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Nepal politicians seek help from India
Maoist resurgence worries Pranab
Airshow starts off in a blaze of colour and sound
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Congress flays BJP move to stall Parliament
No need to stick to Chinese model of Communism: Surjeet
Geelani case: Delhi police refutes charges
Cops crack down on foreigners in Bollywood
Goa speaker ‘locks out’ CM and Cabinet
South-West Command to be stationed at
Jaipur
Girl raped by Assam Rifles constable
India-US IAEA trilateral meeting
AP expert stands by report on Anara
Girija named NCW chief
Bomb-like object at Vajpayee’s rally
Patil made chief of welfare board
BSP’s ultimatum to Mulayam
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Nepal politicians seek help from India
New Delhi, February 9 "International intervention is not desirable," Mr Lakshman Panth told The Tribune. "... be it by India or the United States," he added as an afterthought. Mr Panth is president of the Nepali Janadhikar Sangharsh Samiti, which is spearheading the campaign in association with other "distant sympathisers" like the Nepali Janwadi Morcha. In contrast, Mr Rajendra Mahto, general secretary of the Nepali Sadbhavana Party (A) and a former member of Parliament, has sought a more proactive role by India given her pre-eminent status as the world's largest democracy. "India," he says "should stand up for us now that Nepal has been plunged into darkness." February 13 marks the 10th anniversary of what the Maoists call the Great People's War. Mr Panth said a call has been given to all democratic, secular and progressive forces in India to join us in the demonstration and meeting. Representatives of the JNU Students Union and certain other political parties are likely to join the protest, he added. "We are against monarchy but let the people of Nepal decide for themselves what they need ... whether they want a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy or a Republican system. We nevertheless maintain that election of a constituent Assembly is the only solution of the crisis," Mr Panth observed. Similar protests have been planned in other cities including Chandigarh. Incidentally, the Maoists' association with Chandigarh goes back to several decades. The Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Vidyarthi Sangh was formed in Chandigarh in December 1977. It is closely linked to the Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj, a front organisation of the Maoists. |
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Maoist resurgence worries Pranab
Bangalore, February 9 "If the Maoists take advantage of the situation, and the situation deteriorates, it will definitely pose problems for us in terms of our own internal security. We do recognise that," he said while addressing the mediapersons here after inaugurating Aero India 2005. Evading the question of continued military support to Nepal, he stated that the Nepalese army chief had got in touch with his Indian counterpart, and that the response given to him was on similar lines as that "indicated by the Foreign Secretary." "We are concerned about the situation with regard to democracy and the constitutional role of monarchy, but our relationship with Nepal is of a special nature and is very long-standing," he said. On the question of the US willingness to supply arms to India, he said: "We are glad and we will encourage them, but dependability and the transfer of technology are two issues of concern to us," he stressed. The US laws which mandated automatic sanctions in certain situations could be problematic, he noted, as defence cooperation is a long-term affair. "But no position is irreconciliable," he declared. He disclosed that 73 per cent of defence budget, including on capital expenditure covering all three services had been spent from this year's Budget. As for the Budget for 2005-2006, he said: “We have of course indicated a figure, but having been a finance minister myself, no finance minister worth the name will grant whatever the spending ministries want.” Earlier in the day, Mr Mukherjee inaugurated Aero India 2005, where he said there was "immense potential" for sourcing of military and civil aviation software and hardware from India by international companies.
