Plane landed after proper authorisation: India
Pretoria, May 22
After a top Indian diplomat was accused of "manipulation" by South Africa to obtain permission for landing an aircraft chartered by a well-connected Indian family at a military air base here, India has said there was proper "authorisation" and that some wedding guests on board the plane had invitation for bilateral engagements.

26/11: India seeks access to Rana, Headley 
Washington, May 22
India has sought access from the US to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack convict David Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana, both of whom were sentenced by a Chicago court after being found guilty of terrorism charges.

Islamabad, May 22
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today arrived to a red carpet welcome here and held talks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, assuring that China's relations with its "all-weather" strategic partner would continue to flourish and strengthen, come what may.

"No matter how the regional and international situation may evolve, China will remain committed to consolidating and developing its strategic partnership of cooperation with Pakistan," Li said at a luncheon hosted in his honour by Zardari.

Li Keqiang, who has chosen the South Asia region for his first foreign trip after assuming office, received a warm welcome on arrival.

President Asif Zardari and interim Premier Mir Hazar Khan Khoso were present at the airport to accord him an enthusiastic reception with a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour by a contingent drawn from all three services.

Besides other dignitaries, the services chiefs were also present on the occasion.

Officials said the long-time allies would look to use the trip to boost economic, cultural and trade ties. President Zardari hosted a luncheon in Li’s honour which was also attended by Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif and other top leaders of the country. Li will meet Nawaz Sharif separately on Thursday.

Both sides plan to sign 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on economic issues, energy and science during the visit.

Trade between China and Pakistan hit an annual $12 billion for the first time last year, according to Islamabad's Foreign Ministry. The two sides plan to raise this to $15 billion in the next two to three years.

Washington, May 22
The landmark immigration Bill, which offers a path to citizenship for more than 11 million, including over 260,000 Indians, undocumented immigrants and increasing H-1B visas today passed its first legislative test.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on the fifth day of its deliberations that included 300 amendments to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act - passed it by 13-5 votes.

The Bill passed through the key Senate committee only after lawmakers reached a deal on H-1B visa expansion plan.

The Bill now goes to the Senate for approval, which is expected to witness another round of negotiations and tough bargaining. It needs 60 votes to pass the 100-seat Senate.

Welcoming the passage of the legislation, US President Barack Obama said that it is largely consistent with the principles of commonsense reform he has proposed and meets the challenge of fixing the broken immigration system.

Obama urged the full Senate to bring this bipartisan Bill to the floor at earliest possible opportunity. He remained hopeful that the amendment process will lead to further improvements.

“None of the committee members got everything they wanted, and neither did I, but in the end we all owe it to the American people to get the best possible result over the finish line,” he said in a statement.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held five markup sessions to consider the bipartisan legislation.

“The dysfunction in our current immigration system affects all of us and it is long past time for reform. I hope that our history, our values, and our decency can inspire us finally to take action,” Chairman Patrick Leahy said.

“We need an immigration system that lives up to American values and helps write the next great chapter in American history by reinvigorating our economy and enriching our communities,” he said.

“This bipartisan legislation establishes a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. It addresses the lengthy backlogs in our current immigration system — backlogs that have kept families apart sometimes for decades,” said Leahy, who shepherded the complicated bill through the marathon markup session. — PTI 

Pretoria, May 22
After a top Indian diplomat was accused of "manipulation" by South Africa to obtain permission for landing an aircraft chartered by a well-connected Indian family at a military air base here, India has said there was proper "authorisation" and that some wedding guests on board the plane had invitation for bilateral engagements.

"The senior Indian officials and their delegations were in South Africa for bilateral engagements with the Free State Government," the High Commission said in a statement here. "The visit of Shivpal Singh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Minister of Public Works and Irrigation, and the delegation accompanying the minister, was an official visit, which took place at the invitation of the Free State Government," it said.

"A memorandum of intent was signed between the Free State and UP Government for a broad based co-operation covering economic development, irrigation and agriculture sectors," the statement said.

A controversy — dubbed as "Guptagate" — made headlines when the plane chartered by the Gupta family, carrying around 200 guests from India, landed at Waterkloof Air Force base here on April 29 allegedly without proper authorisation. The incident also caused an outcry over the breach of security at a national key point.

The Gupta family, which has close ties to President Zuma, celebrated the wedding of Vega Gupta to India-born Aaskash Jahajgarhia at Sun City on May 3. The wedding, billed as 'the South African wedding of the century', also had Bollywood actors and singers flying in for the event. — PTI 

Washington, May 22
India has sought access from the US to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack convict David Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana, both of whom were sentenced by a Chicago court after being found guilty of terrorism charges.

While there was no official word from either side on the issues discussed in particular those with reference to Headley and Rana, officials said it was prominently raised by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde during his meeting with US Attorney General Eric Holder here.

“Shinde and Holder agreed that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Justice should work together institutionally, so as to ensure the best possible outcomes within the laws of the two countries, to address pending issues relating to extradition, execution of Letters Rogatory and Red Corner Notices, as well as other areas of cooperation in law enforcement, counter terrorism and judicial processes,” an official Indian statement said. — PTI