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Rebels fake wedding procession, attack cops
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Lord Navnit Dholakia gets ‘Pride of India’ award
Prince Harry dumps girlfriend
Rice proposes $ 150m aid for Pak
Pak a vital US ally, says report
Direct Phuket-Port Blair
flight mooted
Kabul to raise its own air force
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Rebels fake wedding procession, attack cops
Kathmandu, February 20 The rebels got close to the police post last evening while pretending to be a wedding party, then attacked in Mahendranagar town, about 300 km south-east of the capital, Kathmandu. A 30-minute gunbattle ensued, said police official Topendra Hamal. When soldiers reached the area, the attackers fled, carrying away their wounded. One policeman was killed and five in critical condition were flown to Kathmandu for medical treatment. It was not clear how many rebels were killed. Meanwhile, the Maoist-imposed economic blockade continued to disrupt vehicular movement on most of the highways in Nepal on its eighth day today, leaving thousands of people stranded and resulting in the price hike of essential commodities, even as the government claimed there was enough stock of fuel and food. Thousands of passengers were stranded along the highways due to obstructions placed by the rebels at various points on the highways connecting Kathmandu, media reports said. Prices of vegetable and fruits have soared as the supply of food items from Terai area has been completely halted due to the blockade, which has affected many districts outside Kathmandu, although life seems normal in the capital. The prices of vegetables have doubled over the past one week. However, Home Ministry spokesman Gopendra Bahadur Pandey claimed that there was enough stock of food and kerosene and denied the blockade had affected normal life. Long route buses have not been plying for the past seven days, though some passenger buses and trucks loaded with essential goods are being escorted by the army on highways.
— PTI |
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76 dead in boat mishap
Dhaka, February 20 The dead include 20 women and eight children. Some 44 bodies were handed over to their relatives, the police said. The launch, MV Mahraj, with more than 250 passengers on board started its journey last night from Dhaka to Matlab in southern district of Chandpur. After sailing for about 35 minutes, it was caught in a storm and sank. Fifty passengers swam ashore while many were still missing, survivors and local media said. Shipping Minister Lieut-Col Akbar Hossain (retd) visited the scene and assured government help for the victims’ families.
— UNI |
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Lord Navnit Dholakia gets ‘Pride of India’ award
London, February 20 Besides Lord Dholakia, industrialist Gulam Noon and veteran actor Saeed Jaffrey were among prominent NRIs honoured for their achievements in various fields in the UK at a glittering ceremony here last night. The awards, instituted by the London-based India International Foundation, were presented by Indian High Commissioner Kamlesh Sharma at the first Annual Awards Ceremony of the foundation here. Saaed Jaffrey, a veteran actor in Hindi, British and American cinema, received the award in the ‘art and culture’ field. Dr Kartar Lalvani, founder of Britain’s first specialist vitamin supplement company —Vitabiotics, received the award for distinction in the field of science while Sir Gulam Noon, founder-chairman of readymade food Noon products, was chosen in the field of business and industry. The High Commissioner commended the contributions made by persons of Indian origin to British society as well as to the land of their ancestors. “The community of Indian origin in the United Kingdom can make creative and constructive contributions to developing bilateral relations between India and the UK,” he said.
— PTI |
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Prince Harry dumps girlfriend
London, February 20 The Prince, 20, is said to have told Chelsy he was ending their romance, which had even sparked rumours of marriage plans, blaming pressure from his family, a media report said today. He told her: “We’ve had a great time together but now I’m under a lot of family pressure. I don’t think we can see each other again. I’m sorry, it’s time to move on,” friends were quoted by ‘The Mail on Sunday’ as saying. Devastated Chelsy, 19, has confided that she is writing to Prince Charles to plead to be allowed to see Harry one last time. Friends say Zimbabwean Chelsy has turned to drink as she tries to cope with Harry’s rejection. “She doesn’t care about anything except hearing from Harry. Her eyes are red from crying. She’s sitting by the phone just hoping he’ll call,” the newspaper said. “We’ve told her to forget Harry and get a life but she’s obsessed with trying to get him back.” The friend said Chelsy had even taken to reading a biography of Princess Diana, telling friends that she hoped to find some clue to getting inside the Royal Family.
— PTI |
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Rice proposes $ 150m aid for Pak
Washington, February 20 Lauding Pakistan’s contribution to the war on terror, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Senate Appropriations Committee during the weekend that the Administration was proposing $ 150 million assistance for Pakistan to “improve its border security and increase inter-operability with US and coalition forces.” The Congressional Research Service had noted that including current appropriations, Pakistan would receive about $ 2.64 billion in direct US assistance for fiscal 2002-2005. Almost half of this ($ 1.3 billion) is security-related aid. For 2006 fiscal, Congress would earmark $ 797 million in economic and military assistance, with President George W. Bush required to report to Congress a long-term strategy for US engagement with Pakistan and set nuclear proliferation-related conditions on assistance. The fiscal 2005 budget allocates $ 700.1 million for Pakistan. The supplementary request for border security and interoperability with the US forces would raise it to $ 850.1 million. Commending the recent elections in Afghanistan, Ms Rice had proposed $ 2.2 billion in supplemental aid to Kabul. “The $2.2 billion in international affairs funding that we propose for Afghanistan would help to widen the reach of the Hamid Karzai government,” Ms Rice said.
