21 June 2006
Jakarta, June 21 (DPA) More than 70 people were killed and dozens of others were missing as flash floods and landslides swept through villages in the eastern Indonesian province of South Sulawesi, officials said Wednesday.
The flash floods, triggered by several hours of heavy rain, inundated or heavily damaged hundreds of houses in four different districts in the province, officials said.
"By late this morning, at least 69 people have dead and between 40-to-50 people were still missing," said Andi Rudyanto Asapa, chief of the Sinjai district, the worst-hit area.
Asapa feared the death toll would increase further as rescue workers continued searching for missing people believed to have died after being swept away by floodwaters or buried under mudslides.
"The floods and landslides took place early Tuesday when locals were asleep," Asapa said.
Meanwhile, the state-run Antara news agency reported from three other districts of the province that at least seven people were killed.
The floods also swept away hundreds of houses, inundated thousands of hectares of fields, destroyed six bridges, and cut power and telephone communications to the affected regions, other officials said.
Central Sulawesi governor and officials from the meteorology and geophysics' office and environmental groups were already blaming deforestation of the area for the disaster.
The floods are the latest calamity to hit the vast archipelago nation during this year's rainy season.
In early January, landslides and flash floods swept through several villages in Central and East Java provinces, killing more than 120 people and injuring dozens of others. Hundreds of dwellings were destroyed and thousands of villagers forced from their homes.
DHAKA, June 21 (NNN-Xinhua) Police fought with opposition activists Tuesday with tear gas and rubber bullets as Bangladesh's 14-party opposition coalition attempted to lay a siege to the Election Commission in this capital city and across the country.
The opposition demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and his two deputies as the opposition accuse them as the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party's supporters.
The opposition activists fought police with stone missiles, leaving nearly 100 people injured.
The Election Commission siege programme across the country was announced in the second week of this month after a Dhaka siege on June 11.
The opposition activists attempted to march towards the Election Commission from three fronts where thousands of activists and leaders gathered. But the government posted 6,000 police and para-military border troops inside and outside the Election Commission.
Police put barbed wire barricades in all the three fronts stopping traffic movements from where the opposition was to start their march. As the opposition started their march, battle between police and opposition activists erupted.
Television footage showed fighting between police and opposition activists. The battle spread up to the inner roads of Dhaka city from where activists threw brick missiles towards police.
In northern front Mohakhali, from where the opposition started their march, one female activist of the 14-party coalition was seen lying on the street and another was getting no place for hiding to protect her from police repression. She was seen requesting police not to beat her.
The opposition coalition has staged a series of national strikes and protests asking the resignation of CEC and his men. The opposition also demanding other electoral reforms. They say a new voter list prepared by the commission was flawed as the commission did not list thousands of opposition supporters.
Reports of siege of the election offices from districts started to pour in the capital. Most reports said the siege were peaceful. But there were some disturbances in northern Mymensingh and northwestern Bagerhat districts.
Hyderabad, June 21 (IANS) Objecting to irregularities in the voters' lists, the Andhra Pradesh High Court Tuesday quashed the notification of the state election commissioner for local body polls.
Judge P.S. Narayana termed the notification "illegal, arbitrary and discriminatory" and indicted the State Election Commission for abdicating its constitutional responsibility.
The court was acting on a bunch of petitions filed by supporters of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party alleging grave irregularities in the voters' list.
The government, however, would challenge the order before a division bench, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy told reporters.
He said the state had 6,000 villages and the poll process could not be put on hold for irregularities in the voters' list in 150 villages.
State Election Commissioner A.V.S. Reddy said he would appeal in the Supreme Court, if necessary.
The official also clarified that as of now, there was no change in the election process. "We will hold the elections as per the schedule," he maintained.
The state election commissioner argued that only the Election Tribunal was the appropriate forum to handle election-related matters.
"There cannot be 100 percent correct electoral rolls as additions and deletions will be there at any given point of time in a state with more than 39 million voters," he said.
Hailing the court order, TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, as also leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded the Congress government resign.
Elections to district and village-level bodies were scheduled to be held in two phases June 28 and July 2.
The court verdict came a day before the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations, even as all political parties were gearing up for polls to Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) in the 23 districts of the state.
Dubai, June 21 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday said that the guidelines of its Future Tours Programme (FTP) for Test nations "need to be interpreted with a reasonable degree of flexibility".
"The guidelines need to be interpreted with a reasonable degree of flexibility from year to year but out of the sixty annual touring programmes under the FTP, not one side is scheduled to exceed both the Test and ODI (one-day international) figures in any 12-month period," claimed ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed.
Speed was reacting to Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA) CEO Tim May's comments that the workload of international players was too much and suggested that it could lead to cricketers resorting to drugs.
"Those guidelines, which have been supported at the ICC cricket committee, by the players at the captains' meeting and by player representatives, including FICA (Federation of International Cricketers' Association), suggest the volume of cricket for national teams should not exceed 15 Test matches and 30 ODIs in a 12 month period," Speed said.
While saying that the issue of player workload "remains very much on the ICC's agenda", Speed admitted that the subject would be discussed at a key meeting next month.
"The Chief Executives' Committee, which meets next month, is discussing the application of the guidelines already agreed by members surrounding the FTP," he conceded.
Speed claimed that the Indian board officials had told ICC that the FTP had the support of its players.
"On the flip side, India, which has more ODI matches scheduled than any other country, indicated at a recent ICC Board meeting that their playing schedule was supported by their player group," he said.
Speed, a former Australian cricket board CEO, also said that ICC member countries could schedule additional matches "to maximise their revenue and so grow the game".
On May's comments that players might resort to strike or drug use as a response to the heavy workload placed upon them, Speed said: "Remarks like that serve no purpose in a reasoned debate and give FICA no credit at all."
May, a former Australian Test spinner, is also an ex-CEO of the Australian Cricketers' Association.
Cologne, June 21 (DPA) England and Sweden parted 2-2 in a last Group B thriller of the World Cup Tuesday, setting up next round matches in which the Swedes meet Germany and England take on Ecuador.