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Airshow starts off in a blaze of colour and sound
Bangalore February 9 Aero India 2005, inaugurated by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, got off to a start in a blaze of smoke and thunder in the presence of business delegations and senior armed forces officers from 31 countries including many chiefs of air staff. The Indian Navy featured the enormous Tu-142 'Albatross' maritime reconnaissance aircraft —the Sentinel of the Oceans—the Kamov-31 Airborne Early Warning Helicopter, and for the first time ever, the Sea Harrier. After the inauguration the show was started off with a composite formation led by an ALH —the Advanced Light Helicopter, closely followed by two Kiran jet trainers and two Sukhoi-30 MKIs. HAL's new Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) and the Tu-142 then made their runs. This was followed, again for the first time, with a newly acquired IL-78 air-to-air refueller with two Mirage - 2000s "plugged-in" demonstrating mid-air refuelling that enables combat aircraft to travel and strike deeper into the enemy territory. The Su-30 MKI showed off its extreme manoeuvrability aided by its thrust vectoring engines and forward canards, executing hooks, flat turns and imposing slow speed runs with ease. Three 'Tejas' LCAs (Light Combat Aircraft) being developed by DRDO have made their presence felt at the show — while its delta wing shape and elegant lines please the eye, pilots attest to its easy handling qualities. Between them, the two technology demonstrators and one prototype have so far clocked about 350 flights. The IAF's Sarang helicopter display team, flying the HAL built ALH Dhruvs, have made waves with their displays at the Singapore Air Show last year and in the Middle East more recently, and they presented their waltzes in the air, followed by the familiar Surya Kiran aerobatic display team, who endeared themselves to the crowd with daring crossovers, 'bomb bursts' (where the nine aircraft dive and separate in different directions) and a smoky heart and cupid's arrow in the sky. International presence: About 20 foreign aircraft have come to the show, and the Russian Mig-29 M2 and the British Aerospace Systems Hawk 100 Advanced Jet Trainer were among the many attractions. The Mig-29 M2 featured hooks, tail slides and a Kobra among other manoeuvres while the Hawk 100 showed off its virtues as an ideal trainer (the IAF is in the process of procuring 66 of these aircraft.) The American presence was in the form of two F-15 Eagle fighters, an Orion P3C maritime surveillance aircraft and an C-130 J Hercules military transport aircraft. All of them were on static display, which disappointed aviation and defence watchers who would have liked to have seen them in the air.
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Congress flays BJP move to stall Parliament New Delhi, February 9 Accusing the BJP of adopting double-standards, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma maintained that when the NDA was in power, it had destablised several states in the sensitive North-east including Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh by ignoring all conventions. For instance, he said, the BJP formed its government in Arunachal Pradesh even though it did not have a single MLA. Mr Sharma described the BJP’s plans to stall Parliament as “unfortunate and condemnable”, adding that while the saffron party has the right to put forward its point of view, paralysing Parliament indicates it has run out of all issues and ideas. The developments in Goa, he added, have no bearing on the functioning of Parliament. Mr Sharma recalled that after its defeat in the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led alliance had repeatedly stalled proceedings in both Houses of Parliament leading to a stalemate, which was “unbecoming” of the main Opposition party. Even though all parties came to a consensus to ensure normal functioning of Parliament following an intervention by the Lok Sabha Speaker, the present stance of the BJP and the NDA showed its not willing to ‘’act in conformity with that consensus’’. Defending Goa Governor S C
Jamir, who is under attack from the BJP-led NDA for dismissing the Parrikar Government, Mr Sharma said he could not have remained a mute witness when there was an open
attempt by the BJP to misuse the Speaker’s office to muster a majority. “The Governor is the representative of the President and his role was clearly defined in the Constitution and he acted accordingly,” Mr Sharma added.
