 |
|
India takes up Kanishka case with
Canada
PMO objects to use of PM’s photo by Gujarat
Wen moots hike in student exchange
quota
CM to skip tripartite talks in
Delhi
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kalam to address experts
via videoconference
Fernandes making
‘wild charges’
North-East turns hawala
hub
SGPC for taking up pilgrim quota issue with Musharraf
Cong disrupts House over delimitation
Meeting held to discuss Territorial Army role
Emir of Qatar arrives today
|
|
India takes up Kanishka case with
Canada
New Delhi, April 12 This subject came up for discussion at the two-day seventh meeting of the India-Canada Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism which concluded here today. A Joint Statement issued at the end of the talks made a categoric note of the Kanishka case. It said: “The Indian side shared the sense of disappointment and outrage among the relatives of the victims of the Air-India Kanishka bombing case. It was understood that Canada would continue its investigation towards bringing the case to a logical conclusion. Canada noted that it would be meeting with the families of the victims.” Later, when asked about the merits of an appeal to higher court following the bombing judgment, MEA spokesman Navtej Sarna said: “India wants justice to be done. India and Canada are partners in the fight against terrorism. We are confident that Canada would do the right thing.” The JWG meeting included extensive discussions on assessments of current terrorist challenges, including in the South Asian region, and ways to strengthen ongoing international action to counter terrorism, including through regional and international fora like the United Nations. The two sides also exchanged assessments on the UN High-Level Panel report and how the UN may be further utilised to combat terrorism. While discussing sources and modalities of terrorist financing and counter measures, both sides addressed concerns over the hawala system and discussed ways to promote the use of legitimate banking channels. Talks have begun on a remittance partnership between the two countries. India and Canada also discussed the growing link between narco-trafficking and the financing of terrorism, the new challenge of cyber-terrorism and the increasing need for further collaboration in aviation and maritime security. Both sides agreed on the need for sharing information on financial transactions meant for diversion to finance terrorist activities made under the cover of charity organisations and NGOs. |
|
PMO objects to use of PM’s photo by Gujarat
New Delhi, April 12 ‘’This is a highly objectionable and incorrect practice. The Prime Minister’s photograph cannot be printed in any government publication without prior permission. The PMO is separately conveying its disapproval of the same to the Gujarat Government,’’ the Media Adviser to the Prime Minister, Dr Sanjay Baru, said in a statement. Dr Baru said the attention of the PMO had been drawn to a publication of the Directorate of Information of the Gujarat Government on which a photograph of the Prime Minister had been published alongside a quotation from a statement made by the Prime Minister in Parliament. The said publication was prepared and circulated at the specific instruction of Chief Minister Narendra Modi with a view to counter the dissidents campaign against him. The idea of using the Prime Minister’s photograph was a clever move to get a stamp of approval from the Centre in the public perception. |
|
Wen moots hike in student exchange
quota
New Delhi, April 12 Mr Wen, describing his visit to India as “returning to the native soil”, said he felt the same way as Rabindra Nath Tagore did when the latter visited China. Forging a connection with his audience when he confessed to feeling younger in the company of youngsters at IIT, he encouraged the students to ask questions. Taking the process of friendship between the two countries forward, he said he had proposed to his host counterpart Mr Manmohan Singh, to allow 100 youngsters from India to be invited to China to understand the country and its people. A similar proposal had also been mooted for their Chinese counterparts. The visiting dignitary said India and China were the largest developing countries with the fastest economic growth. Referring to Panchsheel, he said both countries should work together to make the 21st century that of Asia. The Chinese Premier said the trade relations between the two countries were not commensurate with their potential. He said India was strong in a number of sectors like farm products, auto-parts and pharmaceuticals which would be highly competitive in China where a strong demand existed for India’s services sector also. Similarly, China was strong in areas like electronic goods and could find a market in India. He stressed the need for developing relations from specific issues to comprehensive relations and expressed confidence that all problems could be resolved through “peaceful development”. |
|
Left parties hail Wen’s visit
New Delhi, April 12 The main Left parties, CPM and CPI, in a statement said the significant outcome of the visit was the agreement on the political parameters and guiding principles for the settlement of the Indo-China boundary issue. The CPM Politburo welcomed the content and direction of the agreements signed between the two countries at this historic summit. |
|
CM to skip tripartite talks in
Delhi