Joe Cole struck for England in the 34th minute with a powerful long-range effort and Steven Gerrard headed an 85th-minute lead after Marcus Allback had equalised for Sweden in the 51st minute.
Henrik Larsson headed home, in the final minute of regular time, for the exciting 2-2, which meant England still had not beaten their Scandinavian rivals for 38 years.
"The most important thing was to win the group and I'm very happy about that," Swedish coach Sven Goran Eriksson said, adding that he preferred the prospect of Ecuador to that of Germany.
"Sweden were very strong in the air. We have to defend better against set pieces, which we normally we do well," he added.
"It was great we got a point today," said Sweden's Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg. "It's always important to know that we can come back. We play to the final kick of the match.
"We showed very good pace in the second half and played a smart match. The whole team was well organised and when we attacked we came in strength."
Asked about playing Germany, he said: "Three points. They're the home side. They have the pressure, and that could suit us pretty well."
England dominated in the first half, but the Swedes turned it right around and twice hit the woodwork and also forced a couple of goal-line clearances by field players in the second.
The result means England end at the top of Group B with 7 points, followed by Sweden with 5. The Swedes meet Germany in Munich next Saturday, and England face Ecuador in Stuttgart Sunday.
The match began with a heavy blow for England's World Cup campaign when striker Michael Owen fell awkwardly in the first minute and had to be stretchered off, grimacing from a twisted right knee.
Peter Crouch, whom coach Sven Goran Eriksson had wanted to protect from getting banned for a second yellow card, came on as replacement as the game settled with the Swedes making the early running.
But it was Swedish hearts that went into mouths in the 11th minute when Wayne Rooney was sent clear by Joe Cole with just Andreas Isaksson to beat - only to be ruled inches offside.
The Manchester United youngster, making his first start since breaking a toe, came dangerously close again in the 25th minute, mixing up the Swedish defence after skilfully controlling a long ball from David Beckham.
Beckham shortly after forced a good save by Isaksson off a free kick from the left that curled into his far left as England by now were well in control.
Then came Joe Cole's hammer - a 30-yard strike off a clearance that found him alone, with time to tee up and hit a vicious bending shot into exactly the same spot Isaksson had defended minutes before.
Sweden came out of the break straight into a purple patch. Moments after Freddie Ljundberg had forced a crucial block by John Terry, Marcus Allback struck from a corner, getting behind his marker Beckham to head home for what was the 2,000th goal in World Cup history.
Larsson rattled the English defence again two minutes later, again heading off a corner only to see keeper Paul Robinson blindly punch the ball up against the bar and out.
Then Olof Mellberg headed onto the bar in the 58th minute, again after a corner, shortly after Eriksson had replaced Ferdinand with Sol Campbell in his pressured defence.
Steven Gerrard, brought on just beforehand for Rooney who looked tired, saved off the line when Kim Kallstrom's shot had Robinson beaten in the 71st minute as the Swedish onslaught continued.
Gerrard was again at the right spot at the other end when he headed in off a Joe Cole cross for a lead that was going well against the run of play.
The Swedes then got justice after all with Ljungberg's 90th-minute equaliser, getting his foot to the ball through a knot of players off a long-range throw-in.
Squads:
Sweden: Andreas Isaksson, Niclas Alexandersson, Olof Mellberg, Teddy Lucic, Erik Edman, Tobias Linderoth, Daniel Andersson, Mattias Jonson, Christian Wilhelmsson, Kim Kallstrom, Fredrik Ljungberg, Marcus Allback, Jan Elmander, Henrik Larsson
England: Paul Robinson, Jamie Carragher, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, John Terry, Ashley Cole, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, Michael Owen, Peter Crouch, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Attendance: 45,000
By Probir Pramanik, Mumbai, June 21 (IANS) Buying or selling prepaid mobile phone connections in India may no longer be all that easy. The government now wants all relevant documents to be produced to ascertain the user's credentials.
Even retailers of mobile service have come under the scanner after the startling discovery by the Haryana police recently that over 182,000 illegal connections had been given to people in the state.
The discovery has not only shaken the government and law-enforcing agencies but also exposed security threats posed by organised crime cartels and militant groups.
"Retailers flouting protocol while selling mobile phone connections have posed serious security risks in most parts of the country," said a senior official of Mumbai Police.
"The discovery by the Haryana police is a pointer to how serious the matter is in terms of security threats," the official told IANS, adding thousands of mobile telephones may be in the hands of criminals and subversives.
"For a long time we have been pointing out the serious threats posed by illegal mobile connections. But due to the lack of proper mechanism to keep a tab on genuine subscribers, the retailers are constantly flouting rules."
The discovery has also woken up two of India's leading telecom industry lobbies to compile a database of over 500,000 retailers. They also feel that retailers play a big role in the lack of adequate verification of prepaid phones.
Now retailers across the country stand the risk of losing permits if they are found flouting protocol while selling telephone connections - two of them have already been blacklisted after internal audits.
The Apex Advisory Council for Telecom in India (ACT), formed in May by the Association of United Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) to ensure proper verification of subscribers, conducted the audits.
"The ACT was formed after the central government and law-enforcing agencies told us about the lapses in subscriber verifications as mandated by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)," said T.V. Ramachandran, director general of COIA.
"To address this concern, the entire industry in India has come together through a common platform to set up the ACT to ensure and oversee that proper subscriber verification procedures are followed," he added.
"A comprehensive database of over 500,000 telecom retailers in the country is being compiled. Through this database, ACT will ensure retailers do not indulge in any malpractices while selling cell phone connections."
The ACT has spelt out a four-stage procedure to be followed before activating a new mobile connection. The apex body, on its part, will also conduct independent audits of individual retailers to assess compliance of the procedures.
New York, June 21 (DPA) General Electric Co is to buy Swedish medical company Biacore to complement its own healthcare division GE Healthcare, the two companies have announced.
The Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE will purchase Biacore, which specialises in instruments for medical research, for 3.22 billion Swedish kroner ($438 million).
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc, which holds a 41 percent stake in Uppsala, Sweden-based Biacore, supports the bid, according to GE.
