13 June 2006
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) The Kuwaiti emir's visit to India June 14-19 will go a long way in pushing not only bilateral relations but also New Delhi's age-old ties with the Arab world, the mission of the League of Arab States here has said.
Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is coming at the invitation of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Two pacts -- on double taxation and legal cooperation on civil and trade issues -- are expected to be signed during the visit.
Talks are also expected on a proposal to sign a bilateral pact on labour between the two sides. Kuwait hosts over 500,000 Indian expatriates and bilateral trade stands at $600 million annually, excluding oil.
"The emir's visit will see further steps in strengthening bilateral relations in different fields, including trade and mutual investment," said a statement issued by the mission of the Arab League.
The emir's visit also comes ahead of a tender to be floated by Kuwait to develop four northern oilfields in the country - Raudhatain, Sabriyah, Ratqa and Abdali - to raise oil out from 500,000 barrels a day to 900,000 barrels in 20 years.
State-run Indian Oil Corp and Oil and Natural Gas Corp have qualified to bid for the tender and want the matter discussed with the ruler who will be accompanied by a Kuwaiti business delegation as well as senior ministers and officials.
Kuwait exports about 11 million tonnes of crude oil and 1.25 million tonnes of oil products to India every year, valued at around $4.5 billion.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) The dawn-to-dusk truckers' strike Tuesday in response to the Left parties call to protest the hike in petrol and diesel prices has caused the Indian industry an estimated loss of Rs.10 billion, a leading industry body has stated.
"The strike caused the Indian industry roughly about Rs.10 billion loss as economic activities and movement of essential goods came to halt in states of Kerala, West Bengal, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, preventing flow of cargo and export consignments," said the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) in a statement.
Feedback received from various constituents of the chamber from across the country showed that routine businesses activities were paralysed to a large extent particularly in states of Kerala, West Bengal, Tripura and partly in Tamil Nadu, said Assocham president Anil K. Agarwal.
In Maharasthra and Uttar Pradesh and in parts of Haryana and Punjab, industrial operations were largely disrupted after "trade unions forced commercial establishments to remain closed as most of them could not secure raw material supplies since truck operators kept off the roads and railway services were delayed for hours together," Agarwal stated.
The government last week increased the petrol and diesel prices by Rs.4 and Rs.2 a litre respectively to cut the losses of state-run oil marketing companies that have been hit hard by soaring global crude prices.
However, the Left Front, which supports the Manmohan Singh government from outside, had opposed the move and called for a nationwide strike Tuesday.
Islamabad, June 13 (IMI) - The Government of Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank today signed the Letter of Agreement for grant support to 8,000 poor and vulnerable households headed by women and the disabled in largely inaccessible areas devastated by the October 2005 earthquake.
The US$5 million grant, from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), financed by the Government of Japan, will help targeted households, many of whom live at high altitudes, resume cultivating crops and thus rebuild their livelihoods.
Signing the agreement in Islamabad were Peter Fedon, Country Director at ADB's Pakistan Resident Mission, M. Ismail Qureshi, Secretary, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, and Khalid Saaed, Secretary, Economic Affairs Division.
The Project is designed to deliver urgently needed agricultural and livestock supplies, including farming inputs, goat and poultry units, and animal feed and animal sheds, training in health and sanitation, and rehabilitation of community-based small infrastructure. It thus aims to instill self-confidence to enable the communities to participate in income-generating activities and eliminate dependence on aid.
“The revival of subsistence-level crop and livestock husbandry activities will ensure food security, and secure livestock from perishing in the cold without shelter," Mr. Fedon says. "Physical infrastructure identified and prioritized by the communities themselves including drinking water supplies and sanitation facilities will be also restored.�
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock (MINFAL) is the Executing Agency. Project implementation and management support will be provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN). FAO will be responsible for the procurement and delivery of materials and supplies needed to union council headquarters. FAO will also provide technical backstopping in agriculture and livestock interventions.
The subsidiary implementing agencies at the field level will be the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), and Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP). They will be responsible for community mobilization, participatory identification of community needs, and delivery of materials from the union council headquarters to the beneficiaries.
The grant complements ADB's Earthquake Emergency Assistance Project (EEAP) package, which is supported by an Asian Development Fund (ADF) loan of $220 million and a grant of $80 million approved on 13 December 2005.
The JFPR was set up in 2000 with an initial contribution of Y10 billion (about $90 million). The Fund now stands at over $360 million, of which $193 million have been committed for 82 projects.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 65 members – 47 from the region. In 2005, it approved loans and technical assistance totaling $6.95 billion and $198.8 million, respectively.
Baghdad, June 12 (DPA) The Al Qaeda network in Iraq issued a statement Monday announcing a replacement for leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a US air strike.
The religiously worded statement issued by the media authority for the consultative council of Jihadists in Iraq said: "Al Qaeda's shura council agreed to having Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajer assume the place of Sheikh Abu Musab el-Zarqawi - god's mercy be upon him."
The authenticity of the statement could not be proven.
The statement said that Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajer is an experienced Jihadist and that "we ask of god's assistance to help him accomplish what Sheikh Abu Musab initiated."
--DPA
BUENOS AIRES, June 13 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) -- Argentina has demanded free world trade for agriculture while warning that access to markets must be based on solid science.
"We are in a global market, characterised by protection, and in this context we consider access to markets central, because we have competitive advantages," said Miguel Campos, Argentine minister for Agriculture and Cattle Raising.
"If we mainly export raw materials, it is because they do not let us sell our processed products," Campos told the annual forum of the International Association for Agriculture and Food Businesses here Monday.
The event, which will ends Tuesday, gathers 500 executives, including those from most of the great trans-nationals, of raw material and food-producing enterprises, in Buenos Aires for the first time.
Campos also spoke about Argentina´s recuperation experiment following the strong socio-economic crisis at the end of 2001 and, in his opinion, agricultural products will still be the engine of the growing Argentine economy which had a sustained expansion of 9.0 per cent in the last three years.
Campos also emphasised the importance of the development and use of biological fuel in the world of today, since energy crises force countries to be creative.
He said that Argentina might be an efficient and diverse producer of such fuel because there are regions in the Argentine national territory ready to produce as much bio-ethanol as bio-diesel.
Washington, June 13 (DPA) Tropical Storm Alberto, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2006, was ploughing early Tuesday into the northwest coast of Florida where thousands of residents had received orders to evacuate.
With sustained winds reaching 110 km per hour, the US National Hurricane Centre issued a hurricane warning along Florida's Gulf Coast as the outer bands of the cyclonic storm began lashing coastal areas late Monday.
Florida Governor Jeb Bush ordered thousands of residents in low-lying areas to evacuate their homes and make their way to 17 shelters.
