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Nuclear Cooperation
IAEA
PIO set to become first President of Nepal Ramraja Prasad Singh, the presidential candidate proposed by the Maoists, speaks to the media after filing his nomination papers in Kathmandu on Thursday.
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B’desh govt releases Khaleda Zia’s son
Tribunal will decide on Shahbaz
Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia
2 Indians held for entering UK illegally
Illegal network uncovered
Indian origin stunner in pageant row
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Nuclear Cooperation
New Delhi, July 17 French ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said his country was ready to have large-scale nuclear cooperation in the civilian areas with India once New Delhi entered into an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). India and the IAEA have finalised the safeguards agreement, which is now to be approved by the IAEA Board of Governors on August 1. Bonnafont, whose country is a key member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, backed New Delhi's case for exemption to allow India have civil nuclear trade “We need to have an international mechanism through which India can start civilian nuclear cooperation with the rest of the world,” he said. Bonnafont also reiterated his country’s support for India’s permanent membership in the expanded UN Security Council. The French envoy favoured increase in strategic cooperation with India in the field of education and development of human network between the two countries. — PTI
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IAEA
Beijing, July 17 “I believe countries could under the presentation of fulfilling international obligations carry out peaceful cooperation in peaceful (use of) nuclear energy and I hope the relevant issues can be resolved through negotiations between relevant parties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters here. Liu’s remarks came close on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit in Japan early this month. After the talks, India had voiced confidence that there would be no “difficulty” from the Chinese side when the matter came up before the NSG. China, one of the five recognised nuclear powers, is a key member the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), whose approval is needed for India to secure the international cooperation for nuclear commerce. “We have taken note that the US and India are making further contact on this (nuclear) issue,” Liu said. The spokesman was responding to a query if China was planning to raise any objections when India’s case came up before the IAEA. With the G-8 countries on board over the deal after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meetings with the leaders of the rich nations in Japan recently, India had stated that it did not expect any problem in the IAEA and the NSG over securing their approvals and exemptions required to take the deal forward. — PTI
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PIO set to become first President of Nepal
By ending around three-year-old political culture of mutual consensus and understanding, Nepal’s big three parties - CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML -fielded their own candidates for the posts of President and Vice-President on Thursday. However, it is almost certain that the first President of Nepal will be a person of Indian origin (PIO) as all three mainstream parties decided to field candidates from the Madhesi community for the coveted post in the July 19 poll. The parties decided to field Madhesi candidates from the southern Terai region bordering India for presidential poll after failing to reach a consensus on a common name. The election for the President and Vice-President will be held on Saturday in the newly formed Constituent Assembly. Political analysts said Maoists’ candidate Ramraja Prasad Singh, 74, of Nava Janawadi Morcha, is likely to win the election as the United Democratic Madhesi Front also backs him. Rajendra Mahato, president of the influential Sadbhavana Party, also a Madhesi group, said all three Madhesi parties, Madhesi People’s Rights Forum, Terai Madhesi Democratic Party and Sadbhavana Party, will support Singh’s candidature. The Maoists have 226 seats in the Constituent Assembly and with the support of Madhesi parties, which have 86 parliamentarians, Singh is likely to get at least 314 votes against the magic number of 298 required to win the election in the Constituent Assembly, which has 594 eligible voters. The Madhesi community has been fighting for greater political and economic rights. Singh, who did his Master’s degree (Law) from Delhi University, said he wanted to have close and better relationship with India. As Nepal is a landlocked country, we should establish closer ties with India, Singh told PTI. Nepali Congress has fielded Rambaran Yadav as its candidate for the top post while Ram Prit Pashwan is the candidate of the CPN-UML. Four candidates are in the fray for the post of vice president. Man Bahadur Bishwokarma is the Vice-Presidential candidate of Nepali Congress while Ashta Laxmi Shakya, the only woman candidate, belongs to CPN-UML. The Madhesi People’s Rights Forum has decided to field Paramananda Jha while Shanta Shrestha is the candidate of the CPN-Maoist. Talking about his vision for the new republic, Singh said he would like Nepal to have a constitution similar to that of South Africa. “The South African Constitution is the best constitution for a country like Nepal,” he said. Singh was close to Maoists during the decade-long insurgency as he claimed that he taught the former rebels how to make explosives. After several rounds of talks with Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, the Maoists decided not to support candidature of NC’s Girija Prasad Koirala or CPN-UML’s Madhav Kumar Nepal.CPN-UML general secretary Jhalanath Khanal said his party will not forge any alliance with CPN-Maoist to form a new government. He said his party will sit in the opposition.
