| HC
orders CVC inquiry in Prasar Bharati funding case New
Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered a Central Vigilance Commission
(CVC) inquiry into the financial irregularities at Prasar Bharati Corporation.
A bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah also appointed a former judge to supervise
the Board's meetings. The court directed the Board to convene its meeting within
15 days. The court order came after the government failed to arrive at a reconciliation
between the Chairman of the Board, Arun Bhatnagar, and CEO BS Lalli, both of whom
have been at loggerheads. The court said that the day-to-day work of the Public
Broadcaster would be handled by the CEO, Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel)
of the Board. On July 24, the court had said that it would pass an interim order
for the proper functioning of Prasar Bharati. The Chairman had contended that
the allegations of financial irregularities must be investigated by the CVC, as
no internal audit has been done in the organisation for the past several years.
Lok
Sabha to discuss Indo-Pak joint statement on Wednesday Top New
Delhi: Lok Sabha will hold discussion on the Indo-Pak joint statement issued
in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, earlier this month, on Wednesday. The opposition has
been demanding a discussion on Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's visit to Italy
and Egypt following difference of opinion on Indo-Pak joint statement after Dr.
Singh held talks with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the NAM summit.
Earlier in the day, the Congress Party openly backed Dr. Singh on the Indo-Pak
joint statement. Congress General Secretary Janaradhan Dwivedi said the party
is confident that Singh would set all questions to rest during his speech in Parliament
on July 29. The statement issued after talks between Dr. Singh and his Pakistani
counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani has generated a lot of criticism from the opposition.
Earlier, Dr. Singh said he had the answers to all the questions and would give
them at an appropriate time. It was reported that several Congress leaders, and
some senior ministers, had serious reservations about the joint statement, especially
on the de-linking of terror from the composite dialogue and the reference to Balochistan.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said that there is no difference
between the party and the government on the joint statement and added that the
Congress Party would stand firmly behind Dr. Singh when the issue comes up in
Parliament. Huge
cache of arms seized near Indo-Pak border in Poonch Top Poonch
(Jammu): A major tragedy was averted a day before the commencement of Buddha
Amarnath pilgrimage when security forces seized a huge cache of arms and explosives
from hideout at village Kenu in Mandi tehsil of border district Poonch on Monday.
Acting on a tip off, a joint search operation was launched by personnel of the
27 RR, 156 Territorial Army (TA) and local police on village Kenu. The raid on
the hideout led to the recovery of five kilograms of RDX, four A K magazines,
200 A K bullets, one Chinese pistol, one magazine, its four bullets, five electronic
detonators, one satellite phone, one mobile phone, one RPG booster, one RPG round,
four remote switch 1 MM, three remote switch 3 MM and a bag. Security forces had
earlier recovered arms and ammunition in the Poonch area on May 31, June 2, June
9 , June 30 and July 9, but failed to nab any militants. Tens of thousands of
people have been killed since insurgency broke out in Kashmir in 1989. But officials
say that overall, violence has declined in Kashmir since India and Pakistan began
a slow-moving peace process in 2004. New Delhi gave a pause to this dialogue after
the last year's terror attacks on Mumbai that claimed over 160 lives. India's
launching of nuke submarine will trigger arms race: Pak Top Karachi:
The Pakistan Navy on Monday expressed concern over India announcing the launch
of its first indigenously built nuclear submarine - the INS Arihant (Destroyer
of Enemies) - saying it could trigger off an arms race in South Asia. The Dawn
quoted Pakistan Navy spokesman Captain Asif Majeed Butt as saying that the nuclear-powered
submarine would destabilise and jeopardise the security paradigm of the entire
Indian Ocean region. Captain Majeed further warned that its induction into the
Indian Navy could trigger a nuclear arms race and all littoral states, including
Pakistan, would now be taking steps to safeguard their respective coastlines and
territories. The News quoted Salman Ali, another naval spokesman, as saying that
the proposed launch of the Indian nuclear submarine would have far reaching affects
not only Pakistan but also Indian Ocean and adjoining coastal countries. The 6000-tonne
submarine will undergo sea trials for two years before being commissioned for
full service. The submarine took eleven years to build, and will also undergo
harbour trials for its nuclear reactor and other systems. The INS Arihant has
been built under the Advanced Technology Vessels Programme at a cost of 30,000
crore rupees at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. With the launch of the submarine,
India joins the exclusive club of US, Russia, China, France and the UK who have
similar capabilities. According to sources, the nuclear reactor of the submarine
has been developed at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam.