The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall after dawn local time near Florida's Big Bend, where the peninsula meets the panhandle of the state on the Gulf of Mexico.
Alberto appeared to be losing strength as winds abated in the early hours of Tuesday morning to about 103 km per hour, but was expected to dump a lot of rain - between 10 and 20 cm - which could cause flooding.
In drought-stricken inland Florida, the rain was greeted as potential relief, despite the fear of flash floods.
The storm could spawn destructive tornadoes along Tuesday's expected path eastwards through northwestern Florida, into southern Georgia, South and North Carolina.
State officials warned that predicted storm surges as high as 2.5-3 metres could endanger low-lying coastal areas.
Experts say the 2006 season could be another very active one. The latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that runs the National Hurricane Centre, has predicted an Atlantic cyclone season from June to November with above-average activity: 13 to 16 named storms, eight to 10 hurricanes and four to six major hurricanes.
The year 2005 was one of the worst hurricane seasons on record, including Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and large parts of the Gulf Coast from Alabama to Texas.
About 1,300 people died when hurricane Katrina hit in late August, flooding much of New Orleans and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.
Tehran, June 12, IRNA, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran and Saudi Arabia are expected to make great strides for strategic cooperation to resolve the problems of the Muslim World and help foster solidarity among Muslims.
In a meeting with Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Supreme Leader said that Iran-Saudi Arabia cooperation would serve the interests of the Muslim World.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that discord among Muslims and their weakness would serve the enemies of Islam and the hegemonic powers and that solidarity among the Muslims is the key for solving problems of Muslims worldwide.
The Supreme Leader said that Iran and Saudi Arabia enjoy extensive capacity for economic cooperation and specialized commissions should follow up implementation of accords already reached between the two countries.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran and Saudi Arabia have exercised satisfactory cooperation on regional affairs and they are expected to so do in case of Iraq and extinguish the flames sectarian fire and violence taking tolls from Shia and Sunni communities of Iraq.
The Supreme Leader called for Iran-Saudi cooperation on Lebanon and Syria and on Palestine as well to help stop the Zionist violence against defenseless Palestinians.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Muslims states are also expected to support the democratic government of Palestine to enable the legitimate government of Palestine to serve the Palestinian nation.
Prince Saud al-Faisal is heading a Saudi top-raking delegation to Iran to submit a message from King Abdullah to the Supreme Leader.
The Supreme Leader thanked King Abdullah for his friendly message.
Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati said that King Abdullah's message is a reply to the Supreme Leader's message to the Saudi King, Velayati delivered to King Abdullah two months ago.
Washington, June 13 (Xinhua) US President George W. Bush surprisingly appeared in Iraq's capital Baghdad Tuesday for a short visit.
Bush, who was at the presidential retreat Camp David, Maryland Monday with his national security team discussing the administration's future policy on Iraq, was expected to hold a video- conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki in the US Tuesday, CNN reported.
Bush's visit is clearly aimed at showing full support to the new Iraqi government, analysts say.
Baghdad, June 13 (DPA) US President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq Tuesday to show his administration's support for the new government of the country.
During an appearance before reporters, Bush told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that "the future of your country is in your hands".
"The decisions you and your cabinet make will be determinant as to whether or not a country succeeds that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself," Bush said.
Bush snuck out of the US Monday night after excusing himself from a meeting with top advisors over the strategy in Iraq at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington.
Only a handful of aides and cabinet members knew of Bush's plans.
Al-Maliki was also unaware Bush was on his way to Iraq. He proceeded with original plans to go to the US embassy in Baghdad to participate in a teleconference call with Bush and his cabinet.
Bush landed at Baghdad International Airport, then took a short helicopter ride to the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US embassy and Iraqi government.
Al-Maliki was waiting for him when he arrived.
"Good to see you," al-Maliki said. "Thanks for having me," Bush replied as they shook hands. The meeting was Bush's first with the new Iraqi prime minister.
Bush was hoping that a new Iraqi government, coupled with the death last week of Iraq's most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, will mark a turning point in what has been a difficult struggle to stamp out the resilient insurgency.
The conflict has taken a major toll on Bush's popularity at home.
Bush told al-Maliki that his administration would not abandon Iraq.
"I've also come to tell you that when America gives its word, it will keep its word," Bush said.
Bush, al-Maliki and the new Iraqi cabinet were to conduct a teleconference meeting with Bush advisors at Camp David, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Bush's previous visit to Iraq was also unannounced for security reasons. The trip was on Thanksgiving in November 2003, when Americans awoke to discover the president was serving turkey to US troops in Baghdad.
Bush's series of meetings Monday were aimed at improving security in Iraq.
The White House has cautioned against suggestions that the US could begin large-scale troop reductions in Iraq, but has noted progress in building up Iraqi security forces that could play a greater role in stabilisation.
Bush has been under pressure from opposition Democrats in Congress as well as some Republicans to begin troop withdrawals.
The US military has previously speculated that by the end of 2006 about a quarter of the 130,000 US troops in Iraq could be pulled out.
--DPA
Brussels, June 13 (IANS) 'The India story' presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram here has won over European Union officials, policy makers and members of the European business community.
"Infrastructure is a deficit for India but an opportunity for investors," Chidambaram told European business leaders at an investment meet Monday evening.
He also stressed that India was an exciting and interesting opportunity for investors owing to "reforms embedded in a democratic polity, equitable society and inclusiveness".
Attractive incentives for foreign investment, the finance minister noted, were India's commercial laws, its best banking system, the finely tuned financial services sector and its free imports and exports.
He underlined India's comparative advantage in the IT sector, announced plans to turn the country into a manufacturing hub and reassured the business community that the Indian rupee was virtually convertible for foreign investors.
Chidambaram also met the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Joaquin Almunia, and discussed EU-India economic and commercial relations.
"The EU has expressed a desire for greater engagement with India," he said and mentioned the possibility of upgrading EU-India relations with an interactive macroeconomic dialogue.
Amelia Torres, Almunia's spokesperson, told INEP agency that the commissioner "enjoyed a good and fruitful meeting" with Chindabaram.
"One of the features of the dialogue is to meet regularly and discuss economic trends and common challenges of the world economy. This could add to the ongoing dialogue in the context of the action plan; the economic chapter focused on finance and regulatory issues," she said.
The minister managed to squeeze in a brief meeting with representatives of Antwerp's Indian community who control around 60 percent of Belgium's $36 billion trade in rough and polished diamonds.
Mukul Joshi, managing director of the Belgium-based diamond firm, Belindiam, as well as a board member of the diamond industry's main regulating body, the High Diamond Council, said the minister was updated on the Belgium government's initiative to stimulate Antwerp's diamond sector.