"We are extremely excited about Biacore's prospects," GE Healthcare chief executive Joe Hogan said in a statement. "Our joint offerings will create added value for our customers in biomedical and drug discovery research."
Berlin, June 21 (Xinhua) German star striker Miroslav Klose scored his third and fourth goals at the World Cup 2006, helping the hosts crash Ecuador 3-0 in their last match in Group A here Tuesday.
As both teams had already qualified for the second stage from Group A with six points each before Tuesday's match, they fought each other just for the first place of the group.
Finally, Germany topped Group A with three wins, followed by Ecuador with two wins and one loss.
Germany will meet the second-placer of Group B, most likely Sweden at present, while Ecuador will probably meet England.
Only four minutes into the game, Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger put the ball into the six-yard box where German first division league top scorer Klose was on hand to side-foot the ball home.
Klose was on target again in the 44th minute when he broke the defence line and got past Ecuador goalkeeper Cristian Mora to steer the ball home.
He had scored twice in the opener to help Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2.
Now, Klose is topping the list of World Cup scorers with four goals.
The Germans came to the field with more determination as they fielded all their key players.
However, Ecuador preserved their strength for the knockout stage, keeping their two star strikers Agustin Delgado and Carlos Tenorio on the bench.
Delgado and Tenorio collected two goals respectively in their team's 2-0 win over Poland and 3-0 victory over Costa Rica.
German rising star striker Lukas Podolski got his first World Cup goal in the 57th minute when the youngster rushed into the box and tapped home the cross from Bernd Schneider on the right.
It was a great relief for the Polish-born forward who had invited some comments for the lack of goals earlier.
After the hosts enjoyed a 3-0 lead, German playmaker Michael Ballack was tackled down and could not stand up at once.
All German fans were in panic, as they want their star to keep healthy for the tougher knockout stage.
Ballack stood up a minute later and won applause from 72,000 spectators - mostly Germans.
German coach Juergen Klinsmann let his key players Klose and midfielder Torsten Frings out, sending in Tim Borowski and Oliver Neuville.
Germany began to play keep-ball and it seemed that there was no need for them to chase a fourth goal.
All players were doing well to keep up the pace in the heat - it was over 30 degrees Celsius on the pitch.
Ecuador's best chance came at 72nd minute when Edison Mendez sent a free kick curving and spinning over the top.
Mendez had blasted a long-distance shot, which was tipped out by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in the 50th minute.
Bangalore, June 21 (IANS) In a record of sorts, aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has ushered in the largest batch of over 500 management and design trainees into its fold here.
The formal induction ceremony Monday saw young devotees of aviation in the technical, human resources and materials management streams taking a pledge to propel the company forward.
In his inaugural address, HAL director (personnel) Sanjeev Sahi said that never in the past had the company inducted so many youngsters in one go.
"Working in HAL is a service to our nation, a proud factor only few youngsters in this country can boast of. Your ideas today will become the driving force of our nation tomorrow," Sahi added.
Speaking about the company's performance, Sahi said: "HAL has joined the elite group of billion dollar companies in 2004-05. Our profits have surpassed the Rs.1,000 crore (Rs.10 billion) per year mark.
"We now have 16 divisions and nine R&D centres. Two more divisions are in the making. We have been delivering good results continuously," he added.
Congratulating the new batch, Yogesh Kumar, director of the light combat aircraft programme, said: "The first batch of management trainees were inducted into the company in 1968. Those batches comprised of merely 30 to 40 trainees. Now, almost all divisions of the company are headed by members from the first batch."
Kumar said the 60+ company had blossomed into the Mecca of Engineering in the country.
"For any fresh engineering graduate, HAL could be a dream workplace because nowhere else could one find such a large number of functional projects in the high-end-technology sector," he added.
The trainees, who have been selected from thousands of aspirants, will first undergo a one-year programme with the HAL Management Academy and will then be posted to various HAL divisions.
Dhaka, June 21 (IANS) The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has dubbed Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina's visit to India from Wednesday as a "political pilgrimage" and asked its high commission to "closely monitor" her stay in New Delhi and Kolkata, media reports said.
The Daily Star newspaper, however, quoted a highly placed source in the Prime Minister's Office as saying that the instructions were to extend "full protocol" to the former prime minister during her five-day visit.
In New Delhi, she is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
After that, she will travel to Kolkata to receive the Mother Teresa International Award on June 24. She may meet West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya as well.
These visits are part of the normal interaction between the top leaders of India and Bangladesh.
Hasina's political secretary Saber Hussain Chowdhury said none of the meetings was "scheduled", but if these took place "it would not be unusual".
As daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and leader of the country's largest party, Hasina has known several Indian leaders on personal terms. She spent nearly five years in New Delhi with her family when her father and most other family members were assassinated in 1975.
When she was attacked at a rally in 2004, Manmohan Singh and then external affairs minister K. Natwar Singh, among others, had made concerned inquiries on the telephone, something that irked the Khaleda Zia government.
Zia was in India on an official visit in March at the head of a large team of ministers, BNP leaders, officials and businessmen.
Kuala Lumpur, June 21 (IANS) Three-time champions India outplayed South Korea 3-0 in a Pool A match to storm into the semi-finals of the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament here Wednesday.
India, who had lost to defending champions Australia 1-4 and defeated Malaysia 5-2 in earlier encounters, led 2-0 at half time in the rain-interrupted encounter at the National Hockey Stadium.
Tejbir Singh (11th minute), penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh (15th) and Tushar Khandekar (53rd) were the goal scorers.
With this win India took their points tally to eight and are currently heading Pool A, ahead of South Korea, four-time champions Australia and hosts Malaysia.
India's semi-finals opponents are yet to be identified. Two teams from both groups advance to the semi-finals, to be played Friday. The final will be played Sunday.
Asian Games champion South Korea had stunned Olympics champions Australia 3-0 Monday, but they looked completely out of depths Wednesday.
They failed to earn a single penalty corner while India forced two and scored off one.
