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Friday,
September 5, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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More wait for Phalcon deal Media biased against J&K, says Mehbooba Lashkar activist
held in Delhi Foetus
matches ex-minister’s sample India joins hands with ASEAN on WTO
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Teachers should be the best minds, says
Kalam
Tight security for
Sharon Raja Bhaiya turns good guy Mulayam to meet Sonia after trust vote SC says job on compassionate grounds not
at cost of others SC upholds teacher’s dismissal
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More wait for Phalcon deal New Delhi, September 4 Sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said here that India was expected to raise the issue of sale of Phalcons with the Israeli Prime Minister, but the $ 1 billion deal would not be signed as the official exchanges over the purchase of the radar systems were still in early stages. Some other major defence deals were expected to be finalised during this visit. The Israeli Prime Minister would be accompanied by a high-level defence delegation, including the heads of various Israeli government and private defence firms. Yesterday, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the purchase of the shipborne electronic warfare systems. Seven of these would be purchased from Israel’s Rafael company, whose chairman Jacob Toren would also be part of the delegation. The systems would be purchased at a cost of $ 105 million. The CCS-cleared state-of-the-art communication and night vision devices were also likely to be purchased from Israel. India had desperately been seeking the purchase of the Phalcons, the most advanced airborne early warning radar systems, but it had been denied by the USA, specially keeping in view the standoff at the Indo-Pak borders. The USA had asked Israel to freeze the sale of Phalcons as it would have further deteriorated the situation. However, with the tension between India and Pakistan reducing considerably over the past few months, specially after the peace initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the USA gave its green signal to Israel in May last for the sale of Phalcons. Sources said although India was keen to ink the deal at the earliest, but its signing would not be possible during the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister as not only was clearance from the government needed, but the Ministry of Defence was also still to put forward the final proposal. The Israel Aircraft Industries-developed Phalcon systems are much superior to the already existing AWACS. It uses the active phased array electronics scanning technology rather than the mechanically rotating antenna, which gives Phalcon greater operational flexibility and performance by several orders of magnitude. Its availability would give India a steep edge over Pakistan in all spheres. In fact, Pakistan had strongly protested against the US clearance for the sale of Phalcons, saying it would tilt the military balance strongly in favour of India. New Delhi had been looking at buying at least two of the Phalcon systems and installing these on the Russian Ilyushin (IL)- 76 cargo planes. It would extend the range of the Indian Air Force greatly, enabling long-range identification of targets and control of weapons aimed at these. Washington’s clearance to the sale of Phalcon’s was of importance more because in 2000, it had pressurised Israel into cancelling a similar deal with China, leading to a diplomatic crisis. US objections to the deal with Beijing were based on the contention that the installation of the radar equipment to China’s Russian-supplied planes would give it a decisive military edge in any standoff with Taiwan. India was looking at the US clearance with greater significance as it could also pave the way for Washington giving its go ahead to Israel for the sale of Arrow anti-missile defence systems. Arrow systems were developed by Israel with US financing and would require its clearance for sale. |
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Media biased against J&K, says Mehbooba New Delhi, September 4 While different television news channels started focussing on the return of normalcy after an act of terrorist violence in Mumbai or elsewhere in the country, the electronic media portrayed only battle between militants and security forces but never cared to show how quickly life got normalised, an anguished Mehbooba told TNS in an exclusive conversation. “Do they (media managers) realise the extent of damage they cause to the popular cause as it immediately scares tourists in the country and abroad”, she said pointing out to the loss of business and livelihood to small traders and businessmen in the state. “I concede that there may be a news value in a particular encounter as it was on August 27 when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in Srinagar to chair the meeting of the Inter-State Council”, she said. The encounter at Greenview Hotel on one of the busiest roads was shown live but then no channel cared to show the next day as how the life returned to normal and people started attending to their daily routine, Ms Mehbooba pointed out saying that the same news channels were showing for days as how Mumbai and its people were taking the terrorist attacks in a determined manner and how quickly life was normalised. “In a way, such a live coverage and discussions about the incidents like that is going on today about the encounter between militants and security forces at Kathua, about 20 km away from the Line of Control, also goes to demoralise our brave security personnel and in fact act as a moral booster to
