New Delhi, May 19, 2009
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Prabhakaran
is alive, claims LTTE
Colombo:
Rejecting Sri Lankan Government's claim that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's
chief V Prabhakaran has been killed by the army, LTTE's International Relations
head S. Pathmanathan on Tuesday said Tamil Tigers chief is still alive and healthy.
According to a website TamilNet, Pathmanathan said: "I wish to inform the global
Tamil community distressed witnessing the final events of the war that our beloved
leader is alive and safe. He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom
for the Tamil people." He asked the Tamil community to be vigilant and to exercise
maximum restraint whilst grieving for the loss of civilian lives in the barbaric
conduct of the final chapters of this battle. Pathmanathan further said that the
Tamil freedom struggle is a just cause and will not be quashed by the events of
the last 24 hours. Truth and justice will always prevail. Earlier on Monday, Sri
Lanka formally announced the end of war against the LTTE after chief V. Prabhakaran
was shot dead while trying to flee in an ambulance from the war zone in northern
Sri Lanka . The three-decade long fight by the LTTE for a separate homeland for
Tamils came to end after the death of Tamil Tigers chief. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya
Rajapakse told President Mahinda Rajpakse on Monday in a nationally televised
ceremony that Sri Lanka 's war against Tamil Tiger rebels has "ended successfully."
"We have successfully ended the war," he told the President, who is his brother
and commander-in-chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces. Sri Lankan military commanders
also lined up and shook hands with him before starting closed-door talks. According
to the military, the Tamil Tigers tried to evacuate its leaders early this morning
in two vehicles. Army special soldiers of 53 Division intercepted the vehicles
moving north and destroyed the convoy after fierce fighting. The military said
it had found 150 bodies of LTTE cadres so far and they are in the process of identifying
them. The news of Prabhakaran's death also came along with reports of bodies of
his son Charles Anthony and three other top leaders -- Pottu Amman, Soosai and
Nadesan being found.
Manmohan
Singh elected CPP leader Top
New
Delhi: The Congress re-elected Dr. Manmohan Singh as leader of its parliamentary
party and Sonia Gandhi as the Chairperson. The formalities will further the process
of government formation, a day after Dr. Singh resigned as Prime Minister on Monday.
The Cabinet met for the last time and recommended that the President dissolve
the 14th Lok Sabha. President Patil accepted the recommendation and signed an
order dissolving the Lok Sabha in exercise of the powers conferred upon her by
sub-clause (b) of clause (2) Article 85 of the Constitution, stated a Rashtrapati
Bhawan communique. Dr. Singh later met President Patil to submit his resignation
while, in keeping with the transition procedure, he was asked to continue till
an alternative arrangement was made. Besides, on Monday, the Election Commission
also handed over the list of newly-elected Lok Sabha MPs to the President, clearing
the way for constitution of the new House. With this, the drill is almost complete
for Dr. to stake claim to form the Government.
Internal
security top priority of new UPA Govt: PM Top
New
Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that the assurance
of internal security and maintaining the communal harmony would be the top priority
of the new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government. "The new UPA Government
has to be vigilant and effective in dealing with the threat of terrorism and extremism,
as it is looming large in India 's neighbourhood. The assurance of internal security
and maintaining the communal harmony and peace will be the top most priority of
the new UPA Government," Manmohan Singh said while addressing the Congress Parliamentary
Party (CPP) in the Central hall of the Parliament. Singh, who was renominated
to lead the government for the second consecutive term, said that the focus will
be to ensure that people of all regions, all religions, languages and castes benefit
from this process. "The Centre will work in tandem with the State Governments
for the effective and better implementation of various welfare schemes including
national rural employment guarantee act, NREGA, national rural health mission,
NRHM and other welfare programmes," he added. Meanwhile, UPA Chairperson Sonia
Gandhi said that the new government will continue innovatively on the path it
has adopted five years ago under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Gandhi
further said that she is looking forward to work together with the newly elected
parliamentarians to realise these goals. Earlier, the Congress re-elected Dr.