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B’desh govt releases Khaleda Zia’s son Bangladesh's army-backed government Thursday released detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s younger son, Arafat Rahman, in an apparent deal to lure the Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to negotiate on conditions to run in the planned December elections. Rahman, popularly known as Koko, was detained along with his mother last September under numerous corruption charges. He was released on a two-month ‘special parole’ after a government-appointed medical board decided his poor health required treatment overseas. Government advisers, interim ministers, have told the media that the government is also considering releasing Zia and her detained elder son Tarique Rahman on medical grounds. Former prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina was also was released for medical treatment along similar grounds.
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Tribunal will decide on Shahbaz
The Election Commission (EC) of Pakistan is likely to constitute an election tribunal in the next few days to decide on the eligibility of Shahbaz Sharif as Punjab Chief Minister. According to an commission spokesman, even though the Supreme Court has fixed August 11 as the date of hearing the appeals of the federal government on the eligibility, the Lahore High Court order asking the commission to constitute an election tribunal for this purpose had not been suspended or set aside by the apex court as yet. The federal government has already approached the Surpeme Court to seek a favourable verdict for Shahbaz against the high court ruling. Shahbaz faces problem in retaining the Punjab Chief Minister’s slot as some legal and constitutional questions are being raised to challenge his eligibility under Article 223 of the constitution. The article bars a person from holding the office of Prime Minister or Chief Minister for more than two terms. The high court was moved by a petitioner raising objection that Shahbaz had to resign from his previous seat and take oath as Punjab Chief Minister again.
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Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia
Dubai, July 17 Around 30 Indian detainees were scheduled to travel by Saudi Arabian Airlines yesterday; another 200 are waiting for their turn, the Arab News said. The deportees include overstayers, convicts released from jail, runaway maids and foreigners, who were denied entry at King Khaled Airport after fingerprinting revealed that they were blacklisted. —
PTI
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2 Indians held for entering UK illegally
London, July 17 The two Indians aged (24) and (26) reportedly hid themselves in the lorry while it was parked at the Calais ferry port in France.The British government has been coordinating with the French authorities to prevent such incidents in which illegal immigrants undertake the hazardous journey across the channel by hiding in lorries route to Britain. A convoy of three lorries was returning from Kosovo to the 29th Regiment Duke of Gloucester Barracks in the South Cerney on Tuesday when the incident unfolded. When the lorries stopped inside the barracks, three immigrants were spotted jumping from under the canvas of one of the vehicles. “Fortunately, there was a squadron on duty and a few burly Fijian soldiers wrestled them to the ground. We knew there was one left so we called a round-up operation,” said Capt Giles Cutter. Further, three individuals were apprehended and “we had them all lying on the floor with 35 young soldiers surrounding them”, he added. The immigrants were later handed over to the police, which took them to Stroud police station. “They all seemed very jovial and quite happy. They did not seem concerned they had jumped into an army barracks. How stupid can you be? We have more vehicles coming in from the same operation, another two vehicles today which will be searched,” Cutter said. —
PTI
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Illegal network uncovered
London, July 17 The network, which operates in West London suburb of Southall which has a large population of people of Punjabi origin, allegedly exploits hundreds of illegal immigrants from India through cheap housing, faked documents and poorly paid, often dangerous jobs. The BBC report showed the facilitators speaking in Punjabi, collecting money for illegal services provided and handing over the key identity documents such as passports and the National Insurance card. During the investigation, widespread unlawful job practises, squalid housing, and a thriving trade in fake documents were uncovered. More than 40 houses packed with illegal immigrants were identified in one square mile of Southall, the report said. "The young, mostly male Punjabis are not here lawfully and, although most know the risks, they have few legal rights.They are surrounded by forgers, criminals and ruthless employers," it said. —
PTI
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Indian origin stunner in pageant row
London, July 17 Janeena Basra (23) , who is a resident of Leeds, was declared the winner of the Miss Halton Pride in Cheshire, across the Pennines. She triumphed over Donna Hayes, who is considered a ‘native’ local contestant. Local people in Halton believe the winner should be from nearby Runcorn or Widnes, and not the one, who is not a resident of the area. More than 50 comments appeared on a local newspaper website voicing displeasure over her win. “Where is the justice in a girl from Leeds being crowned ?” wrote a reader while another wrote: “Isn’t it about time that Miss Halton was picked from girls who actually live in Halton.” — PTI
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City Hall bans snacking near Roman monuments Pak PM promises help to Mehdi Hassan US Senate okays $48 bn aid to fight AIDS Egypt train crash: Death
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