India confirms release of three hostages
in Iraq
New
Delhi: India confirmed on Wednesday that three Indian
truck drivers held hostage in Iraq for more than a month
had been released and said they were on their way to Kuwait.
"The Indians have been released. My colleague Minister of
State for External Affairs Edaepakath Ahmed has spoken to
their family members. He has been in touch with the ambassador
and we are all very relieved and so are the people in India.
There have been some anxious moments. Now, we are all very
relieved," Foreign Minister Natwar Singh told reporters
here. The three were among a group of seven truckers who
were set free by a group calling itself the Black Banners
division of the Islamic Secret Army. Ahamed said he had
spoken to Antaryami, one of the Indian hostages who were
now at the embassy in Baghdad. "A little while ago I talked
to Antaryami. He has informed me that all of them are very
happy. And for us also it is a matter of proud that we got
our people safely released without sacrificing our policy
in any of these matters," Ahamed said. "They are happy and
relieved and have asked us to convey the good news to the
family," he added.
Kohli
remand extended to Sept 8 (Go
To Top)
Chandigarh:
Maninder Singh Pal Kohli's, the main accussed in Hannah
Foster Rape and murder case, was today produced before a
court in Chandigarh. Kohli was remanded to judicial custody
till 8th of September. Charanjit Singh Bakshi, Kohli's lawyer,
while speaking to the media said that kohli should not be
extradited as the British government had not been helpful
in extraditing criminals wanted by India. "It shows our
weakness and cowardness. It will be sad on our part that
we are sending this man to Britan. Whatever requisition
we have sent to the Britan they have not extradited any
person to India. The example before you is Nadeem Shravan
Case. There was huge controversy, we had so much of evidence
but they have not extradited him by UK. There was another
case known as Mirchi and many other cases. Joginder Singh,
the former Director of CBI also said in media that this
man case should be hear here only. After all that, its up
to you now to decide what is correct and wrong," Charanjit
Singh Bakshi, Kohli Lawyer. The judge extended the remand
of Kohli by a week on the CBI request. Kohli remand was
suppossed to end today. Kohli lawyers said that extraditing
Kohli on the requisition made by the British Police, in
the Hannah Foster rape and murder case would not be right,
as Britain had not extradited criminals wanted by India.
Kohli's lawyer today moved two applications to the court
regarding contempt against the Chandigarh police for not
following court orders regarding Kohli medical examination
and against the CBI for giving factually incorrect statements
to the press. Chandigarh police and CBI would file the replies
to these on 6th of September, and the main case would be
taken up on 8th September.
Order
in Uma case deferred till Saturday (Go
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Hubli:
A Hubli court today deferred till September 4 its final
order on withdrawal of cases against former Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister Uma Bharati. The Karnataka government had
on Tuesday decided to drop the 10- year old rioting case
against Bharati. But her release from the jail was delayed
because of a lawyers' strike in Hubli.
Advani
courts arrest (Go
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Bangalore:
Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani courted arrest in Bangalore
on Wednesday along with 27 others while protesting against
UPA government for arresting former Madhya Pradesh chief
minister Uma Bharti. On the occasion, Advani said that charges
levelled against Uma Bharti were `politically motivated'.
Uma Bharti in currently in jail in connection with a 10-year
old rioting case in Karnataka. Although the Karnataka government
has decided not to press charges against Bharti, the BJP
has demanded her unconditional release.
PM
visits Amritsar (Go
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Amritsar:
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arrived in Amritsar
today to join the celebrations to mark 400 years of compilation
of Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. The Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) is celebrating the
installation of the holy book at Gurudwara Harminder Sahib
in the Golden Temple. About 3.5 million Sikhs, from as far
as Vancouver and Birmingham, are expected to visit the five-day
"Prakash Utsava" that began today. It is said to be largest-ever
gathering of the 25-million-strong community.
India's
first Punjabi religious channel to be launched (Go
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Mumbai:
On the auspicious occasion of the 400th Year of Prakash
Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib, ETC Networks Limited announced
that it will soon launch a dedicated 24 hours Religious
channel named ETC Channel Khalsa. "The tremendous response
that we got for the religious segment on ETC CHANNEL PUNJABI
has encouraged us to take this decision of creating a 24
hours dedicated religious channel which, besides telecasting
live Gurbani from the Golden Temple, would also focus on
the younger generation who needs exposure to religious teachings,
as propagated by the 10 Gurus and depicted in the Guru Granth
Sahib as well as the tremendous history of the Sikhs over
the past five Centuries. The channel would have special
programmes targeted at Sikh Youth as well as other regular
programmes like Katha, Kirtan and Kavi Darbars," Mr. Jagjit
Singh Kohli, Chief Executive Officer of ETC Networks Limitedwas
quoted as saying.
