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Lanka votes for a new post-war Parliament
Nepal SC’s no to printed passports from India
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40 dead in Kyrgyzstan protests; PM flees to Kazakhstan
Emergency in Bangkok
Rio’s worst rains in history kill 81
Islam, jihad out of US strategy document
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Lanka votes for a new post-war Parliament
More than 14 million Sri Lankans will vote on Thursday to elect a 225-member Parliament, the first since its three-decade war with the Tamil Tiger separatists ended nearly a year ago.
As many as 196 members will be directly elected by the people from among 7,620 candidates while 29 will be nominated. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is a favourite. The two other main parties are the United National Front (UNF) lead by Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) headed by former Army commander General (retd) Sarath Fonseka. Since Fonseka is in detention for allegedly violating military procumbent procedures and discipline and facing two court martial inquiries, his wife Anoma has been campaigning on his behalf. While the UPFA campaign has been focussing on development in the ravaged country, opposition UNF’s main poll plank has been the threat to democracy under the Rajapaksa regime and restoration of good governance, if elected. Fonseka’s party has also been campaigning for restoration of democracy and release of the detained General, largely credited with LTTE’s defeat. In the north and east, the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) is expected to secure a majority. This election has attracted several film and sports stars. Among those contesting are ace cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya for the UPFA and currently playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL tourney and sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, who won a silver medal at the Olympics. Also contesting is Namal, son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and two of his brothers, Basil and Chamal.
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Nepal SC’s no to printed passports from India
At a time when the parliamentarians from both ruling as well as the main opposition parties were raising their serious resentment against the government for its decision to give the contract to print Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) to an Indian company, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the authorities concerned to suspend the decision.
Issuing an interim order, a single bench of Justice Sushila Karki at the Apex Court, asked the government not to proceed with the decision of printing the MRPs from the Indian company. She has also ruled that the court will take further decision on whether or not to extend the stay order on April 12. The court has also asked the government to come up with clarifications within 15 days on its decision to award the contract to India, defying the Public Accounts Committees at the Parliament directive to follow the Procurement Act in bidding the contract by inviting global tender. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said the decision was taken to award the contract to India keeping in view the diplomatic and political relations. The government, through its "non-transparent decision" on the MRP contract, has made a mockery of laws, jeopardised national security and put a blow on national sovereignty, says the writ filed by advocate Hemmani Subedi, according to court sources. Meanwhile, the government had stopped issuing ordinary passports from April 1, earlier, has resumed the service as it failed to meet the deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation in issuing the MRPs.
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Minister among 17 dead in Kyrgyzstan protests
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), April 7 The unrest has threatened the relative stability of this mountainous former Soviet nation, which houses a US military base that is a key supply centre in the fight against the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan. Demonstrators, furious over government corruption and a recent hike in power prices, looted the state television and radio building and were marching toward the Interior Ministry in the capital, Bishkek, according to reporters on the scene. Elite police opened fire to drive crowds back from government headquarters. Opposition activist Shamil Murat said Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongatiyev was beaten to death by a mob in the western town of Talas where the unrest erupted a day ago. Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bayalinova said 180 persons were hurt in the clashes Wednesday, without elaborating. Opposition activist Toktoim Umetalieva said 17 persons died after police opened fire with live ammunition. —
AP
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Bangkok, April 7 Lawmakers fled and several senior government figures were airlifted by military helicopter after red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra forced their way into the country's parliamentary compound. In an effort to contain the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva invoked emergency rule, which bans public gatherings of more than five persons and gives broad powers to the police and military. “The state of emergency aims to resolve the situation and bring a return to normal,” Abhisit told a nationally televised news conference. He said the mass rallies were unconstitutional and had tarnished the country's image, eroding investor confidence. — AFP
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Rio’s worst rains in history kill 81
Rio de Janiero: The heaviest rains in Rio de Janeiro's history has triggered landslides that killed at least 81 persons as rising water turned roads into rivers and paralysed Brazil’s second-largest city. The ground gave way in steep hillside slums, cutting red-brown paths of destruction through shantytowns. Concrete and wooden homes were crushed and hurtled downhill, only to bury other structures. Twentynine cm of rain fell in less than 24 hours, and more rain was expected. Officials said potential mudslides threatened at least 2,000 homes in the city of 6 million people. —
AP
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Islam, jihad out of US strategy document
Washington, April 7 The change is a significant shift in the National Security Strategy, a document that previously outlined the Bush Doctrine of preventative war and currently states, “The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st century”. The officials described the changes on condition of anonymity because the document still was being written, and the White House would not discuss it. — AP
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40 dead in Kyrgyzstan protests; PM flees to Kazakhstan
Moscow, April 7 Later in a statement, Otunbayeva declared that the power in the Central Asian republic has been assumed by the government of popular trust, RIA Novosti reported.Since yesterday’s protests against President Bakiyev the opposition has captured administration in Talas, Chui, Naryn and Issyk-Kul and are said to be in control of several districts in Osh region in the south loyal to Bakiyev. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has fled the country by air, while Prime Minister Usenov left by road for neighbouring Kazakhstan with his security in several off-road vehicles, Moscow-based Kommersant FM radio has confirmed. .The Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongatiyev was beaten to death by the opposition protesters in the western town of Talas. — PTI
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More than 14 million Sri Lankans will vote on Thursday to elect a 225-member Parliament, the first since its three-decade war with the Tamil Tiger separatists ended nearly a year ago.