Besides Tejbir, Kahndekar and Sandeep, V.S. Vinaya, Vikram Pillay, Arjun Halappa and Hari Prasad shone in a match that was held up for about three hours due to heavy rains.
The only sore point for India was that Tejbir was shown the yellow card for committing an unpardonable foul in the final minutes of the match.
India, who have won the Olympic gold eight times, built up the pressure right from the start of the match.
Tejbir gave India a heady start by scoring a neat field goal off a pass from Sandeep on the right side. All Tejbir had to do was deflect the ball into the goal.
About five minutes later Sandeep was himself in the middle of the action as he scored off a penalty corner. He flicked Khandekar's push past South Korean goalkeeper Ko Dong Sik with a superb body dodge.
With just a little over 17 minutes left for the first half to end, heavy rains lashed the stadium, forcing the players inside. The game was held up for about three hours.
When the encounter resumed under floodlights South Korea started aggressively, but there was no change in the score line when the hooter for the half time went off.
In the second half too, the South Koreans started with a clear intent to draw parity, but the agile Indian defence led by captain Dilip Tirkey kept their forwards at bay.
Finally, it was Khandekar's turn to score. He started the move and passed the ball on to Shivinder Singh, who in turn sent it to Khandekar again to slam it in for a 3-0 advantage.
South Korean forwards made a good attempt in the 58th minute, but an agile Indian goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza thwarted the attack. D'Souza was never fully tested, as the Indians were far superior in defence.
India earned their second and final penalty corner in the dying moments of the match, but it went waste.
By Arun Kumar, Washington, June 21 (IANS) The process of getting Congressional approval for the US-India nuclear deal gets underway next week with the supporting bill coming up for crucial review before a panel of the lower house on June 27.
No date has been set as yet for "mark-up" or review of the text of a similar bill in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but the deal has won critical support from the heads of both panels indicating that the Bush administration is close to building a consensus on the deal in Congress.
The senate panel chairman Dick Lugar indicatted as much when he joined hi counterpart in the House of Representatives, Henry Hyde, in commending the agreement last week and publicly announcing that the two houses are satisfactorily "working through language that would guide our policy toward India."
While Hyde said he is willing to push the bill through, Lugar warned that "a Congressional rejection of the agreement - or an open-ended delay - risks wasting a critical opportunity to begin to expand beyond our Cold War alliance structures to include dynamic nations with whom our interests are converging."
An open meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on International Relations has been called on June 27 for the purpose of marking up a bill "to authorise the President to waive the application of certain requirements under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 with respect to India".
The bill introduced in the house on March 16, 2006 by the panel chairman Hyde himself with representative Tom Lantos would authorise the president to waive the application of some provisions to "proposed agreement for (nuclear) cooperation with India" provided he determines that New Delhi has complied with a set of seven actions.
The president will have to report to the foreign relations committees of the two houses the basis for his determination and it would become ineffective if the President determines that India has detonated a nuclear explosive device after the Act is enacted.
The seven essential requirements are:
(1) India has provided the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with a credible plan to separate civil and military facilities, materials, and programmes, and has filed a declaration regarding its civil facilities with the IAEA.
(2) An agreement has entered into force between India and the IAEA requiring the application of safeguards in accordance with IAEA practices to India's civil nuclear facilities as declared in the plan described in paragraph (1).
(3) India and the IAEA are making satisfactory progress toward implementing an Additional Protocol that would apply to India's civil nuclear program.
(4) India is working with the United States for the conclusion of a multilateral Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
(5) India is supporting international efforts to prevent the spread of enrichment and reprocessing technology.
(6) India is ensuring that the necessary steps are being taken to secure nuclear materials and technology through the application of comprehensive export control legislation and regulations, and through harmonisation and adherence to Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines.
(7) Supply to India by the United States under an agreement for cooperation arranged pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 is consistent with United States participation in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
The Bush administration is keen that the foreign relations panels of the two houses finish their review process before the month end as Congress would be on a week long recess from July 4. It would then have just about a fortnight to push the deal through the Congress as it again goes for a month-long summer break around July 27.
New York, June 21 (IANS) Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath will have a special session June 23 with prominent Indian Americans in the New York region under the auspices of the Indian American Council (IAC).
The Council, chaired by Indian Knowledge Commission chairman Sam Pitroda, helps Indian Americans connect to opportunities in India and enhance their engagement with India.
The IAC session culminates a series of eight initiatives by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to highlight the increasing impact that India and India Inc. are having throughout the world.
Spread over nine days, these initiatives are aimed at doubling bilateral trade in both goods and services from the current level of $40 billion to $80 billion over the next three years.
New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday said it supported private investment for a strong industrial base, but asserted that the working class should be protected.
In an editorial in party weekly People's Democracy on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Left Front government in West Bengal, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat clarified that his party was never against private investment.
Pointing out that the CPI-M-led Left Front government has been a success in West Bengal for the last three decades, Karat said: "The Left Front government has taken initiatives to invite private investment, so that the state can have a strong industrial base and acquire high technology.
"While promoting private investment, the government is committed to defend the rights of the working class and their trade union rights. At the same time, the Left Front government is committed to people-oriented development where the poorer sections are provided the wherewithal to overcome poverty," Karat said.
He said the Left government was committed to providing education, health and social welfare facilities even if the resources were limited.
"The state government, while attracting private investment, will not retreat from its commitment to provide basic services for the people," he said.
The Left Front government in West Bengal entered its 30th year of rule Wednesday.
Karat also said the Left Front governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura have always defended and protected the public sector in key areas apart from trying to expand the public expenditure in the social sector if possible.
Karat's CPI-M-led Left Front, which shores up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's multiparty government, has been criticised for its views against free market economic policies. The Left has opposed foreign direct investment and privatisation in key sectors.
In the article titled "West Bengal Left Front Govt: A Historic Anniversary", Karat also claimed that the Left government had succeeded in maintaining communal harmony in the state.
"All through the vicissitudes of the offensive of the communal forces, particularly in the 1990s, West Bengal stood as a bastion of communal harmony and adherence to the secular principle," he said adding that West Bengal has 26 percent Muslims in its total population.