militants and terrorists”, she stressed. Viewers of these channels, who hardly had any understanding of the terrain and topography of the state, started thinking, rather believing, that it was not safe to visit Jammu and Kashmir, she observed. Tourism was the mainstay of Jammu and Kashmir and if it got affected then problems get compounded, she pointed out, adding that unemployment among youth was already pushing them to militancy. “National media should rather pause and seriously think as whose cause is being promoted or whose interest is being served by this overkill”, she said in an appeal to the powerful audio-visual medium. |
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Lashkar activist
held in Delhi |
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Foetus matches ex-minister’s sample New Delhi, September 4 As the agency’s investigators today questioned Mr Tripathi’s wife Madhumani, it is believed to have been communicated by the Hyderabad-based laboratory that Madhumita’s six-month-old foetus had matched with the blood sample of Mr Tripathi. —
PTI |
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India joins hands with ASEAN on WTO New Delhi, September 4 Mr Vajpayee underlined the fact that this business summit was being held on the eve of the Cancun Ministerial Review meeting on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations and minced no words in talking about the ‘pain’, ‘asymmetries’ and ‘imbalances’ in the multilateral trade agreements. The timing of this business summit assumed immense importance not because it was a preparatory meet of the next month’s Indo-ASEAN summit in Bali (Indonesia) but because it took place just days before the Cancun meet which begins on September 10. It was understood that hectic back-channel parleys had taken place between India and ASEAN ministers on the WTO issue and hence the timing of the business summit. This was echoed by the Prime Minister also as he informed of “remarkable progress” towards a Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between India and ASEAN. Mr Vajpayee informed that only yesterday the Economic Ministers of India and ASEAN reached agreement on the text to be signed at the Bali summit. The Prime Minister’s stress on joining hands with ASEAN countries to tackle the WTO-related problems of the developing world was clear when he insisted on India and ASEAN together highlight the genuine concerns of the not-so-rich countries for the welfare and livelihood of billions of their citizens. He identified agriculture as one such issue that affected not just the economics but also the society and politics of all such not-so-rich countries. India’s renewed focus on economic diplomacy was clearly reflected in the speeches of Mr Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha at the Business Summit. Mr Vajpayee called for increasing the India-ASEAN trade up to $ 15 million over the next two years and $ 30 billion by 2007 from current turnover of over $ 10 billion. The Prime Minister offered to ASEAN countries India’s help in building and launching satellites for the ASEAN countries at a “considerably low cost”. Mr Vajpayee stressed the need for investing “more among ourselves” and to supplement the savings and foreign exchange reserves. In this connection, he specifically mentioned the “Asian Bonds” initiative of the Prime Minister of Thailand and described it as “a timely initiative” which India had supported. The Business Summit clearly reflected how India’s ‘look east’ policy had now entered its phase II. While the phase I was focused primarily on the ASEAN countries and on trade and investment linkages, phase II was characterised by an expanded definition of “east” extending from Australia to China and East Asia with ASEAN as its core. Mainly with this objective in mind, the Prime Minister announced that work had already started on a trilateral highway project linking Thailand, Myanmar and India. |
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Mayawati blames it on
BJP New Delhi, September 4 She said the party would go it alone in the Assembly poll and the General Election, putting to rest all speculations of the BSP joining hands with the Congress. “Although Mr Vajpayee did not agree with the views of the BJP faction, yet he was pressurised to go along with the nefarious plan. Mr Vajpayee was kept in the dark about several factors by these leaders, who are trying to frame me in a wrongful manner and tarnish my image with the hope that I would quit politics. But this will not happen,” she told a crowded
press conference in the Capital. Arriving in the Capital a couple of days after she was questioned by the CBI in the Taj Corridor issue, a subdued Mayawati alleged that NDA convener George Fernandes and BJP leaders Pramod Mahajan, Rajnath Singh and Lalji Tandon were behind the fall of her government. She said the group had colluded with Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh, keeping the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani in the dark. Giving a clean chit to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister in the ‘’conspiracy’’, Ms Mayawati said both of them wanted her coalition government to last its full term, but the ‘’particular group in the BJP’’ played into the hands of Mr Mulayam Singh and toppled her government to instal him as Chief Minister. Ms Mayawati alleged that there were two groups in the