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Hasina’s party leads in B’desh polls
Former Bangladesh PM and president of the Awami League Sheikh Hasina casts her vote in Dhaka on Monday. — Reuters
Iran ready for gas deal with Pakistan sans India
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Chinese envoy in Pak to help defuse tension
Pak to monitor JuD schools
Nepal Maoists end monopoly of Indian priests
Witnesses depose before CBI, rule out return
A Jordanian woman holding a toy gun shouts anti-Israel and US slogans during a protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza, in Amman on Monday. — Reuters
Israel allows 100 truckloads of aid to Gaza
Newcastle a hot locale for Bollywood films
Medieval prince pips Stalin to become greatest Russian
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Hasina’s party leads in B’desh polls
Dhaka, December 29 Earlier in the day both leaders predicted their victory, provided the election was free and fair. The parliamentary election were held today for 299 seats out of 300. Polling for the lone seat in Noakhali district will be held on January 12 as one candidate died. Earlier, a huge voter turnout of over 80 per cent today marked Bangladesh’s first general election in seven years after two years of emergency rule, with the ‘battling begums’ - Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia - appeared locked in a close race to reclaim power. Amid unprecedented security, Bangladeshis gave an overwhelming response to the landmark election, which was largely peaceful, paving the way for the impoverished country’s return to democracy.Voting for the 300 seats in the National Assembly at 35,263 polling booths across the country began at 8 am and closed at 4 pm, though at some places, where the voters were still queued up after the closing time, authorities said all of them were allowed to exercise their franchise.The heavy voting made it appear that the battle between the two ‘begums’, former premiers Zia and her archrival Hasina, would be very close. Officials, poll monitors and local media reported sporadic incidents of violence from several districts, including the southern Madaripur where 18 persons were injured in clashes between rival candidates. “Voting has ended across the country peacefully with huge turnout of voters,” an Election Commission spokesman said, adding the counting was launched as the unofficial results were expected by early tomorrow. EC officials estimated that more than 80 per cent of the over 81 million eligible voters turned out to cast their ballots in the polls, for which 1,552 candidates were in the fray, as the country witnessed tight security with 6.5 lakh army men and police keeping a sharp vigil to avert clashes between rivals or militant attacks. Hasina’s Awami League-led grand alliance and her arch-rival Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-headed four-party grouping appeared to be the major contenders to form the next government.After casting her vote in Dhaka, Hasina, 61, claimed that she received complaints from several constituencies that ballot papers were supplied in advance to BNP-led alliance activists and sought immediate action from the Election Commission. Zia, 63, however, expressed satisfaction over the polling process “so far” while talking to newsmen after casting her vote at the Adamjee Cantonment College polling station. But, her party spokesman Nazrul Islam Khan alleged the administration harassed their supporters and activists in different areas. Voters and several election observers said the polling process was slow in many centres while in some places complications arose with the addresses and names of voters as listed in the electoral roll. — Agencies
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Iran ready for gas deal with Pakistan sans India
Tehran, December 29 India stayed away from talks in Tehran on a proposed $7 billion pipeline in September, saying it wanted to agree transit costs through Pakistan on a bilateral basis first. Iran Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari said a delegation from Pakistan had arrived in Tehran for two days. “Iran will sign a deal with Pakistan if India does not take part in the project,” ISNA quoted Nozari as saying. In July, Iran said India and Pakistan had accepted Iran's demand for gas price reviews based on market changes, denying reports by some Indian newspapers that the pipeline talks had failed after Iran demanded a review every three years. The pipeline would initially carry 60 million cubic metres of gas daily to Pakistan and India, half for each country. The pipeline's capacity would later rise to 150 million cubic metres. Iran says it had completed 18 per cent of the work for the pipeline to bring gas from its South Pars field to the Iran-Pakistan border. Pakistan has yet to begin work on a 1,000 km stretch of the pipeline to link Iran with India. Iran has the world's second-largest gas reserves after Russia. But sanctions, politics and construction delays have slowed its gas development, and analysts say Iran was unlikely to become a major exporter for a decade. — Reuters