Chidambaram concluded his one-day visit with an impressive and lucid outline of Indian economy at a lecture organised by the Brussels-based think tank, the European Policy Centre, in cooperation with the Japanese Saskawa Foundation.
The minister noted that although India's gross domestic product (GDP) was growing at about 8 percent annually, the manufacturing and non-industrial sectors reported a growth of 10 percent over the last 11 quarters while the agricultural industry's growth was restricted to 4 percent.
Growth, the minister said, was imperative to India's economy. "Growth is needed to fight poverty," he said, adding: "Only high growth would provide jobs for 8 million youth that enter India's job market every year."
Srinagar, June 13 (IANS) Curfew continued for the second day Tuesday in Trehgam village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, where a student was killed in firing by paramilitary forces, even as a strike paralysed life in summer capital Srinagar.
Thousands of villagers defied the curfew and joined the funeral of Javed Ahmad Malik, a Class 10 student who died Monday in firing by paramilitary forces on a mob protesting the alleged desecration of a mosque in nearby village of Zirhama. The crowd shouted anti-security forces and anti-government slogans.
Malik was buried at Trehgam village in Kupwara, north Kashmir, in the afternoon.
Security was tight in the entire area under direct supervision of deputy inspector general of police Abdul Subhan Lone.
A senior police officer told IANS on phone from Kupwara that the situation was still tense. "Police and paramilitary forces are patrolling the villages around Kupwara," he said.
The authorities assured a probe into the killing of the student.
Meanwhile, a general strike called by a moderate group of the separatist Hurriyat Conference against the desecration of the mosque and the killing of the student crippled normal life in Srinagar and some other towns.
Shops and business establishments in the Valley remained closed.
Meanwhile, security forces killed two militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba during a search operation at Pampore town in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
They killed another militant at Batpora Magam village in Kupwara district.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) India asserted Tuesday there was enough space in Asia for it to co-exist with China, saying Beijing was not elbowing New Delhi out even as the two countries were taking their bilateral relations to a new high.
"They are playing their role, we are playing ours. The (Asian) space is not limited. It is not correct to say that the entire space is occupied by China," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee maintained at a press conference here.
Mukherjee had paid an official visit to China May 28-June 1, during which the two countries had signed a landmark agreement on defence cooperation - their first - envisaging, among others, regular military exercises between their armed forces. Mukherjee had earlier visited Japan May 25-28.
"China's economic strength might be greater. That is a hard fact. But I don't think they are trying to outmanoeuvre us," the minister said.
At the same time, Mukherjee admitted there was no movement forward on two major issues: India's candidature for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and the support of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for the India-US civilian nuclear deal.
"China is aware of our needs and requirements, as are many other countries in the NSG. Let the deal first clear the US Congress and then we will take it up in the NSG," the minister stated.
Indian and US officials are currently holding talks here on taking the deal forward. There are indications it would pass Congress with a proviso that the house would review the deal in case India tested a nuclear weapon. The deal, which has been supported by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed El-Baradei, would then have to clear the 45-nation NSG.
As for the UN Security Council issue, this was not even discussed during the China visit, Mukherjee said.
Mukherjee parried a question on whether the threat perception from China was at an all time low - six years after his predecessor George Fernandes had termed Beijing as New Delhi's "enemy number one".
"Nobody is thinking of an armed conflict. Over the years, we have come to recognise that it is better to live in peace than in tension. We have worked out the guiding principles of our future relations. You are free to work out any other conclusions," he maintained.
In this context, he brushed aside a suggestion that India was attempting nuclear weapons parity with China.
"There is no question of parity. Our nuclear doctrine is three-pronged: building a credible nuclear deterrent, no first strike, and no use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states," he said.
Mukherjee indicated that the June-end deadline for reopening an ancient trade route to Tibet through Nathu-La in Sikkim would not be met due to the lack of adequate infrastructure.
"Infrastructure has to be built up and this takes time," he pointed out.
Indian and Chinese officials are to meet in Lhasa later this week for what New Delhi says is an assessment on the preparations on the Chinese side - but Mukherjee's remark implies a new schedule might have to be worked out.
The reopening of the trade route had been seen as a major confidence building measure between the two countries as it would mark Beijing's final recognition that Sikkim is a part of India - something it had disputed for long.
The minister responded in the negative when asked that given the growing levels of joint exercises India was conducting with various countries, it could some day join a coalition that was outside the UN charter.
"India's basic stand is that the UN is a recognised organisation and that there will be no institutional action outside the UN charter. Whatever bilateral or trilateral or multilateral counter-terrorism and other measures that are being institutionalised will all be within the UN charter," Mukherjee asserted.
By Syed Zarir Hussain, Guwahati, June 13 (IANS) Flash floods and mudslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the northeast killed eight people and displaced some 75,000 in Assam and Tripura, officials said Tuesday.
A Tripura government spokesman said five people, including three children, were killed late Monday when a hillock caved in on their mud-and-thatch huts in Churaibari village, about 80 km north of state capital Agartala.
"Six people were injured in the incident and one or two bodies might still be trapped under the debris. The villagers were sleeping when the incident took place," Gopika Das, a magistrate in north Tripura, said.
At least three huts were demolished in the landslide. Flood control officials said some 4,000 people were displaced after floodwaters submerged the northern Tripura town of Dharmanagar and its outskirts. "The displaced people are now sheltered in makeshift camps," Das said.
All the major rivers in Tripura, which borders Bangladesh, are flowing above the danger level. In Assam, three women were killed Monday night in a landslide in Chandranathpur village in the southern Cachar district, about 310 km from the state's main city of Guwahati.
"Three women died and eight more were seriously injured in the incident when mounds of earth from a hillock trapped sleeping villagers," an official in Cachar said by telephone.
Heavy rains in the past three days flooded parts of the state with some 2,400 people uprooted from their homes in Cachar.
"Some 700 to 800 huts were washed away by the surging floodwaters," police official A. Das said. An Assam Flood Control Department official said nearly 71,000 people were hit by floods that began May 31 with an estimated 2,000 villages affected so far.
"The affected people have been shifted to safer places with relief materials distributed among the flood victims," a government statement said. The main river Brahmaputra had spilled its banks along Majuli, the world's largest river island, 350 km from Guwahati.
"At least 12,000 hectares of land has been submerged in Majuli due to flooding," an official in Majuli said.
Road and rail communications have been hit in some parts of Assam with floodwaters overtopping highways and breaching rail tracks.
According to a Central Water Commission bulletin, the Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level in at least eight places.
