Guwahati, February 19
Frustrated over the initiation of a peace dialogue with its larger section of leaders, the anti-talks faction of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) today warned of “armed protest” against the ruling Congress in Assam for allegedly engineering a division in the outfit.

A statement, e-mailed to the media on behalf of the ULFA faction led by “commander-in-chief” Paresh Barua, said their group would resort to armed protest against the Congress for allegedly adopting a divide-and-rule strategy to crush their organisation.

Warning the people to stay away from public meetings organised by Congress leaders, the ULFA faction claimed it would create trouble for the party’s (Congress) leaders in the run-up to the coming assembly polls in the state. The outfit said it should not be held responsible for consequences if the people did not heed their warning.

The outfit further accused the Congress of “politicising” the infamous episode of “secret killings” (extra-judicial killings of the kin of ULFA members during 1997-2000 when the Asom Gana Parishad was in power in Assam) to win power in the state and doing nothing to punish the culprits behind the dark chapter.

Meanwhile, security forces gunned down three militants and apprehended a senior leader belonging to the anti-talks faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), led by “chairman” Ranjan Daimary, in two separate incidents in the wee hours today.

While the three militants were killed in an encounter with the Army at Lakhipur in Goalpara district of the state, the “deputy commander-in-chief” of the outfit, Richa Sapamari, was apprehended following an encounter at Moinaguri in Sonitpur district of Assam.

Bhubaneswar, February 19
The meeting between the Orissa Government and mediators for the safe release of abducted Malkangiri Collector RV Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi has been postponed till tomorrow, officials said. The meeting, earlier scheduled to be held tonight, was postponed as the two mediators named by the Maoists and contacted by the state government, could not reach here today. One of the interlocutors was said to be unwell and so the team failed to reach here, they said.

“We could not go to Bhubaneswar today. We will reach there tomorrow morning,” Prof Hargopal, one of the mediators told PTI over phone. Prof Hargopal said the state government had been informed about the demands of Maoists, who abducted the collector and the engineer from remote Chitrakonda area of Malkangiri district on Wednesday evening.

While preliminary talks were held between the Orissa Government and the mediators over phone, preparatory work was being done by the senior state officials ahead of the crucial negotiations.

The abduction of Krishna and Majhi from remote Chitrakonda area, a Maoist stronghold in Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh, has drawn widespread condemnation with people from all walks of life staging peace rallies in different parts of the state seeking their early and safe release.

Meanwhile, a court on Saturday rejected the bail plea of four senior Maoist leaders and their associates whose release was demanded by Naxal-abductors of Malkangiri District Collector and a junior engineer. — PTI

Guwahati, February 19
The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today laid the foundations of two national institutes in poll-bound Assam, much to the glee of the ruling Congress even as the opposition parties cry foul over ‘Congress’ corner stone politics to hoodwink voters.’

PM Manmohan Singh during his visit to Haligaon-Dokhola in Kamrup, Assam. — PTI

Senior Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, were smiling seeing huge crowds thronging the venues at the eastern Assam tea city of Jorhat and oil town of Sivasagar, where the PM laid the foundation of a National Institute Design (NID) and a Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), respectively.

The NID in Jorhat will be the second one in the country, after the one at Ahmedabad. Similarly, the RGIPT in the historic city of Sivasagar, where the banned ULFA was formed in 1979, will be second one in the country after the one at Rae Bareli.

“The unique conglomeration of peoples, races, cultures, languages and religions in the North-East also has unique needs of design development. The NID at Jorhat should leverage on the traditional craftsmanship of the region and help in giving a new life to the traditional arts and crafts. The institute should come out with eco-friendly design for adoption by the people of the North-East for modern industrial goods,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said the UPA government had taken the initiative to revamp the Designs Act and set up design business incubators to protect the rights of creative people and train talented people for creation of intellectual wealth in tune with “Designed in India and Made for the World” campaign. Laying the foundation of the RGIPT at Sivasagar, Dr Singh said, “The RGIPT will be a world-class institute for producing highly skilled technical human resources in the field of petroleum technology, engineering and management covering the entire hydrocarbon value chain.”

The institute is promoted by oil majors, (ONGC, IOCL, OIL, GAIL, HPCL, BPCL) and the Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Earlier, in the day the PM won hearts of overwhelmed villagers at Haligaon at Palasbari near here where he had gone to inspect houses constructed under a multi-sector minority development project.

New Delhi, February 19
After years of nudging by New Delhi, Australia appears to be veering round to reconsidering its long-standing policy of not exporting uranium to India since the latter is not a signatory to the NPT.

It came as a pleasant surprise to New Delhi when an important minister in the current Labour Government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard this week questioned the relevance of not exporting uranium to India, even after India got a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) to undertake nuclear commerce.

Australian Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson called upon the Labour Party to reconsider its long-standing hawkish stance towards India on NPT-related issues and allow the export of uranium ore to India. “No one can suggest India is a rogue state. I think this is something the Labour Party has to think about: There should be some flexibility or discretion built into the national policy that enables Australia to handle the delicate situation of India, while at the same time forcing full accountability in the use of uranium in civilian power plants,” the Australian minister was quoted as saying in the media.

He also stated that he was not proposing that Labour should repeal its blanket ban on uranium exports to countries outside the NPT, but urging the party to recognise India's ''very, very good history of nuclear non-proliferation’’.

Ferguson's statement has fuelled speculation that the Labour party would hold a debate to consider reversing its current uranium sales policy at its next national conference due later this year. Indian officials are quite hopeful that the Labour Government would have taken a positive stance in the matter by the time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits Australia in October for the Commonwealth Summit.