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No need to stick to Chinese model of Communism: Surjeet
Kolkata, February 9 The opening session of the three-day state party conference was attended, among others, by Mr Jyoti Basu, Mr Prakash Karat, Mr Sitaram Yechuri, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Mr Anil Biswas and Mr Biman Bose. Thousands of party workers from different parts of the country were present. In his brief address, Mr Surjeet applauded the CPM in the state for setting up an ideal model of success of Communism to the rest of the country. He hoped the party comrades would continue to work for the welfare of the poor and working class people which would help the party to develop further by spreading its network to other parts in the country. Mr Basu, in his short welcoming address, expressed his gratitude and thankfulness to the new leadership for taking the party in the right direction. He admitted that some corrupt people and vested interests had now entered into the party, who needed to be immediately driven out for the party’s larger interest. He regretted that due to fallen health, it might not be possible for him to attend regularly the on-going conference but he assured the leadership he would certainly be present at least for some time during the session. He said during his absence, Mr Biman Bose would conduct the conference. In the conference, the party will discuss the draft political resolution to be presented at the forthcoming party congress in April in New Delhi. The draft resolution was prepared by the politburo which the central committee had already vetted at the recently held two-day meeting in Kolkata. |
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Geelani case: Delhi police refutes charges
New Delhi, February 9 The Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Mr Ranjit Narayan, termed the allegations as "absolutely baseless and a figment of imagination." He also said the investigations were on and there was no need for any speculation in the case. "We have formed several teams and investigation is being pursued vigorously. The Crime Branch will definitely identify the assailants involved in the attack," Mr Narayan added. He said Nandita Haksar, who had said that the attack on Geelani was attempted by the special cell of the Delhi police was absolutely baseless. "Even in her statement to the police, she has not said anything to that effect. In fact, she, according to her own statement, is not an eyewitness in the case as she was inside the house working on a computer at the time of the incident," he said. Mr Narayan also denied there was any police surveillance on either Geelani or Haksar, since Geelani had not expressed any apprehension to the police prior to the incident, of facing any threat to his security, nor he had even sought personal security from it. Meanwhile, the condition of Geelani, who has been admitted to the ICU of All-India Institute of Medical Sciences has been improving according to his family members. Geelani's brother, Bismillah Geelani, said the family spoke to him early this morning after he regained consciousness, following an operation. Geelani, who was shot at outside Nandita Haksar's house in the Vasant Enclave area by some assailants at around 9 pm had received three bullet injuries, one each in stomach, abdomen and right shoulder. He was rushed to the AIIMS and was attended by a team of doctors. However, the police also questioned as to why Haksar did not inform the police immediately after the attack on Geelani. The police only came to know about the attack after a good one hour, during which the assailants would have easily escaped from the spot. The police also said Geelani was initially convicted by the lower court and only acquitted by the high court. The judicial process is still on as the case is still pending before the Supreme Court, as the Delhi police had already moved Supreme Court for review of the high court order. |
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Cops crack down on foreigners in Bollywood
Mumbai, February 9, 2005 After popular actress and 'item number' girl Nigar Khan was deported from India earlier this week, the police has quietly verified the status of several actors of foreign origin. the police sources say the work permits of stars like Yana Gupta, Katrina Kaif and Adnan Sami were checked in the past few days. As per the rules expatriates working the country have to personally appear before the police to get their work permits attested periodically. A large number of foreigners are making it big in Bollywood. Yana Gupta of Czech origin, is married to an Indian businessman, and appears regularly in music videos and song numbers of Bollywood productions. Katrina Kaif, who hit the headlines as the face of Lakme, is also of European origin and is poised to enter Bollywood opposite Salman Khan. Others in the wings include Jelena Jakovljevic from Serbia who
has done an item number in the latest release 'Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao' and Annabelle Wallis who stars opposite Amitabh Bachchan in 'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey'. The authorities are now scouring trade magazines and Page 3 supplements of newspapers for foreigners who could be illegally working in India. the police sources say Nigar Khan was not the first to get into trouble for working illegally in Bollywood. "Somy Ali in the 1990s and Illene Hamman more recently were questioned by the police over their work permits," a police official said. While Ali has returned to the Middle East, Hamman left the country after her sizzler in Pooja Bhatt's Rog late last year. A few like Adnan Sami and Yana Gupta are said to be keen on obtaining Indian citizenship. Meanwhile, the authorities have begun legal proceedings against film makers who were working with Nigar Khan. Among those to be questioned include producers Raj Kaushal, Govind Mishra and Akram Shaikh, they have signed up Khan in several projects. |
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Goa speaker ‘locks out’ CM and Cabinet
