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India to seek extradition of Anderson
Blow to Burger Diplomacy?
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Zardari to visit China; N-deal likely
Indian gets 17-yr jail for killing wife
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India to seek extradition of Anderson
On Board PM’s Special Aircraft, June 29 The PM told journalists accompanying him on his way back home from Toronto that he did not raise the issue in his discussions with US President Barack Obama during his meeting with him on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit. “Well, we are where we stand. We will try to ensure that the US government takes a more favourable attitude towards the extradition. But we have not approached them yet. I did not raise this issue in my discussions with President Obama. We will cross the bridge when we come to it,” the PM said in reply to questions. Asked whether the government and the Congress establishment was not coming clean on who was responsible for letting Anderson go in December 1984, days after the worst industrial disaster that killed more than 15,000 people, Singh said, “What is the reality? We are not hiding anything.” The PM’s comments come in the midst of a raging controversy over who was responsible for Anderson’s exit from India after his arrest in the Bhopal gas leak case and his decision not to return to stand trial in the case. The 89-year-old former UCC chief was declared an absconder in the case by a Bhopal court. He now lives outside New York. “I think the Group of Ministers has looked at records. There is nothing that they have come across by way of definite findings as to who took the decision. These records are not available now.” To a question whether there was not a collective failure on the part of the government, political establishment and judiciary in the Bhopal issue, Singh said what the government proposed to do has been made clear by the GoM whose report has been endorsed by the Cabinet. “It is a fact, it is true that our judicial processes are time consuming. That it should have taken 25 years before the case could be decided is something that we have to reflect about and the inadequacies of our judicial system,” he said. — PTI
Ties with Pak: Trust but verify
In the wake of Home Ministerial talks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday pinned “some hope” on developing peaceful ties with Pakistan but made it clear that while moving to develop trust, India would “verify” how anti-India terror groups are dealt with.
Reflecting a guarded approach of his government, the PM said only time would tell how events would unfold in the context of relations with Pakistan. “The Home Minister (P Chidambaram) was in Pakistan last week. You must have read what he has stated. I think there is some hope,” Singh told reporters accompanying him on his way back home after attending the G-20 Summit in Toronto. Prime Minister was replying to a question that while he was working hard on making peace with Pakistan, how India proposes to go ahead in case of another 26/11 type attack.
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11 Russian ‘spies’ held in US
Washington/Moscow, June 29 The arrests were made on Sunday and yesterday in Boston, New York, New Jersey and Virginia, the Department of Justice announced today alleging that the group dubbed the “Illegals” was tasked by the Russian intelligence agency SVR to enter the US, assume false identities and carry out espionage activities. The defendants, eight of whom are married couples, held jobs in fields such as finance and media. One of the defendants remains at large. The FBI said the arrests are a result of multi-year investigations. “These Russian secret agents work to hide all connections between themselves and Russia, even as they act at the directions and under the control of SVR, these secrets agents are typically called “illegals”, the FBI said in its complaint filed before a US court yesterday. Reacting sharply to the arrest, Russia warned that it would be a blow to the recent ‘burger’ diplomacy between Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev and the ‘reset’ in bilateral ties. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow wanted an explanation from the United States over the arrest of the Russian “spies”. “They have not explained to us what is going on. I hope they will,” Lavrov told journalists following talks with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman in Jerusalem, adding “the only thing I can say is that the timing was chosen with a particular care.” In documents submitted to the court, the FBI said the “Illegals” agents of the SVR generally receive extensive training before coming to the US. This training has typically focused on, among other things, including the use of brush-passes, short-wave radio operation and invisible writing; the use of codes and ciphers, including the use of encrypted Morse code messages. — PTI Allegations baseless, says Russia Moscow: Russia on Tuesday conceded that the 11 persons arrested for suspected espionage were its nationals, but said they had not committed actions against US interests, even as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that the scandal would not affect bilateral relations. The Russian Foreign Ministry today said the persons arrested by FBI were “Russian citizens who found themselves on US territory at different times. But they have not committed any actions directed against the US interests”. — PTI
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Zardari to visit China; N-deal likely
Beijing, June 29 Announcing the six-day visit, a foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang defended the nuclear cooperation between the two countries. Zardari’s visit to China comes close on the heels of a tour of it by Pakistan’s powrful army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. It will be Zardari’s fifth visit to China. A Pakistani spokesman said the visit was aimed to strengthen existing close defence, economic and commercial ties. During the briefing on the visit Qin defended China’s developing nuclear energy cooperation with Pakistan and plans to build nuclear reactors saying the move was not aimed at any third country. The announcement of the Pakistan’s President visit here comes as US has asked China to clarify the details of the nuclear reactor deal between the two countries. India has already raised with China the issue of its supply of two more nuclear reactors to Pakistan. “The civilian nuclear energy cooperation is bilateral and mutually beneficial and it is only between the two countries and not targeting a third country,” Qin said, dismissing a question about India’s concerns over its plans to build 650 mw reactors at Chashma in Pakistan’s Punjab province. — PTI
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McChrystal to hang his fighting boots
Washington, June 29 The General, who was the top commander of US forces in Afghanistan, was fired last week by President Barack Obama for making disparaging comments in an article. The 55-year-old four-star general told the Army that he would retire, Army spokesman Gary Tallman said. But, whether he will be allowed to retain his four-star ranking was not known. Under Army rules, generals have to serve three years as a four-star officer to retain that rank. McChrystal was replaced last Wednesday by Obama after disclosure of a magazine article in which the general and top aides disparaged top administration officials including Vice-President Joe Biden and National Security Adviser Jim Jones. Obama, also the Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces, who summoned McChrystal to the White House, said the general exhibited poor judgement. — PTI
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Indian gets 17-yr jail for killing wife
Melbourne, June 29 Sukhmander Singh, who pleaded guilty to murder of his wife Mohinder Kaur, was jailed to 17 years to serve a minimum of 13 years and six months sentencing. While announcing the verdict, Judge Terry Forrest said the accused had no remorse for his actions. Mohinder was beaten to death with a wooden stake by Singh on the Valley Lake Boulevard at Niddrie on May 7, 2009. The accused followed his wife Mohinder who came to Australia from India in 2008 because of years of physical abuse and being falsely accused of having affairs by him. The couple had four children and their daughter Sarabjit Kaur, 21, was studying in Melbourne. Sarabjit testified that there was fighting and argument between his father and his mother. — PTI
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