Mumbai, June 14
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray today made an unlikely plea to journalists, asked them to come out in protest against the attack on the offices of the party mouthpiece Saamna. In a toughly worded editorial in the newspaper Thackeray said Thursday night’s attack on the party’s offices in Pune city was an attack on the freedom of speech and expression. “Journalists should oppose such attacks with all their might,” Thackeray asserted.

At the peak of its power in the 1990s, the Shiv Sena ran roughshod over the city targeting mediapersons who dared to criticise the Thackerays. The number of newspapers and journalists assaulted by the Shiv Sena activists run into scores.

Thackeray himself carried on with his brand of crude humour, first in his weekly Marmik and then Saamna, targeting various political leaders and members of the Dalit and Muslim communities.

The chickens finally came home to roost when Thackeray took on Rane, caricaturing him in a saree as a bashful bride apparently still struggling to find a place in the Congress household.

The Rane camp’s muscle flexing came while their leader was away on a long vacation in Europe accompanied by senior leaders, who defected to the Congress from the Sena along with him.

Thackeray warned the state government that if Rane was not arrested on his arrival from Europe, the Shiv Sena would take upon itself to tackle him. “My Shiv Sainiks are not impotent...we know what to do to Narayan Rane,” Thackeray wrote in his editorial today.

He demanded that Chief Minister should sack Rane like Mayawati sacked a minister for his involvement in the murder of a police constable. “Rane had hired underworld elements to attack us and must be punished,” Thackeray wrote.

New Delhi, June 14
The India-Pakistan Judicial Committee on Prisoners today recommended the immediate release and repatriation of 34 Indian juvenile fishermen presently confined at the Youthful Offenders Industrial School, Karachi.

Necessary action should be taken for withdrawal of prosecution against them, the committee said in its recommendations at the conclusion of its six-day meeting in Islamabad.

The high-powered panel underlined the need for making efforts to identify prisoners from both sides, who could be considered for early release and expedite their repatriation. Besides, in all cases, where Consular access was yet to be provided, should be provided before July 31.

The visit of Indian jails by the committee be fixed from July 20 to 27. It has already completed a visit to jails in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore. It also recommended that all such prisoners, who have completed their respective sentences and whose national status has been confirmed by their High Commission, be released immediately. In the case of those prisoners, whose national status has not been confirmed, exercise in respect of their national status, be finalised within one month and in any case before the committee next meets in India.

The benefit of remission in sentence be extended to all prisoners who have been convicted under any special law or military law and for that purpose, if required, the governments should make necessary amendments in the rules. The lists of prisoners exchanged by the two governments on March 31, 2008, are not complete and the names and details of all prisoners have not mentioned. It is expected that this work would be completed on July 1 when the next list of prisoners is to be exchanged.

New Delhi, June 14
The CPI has charged the US of trying to make India its outpost against China.

Speaking here at a function on Saturday to mark the 80th birth anniversary of legendary Latin American revolutionary Che Guevra, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan saw an American design in its desire to push through the Indo-US the civilian nuclear deal.

He said, “This is a pretext by the US to make India its outpost in the region to keep a check on the growth of China.”

He recounted the anxiety and enthusiasm demonstrated by the US to push through this deal and alleged that “the US is adopting various means to draw the country into a strategic partnership. They have a purpose, and aim. It wants India to act as its outpost in the region to counterbalance China,”

he said. The CPI leader, whose support along with that of his other Left allies is crucial for the survival of the UPA government, rejected the US thesis of balancing of power in this region.

Bardhan said, “We want India and China to stay together. We do not want confrontation with them as it is not in the best interest of the country and the region. The proponents of the Indo-US deal as well as the opposition BJP have all along been charging that the communists are opposing this deal at the behest of China.”

The CPI leader charged the US with trying to impose its agenda globally and said, “The US is imposing its unilateral policies across the world. Just see, how it destroyed an old civilisation in Iraq. It is threatening to wipe out Iran. It is not accepting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to have a land of their own,” he said. 

New Delhi, June 14
Next week, New Delhi will play host to an important Arab leader, whose engagements in New Delhi will be closely monitored not only in Islamabad but in Washington as well.