Nuclear submarines are powered by a nuclear reactor, which generates high levels
of heat that in turn drive a steam turbine, which rotates the propeller. The "INS
Arihant " is armed with nuclear-tip ballistic missiles. DRDO and BARC scientists
described the launching of the nuclear submarine as a historic and challenging
achievement. India used a nuclear submarine leased by Russia from 1988 TO 1991.
New Delhi has since signed an agreement with Moscow for the transfer of a couple
of nuclear -powered Russian-Akula class submarine, one of which is expected to
be inducted by the Navy later this year. Earthquake
strikes northern Pakistan Top Islamabad:
Parts of northern Pakistan were struck by an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter
Scale on Monday afternoon. The Dawn quoted the US Geological Survey as saying
that the quake struck at 12:23 p.m. 138 kilometers north of Islamabad and 77 kilometers
east of Mingora, the main town in the Swat district. There were no immediate reports
of casualties, but the tremors were felt in Mansehra and Malakand at 12:24 p.m.
The quake's epicentre was located in Balakot, about 138 kilometers north of Islamabad.
Islamabad and some parts of Punjab province also experienced tremors. Saudi
Arabia confirms first swine flu death Top Riyadh
(Saudi Arabia): Saudi Arabia on Monday confirmed that a man had died of swine
flu, the first such death. The health ministry said that it had taken place in
a private hospital in Dammam in the eastern part of the country. Health ministry
officials said that the dead man was 30 and that he was admitted to the hospital
on Wednesday with a fever and pneumonia. He expired on Saturday despite being
treated with antibiotics and the anti-flu drug Tamiflu, the ministry said. The
report of the death is likely to have an impact on this year's Hajj pilgrimage.
In the normal course, several million people from all over the world undertake
the Umrah and the Hajj to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina during the
next five months. It was the second reported swine flu death in the region. On
July 19, a 25-year-old woman returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca died in hospital
in Egypt, although it was not clear where she contracted the flu. Saudi health
officials say that there already over 300 people suffering from swine flu symptoms.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the flu has moved from 'imported'
stage to the second epidemiological stage of locally generated transmission in
Saudi Arabia. At an emergency meeting in Cairo last week, Arab health ministers
recommended that children under 12 and people over 65 be banned from undertaking
the Hajj this year to reduce the risk. As of July 25, a total of 1,028 cases had
been reported in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, which spans 22 countries
from Afghanistan to Morocco. Sarkozy
leaves hospital after a day, cancels official appointments Top Paris:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy left hospital on Monday after suffering a dizzy
spell while jogging on Sunday. Sarkozy had spent a night in hospital after collapsing
while jogging. Doctors said his illness was due to heat and overwork and have
ordered the 54-year-old to rest. Sarkozy's office said no further medical treatment
has been prescribed. According to reports, Sarkozy out from Val de Grace military
hospital to his car dressed in a dark suit and tie and accompanied by his wife
Carla Bruni. He smiled and shook hands with white-clad medical personnel but declined
to comment. Medical tests Monday on Sarkozy's heart showed no signs of irregular
heartbeat and no long-term consequences for the president's heart. Doctors diagnosed
Sarkozy with "lipothymic" discomfort due to overexertion at high temperatures
in a "context of fatigue linked to a large workload," a statement from the president's
office said. The tests showed no neurological or metabolic consequences, the statement
also said, adding that Sarkozy suffered no "loss of consciousness," contradicting
earlier reports from senior French officials. It was unclear where he went, but
all of his official activities for Monday were canceled. His trip to Mont-Saint-Michel,
a Gothic abbey perched on a rocky outcrop off the coast of Normandy, on Tuesday
was also postponed. Sarkozy was to begin a three-week long summer holiday on Thursday.
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