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Fattuh sworn in as acting head of Palestinian Authority

      Ramallah: Palestinian parliament speaker Rawhi Fattuh was sworn in Thursday as acting head of the Palestinian Authority after the death of President Yasser Arafat on Thursday, a foreign news agency reported. Under the terms of the Palestinian basic law, the mini constitution, Fattuh will remain as caretaker head of the Palestinian Authority until fresh elections are held in 60 days.

Wary Israel gears up for Arafat's funeral (Go To Top)

       Dubai: A wary Israel on Thursday geared up for the burial of Yasser Arafat by sealing the Palestinian areas of West Bank and Gaza Strip and beefed up security there to ensure a "dignified" funeral to the Palestinian leader, who will be laid to rest tomorrow at his Ramallah headquarters. The general closure on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will be effective from this morning, "in light of the security assessment", an official statement said. The Israel Defence Forces are being deployed "in order to allow for a dignified funeral ceremony for the Chairman of the Palesthnian Authority Yasser Arafat", it said. During the closure no Palestinians will not be allowed to enter Israel. Access to funeral will be restricted and Palestinians with necessary permits will be allowed to attend it, army officials said. Israel yesterday gave its nod to Arafat's burial at his Muqata (headquarters) in Ramallah saying it wanted to "avoid confrontations or unnecessary escalation although it had conveyed to international leaders that political considerations overrode those on security in the Palestinian decision to bury him in the West Bank town. Burial in Ramallah poses enomous logistical obstacles, and will require huge expenditures of manpower to assure the safety of the dignitaries expected to attend, military officials have said.

Natwar, Lalu to attend Arafat's funeral (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was earlier scheduled to head the Indian delegation for the late Palestine President Yasser Arafat's funeral, has cancelled her plan and instead Mnister for External Affairs K Natwar Singh, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed and CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury will represent India. Arafat, who died on Thursday morning at a military hospital near Paris after struggling for life for over a fortnight, will be buried on Friday in his PLO compound in Ramallah. The Sonia Gandhi-led Indian delegation to the funeral will leave by a special aircraft from the technical area of Palam airport at 6 pm.

       Meanwhile, the Government of India today described Arafat as an "enduring symbol" of Palestine nationhood and said he would be remembered as its "sincere and steadfast friend" and his demise was an irretrievable loss to the world. "President Arafat, who was an enduring symbol of Palestine nationhood, selflessly devoted his life to Palestinian people," President A P J Abdul Kalam said in a condolence letter to Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker and acting President of Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Rawahi Fattough. "We join the leaders of the PNA and the Palestinian people in mourning the irretrievable loss of a statesman the world has admired and cherished," he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Arafat would always be remembered as "friend and a true patriot." "I am saddened at the news of passing away of President Arafat," Singh said in his condolence message. "The people of India admired deeply his heroism and committment to the cause of his people in their quest for homeland and a state," he said, adding "that the Palestinian people have lost their beloved leader and the people of India shared their grief. We shall always remember President Arafat as a friend and a true patriot."

Lalu gets passport for five days  (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Special CBI court in Ranchi today returned the passport of Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to let him travel to Palestine to attend the funeral of Palestine President Yasser Arafat. The passport has been returned to Lalu for five days. Lalu had surrendered his passport before the court during the trial of the Fodder scam, in which he is one of the accused. The court had said that Lalu, now a union minister, could not travel abroad except with the court's permission. Sources close to the minister said that in the morning as soon as Lalu got the information that he had to travel to Palestine, he moved an application before the Ranchi Special CBI court asking to return the passport for the purpose. Soon after the passport was made available to the minister.

Troops in J-K to be reduced: PM (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: In an unprecedented move, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has ordered a reduction of troops deployed in Jammu and Kashmir this winter. In a statement, the Prime Minister said he has issued instructions for reduction in the troops deployed in the state. The announcement came a week ahead of the Prime Minister's proposed visit to the state. "During the past several months, the Indian Army and other security forces deployed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have achieved success in bringing about an improvement in the security situation in the state," Singh said. He said effective counter-infiltration measures and mobilising the support of the people in the war against terrorism have led to a "visible improvement" in the situation. "This is reflected in the increased tempo of economic activity, continuing increase in tourist arrivals and a general sense of security among the people", he said. "In recognition of the improvement in the situation in the state, the Government has decided to reduce the deployment of troops this winter", he said.

Altaf Hussain meets Vajpayee, hails his peace initiatives (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain today met former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi. Former national security adviser Brajesh Mishra was also present on the occasion. The Pakistani leader of the Muhajire, who has been staying in London for the past several years, commended Vajpayee for his courageous steps on initiating the Indo-Pak dialogue for peace and friendship of both the countries. He said that his steps would be mentioned in his history as a milestone. Hussain also praised Vajpayee for delivering his speech in Hindi at the United Nations that demonstrated pride. He told Vajpayee: "You were the first prime minister of India who spoke in Hindi." During the meeting, both the leaders emphasised on moving forward the peace talks between India and Pakistan to bring it to a fruitful conclusion to end the 57-year-old hostility and acrimony between both the countries. He said that people in both the countries have been longing for peace and amity for the past 57 years. Hussain emphasised that people-to-people contact should also be extended to Sindh by opening Khokhrapar-Munabau border, the consulate in Karachi, start ferry service between Karachi and Mumbai, easing the visa procedures and specially exempting visas to people aged above 60. Vajpayee assured that he would play his role in accomplishing these objectives.

Cabinet meets on PM's visit to Kashmir (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Union Cabinet met today in the Capital to discuss Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's forthcoming visit to Jammu and Kashmir. This would be Singh's first visit to the state after assuming prime minister's office. During his visit, the PM is likely to announce a hefty 30 billion rupees aid package for the state. Recently, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil made a three-day visit to the state from November 6-8. His visit failed to break ice with the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, an amalgam of regional fundamental parties.

Festive spirit sweeps southern, western India (Go To Top)

      Chennai/Coimbatore/Pune: A festive spirit has swept southern and western India ahead of Diwali. On the eve of the festival, people in Chennai burst crackers and decorated their homes with colourful rangolis to usher in prosperity and happiness. Here, on the night before Diwali, people place new clothes, home made sweets, and a mixture of heated sesame oil in front of the image of God as a ritual. Early the next day i.e. Diwali, the eldest member of the family applies sesame oil on the heads of all the family members. Then, it's off for a bath, beginning with the youngest in the family. They put on new clothes and a look of anticipation at the thought of bursting crackers, which symbolises the killing of the demon king Narakasur. "First, we will burst crackers. Then only we will take our bath after putting oil on our heads, we will go to temple and see our relatives. We will then burst crackers," said Chandan. The same kind of feeling was found to be resonating in nearby Coimbatore where people lighted lamps, burst firecrackers and shared sweets with family and friends. In Pune a cultural programme was organised ahead of the festival.