M A I N   N E W S

Israel announces deal to end violence

EREZ CROSSING (Gaza Strip), Oct 8 (AFP) — An Israeli army commander announced today that Israel and the Palestinians had reached an accord for an immediate halt to fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Gen Yom Tov Samia said the deal was agreed during a meeting with Gen Abdel Razeq al-Majeidah, head of general security in the Gaza Strip, on the 11th day of fighting that has swept across the Palestinian territories.

It follows an ultimatum issued today by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak for the Palestinians to call a halt to the violence within 48 hours or the peace process will be halted.

General Samia, head of the Israeli army’s southern region, said the agreement provided for an immediate halt to violence across the Gaza Strip and the reopening of roads, including the main road linking the Karni crossing point and the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.

“If these first two points are not respected during the day, the Israeli army will feel free to launch operations” to implement them.

The accord also calls for a halt to “incitement to violence” by the Palestinian media and a halt to the release of Palestinian prisoners “with Jewish blood on their hands.”

JERUSALEM: Ehud Barak is urging Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to join him at a summit proposed by us President Bill Clinton on Tuesday in a bid to end the tide of violence across the Palestinian territories, a close aide said today.

“The Prime Minister said specifically that he calls on Mr Arafat to accept President Clinton’s invitation to meet in Washington or some other place following Yom Kippur on Tuesday,” Cabinet Secretary Yitzhak Herzog told reporters.

A Jewish settler shot dead a Palestinian, and Israeli targets came under fire despite a warning by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak that if violence went on he would view the peace process as dead and crack down hard.

An Israeli Army communiqué described what it called “a rise in the severity of incidents” in the West Bank. It said a settler shot dead the Palestinian near Bidiya village in the West Bank during the night.

At least 82 persons mostly Palestinians — have now been killed in 10 days of violence and hundreds wounded.

WASHINGTON: US President Bill Clinton has stepped up efforts to bring peace to the violence-hit Palestinian areas by holding talks with West Asian leaders through telephone. President Clinton rang up Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak thrice and contacted Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat twice on Saturday to salvage the peace process from derailment.

IT finds unusual transactions 

NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (PTI) — The Income Tax department has detected some “unusual” deposits and withdrawals in the bank accounts of cricket players, bookies and administrators even as it is compiling the “appraisal report” on raids conducted so far.

Highly-placed IT sources said several top cricketers and bookies were confronted with these “unusual” deposits and withdrawals from their bank accounts and for want of suitable explanation deemed some deposits as their undisclosed income.

The sources said many cricketers and bookies were being questioned over the withdrawals and deposits in their bank accounts.

Without specifying the amount, the sources said in certain cases deposits ran into lakhs and the IT sleuths were probing the end-use of the money.

Meanwhile, the sources said Income Tax authorities would complete the “status report” on the raids carried out at the official and residential premises of leading cricketers, administrators and bookies in July last, by next month.

It sources said the report was being compiled after recording statements from all those raided during the nation-wide swoop on July 20.

The it sources said the firms and other business establishments owned by these cricketers and administrators were being scrutinised separately as there was an apprehension that some of the accounts could have been used for converting black money into white.

Besides this, all statements of the credit cards possessed by the players and administrators were being scrutinised by the IT officials.

They said the cricket players and administrators generally used these credit cards to pay their bills abroad.

The sources said the players, bookies and administrators would submit their reply to the IT Department after the status report and the taxmen would prepare the final assessment report and ask them to pay tax at the rate of 60 per cent of their undisclosed income.

However, if any of the players or administrators still did not disclose all the income, a penalty of 100 to 300 per cent could be levied besides recommending their cases for prosecution, the sources said.