Manmohan Singh as leader of its parliamentary party and Sonia Gandhi as the Chairperson.
The formalities will further the process of government formation, a day after
Dr. Singh resigned as Prime Minister on Monday.
Joining
Cabinet, only time will show: Rahul Gandhi Top
New
Delhi: As the television studios discussed the possibility of Rahul Gandhi's
inclusion in the Cabinet, the man at the centre of it all said only time will
show whether he would join the Ministry or work for the party. "Only time will
show," Gandhi told reporters here. His statement came after many Congress leaders,
including Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, invited Rahul Gandhi to join the
Cabinet. On May 16, Singh had said that he would try to make Gandhi a part of
the new cabinet. "It's always my wish to have Rahul Gandhi in my Cabinet, but
now we'll have to persuade him to join us," Singh said. He said the thumping win
of the Congress was due to the untiring work that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul had done
during all the five years of the UPA's regime. "Under the visionary leadership
of Sonia Gandhi and the sustained hardwork by our youth leader Rahul Gandhi, we
achieved the success," Singh added.
Next
Lok Sabha likely to begin on June 2 Top
New
Delhi: The first session of the 15th Lok Sabha is expected to begin on June
2 with Congress heading the country and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sitting
in the opposition. The session will see appointment of senior most member of the
Lok Sabha as Protem Speaker who will administer oath to the new members and also
oversee the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. Nine-term member Manikrao
Gavit, who has a cumulative Parliamentary experience of 27 years and eight months,
is likely to be appointed as the Protem Speaker.
Varun
Gandhi misbehaves with journalist in Pilibhit Top
Pilibhit:
After being in the limelight for his hate speech against a minority community,
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi on Tuesday allegedly misbehaved
with a journalist here. "Today Varun had come to Pilibhit after becoming a Member
of Parliament and people had organised a grand reception to welcome him. I had
gone to cover the event and as I was covering the event near Varun Gandhi, he
threw a garland of flowers at me and asked me to shut my camera. He then made
a gesture toward his security guards who then misbehaved with me and snatched
my camera," said Pankaj Saxena, a media person from TV channel Live India. Varun
Gandhi, who was arrested in Pilibhit on March 28 on the charges of delivering
hate speech, was released from the Etah district Jail in Uttar Pradesh on April
16 after he gave a fresh undertaking as per the directive of the Supreme Court
that he would not make any inflammatory speeches.
Karunanidhi
meets Manmohan Singh, Sonia Top
New
Delhi: A day ahead of the crucial meeting of pre-poll UPA allies, Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Karunanidhi is expected to have discussed
the cabinet berths for his party. DMK, which emerged as the third biggest party
in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) after Congress and Trinamool Congress,
is believed to be demanding six-seven ministerial posts. A beaming Sonia Gandhi
greeted the DMK patriarch at her 10 Janpath residence. After meeting Gandhi, Karunanidhi
met Manmohan Singh at his 7 Race Course Road residence. Karunanidhi was accompanied
by his son M. K. Azhagiri, daughter Kanimozhi, grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran and
T. R. Baalu. Karunanidhi is keen that Azhagiri, Kanimozhi and Maran are accommodated
in the new cabinet, which is likely to be announced later this week.
India
test-fires nuke-capable Agni-II missile Top
Bhubaneswar:
India on Tuesday successfully tested the nuclear capable Agni-II missile at Wheelers
Island near Balasore in Orissa. According to a senior Defence Ministry official,
Agni-II missile is the surface-to-surface missile with a range of over 2,000 km.
"It was a user trial. The aim of the test is to give the Army confidence to fire
the missile on its own," the official said. The Agni II missile, which is 20 metres
long and 16 tones heavy, can carry a payload of around 1,000 kg and its range
can also be increased to 3,000 km by reducing the pay load. "It can be fired from
both rail and road mobile launchers. It takes only 15 minutes for the missile
to be readied for firing," the official added. The missile has been developed
with technical assistance from the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization
for the Indian Army.
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