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Chinese envoy in Pak to help defuse tension
Islamabad, December 29 Chinese deputy foreign minister He Yafei, who will hold consultations with the top leadership of its 'all weather ally', stressed the need for maintaining peace and stability in South Asia, the Daily Times newspaper reported. Yafei, who yesterday met foreign secretary Salman Bashir called on India and Pakistan to work together to defuse the heightened tensions. He was told by his interlocutors that Pakistan is ready to carry out a joint investigation into the Mumbai attacks and will take action against anyone found involved in the terrorist incident if New Delhi shared evidence with Islamabad, the paper said. The Chinese minister also spoke to foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on phone and is scheduled to meet him today. He is also expected to meet President
Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Over the past few days, China has stepped up efforts to defuse tensions between Pakistan and India. The Chinese minister has assured his interlocutors that his country will remain in close contact with Pakistan in pursuance of peace and stability. — PTI
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Pak to monitor JuD schools
Islamabad, December 29 The government of Punjab province has decided not to close welfare organisations run by the Jamaat, which was declared a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group by the UN Security Council soon after the Mumbai attacks. The provincial government has appointed doctors in Jamaat dispensaries and decided to retain the old teaching staff in its schools, TV channels reported. A Jamaat spokesman criticised the move, saying: “How will the government run these institutions when it is unable to run its own?” The Pakistan government has detained nearly 60 Jamaat leaders, including its chief Hafiz Mohammed
Saeed, for 90 days and closed down over 100 of its offices across the country. — PTI
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Pashupatinath
Kathmandu, December 29 Soon after the end of the monarchy in Nepal, there was a ‘silent movement’ to scrap the centuries-old tradition of employing priests from India. In break with nearly 300-year-old tradition, the Maoists-led government ended the monopoly of neighbouring south India’s Bhatta Bramhin performing the worship at the Pashupatinath by appointing Nepali Bhatta
Bramhins, including chief priest Bishnu Prasad Dahal. The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has accepted the resignation of chief priest Mahabaleshwor Bhatta, priests- Krishna Yoga Bhatta and KP Ramachandra Bhatta. It appointed Dahal as the new head priest and priest Shaligram Bhatta of Pashupatinath in their place, according to officials. The decision was made by the Ministry of Culture and State Restructure, which is headed by Maoist leader Gopal
Kirati. Newly appointed priest Dahal said he would begin the worship by praying for the well being of all Nepalese people. — PTI
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’84 Riots
New York, December 29 The CBI team, which recorded the statements of Jasbir Singh and Jasbinder Singh over a period of seven days, failed to persuade them to appear before an Indian court despite guaranteeing their safety, sources said.The investigators left for India after hearing the two witnesses, who have alleged that former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler played a role in instigating rioters. The issue of giving testimony by video link too cropped up but both Jasbir and Jasbinder dithered when asked whether they would be prepared to go to the Indian consulates for the purpose, they said. About 50 known pro-Khalistan protesters held a demonstration when Jasbir Singh's statement was being recorded in San Francisco. A similar demonstration was organised before the Indian consulate in
New York during recording of the statement by Jasbinder Singh. The sources said it is important for the witnesses to give their testimony before the court, as the statements given to CBI do
not carry the same weight as one given before a judicial body. Details of the testimonies were not available but the sources said the statements are unlikely to have any major disclosure. — PTI .
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Toll 315 as Israeli air assault goes on
Jerusalem, December 29 Amidst no let up in the fury and intensity of attacks even in the face of growing international calls for halt to the violence, defence minister Ehud Barak warned that Israel was in an “all-out war against Hamas”.