According to Karat, the three decades of party rule in West Bengal have "provided the ballast for the Left movement in the country".
"When the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the imperialist offensive commenced in 1991, the Left Front government was able to withstand the hostile ideological environment, both internationally and domestically," the editorial said.
Kuala Lumpur, June 21 (IANS) As the campaign for the party elections in the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) hots up, incumbent deputy president S. Subramaniam has said he does not expect to be put in "cold storage".
According to reports here, Subramaniam has said he would remain functional if he gets re-elected to the No. 2 post in the party.
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.
"I will be functional. I don't expect to be put in cold storage. I am in the party to serve. I will serve the members and the community if they re-elect me," the Bernama wire service quoted Subramaniam as telling reporters at his residence in Petaling Jaya near here Tuesday.
Subramaniam, a veteran of 40 years in the MIC, is fighting G. Palanivel, Malaysia's deputy minister for women, family and community development and party president S. Samy Vellu's favoured candidate for the deputy president's post.
Relations between Vellu and Subramaniam have been strained ever since the former defeated the latter for the party vice president's post nearly three decades ago. Vellu then dropped Subramaniam from the party's list of candidates for the country's 11th general election three days before nomination day.
Now, with Vellu openly endorsing Palanivel for the deputy president's post, Subramaniam, who has held the post for 22 years now, is facing one of the hardest political battles of his life.
According to the Bernama report, Subramaniam has said his opponents were trying to dig his political grave.
"They want to unseat me and kill me off from the political arena. It has been harsh, I have been bruised, attacked and humiliated. But I have not asked for any help. I have done it on my own and never cried for sympathy," he was quoted as saying.
When asked what his next move would be if he failed to retain the post, he said that the thought had not crossed his mind yet.
Earlier, Subramaniam had created a furore by alleging that delegates had been warned against voting for him.
In a letter to the party's election steering committee, he alleged that delegates have been promised 'rewards' if they could produce evidence they had voted for a particular candidate.
In another development, K.S. Nijhar, who is defending his vice president's post in the elections, has criticised his opponents for asking the 1,441 delegates not to vote for him just because he was not a Tamil.
Nijhar is Vellu's preferred candidate for one of the three vice-presidents' posts.
"Ninety-eight per cent of the delegates are of South Indian origin. By virtue of this, I am regarded as a weak candidate and this time they consider me weak as the other two (S. Veerasingam and S. Sothinathan, who are Vellu's preferred candidates for the two other vice-presidents' posts) are both deputy ministers and I am only a backbencher," Bernama quoted Nijhar, who is of North Indian descent, as saying.
"These are the two reasons but my main point to the delegates is to look at the track record of my performance. I also have a plan for the future which is in my manifesto," he said.
By Probir Pramanik and Sharat Pradhan, Mumbai/Lucknow, June 21 (IANS) The Rs.23 billion ($550 million) merger deal between Jet Airways and Air Sahara - the largest in Indian aviation - is on the verge of collapse with the rival carriers filing lawsuits against each other.
Although one Jet official indicated that a pact was still possible, airline sources said it was highly unlike the two rival companies would overcome their differences ahead of the merger deadline Wednesday midnight.
Interestingly, as the sparring between Jet and Sahara continued, Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant boss of low-cost carrier Kingfisher Airlines, once again entered the fray in his bid to acquire Air Sahara.
The rapid developments unfolded even as home ministry officials said they were yet to discuss issues of security clearances pertaining to the merger.
The regulatory clearances are needed to pave the way for the acquisition and for Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal to join the Air Sahara board. "The issue of Naresh Goyal did not come up today," Home Secretary V.K. Duggal told reporters in New Delhi.
Jet wants a cut in the original price in buying out Air Sahara. It filed a petition in the Bombay High Court to prevent Sahara from cashing Rs.5 billion deposited in an escrow account with a Mumbai bank, officials said.
The Subrata Roy-controlled Air Sahara - opposing any cut in the negotiated price - has also filed a caveat on similar lines in a court in Lucknow, added the officials who are familiar with the developments.
The Lucknow court restrained the Jet management from withdrawing any part of the money deposited as advance in the escrow account created with ICICI Bank towards the purchase of Sahara Airlines.
The order came in a petition moved by Sahara India Commercial Corporation before the court of District Judge Shiv Prasad Sharma, who also held that since Jet had ended the contract, it was dispute for which an arbitrator needed to be chosen.
The restraint order will be in force till June 23 when the case has been listed for hearing.
A Jet official, meanwhile, said: "Our petition has been filed under Arbitration ad Conciliation Act to prevent Sahara from taking any legal action if the deal falls through.
"The Jet management is holding meetings in Mumbai and London to take a final decision on the merger. The matter is still open as we also await regulatory clearances," the official told IANS.
Air Sahara, meanwhile, is not willing to be cowed down to what it feels are Jet Airways' pressure tactics and is looking at various options to raise money. "We are looking at around $100 million," Air Sahara president Aloke Sharma said.
Senior executives of Bangalore-based UB group, controlled by Kingfisher's Mallya, were asked to renegotiate with the Sahara group, after their failed attempt last year as it involved a only a partial buy-out, officials said.
Officials familiar with the Jet-Sahara deal said even if Goyal, the chairman of Jet Airways, gets the government nod to join the rival's board, there was little chance of the deal coming through at the exiting price.
"Goyal feels Rs.23 billion is an amount Air Sahara does not deserve. He wants a major cut. The only way for the deal to go through is for Sahara to lower its prices which they are unwilling at present," an official said.
Air Sahara had said in September last year that it was looking at opportunities for alliances and partnerships to fund expansion and that its advisers Ernst and Young had put its enterprise value at $750 million to $1 billion.
Following this, many potential suitors had stepped forward to strike a deal with Air Sahara, including Kingfisher, the US-based Blackstone and the Singapore government's Temasek.
But Air Sahara - part of the $12 billion Sahara Pariwar group with interests in areas spanning para-banking, finance, housing, power and media - decided on Jet Airways since it wanted to acquire a full stake in the company.