Equally important is the visit of the Sri Lanka foreign minister, who arrives tomorrow, to brief the Indian leadership on the deteriorating security situation in the island nation and invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the 15th SAARC Summit.

The external affairs ministry today officially announced the two upcoming visits.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrives here on June 17 on a visit keenly awaited by New Delhi as India seeks to engage influential Arab leaders to bolster economic and political linkages with the region. The West Asia peace process and the situation in Iraq will be high on the agenda during talks between the Indian leadership and young Assad, the first Syrian President to visit India in 30 years.

Syrian Embassy officials here said President Assad would be accompanied by some of his top ministers, reflecting the importance he attaches to the upcoming visit. The two countries will sign agreements in different fields, including science and technology, education, avoidance of double taxation and protection of investments.

Indian officials, meanwhile, indicated that there was a possibility of the establishment of a free-trade zone between the two countries within a few years.

Syria has always been a moderate voice in the Arab world and maintained strong ties with India. On the Kashmir issue also, Syria is of the view that it is a matter between India and Pakistan and the two countries should resolve it bilaterally.

The new government in Pakistan will keep a close tab on the visit, given its own proximity with Syria, and the Bush Administration too can ill-afford to ignore it. An array of issues, including the US occupation of Iraq and the course of Arab-Israeli talks, continue to affect ties between the US and Syria.

Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama will be on a whirlwind tour of New Delhi during which he will meet top Indian leaders and rush back to Colombo.

During his talks with external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, Bogollagama is expected to brief the Indian leadership on the security situation in his country besides discussing various other bilateral issues as well the preparations for the SAARC Summit.

Sri Lanka has also expressed its desire for defence supplies from India to grapple with the deteriorating security situation. The LTTE has lately started using aircraft to target Sri Lankan military. Sri Lanka has said it might consider assistance from Pakistan or China if India does not come to its rescue.

Bogollagama will also formally invite the Prime Minister for the SAARC Summit. 

Lucknow, June 14
Former BSP minister and sitting MLA Anand Sen, an accused in the murder of Shashi, a 23-year-old law student in Faizabad last year, surrendered at the Ghazipur police station in Lucknow today.

He was taken to Faizabad in police custody. Earlier, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him and the police raided his residences in Lucknow and home district of Faizabad.

Mayawati had asked for his resignation when his name figured in the mysterious disappearance and death of a young law student, who was the daughter of a staunch BSP supporter.

The investigation in the Shashi murder case was handed over to the CBI, which subsequently turned it down.

The minister’s driver, Vijay Sen, was arrested soon after the disappearance of Shashi. Another close associate of the former minister, Seema Azad, was also taken into custody by the police a few days back.

New Delhi, June 14
The Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) are again trying to come together to pool their resources to win a Rajya Sabha seat.

They had recently fought the Karnataka Assembly elections with a view to finishing each other politically and thereby ensured the first BJP government in the state. At least, two rounds of talks have taken place between Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and JD-S president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on this issue.

The nominations for these seats have to be filed latest by June 16.

There are four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka. The BJP with a strength of 110 MLAs is in a comfortable position to send two candidates to the Upper House of Parliament. It has already nominated two candidates, former Governor and retired High Court judge M. Rama Jois, once the legal counsel for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and B. Prabhakar Kore. The BJP has also nominated its spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy to contest the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar.

Besides for Karnataka Council, it has nominated four candidates including its state home minister V S Acharya and Karnataka Mahila Morcha chief Bharathi Shetty.

The Congress has 80 MLAs in the state Assembly and it can send one candidate without outside support. That leaves out one seat, for which all-round hectic lobbying is on.

The JD-S has only 28 MLAs and, on its own, it cannot push its own candidate. But the surplus votes of the BJP or the Congress party, together with the JD-S can easily see someone through.

As for the clear Congress seat, there is a thinking in the party that “those who have recently been defeated in the Assembly elections should not be nominated. It should be someone senior in the party who could be useful to them in the coming Lok Sabha elections,” said Congress sources.

This eliminates chances of state leaders like former Karnataka Chief Minister Dharam Singh. The criterion seems to be tailored to ensure the nomination of another former Chief Minister S.M.Krishna who resigned the Maharashtra governorship and reentered state politics on the eve of the Karnataka elections.

