cut on his nose, forcing the referee to stop the contest. Jitender appeared impressive in his close to four minutes in the ring, during which he attacked his rival with some powerful punches. Fedchuck surged ahead as soon as the match progressed, going into the second round with a slender one-point lead at 5-4. But Jitender bounced back to move ahead to 9-7 and then 11-10 before the left-handed jab did him in..

Aparna Popat loses in second round (Go To Top)

          Athens: National Women's Badminton Champion Aparna Popat went down fighting against fourth seed Mia Audina of Netherlands in the singles second round of Olympics badminton championship here today. Popat, who was considered a rank outsider against the Indonesian- born Audina, created a mild flutter, taking the first game but could not sustain the momentum and went down 11-9 1-11 3-11 in 43 minutes at the Goudi Olympic Hall here. Playing in her second Olympics, Popat was forced on the backfoot as Audina raced to a 9-4 lead in the first game. But she then rallied, used her drop shots to perfection, and took the game in 17 minutes. However, Audina came out firing on all cylinders from the second game and conceded just four more points to wrap up the remaining two games in 18 minutes. Audina will now meet the winner of the match between seventh seed Camila Martin of Denmark and Tracey Hallam of Great Britain. On Saturday, Popat defeated South African Michelle Edward 11-6 11-3 for her maiden victory in the Olympic Games. Popat was only Indian shuttler to get a direct entry when the initial list was declared on May 1. The two other Indians in the fray -- Abhinn Shyam Gupta and Nikhil Kanetkar will open their campaign in men's singles today.