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Sheikh Hasina seeks India's help to combat ISI
IAEA-Iran issue exposes govt’s foreign policy
Charges bogus, says Defence Minister |
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SC gives 2 weeks for filing Bofors case FIR
Papers of Shahabuddin
sealed
BJP seeks probe into flow of FII funds
Partial eclipse in country
Discuss Sarabjit’s
case in Pak: Dalbir
Lalu defends Advani
Loudspeaker ban: SC leaves it to states
Akash test-fired thrice
Amar Singh apologises to children
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Sheikh Hasina seeks India's help to combat ISI
Kolkata , October 3 Begum Hasina was in the city on her way back to Dhaka from New Delhi yesterday when, during her brief stay, she called on the elderly Mr Jyoti Basu at his Salt Lake residence and exchanged views with him regarding the problems now standing in the way of strengthening the Indo-Bangladesh relations. She also met the Chief Minister, Mr Budhadeb Bhattacharjee, at Writers Building and sought India's help and co-operation in restoring proper democracy in Bangladesh, which she alleged, had been destroyed under the Khaleda Zia's administration, dominated mainly by the ISI and the fundamentalists Begum Hasina also conveyed these allegations during her talks with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Foreign Minister, Mr Natwar Singh, and the Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, in the Capital whom she had requested to come forward to save Bangladesh from the onslaught of fundamentalists and other reactionaries. The Former Prime Minister alleged before Mr Basu and Mr Bhattacharjee that
Zia government had been sponsoring the on-going terrorism in north Bengal and other places in the north-eastern region like Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram where, according to her information, some more serious attempts would be made by the ISI during the next few months to destabilize peace and normalcy there. Though Sheikh Hasina described her meeting with the Pre Minister, other Union ministers and the Bengal Chief Minister as courtesy calls, Mr Sukharanjan Dasgupta, an expert on Bangladesh affairs, who is the editorial adviser to Dainik Statesman (Bengali Statesman) felt that Ms Hasina on the eve of the country general's elections was on a mission to mobilise public opinion against the Zia government which had been pro-Pakistani and anti-Indian. And Ms Hasina has been successful also to a great extent in her mission since both Dr Singh and the Defence Minister had duly acknowledged her concern and agreed that democracy in Bangladesh suited India's interests also. Ms Hasina alleged that the ISI and Major Ishkandi's DGFI were now jointly operating 175 terrorist camps in different areas in Bangladesh for launching attacks in West Bengal and others areas in the north-eastern region. In these camps, the ULFA and Kamtapur terrorists had been regularly undergoing martial training, she alleged. She expressed concern that a Kashmir-like problem could be created in the region by the ISI and the Zia government. The former Prime Minister alleged that she had also been a target of the Zia administration and she was worried that she might again be the target of an assassin like in the past. |
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IAEA-Iran issue exposes govt’s foreign policy
New Delhi, October 3 The leader of the four Left parties, who met here, decided to launch a national campaign for a independent foreign policy. CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat told newspersons that it would hold talks with all-like minded parties and individuals to generate public opinion on this issue. When asked whether the Left leaders would welcome the BJP in joining the issue, as they had also critcised the government on Iran vote, CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan said we cannot join hands with them. Mr Karat said the Left leaders would also talk to UPA allies and supporting parties on this issue. “Several diplomats, judges and others who think that India should have a independent foreign policy have expressed their interest in forcing the government to change their stand in the November meet,” he said. Mr Bardhan said the India vote was violation of the non-aligned movement policy and spirit as New Delhi by this vote had directly aligned with the USA in meeting their strategic interests. “The Left parties consider India’s voting for the resolution on Iran to be a serious departure from an independent foreign policy,” a statement by the Left parties said. Mr Karat said a convention would be organised in Delhi by the end of October. The Left leaders demanded that “by the next board meeting of the IAEA in November, the Indian Government will have to undo the damage done. India should state clearly that the Iranian nuclear issue is not a fit case for referring to the UN Security Council. Iran has the right to develop its nuclear technology within the framework of the NPT and IAEA safeguards.” The government claimed that India voted for the resolution as two concerns put forth by it in the draft resolution was met. First, that more time should be given for exploring all avenues for a satisfactory resolution of the issues that have arisen. By stating that the next board meeting would take a decision, that time has been provided for. Second, India was opposed to the matter being referred to the UN Security Council “at this stage”, as it was not justified by the circumstances. The draft has kept the matter within the purview of the IAEA. “The time given is a few weeks before the next board meeting in November. Further, the resolution has already found Iran “non-compliant” and declared it is a fit case for reference to the UN Security Council. The resolution is in the nature of an ultimatum to Iran that it give up its right to develop nuclear technology or face action through the Security Council,” Mr Karat said. |