(Arvind Padmanabhan in New Delhi also contributed to the report)
Dubai, June 21 (IANS) The Indian Association For Bihar and Jharkhand (IABJ) in Qatar has called for the creation of a separate ministry for non-resident Biharis (NRBs) by the Bihar government.
In a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, IABJ president Shakil Ahmed Kakvi said the creation of such a ministry, on the lines of the Indian government's ministry of overseas Indian affairs, would help mobilise Biharis all over the world to join hands and work for the reconstruction of Bihar.
As of now, only four states - Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa - have separate departments looking after the affairs of the NRIs of the respective states.
The letter, a copy of which is with IANS, also asked the chief minister to hold a Pravasi Bihari Divas in Patna, which would enable Biharis all over to come together in their own land.
This would also help communities move from abject poverty to abundant living, Kakvi said.
"We have the expertise to organise events like Pravasi Diwas, we will send the team to Bihar to provide all technical assistance in organising Pravasi Bihari Diwas," the letter stated.
It will be quite a new experimental move under your leadership without any financial burden on state of Bihar, Kakvi said in the letter.
The letter also invited Kumar to visit the Gulf nations and meet the NRB communities here.
"I, on the behalf of NRB Qatar, invite you to Doha-Qatar and will also coordinate your visit to UAE in collaboration with Bihar Anjuman of UAE," Kakvi stated in the letter.
Seoul, June 21 (DPA) North Korea insists it has the right to test long-range missiles but would like to ease tensions through talks with the US, according to South Korean media reports.
North Korea said it is willing to negotiate with the US to ease tensions over the situation, Han Song Ryol, deputy chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, told Yonhap news agency Wednesday.
A 1999 self-imposed moratorium concerning tests of long-range missiles only applies as long as North Korea is in a dialogue with the US, according to Han.
"As a sovereign state, North Korea has the right to not only develop, deploy, and test-fire but also export a missile," Han said.
According to South Korean, Japanese and US reports, North Korea has reportedly been fuelling a Taepodong-2 missile, with an estimated range of more than 6,000 km and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to parts of the US.
As of Tuesday, it remained unclear whether the missile had been fully fuelled.
On Wednesday, former South Korean president Kim Dae Jung delayed a planned trip to North Korea over security concerns due to the missile test-fire, reported Yonhap.
Former Unification Minister Jeong Se Hyun, who negotiated the three-day meeting, said it has become "physically difficult" for Kim to visit Pyongyang.
Kim's second trip to the Communist country to meet leader Kim Jong Il was scheduled for June 27-30. He previously travelled to Pyongyang June 2000 and held the first inter-Korean summit talks with North Korea's reclusive leader.
It was hoped that Kim's visit would help in resolving the ongoing standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
North Korea shocked the region in August 1998 when it tested a Taepodong-1 missile without preliminary warning. The missile flew over Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean.
By Syed Zarir Hussain, Gangtok, June 21 (IANS) Age is no bar for 80-year-old Motilal Lakhotia. He is preparing to lead the first batch of 12 Indian traders when the historic Silk Route reopens in July for border trading with China.
"I am very excited to be part of history. For me age is no deterrent," Lakhotia told IANS.
Indian and Chinese officials who met in Lhasa over the weekend finalised July 6 as the date for formal trading to begin at the 15,000-foot (4,545-metre) Nathu La pass, 52 km east of the Sikkim capital. The route links Sikkim state - whose Indian sovereignty was until a few years ago disputed by China - and Tibet.
This will be the first direct trade link since the 1962 China-India border war.
Twelve Indian traders chosen by the Sikkim government will form the first team to cross over to the Chinese side across Nathu La for symbolic trading July 6.
For Lakhotia, the resumption brings back memories of the traditional barter system between Indians and Chinese before formal business ties were severed in 1962.
Lakhotia, now a prosperous businessman in Gangtok, had a shop at Yatung in Tibet, 30 km from Nathu La. However, he had to wind up his business at Yatung just before the war broke out.
"I dealt in items like cereals, blankets, textiles and woollen clothing when I ran the shop from 1954 to 1961," said Lakhotia, who is fluent in both Mandarin and Tibetan. "At that time we were given silver coins in exchange for goods." It would take him about three weeks from Gangtok to reach Yatung on mule backs.
"Now we hope to reach the other side of the border in hours and that would be the biggest difference between now and 44 years ago," said Lakhotia, who is one of the last surviving traders from the days of the barter system.
"I am going empty-handed this time as the opening day will be symbolic."
Indian traders and locals in Sikkim are jubilant. "The trade will boost the local economy and we expect tourism to flourish as well," Sikkim Industries Minister R.B. Subba told IANS.
A study by the Sikkim government says bilateral trade was expected to reach $12 billion by 2015.
Indian authorities have set up basic infrastructure, including warehouses, to handle customs and immigration formalities. A trade mart has been built to exchange goods at Sherathang, a small village five kilometres below the pass.
Initial trade is expected to be the same as in the Silk Route days with Chinese silk, yak tails and raw wool likely to hit Indian markets.
India expects to sell farm products, textiles, watches, shoes, canned food, tobacco, rice and dried fruit.
"I am stocking up canned beer, fruit juice and some high quality leather shoes as normal traders like us will be allowed to do business in the days ahead," said Lhap Tshering, a grocery dealer in Gangtok.
Nathu La was a major trading point between the two countries before the 1962 war. It was also one of the main arteries of the Silk Route, which historically linked China via Central Asia to Europe. In 2003 China gave up its claim over Sikkim in return for India accepting Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of China.
Lucknow, June 21 (IANS) A 13-member delegation of Pakistani traders has sought direct trade between Pakistan and India, saying it will help to remove "many misgivings and misconceptions".
"Although demand for Indian goods, including items from Lucknow, is high in Pakistan, we have to buy things from Dubai," said Mohammad Idrees, leader of the delegation that has come here at the invitation of their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh state.
Idrees said direct trade would help both the countries. "It can open people's mind and facilitate healthier relations on both the sides, besides removing many misgivings and misconceptions," Idrees told IANS.