Every year the floods leave a trail of destruction, washing away villages, submerging paddy fields, drowning livestock, besides causing loss of human life and property, in the remote state of 26 million. The monsoon was scattered in Assam last year, thereby sparing millions of people from the ravaging floods. In 2004, at least 200 people died and more than 12 million were displaced in the floods.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) A daylong protest called by the Left parties Tuesday against the last week's fuel price hike saw a complete shutdown in parts of the country while it did not have much impact on the metros, including the national capital and Mumbai.
Leaders of the Left parties - the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Communist Party of India (CPI), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc - and its affiliated trade unions courted arrest in different parts of the country as they took out protest demonstrations and public rallies against an "unjustifiable and irrational" increase in the price of petrol and diesel.
The government last week increased the petrol and diesel prices by Rs.4 and Rs.2 a litre respectively to cut the losses of state-run oil marketing companies that have been hit hard by soaring global crude prices.
However, the CPI-M-led Left Front, which supports the Manmohan Singh government from outside, says the price hike could have been avoided if the government had implemented the alternatives it has suggested, including slashing customs and excise duties on crude imports.
The Communists-sponsored strike received support from regional parties like Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party, Assam's main opposition party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the opposition party in Andhra Pradesh.
In the national capital, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat, senior party leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, RSP leader Abani Roy and Forward Bloc MP Debabrata Biswas courted arrest along with hundreds of supporters as they marched on the Jantar Mantar road.
"We have asked the government to cut the excise and custom duties to avoid a hike in fuel prices. They have not heard us," Karat said addressing the party activists. "This hike is highly unjustifiable and irrational," he said.
While the protests brought life to a standstill in Left Front-ruled Kerala and Tripura, it was merely symbolic in the red bastion of West Bengal.
Security was stepped up at the Kolkata office of the state-run Indian Oil Corporation as Left Front supporters assembled outside its gates, waving red flags and placards.
A dawn-to-dusk strike in Kerala saw a virtual shutdown. Barring two-wheelers and private vehicles, public transport kept off the road, making it difficult for people to commute. While shops and commercial establishments downed their shutters, attendance in government offices was thin.
The universities in the state were forced to cancel various examinations Tuesday.
"I am really upset. I had an interview for admission to an MBA course Friday. I arrived on Thursday only to find that the interview had been postponed to Monday because of the strike called by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) on Friday. After attending the interview, which ended late, I was unable to go to my home in Kottayam. I am stuck here because of the second strike," a woman student told IANS.
The scene was almost similar in Tripura's capital Agartala. Buses and private vehicles stayed off the roads. Attendance in government offices, banks and educational institutions was poor. But vehicles engaged in essential services were exempted from the strike.
While the strike call evoked a mixed response in Orissa, vehicular traffic was virtually at a standstill in parts of the state. Several government and private offices remained shut. In some parts of the state local units of the ruling Biju Janata Dal also supported the strike call.
In Bihar, highways were deserted and markets went without fresh vegetables and meat as trucks and private buses cancelled their services.
Fruit and vegetable markets in the country's financial capital, Mumbai, were also affected as trucks did not ply.
In Tamil Nadu, thousands of Left protesters including senior CPI leader D. Raja and state Centre for Trade Unions (CITU) leaders were detained as traffic was thrown out of gear in capital Chennai.
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu rode a cycle - his TDP's election symbol, to protest the fuel price hike.
More than 200,000 trucks went off the roads in the state as operators joined the strike on a call by the All India Motor Transport Congress.
In Uttar Pradesh, where the ruling Samajwadi Party was supporting the strike call, train services and traffic were disrupted by protest demonstrations.
"Reports of brief detention of trains were received from Allahabad, Varanasi and Etawah districts. However, these detentions did not last more than 15-30 minutes," a Samajwadi Party leader said in Lucknow.
In Gujarat, about 300,000 trucks stayed off the roads following the All India Motor Transport Congress's nationwide strike call. Long queues were seen along National Highway No. 8 and on the route to the Kandla port in Kutch district, especially in the port town of Gandhidam.
By T.R. Ramakrishnan,
Gros Islet (St Lucia), June 13 (IANS) Having put runs on the board, all India had to do was keep it tight and let the West Indies stew under pressure. They did just that in a disciplined and professional way all day on Monday and the West Indies were left battling to save the second Test match at Beausejour Stadium.
At stumps on the third day the West Indies, forced to follow on 373 runs behind on the first innings, were 43 for one in their second innings. Rain and bad light brought play to a halt 20-odd minutes before the scheduled close and 11.3 of the day's 90 overs remaining to be bowled. Play will start 40 minutes before the scheduled start on Tuesday, at 9.20 am local time, to make up for the lost time.
Chris Gayle was the man out, in the very first over of the innings, caught behind by Mahendra Dhoni as Irfan Pathan made one move away just enough to tickle the edge. Daren Ganga (batting 24) and skipper Brian Lara (batting 15), who promoted himself ahead of regular No 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, prevented any further damage on the day.
There are two more days left and the West Indies are still 330 behind. They can take heart from the placid wicket and the hope of intermittent breaks due to rain - there were two on Monday, excluding the sharp spell during lunch. But theirs is an uphill task. Their lack of application in the first innings will surely prey on their minds.
None of the batsmen crossed 50, Chris Gayle with 46 was the highest, and there were just two partnerships of any worth: between Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (30), 51 for the fourth wicket; and between Dwayne Bravo (25) and Denesh Ramdin (30), 61 for the sixth.
Gayle and Chanderpaul will be particularly disappointed with their dismissals. They played without any trouble at all for almost an hour in the morning but went in the space of four balls.
Gayle, who had scored only six of the 31 runs the pair added in the morning, doubled his day's output with one shot, clouting Kumbe for a six over midwicket. But two balls later, Kumble got one to hold its line and Gayle edged it for Dhoni to hold it on the second attempt.
Then Pathan, in his second over of the day, removed Chanderpaul, leg before to a full-length delivery that swung late, beat his bat and hit the pad as he tried to play it on the onside.
The Indians were tidy and organised on the field. The bowlers stuck to the basics of line and length as Dravid attacked all day. There was very little missed, and the pressure was relentless.
Munaf Patel, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag, who mopped up the tail, all got three wickets each while Irfan Pathan got one.
Kumble in the process took his Test wicket haul past Courtney Walsh's 519. When he got Bravo caught at slip by Dravid he took his tally to 520 and only Shane Warne (685), Muttiah Muralitharan (635) and Glenn McGrath (542) have more.
He will no doubt be hoping to close the gap on McGrath when play resumes on Tuesday, at the same time sending the West Indies closer to defeat. "There are two and 180 overs left, perhaps more. We expect to win from this position," Kumble said.
