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CPM accepts Lok Sabha Speaker offer

          Kolkata: The CPI-M on Tuesday accepted the offer of Lok Sabha Speakership for veteran Maxist leader Somnath Chatterjee. After a day-long discussion on the issue, the CPI-M Politburo decided to 'spare' Chatterjee for the post considering his 'experience' in Parliament, CPI(M) General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet told newsmen here. The meeting was attended by politburo members Jyoti Basu, Sitaram Yechuri, Prakash Karat, Anil Biswas, Biman Bose, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and M K Pandhey. Surjeet said that the Politburo discussed in detail the Congress offer and while appreciating the gesture unanimously decided that the veteran Parliamentarian should take up the Speaker's post. He said that with Chatterjee assuming the Speaker's post, Basudev Acharya will be the leader of the CPI-M party in Parliament.

Crisis over DMK defused (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The deadlock over the allocation of portfolios to the key UPA (United Progressive Alliance) ally DMK blew over on Tuesday after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided to allocate the promised ministries to the regional party. All its seven ministers are expected to take charge on Wednesday. The breakthrough came after TRS chief and Union Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao met the Prime Minister and told him that his portfolio of Shipping could be reallocated to the DMK. Immediately after Rao's meeting with Singh, DMK leader and Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran called on Manmohan Singh and later announced that "all issues have been resolved. We are very much part of the Government". He said the Prime Minister has sent a letter to President APJ Abdul Kalam requesting him to allocate Surface Transport, including Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, to DMK Minister TR Baalu and Minister of State for Finance portfolio to the party's SS Palani Manickam.

Sunil Dutt takes over (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Former Bollywood star and Congress leader Sunil Dutt on Tuesday took over as Sports and Youth Affairs minister. A first-time minister, Dutt said that Indian athletes were working hard to bring laurels for the country at the Athens Olympics. "They are working very hard and there are a very few days left now... especially in athletics, shooting, archery and tennis we have chances. In hockey everything is settled and we will be doing good," he told reporters here. Dutt also said that India lacked infrastructure which was impeding the country's prospects in becoming a sports powerhouse. He promised facilities at par with international standards for the budding sportspersons. Vowing to change the face of sports, the filmstar-turned politician said he would ensure that his ministry "shines" by virtue of his hard work.

Abhishek Singhvi may be Attorney General (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi is tipped to become the next Attorney General of the country. A former Additional Solicitor General of India (in 1997), Singhvi is a known figure in the legal fraternity. Having been associated with the Congress for several years, Singhvi is said to have acquired a considerable knowledge of how to advise the government on legal matters. The present incumbent, Soli Sorabjee, has already submitted his resignation on Tuesday, saying that he wanted to facilitate the new government in appointing a new solicitor general of their own choice. Sorabjee held the post for nearly six years. He is likely to take up a UN assignment in July this year.

NDA Govt's key officials resign (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: With the Manmohan Singh government taking over at the Centre, key political appointees of the BJP- led NDA regime including Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and National Security Advisor, as also Attorney General Soli J Sorabjee have resigned from their posts. The resignation of Mishra has been accepted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with effect from May 22, it was officially announced on Tuesday. Keeping with the established convention, Sorabjee sent in his resignation from the constitutional post hours after the new government assumed office last Saturday. NN Vohra, the NDA government's interlocutor on Kashmir, submitted his resignation to Singh a day after the new government was sworn in. Vajpayee's media advisor Ashok Tandon has also tendered his resignation.

BJP parliamentary leader's election on June 1 (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The BJP parliamentary party will elect its leader and chalk out a strategy for the nine-day brief session of Parliament beginning June 2. Announcing this after a meeting of the party's top leaders at the residence of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here on Tuesday, party president M Venkaiah Naidu said "the BJP parliamentary party meeting is being held on June 1 which will be attended by all party MPs from both Houses of Parliament and it would elect the Leader of the Opposition as also the office-bearers of the parliamentary party and chalk out strategy." He said the meeting this afternoon which was attended by former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, reviewed the present political situation and the developments in the country and government.

Dust storm hits Rajasthan (Go To Top)

         Bikaner: A blinding dust storm that enveloped Rajasthan on Tuesday threw road traffic out of gear. On the streets of Bikaner the officegoers were the worst-hit as poor visibility forced vehicles to move at snail's pace. The authorities pressed the services of tractors to clear the sand off the roads. "There is a heavy dust storm due to which we are unable to drive. The dust has blocked the roads due to which vehicles have got stranded," said Teja Ram, a truck driver. Weatherman said there would be no respite for two more days. "The speed of these winds is between 28 kilometres per hour to 34 kilometres per hour. And these winds can blow for two more days," said H.S. Bulkar, senior observer at Meteorological Department, Bikaner. Dust storms are not unusual during May.

'Indo-Pak nuke talks delayed, not cancelled' (Go To Top)

         Islamabad: Pakistan and India have not cancelled, but postponed a meeting on nuclear talks till a new government in New Delhi is formally in place, federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday. Talking to a private TV network, Ahmed was quoted by Online News as saying that the talks were postponed at New Delhi's request. Commenting about President Musharraf's telephonic talk with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Ahmed said that Musharraf had conveyed his best wishes to Singh on his assumption of office and had also discussed matters of mutual interest. He claimed that Musharraf would seek to resolve all disputed matters, including Kashmir peacefully.

Indian gets 24 strokes and life term in Singapore (Go To Top)

         Singapore: Singapore is certainly not an easy place to settle down in! Ask South Indian 45-year old Selvaraju Satippan. Charged with the kidnapping a 22-year old female journalist Nina Elizabeth Varghese, Selvaraju narrowly escaped the gallows in the city-state, but was nevertheless a victim of 24 lashes and a life term, reports the Strait Times. A lorry driver by profession, Selvaraju could have been given the death penalty under Singapore's existing laws for abducting Varghese, a MediaCorp journalist. Not only that, he was also accused of demanding a ransom, setting fire to clothes in her wardrobe, hurting her forearm with a kitchen knife and attempting to murder her in August last year. During the five-day trial, the court was given a detailed account of the event that lasted for nearly four hours. In his defence, Selvaraju claimed that he had gone to Varghese's house off Braddell Road to collect a debt owed to him by her father. He claimed that he had invested 50,000 dollars in November 1998 with Roy Abraham Varghese, a financial adviser, who promised him returns of 5,000 dollars a month. However, Justice Tay Yong Kwang rejected the story about the "'investment deal".