Congress
bid to lure Mamata (Go
To Top)
by Gautam Ghosh
Kolkata:
The Bengal Congress leadership has initiated a move
to restore unity with Trinamul Congress with its high command's
tacit approval. The idea is to build a broad-based anti-CPI
(M) political forum with an eye on the Assembly polls scheduled
for 2006. The state Congress leaders, who have been sending
feelers to Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee
after installation of the UPA government at the Centre,
publicly urged her to return to the parent party at Chhatra
Parishad's 51st anniversary celebrations here on Saturday.
The PCC heavyweights, including union water resources minister
Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, felt only a united movement led
by Ms Banerjee could dislodge the Left Front from power.
The
Trinamul Congress leader, on her part, has so far maintained
an enigmatic silence on the unity plea, but indicated to
her close circles that she would consider it only if the
Congress high command adopted a tough line regarding the
Marxists both at the national and state levels. It is interesting
to note that most of the elected Congress MPs from Bengal
are in favour of a rapprochment with Ms Banerjee's outfit
in order to strengthen the anti-CPI(M) stir in the state.
They include, besides Dasmunshi, Malda strongman and former
union railway minister A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury, "victor
of Murshidabad" Adhir Chowdhury and even union defence minister
and PCC chief Pranab Mukherjee. Adhir Chowdhury, who was
once denied nomination in the Assembly polls due to Ms Banerjee's
strident opposition, still acknowledges her leadership potential
and mass appeal and does not even mind her replacing Mukherjee
as the state Congress chief after her party's formal merger
with the parent organisation. "I will welcome her and am
ready to fight the CPI(M) under her leadership," he observed.
Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who had tried her best
to retain Ms Banerjee in the party during the tenure of
late Sitaram Kesari as the Congress chief, has still a soft
corner for the Trinamul Congress leader and hopes to rope
her in shortly. Mrs Gandhi's refusal to appoint ex-PCC chief
Somen Mitra, a known Mamata baiter, as the state Congress
president shows her unwillingness to allow Mitra and others
opposed to Ms Banerjee's re-entry in the party, to get the
upperhand in the organisation.
According
to informed sources, the Trinamul Congress leader intends
to take her time to consider the Congress offer and re-
draw her party's political strategy after carefully examining
all the pros and cons of the unity move. Ms Banerjee also
wants to keep a close watch on the political moves of the
CPI(M) at the national level and its relationship with the
UPA. At the same time she intends to maintain friendly ties
with some other major players in national politics like
the Samajwadi party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Nationalist
Congress party led by Sharad Pawar. Sources said Ms Banerjee
has ascribed her party's debacle in the Lok Sabha polls
partly to the erstwhile NDA government's failure to adopt
a hard line vis-a-vis the Bengal Marxists. She still believes
that her party could have done farely well had the then
Vajpayee-led Centre taken effective steps to ensure a free
and fair election in the state. The Trinamul Congress chief
always looked with suspicion at West Bengal chief minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's hobnobbing with former union home
minister and BJP's apex leader L.K. Advani. This was one
of the factors behind her strained leadership with the second-in-command
in the saffron party. Aware of Ms Banerjee's reservations
about joining hands with a Congress dependent on the CPI(M)'s
support for running the government at the Centre, the Congress
high command as well as state party leaders have been citing
Kerala's example to persuade her to change her stand. They
have pointed out that the party's political compulsion to
seek the leftists' help to contain the BJP at the national
level did not stand in the way of fighting the CPI(M) in
Kerala and capturing power in the state.
"There is no reason why we can not achieve a similar feat
in Bengal provided Trinamul Congress helps us in our efforts,"
said a senior PCC leader. Ms Banerjee, sources said, may
finalise her stand on the matter once she is convinced about
the Congress chairperson's determination to get even with
the Bengal Marxists.
CPM
protest against the US-led occupation of Iraq (Go
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New
Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) on Wednesday
held protests across the country to protest the continued
U.S. occupation of Iraq. CPM activists staged a sit-in shouting
anti-US slogans here. They also appealed to the U.S.-led
forces to leave Iraq. CPM, which observed anti-Imperialism
Day on Wednesday, plans to stage more such protests across
the country. Prakash Karat, said the Iraqis should be allowed
to elect their own government. "In the entire country, today
we are observing anti-imperialism day and for peace. So
in this regard our party has demanded that the US-led forces
should quit Iraq and Iraqi people should be given the right
to elect their own government," he said. Similar protests
were organised in Srinagar, where hundreds of CPI-M activists
raised anti-Bush slogans, condemning the US President for
his autocratic foreign policies. In Kolkata, the Communist
stronghold, activists burnt effigies of U.S. President George
Bush and termed United States as the biggest threat to humanity.