SCOREBOARD
Day 3, Second Test, West Indies vs India,
Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet (St Lucia)
India (1st innings): 588 for 8 decl
West Indies 1st innings:
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Kumble 46
Daren Ganga lbw Patel 16
Ramnaresh Sarwan lbw Patel 0
Brian Lara lbw Kumble 7
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw Pathan 30
Dwayne Bravo c Dravid b Kumble 25
Denesh Ramdin c Dhoni b Patel 30
Ian Bradshaw c and b Sehwag 20
Jerome Taylor c Kaif b Sehwag 23
Pedro Collins c Dravid b Sehwag 0
Corey Collymore not out 2
Extras (5b, 2lb, 9nb) 16
Total (in 85.1 overs) 215
Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-36, 3-55, 4-106, 5-106, 6-167, 7-178, 8-209, 9-210
Bowling:
Irfan Pathan 11-2-43-1
Munaf Patel 17-4-51-1
Anil Kumble 30-12-57-3 (5nb)
VRV Singh 10-3-23-0 (2nb)
Virender Sehwag 16.1-5-33-3
Yuvraj Singh 1-0-1-0
West Indies 2nd innings:
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Pathan 2
Daren Ganga batting 24
Brian Lara batting 15
Extras (2nb) 2
Total 43 (for 1 wkt, 17.3 overs)
Fall of wickets: 1-2
Bowling:
Irfan Pathan 7-1-23-1
Munaf Patel 5-4-4-0
VRV Singh 3-0-9-0 (2nb)
Anil Kumble 2-0-7-0
Virender Sehwag 0.3-0-0-0
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) India and the US Tuesday continued their talks here on their civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, officials said.
A joint statement is expected Wednesday on the conclusion of the talks.
The Indian side at the three-day talks that began Monday is headed by Joint Secretary (America) S. Jaishankar and includes officials from the Department of Atomic Energy that is under the direct charge of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The three-member US side is led by Richard J.K. Stratford, director, Office of Nuclear Energy Affairs at the US State Department, and includes officials from the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, officials said.
One of the chief points of negotiations is a clause that the US wants inserted into the pact, also called the 123 Agreement, requiring a cap on future nuclear tests by India, which New Delhi feels should be voluntary and not imposed.
The agreement gets its name after Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1954, of the US that first calls for a bilateral cooperation pact before a comprehensive nuclear deal with another country.
The officials also discussed the draft agreements exchanged in London last month when India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran met US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns.
India and the US had pledged to cooperate in civilian nuclear energy in a joint statement after a meeting in Washington in July last year between US President George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh.
This intent was formalised during Bush's visit to New Delhi in March, based on which plans were worked out for separating India's civil and military nuclear facilities.
The US Congress also needs to approve an amendment in its nuclear legislation, which prohibits nuclear trade with any country that is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - an accord that New Delhi calls discriminatory.
The US Congress has to approve the amendment by the end of this month since it goes into recess in the first week of July after which preparations will start for mid-term elections in November, diplomatic sources said.
Hanover, June 13 (DPA) Italy beat World Cup newcomers Ghana 2-0 in their Group E opener - but the Africans were more than a match for the fancied three-time world champions over long periods.
A 40th-minute long-range goal by Andrea Pirlo off a Francesco Totti corner, and an 83rd-minute strike by Vencenzo Iaquinta gave the Italians victory over troublesome opponents Monday.
Veteran defender Sami Kuffour was to blame for the second goal - Iaquinta latched on to his fatally weak back pass, easily tapping the ball home. Until then, the Black Stars looked quite capable of equalising.
Italy now go second in the group to the Czech Republic, who have an extra goal advantage after earlier beating the US 3-0.
"We knew they would be strong opponents," Italian coach Marcello Lippi said. "But it was the best possible start for us. We were superior to them in what was an eventful match."
But he added: "We had to suffer" - a remark that will offer some satisfaction to Ghana's Serbian coach of nearly two years Ratomir Dujkovic. "Every team that plays Ghana must suffer in order to win," he had said before his side's tournament debut.
For 40 minutes Ghana had been a worthy match and had notched up a hat-full of chances before Italy opened their scoring.
Asamoah Gyan, Chelsea star Michael Essien and attacking left back Emmanuel Pappoe all fired just wide at the half-hour, and Italy's defence around Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro had their hands full.
Nesta had already been forced to make a desperate clearing header with Gyan Asamoah waiting to head in a Michael Essien cross, and the Black Stars were looking much the more inventive side.
Luca Toni, Italy's liveliest striker, had meanwhile come close when he hit the bar in the 27th minute after fending off a challenge from Kuffour - but until then his side looked at a loss for ideas.
So Pirlo's 40th-minute goal came as a huge relief. The AC Milan midfielder was found unmarked by a quickly-taken corner from the left by Francesco Totti, and his 25-yard strike bored through a knot of defenders into the far corner.
It all picked up where it left off after the break. Essien tested Gianluigi Buffon for the first time, forcing the Italian keeper to dive far to his right as the Ghanaians continued to believe.
Eleven minutes into the half, the thousands of blue-clad Italian fans looked on anxiously as Totti, newly recovered from injury, hobbled off on his vulnerable left leg and had to be substituted after a clash with John Painstil.
The Italian defence continued to frustrate some imaginative Ghanaian build-ups, one of which saw Gyan Asamoah go headlong inside the penalty area between two defenders to loud appeals.
Brazilian referee Carlos Simon emphatically waved play on - producing howls of disapproval from the colourful, drum-banging scattering of Ghanaian fans.
Then it was all over for Ghana. In the 83rd minute Vencenzo Iaquinta got Italy's second, latching on to the woeful back pass by Kuffour to his goalkeeper, and easily tapping the ball home.
It was sweet revenge for Iaquinta, who eight minutes earlier had been brought crashing down in a needless foul from the erratic Kuffour after the whistle had gone for offside.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) The Indian pharma industry is well positioned to capture much of the $65 billion new business expected to open up globally next year, a new KPMG study reveals.
"The Indian pharma industry is currently worth $6 billion - in a global industry worth $650 billion - and is growing at 10 percent, compared to the global industry rate of seven percent," said John Morris, global head of KPMG's pharmaceuticals practice, commenting on the new study.
"The generics business remains at the heart of everything India does well and so it should, considering that India accounts for 22 percent of the global generics market."
"Bearing in mind that $65 billion of prescription medicines in Europe and the US are to lose their patents in 2007-08, India is ideally positioned to sweep up much of that new business."
Morris however pointed out that opportunity now exists for India to become so much more than just a generics player and shape up as a developer of new drugs.
Much of the impetus behind India's fresh challenge for a greater share of the global industry is driven by last year's introduction of product patents.