”We have nothing against Gaza residents, but we are engaged in an all-out war against Hamas and its proxies,” he said, indicating that a ground strike could be in the offing any time.Barak said the Israelis were left with no other options as Hamas had spurned “stretched hands in peace many times”. Israeli defence minister, whose political career is said to be at stake, told the Parliament in a special session today that the Jewish state was not fighting the residents of Gaza “but we have a war to the bitter end against Hamas and its branches.” Barak said Israel would extend and increase its military operation in the Gaza Strip until all the goals were achieved. He told a stormy Knesset session,that the operation will be “widened and deepened as is necessary.” Amid intensification of the Israeli offensive, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) led by President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to put on hold peace talks with the Jewish state. “There are no negotiations and there is no way there could be negotiations while there are attacks against us,” chief Palestinian negotiator, former Prime Minister Ahmed
Qureia, told reporters. The Syrian government, which had been holding indirect talks with Jerusalem in Turkish mediation, also called off talks yesterday in the wake of Israel's pounding of Gaza that has left rubbles of buildings all around, mainly targeting Hamas infrastructure. The massive Israeli offensive has destroyed Islamist factions symbols of power like a building next to deposed premier Ismail Haniyeh's house, government buildings, the Islamic University and dozens of security installations. Health officials in Gaza said that the three-day death toll in Gaza has risen to 315, including seven children under the age of 15 who were killed in two separate strikes late Sunday and Monday.In an unprecedented offensive, the largest since the 1967 war, Israel launched a massive operation in Gaza strip on Saturday attacking Hamas, which has taken control of the coastal territory since vanquishing Palestinian Authority forces in June 2006. — PTI
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Israel allows 100 truckloads of aid to Gaza
Jerusalem, December 29 The one-off convoy to the besieged territory includes blood supplies, basic foodstuff, medical equipment, 10 ambulances and fuel donated by Turkey, Jordan and international organisations, his office said in a statement yesterday. More than 100 trucks will transfer the goods today through the Karni, Nahal Oz and Kerem Shalom crossings between Israel and the Islamist-ruled territory, it said. The United Nations’ special envoy to the West Asia Robert Serry told here that Israel had allowed 21 truckloads of medical supplies and wheat into the impoverished territory yesterday. Israel launched a massive air offensive in Gaza on Saturday after militants fired a wave of rockets against southern Israel. Israel imposed a punishing blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized control of the coastal strip in June 2007, ousting forces loyal to the western-backed President Mahmud
Abbas. British aid agency Oxfam yesterday warned that the Israeli military action risked triggering a humanitarian crisis. — AFP
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Newcastle a hot locale for Bollywood films
London, December 29 Three Bollywood films were shot in the city this year and at least four more are scheduled for 2009, local officials say.Indian films are shot in various locations across Britain throughout the year, as regional development authorities vie with each other to invite producers by offering local support and incentives. The three films shot in the city this year were 'Kaun Bola', 'Apni Boli Apna Des' and 'Phhir'. Lee Aliston, location manager for 'Kuan Bola' and producer of 'Phhir', said confidence in the region as a place to shoot Bollywood films among producers had grown. He said: “I've got about four Bollywood producers who want to produce films in Newcastle. Logistically, it is a very easy place to film. People are so helpful and here you can turn things around rather quickly. It's a beautiful city with the Edwardian streets and the bridges are lovely." James Hails, communications manager at Northern Film and Media, told the local media: "We're in talks around future Bollywood films coming to the region and I know that the filmmakers enjoyed a productive time here, but nothing is ever 100 per cent guaranteed in the film world. One thing I do
know is that if we can bring more production to the region, we will be willing and able to make that production a success." As interest has grown, Mark Jackson, corporate project manager at Newcastle City Council, has acted as a go-between for location managers and
the council. e said they would continue to balance the needs of the filmmakers with those of city centre residents. "The increased interest is something we definitely want to keep happening though. It's estimated that between half a billion and one billion people see a Bollywood blockbuster, so the potential impact on tourism is huge." A recent report by the UK Film Council revealed that tourists from India and other countries who visit locations of popular films contribute nearly £2 billion to the British economy annually. "Effect of film tourism is long-lasting. British films and television programmes play a powerful role in showcasing the UK to the rest of the world and increase tourism," said John Woodward, chief executive, UK Film Council. Hailing the phenomena, minister for film and tourism Margaret
Hodge said: "We have beautiful scenery and awesome buildings across the length and breadth of Britain. The film and television industries provide a platform to show the rest of the world just how much we have to offer.” — PTI
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Medieval prince pips Stalin to become greatest Russian
Moscow, December 29 Prince Nevsky, canonised by the Orthodox Church as saint in 1574, had a winning score of 524,575 votes, overtaking the early 20th
century reformer Imperial Premier Pyotr Stolipin with 523,766 nominations, trailed by Stalin with 519,071 votes. The voters had more than six months to choose from among 500 names before the winner was announced last night. The voting in the poll was suspended in August after Stalin clearly had a majority of the ballots cast the previous month. The organisers 'zeroed' in the vote, claiming that spammers had attacked the site in order to give Stalin the victory. This time viewers had a choice of voting method. They could use the phone, text message or the internet. Technically, however, each voter was not limited to one vote casting doubt on the fairness of the poll, conducted for the first time in the history of the country. — PTI
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Dhaka, December 29
Islamabad, December 29