He said Lucknow's 'sherwani', 'angarkha' and 'chikan' embroidery were extremely popular in Pakistan. "But since these goods are brought from Dubai, they are not affordable for common people in our country," he said.
He added the two countries should have each other's goods available for customers.
"We have already urged the Federation of Trade and Commerce in Pakistan to pave the way for a more open trade between the two countries," he said.
Idrees asked the Pakistan-India People's Forum For Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) to talk to the Indian government for the same.
New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet visiting Bangladesh opposition leader Sheikh Hasina Wednesday evening and discuss with her steps to further enhance bilateral ties between the two countries.
Manmohan Singh will congratulate Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on winning the prestigious Mother Teresa International Award - the reason for her five-day visit to India that began Wednesday.
Besides Manmohan Singh, she is likely to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition leader L.K. Advani and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
With elections in Bangladesh planned for early next year, Hasina is likely to indulge in some deft political lobbying to seek support from the Indian leadership, informed sources said.
The former prime minister will also visit the dargah (mausoleum) of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti, a famous sufi saint, at Ajmer in Rajasthan before leaving for Kolkata Friday.
She will receive the Mother Teresa award Saturday night at a glittering ceremony at Calcutta University to be attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjya.
The Mother Teresa Award was founded to recognise the achievements of those who beautify the world, especially in the fields of religion, social justice and the arts. The earlier awardees include former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, late King Mahendra of Nepal, US senator Hillary Clinton and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Hasina comes to India less than three months after Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's goodwill mission here that saw the two countries strengthen their sagging ties by agreeing to fight terrorism together and address all outstanding ties, including the yawning trade deficit.
The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has labelled Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina's visit to India as a "political pilgrimage" and has asked its high commission to "closely monitor" her stay in New Delhi and Kolkata, media reports in Dhaka said.
Hasina's seven-member entourage includes Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafarullah, MP, her political secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Syed Abul Hossain, MP, Sheikh Helal, MP and former ambassador Ziauddin.
Hanover, June 21 (Xinhua) Thanks to a double from Boratosz Bosacki, Poland left the World Cup holding their heads high with a comeback 2-1 win over Costa Rica in Group A match here Tuesday, though the encounter was pointless as both sides are already out of the last 16.
The 31-year-old defender headed in a corner from Jacek Krzynowek in the 66th minute to improve the scoring for the Poles, who lost both of their previous matches against Ecuador and Germany.
His first goal was an equaliser in the first half after Costa Rica opened the scoring first with Ronald Gomez's free kick.
Mumbai, June 21 (IANS) Engineering and construction leader Punj Lloyd Ltd and its joint venture partner and Malaysian construction major Persys Wednesday bagged a Rs.14.20-billion project from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
The project involves designing and construction of an elevated 4.784-km viaduct.
The work is to be completed within 30 months, Punj Lloyd informed the Bombay Stock Exchange Wednesday.
Punj Lloyd had earlier completed a 6.3-km flyover between Kirti Nagar and Tilak Nagar (New Delhi) as a part of Connaught Place-Dwarka Corridor in Phase-I of the DMRC.
New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) The railway ministry Tuesday modified reservation rules to accommodate passengers without confirmed tickets in vacant seats in even two or more classes higher than what they had booked for.
"Under the upgradation rules, passengers holding a waiting-list or reservation-against-cancellation ticket can get a chance to be accommodated in not only the next highest class but even above that," a railway ministry official explained.
Thus, a passenger with a waitlisted sleeper class ticket could be accommodated even in the AC II tier or AC I class if no berths were available in the AC III tier class.
"Under the new rule, those passengers, if they so desire, would be automatically upgraded to an upper class in case there are seats vacant," the official told IANS.
Hitherto, the upgrading was largely at the discretion of the railway staff and this often led to corrupt practices, the official pointed out.
Under the new scheme there will be less discretionary power with the railway staff and passengers who are waitlisted would have a better chance of being accommodated in an upper class, he added.
"It will also help to achieve a better occupancy of seats in trains," the official pointed out.
The surcharge on sale of tickets under the "Tatkal" or emergency quota just before a train departs has also been reduced to 50 percent.
"All these steps have been undertaken to curb profiteering in railway tickets being done by some railway staffers," the official pointed out.
The railways have also been planning to add extra coaches in many trains, with a maximum of 24, to meet the peak summer vacation rush.
New Delhi June 21 (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday cancelled the counselling process for candidates who had cleared the entrance examination for the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) MBBS course for 1,654 seats.
A vacation bench of the apex court, comprising Justices A.R. Lakshmanan and Altamas Kabir, directed the authorities to start fresh counselling of successful candidates from Monday.
The court has directed the authorities to publish the order of the apex court in newspapers and inform the candidates individually about the order.
The directions were issued on a petition by a candidate, pointing out that despite qualifying in the entrance examination, the names of 25 students did not appear in the merit list.
The CBSE accepted during the hearing that the names of 25 successful candidates were not included in the merit list due to a technical fault in tabulation. The court has now directed the CBSE to publish the fresh merit list on its website by Thursday.
Counselling is a routine process after candidates clear the qualifying exam.
Kolkata, June 20 (IANS) Telecom major Tata Teleservices has earmarked a Rs.40 billion investment plan for 2006-07 to expand its coverage to 4,000 towns across India, its CEO Darryl Green said Tuesday.
"We plan to expand our network in a big way. We will spend Rs.40 billion for the expansion by March 2007," Green said.
"The company has tied up with Chinese firm ZTE for providing 2,600 base stations to expand network in remote areas in the next 18 months," he said.
Green was here to launch the company's new CDMA handset in a tie-up with Samsung.
"The ZTE base stations have been developed to work in difficult conditions in rural areas," he said.
Tata Teleservices currently operates in 20 circles and covers over 2,500 towns.
Muslim Deprivation ‘Unacceptable’: A Soothing Balm or Poll Gimmick?