"We are holding this march to make people aware that you
have to understand the great danger waiting before different
countries. The US is not bothered to listen to the decision
of the UN (United Nations Organisation)" said Biman Basu,
chairman of the Left Front.
Army
gets first woman Lieutenant General (Go
To Top)
Pune:
The Army on Wednesday got its first woman Lieutenant
General when Punita Arora assumed command of Armed Forces
Medical College (AFMC) in Pune on Wednesday. Arora joined
the Army Medical Corps as a gynaecologist in 1968. Arora
said that though the Indian army has no gender bias but
women tend to quit in the middle due to personal problems.
"Indian army looks at its soldiers and officers equally,
whether it is a woman or it's a man. Since, we have very
few women in Indian armed forces because many of them who
join, due to their personal or domestic problems whatever
it may be, they have a tendency to leave in between. But
the organisation gives them every chance or opportunity
to go up," she said. Arora was instrumental in setting up
the "Assisted Reproductive Technology" at the AFMC and Delhi's
Army Hospital (Research and Referral Wing) which has come
as a boon to a large number of infertile couples of the
armed forces. Arora, a gold medalist, was also awarded the
Sena Medal by the President for establishing gynaecology,
endoscopy and oncology facilities in armed forces hospitals.
She was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal for the treatment provided
to victims of a terrorist attack on army camp at Kaluchak
in Indian Kashmir in May 2002.
Pak
has made Americans safer, say the Republicans (Go
To Top)
New
York: Americans are safer today because US President
George W Bush forged an understanding with Pakistan over
the years, and successfully made it an ally in its war against
terrorism, the Republicans said in a document approved on
the opening day of the party's national convention. "Today,
because we are working with Pakistani leaders, Pakistan
is an ally in the war on terror, and the American people
are safer," the 93-page document said. According to The
News, the Republicans observed that Pakistani forces were
rounding up terrorists along their nation's western borders.
The party praised Bush for "dramatically refashioning US
relationship with Pakistan while waging a war against terrorism,"
an issue which is dominating Bush's re-election campaign.
The
document said Bush has been able to effect a historic transformation
in ties with India under his able leadership. The document
also described India as a "growing power", The News reported
Wednesday. Commenting on the closer ties between the two
largest democracies of the world, the document said: "The
US has undertaken a historic transformation in its bilateral
relationship with India, with which we have common security
interests and a shared fundamental commitment to political
freedom and representative government."
Britney
is too bawdy for Bush (Go
To Top)
London:
Britney Spears is too hot for the Republicans to handle
or so it seems for the Toxic singer was banned from performing
at the Republican convention in New York. According to Femalefirst,
Spears, a supporter of George Bush, was due to play at the
convention in a surprise appearance but politicians rejected
her since they believe that her raunchy image is seen as
potentially doing "more bad than good" for them. "We're
a serious political party and don't need Britney to promote
us. Besides which, with the headlines she's been recently
attracting we think she'd do more harm than good to the
Bush cause," an insider was quoted as saying.
Musharraf
swears in 32 ministers (Go
To Top)
Islamabad:
Pakistan President Musharraf in a lavish ceremony at
the Aiwan-e-Sadr administered oath to a 32- member cabinet
headed by newly elected Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, officials
said. According The News, twelve new ministers have been
inducted in the cabinet, while 20 other ministers are which
were present in the cabinet during the government tenures
of former Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, and
Former Prime Minister, Chaudry Shujaat Hussain. The ministers
which were administered oath today include Rao Sikander
Iqbal, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Liaquat Jatoi, Ijaz-ul-
haq, Nauraiz Shakoor, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Abdul Hafeez
Sheikh, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Ovais Ahmed Khan Leghari,
Babar Ghauri, Faisal Saleh-e-Hayat, Ghous Buksh Mehar, Syed
Safwanullah, Humayun Akhter, Yar Mohammad Rind, Zubaida
Jalal, Qazi Gulab Jamal, Major Retd Habibullah Khan Warriach,
Ajmal Khan and Naseer Khan. The twelve new ministers who
were sworn in as federal minister include Justice Abdul
Razzaq Taheem, Amanullah Khan Jadoon, Ghulam Sarwar Khan,
Jawed Ashraf Qazi, Jehangir Tareen, Wasi Zafar, Shamim Siddiqui,
Mushtaq Cheema, Shamim Hyder, Chaudry Shahbaz Hussain, Dr
Sher Afghan Khan Niazi, Major (Retd) Tahir Iqbal The respective
ministries of the ministers will be announced later.