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Charges bogus, says Defence Minister
Kolkata, October 3 Mr Mukherjee was reacting to the allegations that India was purchasing six Scorpion submarines from a blacklisted French firm, which obtained the contract after paying off huge amount of cut money to the bidder in this defence deal. The Defence Minister said he was aware about the details of the agreement but ruled out that there were any irregularities anywhere. He felt the country would benefit after procuring the submarines for its naval force. Mr Mukherjee left for his constituency in Murshidabad district after reaching the city from New Delhi last night The BJP demanded an high-level inquiry into the alleged underhand deal of the purchase of six French submarines. Accordingly, the BJP and other NDA partners had been planning to launch massive agitation soon throughout the country. The BJP felt that the submarine purchase scam was equally scandalous like the Bofors deal and hence, an independent probe be made, the party demanded. The CPM, the CPI and other Left parties supporting the UPA government from outside also demanded that the details of the submarine purchase deal should be clarified and made public before finalising the agreement. Official sources admitted that the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during his recent visit to France had negotiated with the management of Thalis and Co, a renowned submarine manufacturing company in France, for the purchase of six Scorpion atomic submarines, each costing Rs 12 crore for the country’s naval force. Later, the naval and the Defence Department officials followed it up by making necessary formalities after scrutinizing and verifying their requirements. Accordingly, it was decided that the agreement would be finalized at a meeting in New Delhi on October 6 between the department officials and the Thalis management. But there was an uproar at certain corners following the publication of a news item in a French newspaper questioning the credibility of the French submarine manufacturing firm. It had been alleged in the report that Thalis and co had cheated several foreign countries by supplying some sub-standard and defective submarines. As a result, this firm had been blacklisted in those countries in Europe and South-East Asia. |
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SC gives 2 weeks for filing Bofors case FIR
New Delhi, October 3 Advocate Ajay
Agrawal, who had filed the petition after the CBI had not preferred any appeal, told a Bench of Chief Justice R C
Lahoti, Mr Justice G P Mathur and Mr Justice P K Balasubramanyan to grant him two weeks time to submit the
documents. Agrawal had alleged that though the CBI had sent the draft of its appeal to the Union Law Minister, the latter had sat over it without giving any opinion, while the mandatory period of file the special leave petition
(SLP) had lapsed. Since the CBI had failed to file the appeal, he had preferred to move the petition in public interest, he said, adding that the Bofors was not an ordinary case but the “symbol” of corruption in high places in the country. He had challenged the order of Mr Justice R S Sodhi of the Delhi High Court on the grounds that the charges were quashed against three Hinduja brothers —
Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — on “flimsy” grounds that original documents of the Bofors gun deal were not procured by the CBI from the Swedish government. The high court order had only come at the stage of framing of the charges when the authenticity of the documents were questioned. The evidence was only tested at the stage of the trial, the petition said, adding the high court order was “self-contradictory” at several places. |
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Papers of Shahabuddin
sealed
Muzaffarpur, October 3 The answer sheets from September 21 to September 28 with role number 1615 bearing the name of the MP have been acquired from the B.R. Ambedkar University examination department and sealed for investigation, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Tirhut range) Gupteshwar Pandey told PTI. An FIR was lodged yesterday with Kazi Mohammadpur police station after the RJD leader “appeared” for the examination. The police have launched a search for 21 persons including the MP, the Principal of local RDS College Mohammad Tauheed Alam and others named in the FIR. The police has registered cases under different Sections of the IPC, including Section 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) against those named in the FIR. Meanwhile, there were also reports that Shahabuddin himself did not appear for the exam and that someone else wrote them for him. Shahabuddin is on the run since the a countrywide alert was issued against him two months ago. Non-bailable arrest warrants were pending against him relating to seizure of illegal firearms, unaccounted foreign currency, stolen vehicles and a deer during raids on his Pratappur ancestral house on April 24. — PTI |
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BJP seeks probe into flow of FII funds