Mumbai, February 9 Addressing mediapersons in the Opposition Leader's chamber allotted to him during the tenure of his predecessor, Mr Rane alleged that Satarkar had locked the cabins of the Chief Minister and members of his Cabinet after the Bharatiya Janata Party government headed by Manohar Parrikar was dismissed last week. Sources say members of Rane's Cabinet, who tried to move in to the secretariat, were turned away by security officials as the Speaker 'did not recognise' Rane's government. Mr Rane and his Cabinet are now working out of the old secretariat located in the heart of Panjim. Meanwhile, the Congress in Goa has decided to go on an offensive against the BJP. The party announced today that it would circulate footage of last week's Assembly proceedings when Satarkar declared Parrikar victorious in a farcical trust vote even while marshals were trying to throw out Independent MLA Philipe Neri
Rodrigues. The Congress president Luizinho Faleiro told reporters that minute-by-minute recordings of the Assembly proceedings would be shown at public gatherings across the state in response to BJP's agitation against Governor S C Jamir over the dismissal of the Parrikar government. |
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South-West Command to be stationed at
Jaipur Jaipur, February 9 This sixth operational command of the Army will play a significant role in linking the three major defence establishments functioning in Punjab, Jammu-kashmir and Rajasthan. According to Dr Lalit Panwar, Commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), action has already been initiated to acquire about 150 bighas of land for Army installations, as many as 100 flats in Vidyadhar Nagar Colony constructed by the JDA are being allotted for residential purposes to Army officials. TNS
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Girl raped by Assam Rifles constable
Diphu (Assam), February 9 The girl in her statement recorded in the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court here today alleged that on Monday she was asked to accompany Kache Rongpipi at Taralangso, near here, to go for shopping with her. After the shopping, another woman Sushila Rongpi who met them asked her to return home with the Assam Rifles constable, Gautam Tamang, who was waiting on a two-wheeler. As she was being taken in a different direction, the girl said, she “shouted for help”. The police tracked her out yesterday based on his scooter number which someone noted as she was being taken away. The girl stated that she was beaten up, scratched and then made unconscious with sleeping tablets. Upon her medical examination, the girl was found to have been repeatedly raped the night-long, police sources said. The rape and killing of one Thangiam Manorama allegedly by Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur in July last year had sparked widespread protests and violence in the state demanding scrapping of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
— PTI |
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India-US IAEA trilateral meeting
New Delhi, February 9 The US and IAEA representatives welcomed India’s participation in the RRSP programme as a regional partner and discussions were held to work out the modalities of this cooperation, foreign office spokesman said. The three sides acknowledged their shared objective of enhancing globally the security of dangerous radioactive sources. The US and the IAEA delegates expressed appreciation for India’s offer of providing infrastructure and expertise on a regular basis for conducting international training courses in India under the aegis of the IAEA on issues related to the security of radiological sources and materials as also for locating orphan radioactive sources in countries which are unable to effectively deal with them and which seek assistance form the
IAEA. The three sides agreed to continue further discussions on the subject. |
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AP expert stands by report on Anara
Hyderabad, February 9 Talking to newspapers here, Dr Gandhi said that their report clearing Anara of the charges was “correct.” He said his team had compared the CD as per forensic biometric studies from head to toe, including the fingers and the hair line. Stating that the APFSL was an ISO 9001 and 1/025 certified laboratory of international standards, Dr Gandhi said the report was based on its investigation of the set standards. He said experts had examined the CDs sent by the Jammu and Kashmir police as
well as the photo’s and special clippings of Anara Gupta to ascertain if both were same. Following the examination, the APFSL had submitted a report last month that the girl in the blue film and the girl in the photographs and video clippings were not the same, he said. Dr Gandhi, however, refused to comment
on the report of Chandigarh forensic lab. — UNI |
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Girija named NCW chief
New Delhi, February 9 Ms
Vyas, a former Union Minister, at present is the head of the media unit at the AICC. She has represented the Udaipur Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan several times, though she lost from the constituency in the last Lok Sabha A formal announcement in this regard is awaited. Official sources, however, said her name had been cleared by the Prime Minister’s Office. |
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Bomb-like object at Vajpayee’s rally
Darbhanga, February 9 A torch with a clock and 10 metres of wire kept inside it was thrown by unknown persons from the crowd, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Town) Ratnamani Sanjeev said. There was no explosive substance inside the object which was immediately seized by the alert policemen. Mr
Vajpayee, however, continued his speech. A bomb disposal squad of the special branch took possession of the object which was being taken for forensic test, the DSP said, adding the matter was under investigation.
— PTI |
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Patil made chief of welfare board
New Delhi, February 9 Ms Patil’s tenure will be for a period of three years from the date she takes charge, official sources said. |
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BSP’s ultimatum to Mulayam
Lucknow, February 9 Giving a time-bound ultimatum to the government yesterday, BSP supremo Mayawati gave details of the second phase of her party’s agitation to dislodge the government. The third phase will begin on March 31, the details of which will be announced later. |
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