For the previous 25 years, patents were only granted on processes - a decision which saw many MNCs abandon the subcontinent, but which resulted in India becoming a leading player in the market for generic medicines.
The expansion of India's patent system to cover products as well as processes has already started to bring the MNCs back into the fold, the report points out.
There was never much point in Indian manufacturers spending too much on research and development of their own when their new product discoveries could not be patent-protected.
With patent protection in place and foreign investors eagerly eyeing India's wealth of human resources, and its massive domestic market, significant growth opportunities abound for Indian companies.
The patent change regime in 2007-08 would open a huge international market worth $65 billion for the Indian pharma industry, the report said.
Through proactive measures such as public-private partnerships, and encouragement of research and development India could hope to capitalise on the opportunity, feels Sanjay Aggarwal, pharmaceutical sector leader for KPMG in India.
"Multinational companies that have re-entered the market since the new product patent system seek out the domestic industry's skills and infrastructures to boost their research and manufacturing activities in the subcontinent and also open up this vast, virtually untapped market," said Aggarwal.
The KPMG report quotes a leading industry figure to point out that despite recent improvements in the Indian market infrastructure, many people still "talk about India but invest in China".
Much of this is attributed to shortcomings in the current Indian regulatory environment - India still offers no data protection unlike China. There is also the issue of domestic drug pricing.
The report claims that drug prices in the Indian domestic market are the lowest in the world.
"The aims of the Indian industry - and of the government - are ambitious but will require a strong pricing environment if the Indian people are to access the life-saving and innovative medicines they need," the report states.
Algiers, June 13, IRNA, Secretary of Iran Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said here Monday that Iran is ready to cooperate fully to resolve the concerns of Persian Gulf nations.
Speaking at a press conference Ali Larijani, responding to a question on whether Persian Gulf countries' concerns are real or stems from US pressure, said "We do not make judgments on positions taken by the Persian Gulf states, you are free to make your own analysis."
"We are ready to remove all outstanding concerns on the issue," he reiterated.
"Persian Gulf states are our valuable friends and the point should be made that Iran has never threatened its neighbors."
On anther question whether the aim of his trip to Egypt and Algeria is to describe Iran's position regarding nuclear row, or looking to garner support of Arab nations, Larijani added "We regularly consult all nations that have common interest with us including Algeria."
"As secretary of Arab League Amr Moussa has said Arab nations support Iran's position on the nuclear issue."
Iran nuclear dossier is moving on the path similar to what other ations have opted to have access to peaceful nuclear energy, Larijani underlined.
All the members of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty have the right to have peaceful nuclear program, he said.
When asked if Iranians and Algerians have discussed nuclear ooperation, he added "Tehran's position is clear and as far as cooperation with other nations is concerned we are ready to do so within the framework of IAEA."
He also alluded to the India-US nuclear cooperation as a token of double standards by Washington.
"Of course India is friend of Iran and we do not have any problems with India's nuclear cooperation with other nations, but the problem is that while India has nuclear weapons and is not a signatory to the NPT, the US cooperate with it, but it resorts to belligerent and threatening posture towards Iran."
The problem lies with the US and its policies of double standards, he reiterated.
Iran is ready to discuss removing any ambiguities in its nuclear activities, but these should be without preconditions, he said.
On whether Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika offered his official support in nuclear issue, he said that Algerian officials have always supported Iran's position and today the Algerian president was also explicit in its views on this matter.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary arrived in the Algerian capital, Algiers, Monday heading a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with Algerian officials on Iran's nuclear case.
Larijani arrived here from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where he held talks Sunday with Egyptian officials.
On hand to welcome Larijani and his delegation upon their arrival here was Algerian Foreign Minister Mohamed Bedjaoui.
Larijani conferred here Monday with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on expansion of mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Larijani said the two sides share common interests.
During the meeting, the two sides reviewed various mutual, regional and international developments, mainly those related to Iran's nuclear dossier, he said.
He also conferred on Sunday with Egyptian president and foreign minister on issues of mutual interests.
He outlined latest developments in Iran's nuclear case regarding the Group 5+1 new package of incentives for Tehran.
The European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on June 6 handed over a new package of incentives approved by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany (Group 5+1) in exchange for Iran's suspension of uranium enrichment.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Left parties along with affiliated trade unions Tuesday took out marches and held public meetings in protest against the fuel price hike, affecting normal life in some parts of the country.
The Left parties are also gearing up to mount another attack on the Manmohan Singh government's economic and foreign policies at Thursday's crucial coordination committee meeting with the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
There were demonstrations and public meetings in Communist-ruled West Bengal while normal life came to a halt in states like Kerala and Tripura, which are also ruled by the Left.
The government last week increased the prices of petrol by Rs.4 per litre and of diesel by Rs.2 per litre to cut the losses of state-run oil marketing companies that have been hit by soaring global crude prices.
However, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, which props up the Manmohan Singh government from outside, says the price hike could have been avoided if the government had implemented the alternatives suggested by the Left, including slashing customs and excise duties on crude imports.
Leaders of the Left parties - CPI-M, Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Forward Bloc - have also proposed the conversion of the oil cess fund - of Rs.125 billion - into a price stabilisation fund to lessen the burden of spiralling international prices of crude on domestic consumers.
Left parties have refused to reduce sales tax for petroleum products in states ruled by them even though Congress governments in Andhra Pradesh and Goa have announced such cuts and Delhi too is expected to follow suit.
The Left-sponsored strike received support from regional parties like Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party, the main opposition parties in Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party activists held protest marches at railway stations in Lucknow and train services were disrupted for a while, according to TV channel reports.
The four-party Left Front, which has been blowing hot and cold over the Congress-led government's economic and foreign policies, has decided to criticise the UPA government's failures and focus on its targets at the UPA-Left coordination meeting Thursday.
"Apart from reiterating our apprehensions over the government's disinvestment policies, airport modernisation, foreign direct investment in retail and taxation, we will give suggestions to the government to increase its revenue without burdening the common man," a senior Left leader told IANS.
The Communists are expected to ask the government to introduce capital gains tax, which according to them would check the market instability occurring from wavering foreign industrial investment, and increase corporate tax and other taxes for the rich.
"We will also try to convince the government that modernisation of the airports could be done by the Airports Authority of India, instead of privatising it," the leader said.
The Left parties will also criticise the UPA government's "pro-US" foreign policy.
Kuala Lumpur, June 13 (IANS) Yet another controversy has hit the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) polls with the party's incumbent deputy president S. Subramaniam alleging that delegates have been warned against voting for him.
According to reports here, Subramaniam has written a letter to the party's election steering committee alleging that delegates have been promised 'rewards' if they could produce evidence they had voted for a particular candidate.