Kolkata, April 12 Instead, he will send the Chief Secretary, Mr A. Gupta, to represent the state government at the meeting which will be attended by GNLF chief, Subhas Ghising. Mr Ghising reached the Capital yesterday. Mr Bhattacharjee, who returned to the city last evening after attending the 18th party congress in New Delhi, told mediapersons about his decision to skip the tripartite meeting on April 14. But he will be present at the Prime Minister’s meeting with other Chief Ministers on the country’s internal security. Official sources said before leaving New Delhi yesterday, the Chief Minister had conveyed to Mr Patil about his decision not to attend the tripartite meeting. Mr Bhattacharjee reminded the Home Minister that he had agreed to appoint Mr Ghising as catertaker chairman of the Hill Council at the request of the Prime Minister and Ms Sonia Gandhi, despite strong resistance from several political parties in the hills, including the dissident GNLF, only on the assurance that Mr Ghising would not oppose holding of elections to the council within the next six months. And it is now left to the Centre to ensure that the elections in Darjeeling were held at the earliest, the Chief Minister told Mr Patil. The council’s term expired on March 25 but it was extended for another month. |
|
Kalam to address experts
via videoconference
Hyderabad, April 12 The Hyderabad chapter of the US-based Project Management Institute is one of the 200 chapters in the world, working with the objective of creating professional project management awareness in the region. The two-day conference, to be held at the International School of Business at Gachibowli, will have some well-known speakers, including Dr Harold Kerzner, President of the Project Management Associates, USA, Mr Jiwesh Nandan, Programe Manager, Kumbh Mela, and Mr T L Shankar, Adviser, Union Power Ministry. The Advisory Board of the PMI chapter, Dr Prahlada, Director, Defence Research Development Laboratory, Mr Ramalinga Raju, Chairman, Satyam Computer Services, and Prof Ram Mohan Rao, Dean, Indian School of Business, will also share their experiences. The conference will cover five tracks, including academia and professional development, global distributed delivery, IT management and government and society. |
|
|
Fernandes making
‘wild charges’ New Delhi, April 12 Dismissing the former minister’s charge that the Tehelka operation was planned at Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence and also involved senior party leader Oscar Fernandes, Mr Dasmunshi described the allegation as falsehood and lies, derogatory in nature and defamatory in character. The NDA convener, he said, had tried his best to undermine the constitutional authority of the
CAG. |
|
North-East turns hawala
hub
Silchar (Assam), April 12 Intelligence sources told this correspondent that dealers in illegal foreign currency and other traffickers of their ilk had made the region a hub, flooding the “seven sisters” with fake notes. There is also considerable alarm in the police circle over the huge
quantities of foreign exchange that is being pumped into the region through clandestine
hawala transactions. Most of the traffickers are believed to have operating links with Bangladesh. Intelligence sources further said that the Central Vigilance Department officials already confirmed that abnormal quantities of foreign currency had been pouring in here through the hawala conduit. Worse, vigilance officials said they had reasons to believe that the huge sums being routed through hawala were ending up in the hands of almost all militant organisations active in the Northeast region. They in turn were using the money to procure arms and ammunition. Sources disclosed that a favourite crossover point of such illicit agent and operators happened to be Assam’s Karimganj border with Bangladesh. The proliferation of hawala operations and the inflow of tainted funds in the region through Karimganj-Bangladesh border in Silchar was discussed at a high level meeting of intelligence and vigilance officials recently held in Delhi. Hawala operators are active in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. |
|
SGPC for taking up pilgrim quota issue with Musharraf
New Delhi, April 12 “We have written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to take up the issue of increasing the quota of Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan with President Musharraf,” SGPC member Kuldip Singh Bhogal told reporters here today. “We have also urged the Prime Minister that an SGPC delegation led by its president, Bibi Jagir Kaur, should be allowed to meet the Pakistani President so that the issue of upkeep of gurdwaras in Pakistan can be taken up,” Bhogal said. “At present, at least 3,000 Sikhs visit Pakistan every year on four different occasions and we want that the quota be increased to 10,000 in view of the improving relations between the two countries”, he added. |
|
Cong disrupts House over delimitation
Dehra Dun, March 12 Congress leaders, including Kishore Upadhyaya, Pradeep Tamta and Ranjeet Rawat, disrupted the proceedings of the Budget session. Congress MLA Kishore Upadhayaya demanded that the issue be taken up in the Assembly immediately and told the Speaker Yashpal Arya that a Bill regarding the same could also be passed. As per the 2001 census most of the population is concentrated in the plains, the plains would get nearly 10 more seats, which the hills would lose out on. |
|
Meeting held to discuss Territorial Army role
New Delhi, April 12 The meeting was also attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen J.J. Singh. The officials discussed the framework based on the fundamental idea that the force should exist for wartime deployment and should be maintainable at the lowest cost during peacetime. The minister also lauded the contribution of the Territorial Army, specially in the ongoing operations in Jammu and Kashmir and rescue and relief operations. An official press note here said the problems of ex-servicemen, particularly those relating to re-employment and after retirement, were analysed. |
|
Emir of Qatar arrives today
New Delhi, April 12 The Emir, who had earlier visited India in 1999, will also interact with other senior political and business leaders. Traditional ties between India and Qatar have been strengthened in recent years by growing economic cooperation, especially in the energy sector. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Demanding immediate rehabilitation and an end to harassment and exploitation, girls of Maharashtra dance bars, recently shut down by the state, today sought intervention of the National Commission for Women and the National Human Rights Commission. —
UNI
Videos