However, if there is no change in Canberra’s uranium export policy vis-a-vis India, New Delhi sees no logic in the Indian PM making a substantial visit to Australia beyond attending the Commonwealth meet.

Last month when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had visited Australia, he had once again asked his Australian interlocutors to revisit their policy on not exporting uranium to India. However, he did not get a positive response. Even foreign policy experts and opinion makers in Australia have started pitching in for uranium trade with India for the sake of economics, climate change and international fairness. It is being felt in influential circles even in Australia that the Labour policy forbidding uranium sales to India is a thorn in what will be one of Australia's crucial 21st century bilateral relationship.

The uranium issue was almost resolved four years ago, when the Howard government decided in principle to export it. Unfortunately, the government bowed out of office.

New Delhi February 19
The first annual Indian Comic-Con opened to an unexpected response from publishers, creators, animators and above all, lovers of comics at Dilli Haat. The two-day long conference, aimed at bringing all aspects of comic production, graphic novels, animation, and web-comics on one platform to help understand changing market demands of the industry was like a mela. The day was busy with workshops, talks and interactive sessions with about 35 participants. Favourite comic- characters ; Rorshach of Watchman, Jaffar of Alladin and several other ghosts and warriors were happily posing for the camera. By 3 pm most publishers had sold out their stocks of comics, graphics and mercantile. And, if you thought it was all kid stuff, note the buyers were mostly young Indians.

The changing age-profile of the buyers of comics is indicative of the coming of age of the comics industry. On the one hand, Campfire Graphic Novels, which entered the Indian market with graphic novels based on classics like ‘Merchant of Venice’ and ‘Tom Sawyer’ is testing Indian waters with new productions suited to Indian tastes. ‘The story of Sita’, is their best sold graphic so far. On the other hand, Vimanika Comics is re-packaging comics based on Indian mythology. Their Karna and Shiva are remodelled to suit the young Indian reader. The young angry god Kalki wears black torn jeans with loads of rudraksh and destroys his detractors using the latest technology.

Yet, an Indian answer to a Superman or a Spiderman is still elusive. There are very sincere efforts though, to find a character of Indian origin. Like Level-10 Concept, a Bengaluru based group of young IT professionals who have quit highly-paid corporate jobs to create their beloved comic character. Comic Jump- a monthly comic magazine serialises three different comic characters. One of them, a superhero from Mumbai, another one fights a zombie attack in Bengaluru and the third one is a fusion of cricket and mythology. Just two years in the market and they are optimistic of the market to grow. And then, there is World Comics India, a group of young “crazy” Indians who bring real- life heroes to comics, from villages and the hinterland.

Between the old school and yet-to-emerge new school of comics, is the already proven success story of Chhota Bheem and Pogo. The first indigenous Indian animation had to decide to print to cater to a growing demand. In just two years’ time. 

Chandigarh, February 19
As a part of the silver jubilee commemorations of the Army Aviation Corps (AAC), a Pushpak aircraft that once flew extensive combat missions during the 1965 and 1971 wars is undertaking an expedition to fly to all air bases across the country from which army aviators have operated.

The aircraft being used has been mustered from the Patiala Flying Club and reconstructed with the assistance of the Punjab government and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Dating back to the 1950s, the Pushpak was a two-seat light aircraft produced by HAL and its body and wings were covered with fabric rather than sheet metal. About 160 Pushpaks were produced and used as a basic trainer by the air force and flying clubs in the days of yore.

Air Observation Posts (AOP) were formed during the World War II primarily for observing and directing artillery fire. On August 15, 1947, No.1 Air OP Flight (Air Force) became the first AOP unit in India. These were initially equipped with fixed wing aircrafts like Austers, Krishaks and Pushpaks. Chetak and Cheetah helicopters were introduced in the early seventies. On November 1, 1986 AOP units branched off from the air force and the AAC came into being. 

BRIEFLY

Fresh violence at Osmania varsity
Hyderabad: After a lull, fresh violence erupted at Osmania University campus here, which has been the epicentre of movement for statehood for Telangana. Pro-Telangana activists, many of them students, burnt five buses and set on fire police tents in and around the campus late on Friday night. — PTI

CWG graft cases
New Delhi: A Delhi court has asked the CBI and the Delhi Police to file a detailed report on the action taken by them so far on the complaints about alleged corruption in the Commonmwealth Games-related cases. In a petition to the court, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and others alleged that despite massive corruption in the Games-related works, only four FIRs have been registered till date. — PTI

Girl beheaded
Mumbai: A 26-year-old woman was beheaded allegedly by her mentally unstable mother following an argument at their residence at Virar in the neighbouring Thane district, the police said on Saturday. The accused, Ratna Nadar (50), was arrested and produced before a local court which asked the police to take her to a mental hospital at Thane. After chopping Amalameri's head, legs and hands, the accused tried to torch her inside the house, the police said. — PTI

Immunity scheme
New Delhi: The CPI on saturday opposed the government's reported plan to announce an immunity scheme for tax evaders who have stashed away black money by charging them up to 45% tax. "I am writing this letter regarding the proposal from the Finance Ministry to announce immunity to all tax evaders, who have stashed away black money in India and abroad and allow them to pay tax plus penalty amounting to 45 per cent or so," CPI leader S Sudhakar Reddy said in a letter to the PM. — PTI

Hema re-enters RS 
Bellary: Yesteryears Bollywood actress and BJP Hema Malini is set to reenter the Rajya Sabha - this time from Karnataka. She was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2003 by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Her choice as the BJP candidate for the March 3 election was announced in New Delhi late Friday though there were several contenders from the Karnataka BJP for the seat. - IANS