The MIC is the leading political party representing the Indian community in Malaysia. Ethnic Indians comprise seven percent of the country's population of over 24 million.
The party's elections are scheduled for June 24 and the nominations were filed June 4.
The intra-party elections have come under intense scrutiny ever since party supremo Seri S. Samy Vellu announced his list of favoured candidates for the various posts.
Vellu has named G. Palanivel, Malaysia's deputy minister for women, family and community development, as his favoured candidate for the party deputy president's post. Subramaniam, an MIC veteran, has been holding this post for 22 years now and will again defend it in these elections.
The nomination day also saw tension brewing between supporters of rival candidates. Palanivel is leading Subramaniam by a huge margin in terms of nominations.
In his letter, Subramaniam has said that overhead cameras would record which candidate delegates would vote for.
"They (the delegates) were told that those who vote for me could be identified," a report in the New Straits Times newspaper quoted Subramaniam as stating in the letter. He added that delegates were told to bring cameras or camera-phones into polling booths to take pictures of their marked ballot papers.
According to the report, election committee chairman K. Vijayanathan has confirmed receiving the letter from Subramaniam.
However, Vijayanathan was quoted as saying that there was no truth in the allegations.
"No way can a camera be fitted in an election area," he told the newspaper. "Telephones are also barred from voting areas or during the counting of votes."
Ramallah, June 13 (Xinhua) Fatah militants set fire to the Hamas-led cabinet offices and the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) building in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Militants of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, armed wing of Fatah movement, broke into the cabinet offices and set it ablaze, while the PLC building was also torched Monday night.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) dominated PLC and formed the cabinet following its surprising victory over Fatah in the Jan 25 parliamentary elections.
But the political disagreement between the two main rival factions resulted in increasing armed clashes and prompted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to call a referendum on a statehood plan, which implies recognition of Israel on July 26 after a national dialogue failed to reach agreement.
The Fatah loyalists said they carried out arson to avenge the Hamas' attack on the Fatah-dominated preventive security building in the southern Gaza town of Rafah earlier in the day.
Two Palestinians were killed in the shootout when Hamas militants tried to storm the preventive security compound.
Further, a Hamas militant was killed in Rafah during the funeral of another militant. The preventive security denied involvement in the killing of the Hamas militant, urging the Hamas-led government to investigate the incident.
Abbas has declared a state of emergency and ordered redeployment of security and police forces in the town to curb the rampage.
Tension between Fatah and Hamas has been on the rise since the Hamas-led interior ministry deployed a 3,000-strong militia force in Gaza last month in a bid to restore order, despite Abbas annulling its decision.
Patna, June 13 (IANS) The lucrative construction business in this Bihar capital has lured criminal-turned-politicians and gangsters, who have found it a convenient way of investing their black money, official sources say.
With political patronage and black money, dozens of people with shady backgrounds have turned builders overnight, according to a preliminary probe by the state administration.
Last week, a newly-built five-storey apartment building in a posh locality here collapsed after heavy rains.
The builder, Anil Sharma, is absconding and was allegedly close to leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the party of former chief minister and current Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.
"The boom in construction in the city provided a god sent opportunity to criminals, politicians and gangsters to invest their black money and make it into white money," a senior police official said.
The collapse of the building, the first instance here, has brought out into the open the extent of money and muscle power in the construction business.
"Earlier, people were reluctant to point out investment of black money in the construction business but after the building collapsed, it has become the talk of the town," a builder, known for his quality, said on the condition of anonymity.
Sharma, who is facing a CBI probe and murder charges, reportedly had political patronage as some corrupt politicians were said to be shareholders in his business.
He obliged powerful officials in the police, judiciary and the media by selling them apartments at prices much below the prevailing market rates. Among house owners in Sharma's apartments are senior police officers and their relatives, legislators, MPs, judicial officers and senior journalists.
Among the politicians who are alleged to have invested in the construction business is jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, official sources said.
"Their modus operandi is simple, they invest money through builders and take a major share of the profit," an official said.
The sources said criminals like Guddu Sharma, Chotelal Shahni, Naga Singh and Babloo Trivedi, who are facing charges of kidnapping, murder and extortion, have invested big money in construction. They allegedly encroached on land at gun point to build apartments and malls in the city.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has promised action against builders who were violating the norms but has been silent on the entry of black money into the business.
According to the Patna Regional Development Authority (PRDA), there are 1,401 apartments that have been officially certified by it since 1990. But of these, the PRDA has given completion and occupancy certificates to only 50 apartments.
The Patna High Court had instructed the state government to survey all existing apartments in the city and submit a list of those who had flouted the prescribed building plans. The government is yet to complete the survey.
Patna, June 13 (IANS) Two young men were shot dead by police in a temple in Patna after a reported tiff during a marriage ceremony, triggering angry reactions from locals over the unprovoked killing.
According to witnesses, the police were in an inebriated condition when they shot dead Manoj Kumar, the brother of the bride, after a heated exchange and another man who came to intervene in the dispute at the Sitla temple in the Agamkuan area here late Monday.
Manoj and his friends had apparently invited the wrath of the police for daring to question their highhandedness and behaviour. He was shot dead just before the final rituals of his sister's wedding.
"Both were killed like dreaded criminals. They were innocent youths," said Manoj's father.
Family members, relatives and witnesses told IANS that the four policemen on duty at the temple were drunk. "They were so drunk that they opened fire and killed the two young men as they would criminals - one after another in a span of a few minutes - for no fault," said Sunil Kumar, a witness.
Soon after the incident, people in large numbers gathered at the temple, blocked the roads and shouted slogans against the police and the administration.
"There has been tension in the area since late Monday, but it is under control. Police are investigating the case," said a police official.
The angry people said they would protest again Tuesday. They allege that police were trying to hush up the case and give it a different colour to suppress the facts.
Police officials told the people that the killing was the result of a clash between two gangs.
The four policemen involved in the killing have been taken into custody and lodged in the Alamganj police station, police said.
The district administration is yet to order a probe into the killing.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Political consensus is being sought on creating the position of a chief of defence staff (CDS) for the Indian armed forces, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Tuesday.
"We have received a response from some parties. We have sent a reminder to the others," Mukherjee said at a press conference here.
He, however, declined to state what the thrust of the response was.
The creation of the post of CDS, who will be the overall head of the army, navy and air force, has been hanging fire since 2000 when it was recommended by a group of ministers in the government of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The recommendation had come on a report by an expert committee that studied the 1999 Kargil operations in Jammu and Kashmir when the Indian Army went in to oust Pakistani soldiers who had surreptitiously occupied the heights.