New Delhi, October 3 Mr Shettigar also demanded that the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India (CAG) should look into the ruling given by the Advance Authority of Income Tax in October 2004, which gave 10 per cent capital gains exemption to a US-based FII — the Fidelity Advisors-Series VII — on the grounds that it was to be treated as a business expense under the Indo-US treaty. Mr Shettigar sought to know whether the ruling of the authority was influenced by some political authority. “If this is so, then the CBI needs to investigate who gave the orders,” Mr Shettigar said. Mr Shettigar found it difficult to believe the official claim that the rise of sensex, during the past 15 months during which the UPA had been in power, was a result of the strong fundamentals of the economy and the corporates. Mr Shettigar, who was a member of the Economic Advisory Council in Mr Vajpayee’s government, questioned the claim that the rise in the sensex was a result of mere flows of FIIs. The spurt in penny stocks much in excess of the P/E ratios led to the inference that all was not well with the stock markets. He said the concessions allowed to the Fidelity would prompt other FIIs to also seek capital gains. This also had to be seen in the light of the fact that the domestic and small investors would continue to pay tax for the same activity. He charged that the regulators — the RBI and SEBI — were not playing their role properly. And it had sent a scare among the small investors. Mr Shettigar said that there was nothing in the policy decisions of the UPA government which could propel the index to such highs. On the contrary, the inability of the government to move further on the reform process, be it on the financial sector reforms or disinvestment of profit making PSUs, should in fact have sent a negative signal to the markets. |
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Partial eclipse in country
New Delhi, October 3 Astronomy enthusiasts wishing to catch glimpse of the sun were in for a let down, since the ring-like eclipse in its full glory could not be seen in the country. The annular eclipse that can be seen at maximum phase from India, will be on January 15, 2010, officials at the Nehru Planetarium said. The Nehru Planetarium and the Amateur Astronomers Association of Delhi conducted an eclipse skywatch here between 4 pm and 5.30 pm. The eclipse was visible in Eastern Greenland, Iceland, Europe (including the British Isles), Africa except the southern tip and Western Asia. The eclipse began at 1316 hours Indian Standard Time (IST) when the shadow of moon first touch earth at local sunrise at a point in the Atlantic Ocean near Azores (Port) Island. It ended at 1858 hours IST when the moon’s shadow finally left the earth at local sunset at a point in the Indian Ocean near Mauritius. It was pointed out that today’s was an annular eclipse when the moon will not be able to cover the entire disk of the sun, which is the case when there is total eclipse. Citing the reason for this, it was stated that the moon being a little further from the earth than at other times and the apparent disc of the moon at such times appears a little smaller than that of the sun.
— TNS |
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Discuss Sarabjit’s
case in Pak: Dalbir
New Delhi, October 3 Speaking to mediapersons here today, Ms Dalbir Kaur said: “Mr Natwar Singh is in Pakistan and we are confident that he will take up the case of Sarabjit in his talks with the authorities there. He had taken up Sarabjit’s case in New York last month. How can he forget Sarabjit in Pakistan?” Ms Dalbir Kaur, who is scheduled to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, has also sought an audience with the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the PM, Dr Manmohan Singh. |
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Lalu defends Advani
Patna , October 3 Mr Lalu Prasad said,"The threat posed by the Sangh Parivar could be understood from the fact that they even overpowered a leader like L.K.Advani by forcing him to resign". Mr Yadav made these remarks while addressing the convention, involving backward
muslims, here today. |
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Loudspeaker ban: SC leaves it to states
New Delhi, October 3 While noting that it would examine the constitutional validity of the statutory rule allowing states to permit the use of loudspeakers till 0000 hours for 15 days in a year, a Bench comprising Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and Mr Justice Ashok Bhan, however, said that in the meantime, the rule framed by the Centre would continue to be in operation. The Bench, thereafter, fixed October 24 as the date for hearing the matter. In view of the July 18 apex court order banning the use of loudspeakers between 2200 hrs and 0600 hrs, several applications were filed before the court seeking permission to relax the ban for two hours on festive occasions.
— UNI |
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Akash test-fired thrice
Balasore, October 3 The sleek 5.6 metre long missile, with a launch weight of 700 kg and capability to carry a warhead of 60 kg, blasted off at 12.48 pm. This was followed by two more rounds of test-firing at around 1 o’clock and 1.05 pm, the sources said. The tests by defence scientists were conducted to prove the missile’s consistency during the entire flight. The sources said the Army and the Indian Air Force, who would be using the missile, had wanted the missile test to demonstrate its consistency during the entire flight. —
PTI |
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Amar Singh apologises to children
New Delhi, October 3 “I apologise to the parents and guardians of children for the delay. There was no fault of administration as I reached late,” he said, answering queries about the incident. The MP said he was delayed as his plane was not allowed to land at Kanpur and he had to take helicopter to reach the city. About 10,000 children in Kanpur had to wait for hours for Mr Singh at a function to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Fortytwo of them collapsed due to dehydration and were later hospitalised. |
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