IndianMuslims.info staff
That Indian Muslims is a marginalized lot is acceptable to almost all in political corridors. But ask the Congress president and UPA (United Progressive Alliance) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the reply is no, it is “unacceptable�. While inaugurating the India Islamic Cultural Center in Delhi on June 12, Mrs Gandhi noted that the majority of Muslims are deprived of their basic rights, saying that this is “unacceptable� in a modern society, and “this retards the overall progress of India itself.�
In their coverage of the event, the Hindustan Express and Rashtriya Sahara reported Mrs Gandhi saying that the real challenge is to increase awareness of the problems facing Muslims, discuss issues instead of brushing them under the carpet, work on fair and cooperative solutions, reduce levels of deprivation and improve conditions of women and children.
The statement sounds a soothing balm to the suffering community. But, in its editorial of June 14, the Awam warned the Muslims against going by Mrs Gandhi’s assertion, which may well be called “crocodile tears�. It holds the Congress responsible for the present pathetic condition of Muslims. “The seeds of hatred that the Congress had sown are yielding fruit today, which is harming rather than benefiting the Congress,� it said. The editorial maintained that the Congress got a political jolt when the Muslim leaders are floating their political parties or fronts in different states. Hence the party president’s polls gimmick.
The Kashmir valley has once again come to make headlines in Urdu newspaper reports and editorials. All Urdu newspapers of June 14 reported indefinite curfew and shoot-at-sight order in Kupwara following the killing of two persons in police firing. The police opened fire at the demonstrators who were staging a march on the appeal of the Hurriyat Conference (Mir Waiz) to protest the desecration of a mosque and the Holy Qur’�n at the hands of some army men.
In their editorials, the Qaumi Awaz (June 14) and the Awam (June 15) painted a very sordid picture of life the Kashmiris are living, and held political leaders of the state responsible for the plight.
In another development the president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat Syed Shahabuddin joined the BJP stalwart and Opposition leader in Lok Sabha L.K. Advani in condemning the alleged demolition of a Krishna Mandir in Lahore to make room for construction of a commercial complex, the Awam and the Awaz reported on June 15. Later, the demolition report turned out to be false.
Communalism continues to make headlines in Urdu newspapers in one way or the other. Addressing the concluding session of the 96th Orientation Program for Teachers hosted by U.G.C. Academic Staff College of Aligarh Muslim University, Professor Emeritus Mohammad Shafi said teachers could play an important role in effecting communal amity in the country, the Awaz of June 15 reported.
The Awaz of June 16 said the activists of Adarsh Bharatiya Sangh burnt an effigy of Sunni Ulema Board chairman Maulana Shah Badruddin Qadri at Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station in protest against the latter’s fatwa against singing of Vandemataram by Muslims. The Maulana had declared the song un-Islamic and advised Muslims not to sing it.
How efforts are made from time to time to create communal tension was revealed by a Sahara report on June 17. Citing the findings of the Enquiry Commission led by Justice B.G. Kolse Patil, a retired judge of Bombay High Court, the report said the attack on RSS headquarters at Nagpur on June 1 was in fact a stage-managed attack. It wondered as to why no police jawan was injured in the encounter while the fact remains that suicide bombers are highly trained warriors. It also questioned why there was no witness, save and except the policemen, to the encounter in the densely populated area.
As for Urdu, the Muslim deprivation did not appear that much this week save one report. That the future of Urdu is bright in India sent cheers to most Muslims here, especially in north India; for it is their mother tongue. But the news came from Maharashtra, where the regional language is Marathi. Addressing a seminar on the subject held in Mumbai on June 15, the Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra Haji Anees asserted the bright future of Urdu, citing the gradual increase of Urdu newspapers in the country. While the State Minister for Food Baba Ziyauddin Siddiqui stressed the need of drawing the attention of youngsters towards the promotion of Urdu; for the majority of Urdu reading public is ageing and old people.
In its report of the seminar, the Awam said the Editor of Sahara Aziz Burney revealed the oncoming launch of Sahara Urdu channel, which would be the only Urdu channel with 24-hour package in the country.
Another good news for Urdu lovers is the release of the Summary of Maulana Azad’s Qur’�n Commentary, Tarjuman al-Qur’�n. The Express, the Awam and the Awaz of June 15 said the 994-page summary was done by renowned author and translator Maulana Abū Masu’d Azhar Nadwi and published by Delhi based Idara Maktaba Isha’atul Qur’�n. One highlight of this work is that the translation and commentary of 12 paras (parts), which Maulana Azad could not do in his lifetime, has been completed in this work on the basis of the translation of Maulana Mahmoodul Hasan and the commentary of Ibn Kathir.
In yet another development, the Express reported the introduction of a new course viz. M.A. in Mass Communication under the Department of Urdu, Choudhry Charan Singh University, which also has a plan to introduce Diploma in Mass Communication and Diploma in Urdu Teaching courses in order to make Urdu job-oriented.
But it is not that Urdu is sailing so smoothly everywhere. In a news item, the Awaz (June 18) said All India Urdu Organisation, while reacting to the selection of non-Urdu knowing candidates for Urdu Teachers Training, demanded the selection of only such candidates who are well-versed in Urdu for this purpose. Recently nine of the 10 candidates selected in the Mathura region of Uttar Pradesh were non-Muslims who did not know how to write even their names in Urdu, the report maintained adding that the training of teaching Urdu to such candidates was being imparted in Hindi.
Dhaka, June 21 (IANS) The US is "satisfied" with Bangladesh's fight against Islamist militancy at home and has assured the country full cooperation in eliminating terrorism.
"The USA is satisfied with Bangladesh performance in nabbing the militants and taking legal action against them is at a pace," US National Security Council director John Negroponte was quoted as saying by BD News.
He added that the US would "continue assisting the country for the expansion of democracy".
The comments came during a meeting Negroponte had with Bangladesh Home Minister Lutfozaman Babar, who is visiting the US.
On its part, Bangladesh wants to create "greater awareness" among its populace and associate religious leaders, madrassa teachers and people from different walks of life in the fight against militancy.
Babar informed him on the recent success of the Bangladesh government in checking militancy across the country and highlighted the ongoing "awareness programme" under the leadership of the Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh Observer newspaper said.