BJP, one close to the Prime Minister and the other with the Deputy Prime Minister. NDA leaders close to Mr Vajpayee mounted pressure on him to bring down her government by impressing upon him that if the BJP continued to support the BSP, the former’s base in Uttar Pradesh would erode while that of the latter would increase substantially. She said she had no complaint against the Advani group, which wanted the BSP-BJP coalition to last its full five-year term. Ms Mayawati alleged that the Vajpayee group was now threatening to eliminate her if she tried to expose their conspiracy or made any attempt to join hands with any secular party. Terming Mr Lalji Tandon as ‘’Lalchi Tandon’’ (greedy), Ms Mayawati said he had been aiming at becoming Deputy Chief Minster since the formation of her government. On not being successful in his attempts, out of sheer vindictivness, he misguided the top BJP leaders. She added that Mr Tandon got her to write a letter to the Prime Minister, severing her relations with the BJP. Asked whether the CBI investigation into the Taj Corridor scam had made her change her “tune” on the BJP, Ms Mayawati said she was not “scared” of it. However, she refused to disclose the details of the CBI’s questioning maintaining that the issue was
subjudice. |
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Teachers should be the best minds, says Kalam
New Delhi, September 4 In his own way, Dr Kalam said, “everyone of us in this planet creates a page in human history irrespective of who he or she is. I realise, my experience is a small dot in human life but that dot has a life and light. This light, let it light many lamps.” He said the three unique characteristics were given to him by three teachers — “who helped me in shaping my life.” They were his father, primary school teacher and former ISRO chief Satish Dhawan. Dr Kalam said Teachers’ Day was important for all people, including parents, as “teachers lay the foundation for creating enlightened citizens for the nation.” Quoting Dr Radhakrishnan, he said “teachers should be the best minds in the country.” —
PTI |
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Tight security for
Sharon New Delhi, September 4 Mr Sharon has threats from international terrorist organisations like Hamas and Al Qaeda, and will be provided a multi-layered security cover during his visit to India beginning September 7. Considering that Mr Sharon is one of the most protected global leaders, he would be provided with a security cover somewhat similar to that provided for the then US President Bill Clinton during his visit in 2000. The security arrangement being planned for Mr Sharon would include his Israeli security, the Special Protection Group
(SPG), NSG commandos and the Delhi Police.
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Raja Bhaiya turns good guy Lucknow, September 4 “The previous government projected me as a terrorist and booked me, my 80-year-old father and cousin under the anti-terrorist Act. I was denied permission to meet my family members, my daughters, who used to ask as to why papa does not come home,” Raghuraj Pratap Singh told The Tribune here early this week. Winds of change started blowing with the change of government. Bouquets are staked at one corner of his hospital ward filling the small room with fragrance of flowers. The Mayawati-led government had slapped the Prevention of Terrorist Act (POTA) on him and his family members after an AK-56 assault rifle, over 100 swords and guns of different makes and bores were recovered during a raid on their palace in Bethi, 180 km from Lucknow. “We belong to a royal family. Guns and swords are part of our lives. These arms and ammunitions are documented,” he said. He denied having in possession any illegal or prohibited gun like an AK-56. Within 20 minutes of taking charge, new Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav withdrew POTA from him and his family members. Raghuraj Pratap Singh, a feudal lord of Kunda, 160 km south-east of Lucknow, is called Raja Bhaiya.The words he spoke were an order for his subject. He ran a parallel administration between Kunda and Bethi, comprising 200 villages. |
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Mulayam to meet Sonia after trust vote New Delhi, September 4 Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Jagdambika Pal, who along with Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tewari met Mr Yadav yesterday, said here that the Chief Minister had told them that he would meet Ms Gandhi after proving his majority. |
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SC says job on compassionate grounds New Delhi, September 4 The ruling was given on an appeal by the Haryana Government against an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashing a state government order cancelling the appointment of a person given a job after the death of his father. The government had cancelled the appointment of Ankur Gupta on September 26, 2001, four years after he had continued to serve as a clerk, in view of the High Court’s directive that a person whose one of the parents was a government servant, would not be entitled for the benefit. |
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SC upholds teacher’s dismissal New Delhi, September 4 An inquiry committee to probe the ‘immoral behaviour’ of Babban Parsad Yadav, a teacher at Patna, had come to the conclusion that he was guilty of the offence which he was charged with, that is, writing love letters to the student, a Bench said. |
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