While the government has been cooling its heels on the CDS recommendation, it has accepted the group's two other recommendations: the creation of the post of a Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS), and an integrated command for the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were once an army preserve.
Mukherjee is known to have thrown his weight behind the move. The army is believed to be generally supportive of the idea but the other two forces are said to have asked for guarantees to safeguard their interests.
The armed forces currently ensure inter-operability though a chiefs of staff committee (CSC) that is headed in rotation by the senior-most head of the three services.
The CSC, however, is more of an informal club, as it does not have any institutional backup.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash is the current CSC head.
Jaipur, June 13 (IANS) Rajasthan's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has decided to re-send a bill on religious conversions to the state governor who had last month refused to give it her assent.
"At a cabinet meeting held late Monday we decided to send the Rajasthan Dharma Swatantrya Bill, 2006, back to the governor for her consideration and assent," Rajendra Singh Rathore, parliamentary affairs minister, told IANS here Tuesday.
The bill, according to the government, is aimed at checking forcible religious conversions in the state.
The cabinet has adopted a resolution advising the governor to grant her assent to the bill instead of reserving it for the consideration of the president. Rathore said the government had tried to give point-wise clarifications on issues raised by Governor Pratibha Patil while returning the bill.
On May 17 she had refused to give her assent to the bill, which was cleared by the state assembly in the first week of April.
Official sources said in her comments on the bill, the governor had said there were certain provisions in the bill that directly or indirectly affected citizen's fundamental right of religion. Under the bill, forcible religious conversion will be considered a non-bailable offence.
The bill also contains a provision of two to five years' imprisonment and a fine of Rs.50,000 for those found guilty of forcing and encouraging others for conversion through any means, be it coercive or temptation of any sort.
The opposition Congress has always opposed the bill saying the BJP government was trying to disturb the peaceful inter-religious fabric of the state.
Frankfurt, June 13 (Xinhua) South Korea scored two second half goals to beat 10-man Togo 2-1 in their opening World Cup group tie Tuesday.
Substitute Ahn Jung-Hwan scored the winner in the 71st minute when he turned and fired a deflected shot into the top right-hand corner of the Togo net.
Togo, the World Cup debutants, first scored in the 31st minute through Mohammed Kader who latched on to a through ball, took it in his stride and fired a shot in, off the far post.
Striker Lee Chun-Soo hit in the equaliser in the 53rd minute by curling an exquisite free kick over the Togo wall and into the net.
Midfielder Park Ji Sung who was hauled down by Togo skipper Jean-Paul Abalo earned the free kick. The foul earned Abalo's second yellow card and he was sent off consequently.
--Xinhua
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) A special court for drug abuse cases here reserved orders Tuesday on a bail application of Rahul Mahajan, the son of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan.
A special judge, Swarnakanta Mehra, reserved orders on conclusion of arguments by counsel for the accused and prosecution. The judge said she would pass the order Wednesday at 11.30 a.m.
Mehra also asked Delhi Police to present supportive evidence on the charges levelled against Rahul, who was arrested last week after being admitted to a hospital here following a drink-and-drugs party.
Rahul, 31, has been charged for offences under Section 27-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which can only be tried by a special court for NDPS cases and are non-bailable.
Section 27-A deals with financing of drug trafficking and harbouring dug dealers.
Meanwhile, Sahil Zarru, who is charged for supplying drugs to Rahul, also moved a bail application. Issuing notice to the prosecution, the court said the application would be taken up Wednesday at 11.30 am.
The judge also allowed a Delhi Police plea for recording a statement of Karan Ahuja, a witness in the case, under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code before a metropolitan magistrate. She sent the application to additional chief metropolitan magistrate for marking the same to a metropolitan magistrate.
Police moved yet another application for narco-analysis and brain mapping of Rahul, which too would be heard Wednesday.
Chennai, June 13 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Urban Development Minister M.K. Stalin, son of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, escaped unhurt as an unknown assailant threw a knife at him while he was surrounded by admirers at the Madurai railway station Tuesday.
According to police sources in Madurai, as Stalin disembarked from a train, someone pulled his shirt from behind. As his attention was distracted, someone else from a distance threw a knife into the crowd.
The attacker escaped, police said. A policeman, Suresh Kumar, sustained injuries to his hand as he tried to catch the assailant. Police are reluctant to give details of the attack or the number of people involved.
There was no confirmation of the attack on Stalin from the chief minister's secretariat here.
Stalin was in Madurai to chair a meeting of local body officials on urban growth schemes for the region.
The DMK's interests in Madurai, 500 km south of Chennai, are looked after by Stalin's brother, M.K. Azhagiri.
The AIADMK has, meanwhile, described the incident as a stage-managed show to blame the opposition, particularly Vaiko of MDMK.
"How can the assailants escape when there is so much security for Stalin and there was a large DMK cadre presence at the station?" a member of the opposition party asked.
Opposition sources also alleged that this could be an attempt to step up security for Stalin and get him 'Z' category security cover.
Patna, June 13 (IANS) A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in the Bihar assembly who is accused in a double murder case is among 11 accorded the status of a minister of state or a deputy minister by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a step likely to cause embarrassment for the government.
The Nitish Kumar government's decision Monday to accord Nityanand Rai, currently out on bail and a known bahubali for his muscle power, the status of a deputy minister has raised eyebrows in political circles here.
The move was seen to silence the growing unrest among the powerful legislators of the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-S)-BJP combine for getting berths in the cabinet.
It contradicts the stand of Nitish Kumar, who soon after taking oath last November had declared that he would not include any tainted or criminal-turned legislators in his government.
Police had declared Rai an absconder and launched a manhunt after he allegedly killed a Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and his brother in Hajipur in 1993. A murder case was registered against him and he was arrested and lodged in jail. He was granted bail last year.
A cabinet minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi, was forced to resign hours after being sworn in on Nov 24 after Nitish Kumar came to know that he was facing corruption charges. That move was widely publicised as a step to give clean governance as promised by Nitish Kumar.
The 11 legislators, including Rai, have been accommodated either as deputy chief, treasurer or divisional whip of the combine in the state assembly to accord them the status of a minister of state or a deputy minister. Three senior legislators have been accorded the status of minister of state.
Rai was appointed one of the nine divisional whips for the nine divisions of the state. He was made divisional whip of Tirhut range, which comprises Vaishali, Samastipur and Muzaffarpur districts.
"It has again exposed the governance of Nitish Kumar and his move to join hands with criminal-turned politicians," Samata Party legislator P.K. Sinha said.
Nitish Kumar is heading a 27-member council of ministers and the expansion of the council has been delayed. He is likely to include 10 more ministers when he goes in for expansion.