Laloo gives up Madhepura LS seat
New
Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad
Yadav today quit his Madhepura Lok Sabha seat. Lok Sabha
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee announced this decision in the
House today. Laloo, who had defeated senior Janata Dal(U)
leader Sharad Yadav in Madhepura, has decided to retain
Chapra where he trounced BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy. The
Speaker said he had received a letter dated June 9 from
Laloo resigning his Madhepura seat and his resignation has
been accepted.
Nine dreaded 'Phakkad' dacoits surrender
in Bhind (Go
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Bhind:
A group of nine dreaded "Phakkad" dacoits have surrendered
before police in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. Led by
Ram Aasrey Chaubey, 55, alias "Phakkad Baba," the gang had
unleashed a reign of terror in areas along the borders of
Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for nearly three decades.
Among those who surrendered with Chaubey was his paramour
Kusuma Nain. Chaubey has 35 cases registered against him
in Madhya Pradesh with a cash reward of 15,000 rupees. Phakkad
is also wanted in Uttar Pradesh for his involvement in over
200 cases of murder, looting, kidnapping and extortion.
The government had announced a cash reward of 100,000 rupees.
Police said his surrender would be a great relief to the
area. Phakkad was one of the three dacoits who had terrorised
villagers living along the border of the two states. Two
other dacoits still active alongwith their gangs are Dadua
and Nirbhay Singh Gurjar. Besides nine automatic weapons,
the dacoits also surrendered a night-vision device and a
pair of binoculars. Phakkad and his gang had been active
in the ravines of the Chambal area since the mid-1970s.
He was arrested a couple of times but managed to escape
from police custody. A Brahmin by caste, Phakkad was able
to evade police for a long time because of the tremendous
support from the people of his caste. Known as the terror
valley, the Bhind-Chambal region has the maximun number
of dacoit gangs in the country. Though most of the gangs
have surrendered to authorities, a few still operate, striking
at random.
Tariq Aziz and SS Menon's `mysterious'
visit to New Delhi (Go
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Lahore:
Pakistan National Security Council Secretary Tariq Aziz
made a sudden visit to Amritsar and then to New Delhi on
Tuesday along with Indian High Commissioner Shivshankar
Menon. According to the Daily Times, Aziz carried a special
message from his President Pervez Musharraf to the newly-installed
government in New Delhi. Aziz met his Indian counterpart
National Security Adviser JN Dixit and discussed the future
prospects of Indo-Pak peace initiatives. He reportedly took
up various aspects of the peace initiatives with Dixit,
including the possible agenda of future contacts at various
levels. The two officials discussed the peace process in
its entirety, exchanging notes on past developments and
future prospects, the paper said. Quoting Pakistan government
sources, the paper said that Aziz, who is also Musharraf's
principal secretary, travelled to India via the Wagah border
by car on Tuesday and returned to Lahore the same day. They
said that Musharraf phoned Aziz and Menon late on Monday
to discuss some "important issues" with them. Later, the
duo flew into Lahore from Islamabad in the morning and then
travelled to India by car. The sources described the Aziz-Menon
trip as "an important but a mysterious development". They
said that Aziz was rushed to New Delhi with a view to ensuring
the continuity and success of the ongoing peace process.
Recent diplomatic statements by the Indian hierarchy, especially
External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, had evoked concern
on this side. Aziz's visit is considered yet another effort
by President Musharraf to ensure peace in the region, the
sources added.
Multiple meetings between Kasuri, Natwar
Singh on the anvil (Go
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Islamabad:
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and
Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh are likely
to have multiple meetings in the days ahead, Kasuri said
Tuesday. "I may meet him (Natwar Singh) more than once in
the days to come," The News quoted the foreign Minister
as saying in an interview with BBC Radio. He said the first
meeting between him and Natwar Singh will take place in
China. "China has invited both of us. As chairman, I will
also call a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Saarc,
the minister said. Besides, he said Natwar Singh has invited
me, and "I think the meeting will also be materialized,"
he said.
Musharraf twists his wrist while playing
tennis (Go
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Islamabad:
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's love for cricket
is well-known and documented, but little did he know that
it takes much more to be tennis star. He was trying his
hand at tennis on Tuesday when he sprained his right wrist,
the Online News reported. Official sources at the President's
House confirmed this, but declined to give details as to
how grave his injury was.
UN unanimously approves new Iraqi government
(Go
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New
York: The United Nations Security Council has unanimously
adopted a resolution giving full sovereignty to the new
Iraqi government. The unanimous 15-0 vote came after a last-minute
compromise allowed France and Germany to drop their objections
to the US- British resolution. It took two weeks and four
drafts before the resolution was finally adopted. The plan
gives international legitimacy to the interim Iraqi government
that is to take power on June 30. After the handover, the
US-led multinational force will consult the new Iraqi government
on a full range of security and policy issues, including
sensitive offensive operations. However, it is still unclear
as to who will have the final say.
Anju finishes fifth in Super Grand Prix
(Go
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Bangalore:
India's ace long-jumper Anju Bobby George finished fifth
with a below par leap of 6.59 metres at the Golden Spike
Super Grand Prix meet at Ostrava in Czech Republic last
night. It was first of a series of international meets that
Anju plans to take part as build-up events leading to the
Athens Olympic Games in August. Anju, currently ranked fourth
in the world, was obviously below her best. Last month in
Doha, she had collected her first Super Grand Prix gold
with a wind-aided 6.82 metres. In the Ostrava meet, Anju
was saddled with a tough field.