The aspirants for the fourth seat include several veteran Congress leaders from the state, including Margaret Alva, Janardhan Poojary and even Veerappa Moily.

The Congress is also keen on rebuilding bridges with the JD-S because despite inducting six Independent legislators, the BJP government has a wafer thin majority in a House of 224 members.

However, JD-S sources while acknowledging the opening of dialogue between the two parties said, “This time it is our turn. Last time, we sent two of their men to the Rajya Sabha,” said a senior JD-S leader adding “It is up to the Congress now to reciprocate.”

Guwahati, June 14
At least 15 persons were killed, including seven women and four children, in landslides triggered by incessant rains across Arunachal Pradesh today. The disaster snapped surface and digital communication between the capital city of Itanagar and rest of the state.

The death toll could mount even as rescue operations were hamstrung by heavy rains lashing the hill state for the past three days. Power supplies and drinking water supply in the state’s capital were thrown out of gear by the landslides.

The death toll was so far available only from Itanagar, Nirjuli and Naharlagun areas of Papumpare district of the state, while situation in rest of the state remained in the dark because of complete collapse of the telecommunication and surface links in the state. Only mobile phone services could be restored in some parts of Itanagar and adjoining areas in Papumpare district.

Papumpare district deputy commissioner Bidul Tayeng informed over mobile phone that the landslides had blocked all entry points to the hill state through Naharlagun and Itanagar. He said unplanned construction activities that had taken place in and around Itanagar was to be blamed for the disaster. He said it should act as an eyeopener for the people.

Incidents of massive landslides were reported from other parts of the hill state that had thrown movements along national highways and state highways out of gear.

The Arunachal Pradesh government is yet to formulate building bylaws to guide construction activities in different parts of the state, which falls in a highly seismic zone.

BRIEFLY

I&B ministry sets up TV content monitoring centre
NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting ministry has set up a monitoring centre to check content of private television channels. The Rs 16-crore centre was set up at Prasar Bharati office near Indraprastha Extension here last week. It can monitor over 100 televisions channels simultaneously. Ministry sources said, its main focus would be to keep track of programmes that violate the Programmes and Advertising Codes under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995. — PTI

Blackboards may soon be passé in schools
KOZHIKODE: Traditional blackboards may soon go into oblivion, if the public response to the digital boards being introduced by the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan here is any indication. The Bhavan is implementing what it calls the “smart class” technology in all its three schools in the district in a bid to make education more interesting and also to enable the teachers to dedicate more time to teaching. — PTI

Adventure tourists on rickshaws to raise funds
PUDUCHERRY: Nearly 150 adventure tourists from 17 countries are currently visiting various parts of India on auto rickshaws with a mission to gather funds for two British NGOs. The event has been organised by the Bristol-based League of Adventurists International. Young professionals, pensioners and three all-women groups are participating in the rickshaw run to explore living conditions of people, the environment and topography in different parts of the country. — PTI

Quiet birthday for Raj Thackeray
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray had a quiet birthday on Saturday with family and some close associates amidst warnings by the state police that attacks on North Indian migrants would not be tolerated. The MNS activists said they would not disturb law and order, but celebrate Raj Thackeray's birthday by distributing food and books to poor students. — TNS

4 SRPF men killed in house collapse
NAGPUR: Four men of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) were killed in a warehouse collapse due to heavy rains at Gadchiroli district of Vidarbha region on Saturday. The men, from SRPF Group IV, were participants in an anti-Naxalite operation in the district, it said. The deceased were identified as R R Yadav, N M Muley, A M Rajne and C M Moon, the police said. — UNI

Nadiadwala signs Sylvester Stallone for next film
MUMBAI: Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala has signed Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone for his forthcoming film “Kambakkht Ishq”, starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. The movie, directed by Sabir Khan, is set against a Hollywood background. “This film is my most ambitious project and I am not leaving any stone unturned. We had been speaking to Stallone's agents for a while now and the deal has finally come through,” Nadiadwala said. — PTI

PM calls on President
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on President Pratibha Patil here on Saturday. They discussed recent national and international developments during the 30-minute meeting, a Rashtrapati Bhavan press note said. The meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products and the increase in inflation. — TNS