— PTI |
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Pak a vital US ally, says report
Washington, February 20 The CRS, which advises Congress and writes policy briefs for US lawmakers, has covered developments up to February 14 in its latest report on Pakistan. While still asserting that the strengthening of civilian political institutions in Islamabad is ‘‘a requirement for the development of a stable, moderate Islamic state,’’ the US Administration does not want to take any step that could destabilise the situation in Pakistan, the report observes. The CRS notes that the October 2002 elections in Pakistan nominally fulfilled President Pervez Musharraf’s promise to restore the National Assembly that was dissolved in the wake of his extra-constitutional seizure of power. There are concerns that Pakistan’s civilian democratic institutions have been weakened by President Musharraf’s decision to retain a dual role in the government and by the arbitrary dismissal of former Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the report points out. But the CRS recalls that the 9/11 Commission report on terrorism called the Musharraf Government the ‘‘best hope’’ for stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and recommended the provision of long-term and comprehensive support to Pakistan so long as its government remains committed to combating extremism and to a policy of ‘‘enlightened moderation.’’ In February 2005, Secretary of State Rice averred that post-9/11 policy trends in Pakistan are moving that country ‘‘in the right direction,’’ and she insisted that the USA ‘‘will continue to press toward eventual election and a full democratic process in Pakistan.’’ Referring to the 9/11 commission, the CRS observes: ‘‘If Musharraf stands for enlightened moderation in a fight for his life and for the life of his country, the USA should be willing to make hard choices too, and make the difficult long-term commitment to the future of Pakistan.’’ ‘‘Sustaining the current scale of aid to Pakistan, the USA should support Pakistan's Government in its struggle against extremists with a comprehensive effort that extends from military aid to support for better education, so long as Pakistan's leaders remain willing to make difficult choices of their own,’’ the report says. The CRS points out that in passing the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the 108th Congress also called for long-term and comprehensive US support for the Government of Pakistan in an effort to ensure a ‘‘stable and secure future’’ for that country. The concept of ‘‘enlightened moderation,’’ as expounded by President Musharraf himself, ‘‘is a direct response to a growing world perception that Islam is linked to fundamentalism, and thus to extremism, and thus to terrorism,’’ the CRS noted. ‘‘It is a strategy meant to both shun the militancy that is rooted in political injustice, denial, and deprivation, and to bring socio-economic uplift in the Muslim world.’’ An acute concern of many US policymakers, according to the CRS, is the issue of political succession in Pakistan. The constitutionally designated successor to the President is the Chairman of the Senate. It is the President's prerogative to appoint army chiefs, the report notes. ‘‘(But) the consensus view among analysts has the Pakistani military maintaining its substantive administration of the country in the event of President Musharraf's premature removal. ... For example, if Gen Musharraf were removed through violent means, it is quite possible that the army would declare martial law and rule directly for a period.’’ ‘‘It is widely assumed that the hierarchical solidarity and historic professionalism of Pakistan's military would result in its continued effectiveness as a stabilizing force, at least in the short - and perhaps middle-term.’’ Despite the apparent sturdiness of the military's command structure, there remains widespread pessimism about the ability of political institutions built by General Musharraf to survive his sudden removal, and doubts remain about the viability of political succession mechanisms.’’ Another CRS report on Pakistan, updated till January 28, 2005, says that ‘‘Pakistan's powerful intelligence agencies are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.’’ The report points out that in March 2003, a former US Ambassador to Pakistan told a House International Relations Committee panel that the role of Pakistani intelligence agencies in the heroin trade during 1997-2003 was ‘‘substantial.’’ ‘‘Reports indicate that profits from drug sales (were used to) finance the activities of Islamic extremists in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kashmir. Pakistan's counter-narcotics efforts are hampered by lack of full government commitment; scarcity of funds; poor infrastructure; government wariness of provoking unrest in tribal areas; and acute corruption,’’ the CRS said. |
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Direct Phuket-Port Blair
flight mooted
Phuket (Thailand), February 20 Though discussions are at a preliminary stage, direct flights between the two tourist destinations would result in a huge tourist inflow to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, tourist officials said. Thai hotel and travel industry have also expressed their desire to expand their operations in the Andaman region which could be a highly beneficial proposition for both sides.
— UNI |
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Kabul to raise its own air force
Kabul, February 20 The Army — Afghan National Army (ANA) —will have representation from all ethnic groups and will include people from all ideologies to make it truly representative, Gen Wardak said here. “It will be an ethnically-balanced army. The idea is to make it truly representative ,” he said.
— UNI |
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