Thursday, February 12, 2009

7.2 Quake Rocks Indonesia

196-27-indonesia-earthquake At least 42 people were injured and hundreds of homes and buildings damaged when a major earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter, struck off Indonesia's Sulawesi island near the Philippines early on Thursday, officials said. Indonesia's geophysics agency was prompt in issuing a tsunami alert, which was later revoked.

AFP reports say a total of 42 people have been injured, ten of them seriously, t attributed the information to crisis centre head Rustam Pakaya told AFP by text message.

Around 700 homes as well as office buildings, schools and health clinics were damaged in the remote Talaud Islands in North Sulawesi province, said a government spokesman.

"About 309 buildings have been heavily damaged and 390 others suffered light to medium damage," he was quoted as saying by the French media giant.

Scores of residents were camped outdoors on high ground out of fear of aftershocks and tsunamis.

An estimated 5,000 residents have fled their homes.

Indonesia was the nation worst-hit by the earthquake-triggered tsunami in December 2004 that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries across Asia, including over 168,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province and Nias island.

Thursday’s quake also caused the partial collapse of the main district hospital, forcing it to move patients to local clinics, said ministry officials.

The epicentre of the quake was about 320 kilometres northeast of the Indonesian town of Manado and 280 kilometres southeast of General Santos in the Philippines, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no reports of any damage or casualties in the Philippines.

The USGS initially put the magnitude of the quake at 7.5, but later revised this down to 7.2. Indonesia measured the quake at 7.4 on the Richter scale.

Several aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 6.3 struck in the hours following the original quake, the USGS reported.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre sent a bulletin saying there was "no destructive widespread tsunami threat" based on available data.

Scores Flee Lanka Conflict Zone

lanka The US House of Representatives passed a resolution recognising Mahatma Gandhi's influence on Martin Luther King Jr. and plans to commemorate the golden jubilee anniversary of the American civil rights leader's visit to India in 1959. A US cultural delegation arrives in India on Friday.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Kabul Suicide Attackers Bomb Govt. Offices

kabul On a suicide mission, suspected Taliban bombers launched concerted attacks on government buildings in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday, at least 20 people have reportedly been killed in the explosions and gunfire that spawned death, destruction and paranoia on Kabul streets.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted five buildings including the justice and education ministries, and warned of similar attacks in telephone calls to media offices.

Sources say the Justice and Education ministry offices were targeted as the Talibam blames them for sentencing the ‘Islamist’ fighters and propagating western education.

An interior ministry spokesman said four or five civilians and one policeman were killed at the prison directorate, which was hit by a double suicide strike, reported the Associated Press.

Accoesding to witnesses at least three civilians died at the Justice ministry where security personnel shot dead two attackers and another at the education ministry.

"Our men shot dead one suicide attacker at the first floor and another one at the third floor of the (justice) ministry," an unnamed intelligence official was quoted as saying by AFP.

Security forces say, more attackers may still be present inside the offices that were yet to be sanitized.

The attacks came as US President Barack Obama considers the deployment of an additional 33,000 troops to Afghanistan to quell the Taliban.

Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to the troubled region, is in Islamabad to hold crucial talks with the Pakistani side as the US tries to up the ante against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

The Fidayeen also attacked the prison directorate in the north of the city, said an AFP reporter present at the scene.

Police officials speaking on condition of anonymity say there are lots of dead.

The AFP reporter says the area was splattered with blood and remains of those wounded and killed in the ghastly attack.

The intensity of the explosions smashed the panes on the five-storey building and the entrance where another attacker struck was completely destroyed.

A spokesman for the Taliban was quoted on Afghan television saying that seven attackers had entered the city and were targeting various government offices, adds Associated Press.

Security groups issued warnings for people to exercise caution and remain indoors.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

India to Spare No Efforts to Overcome Terror: Pranab

February 12, 2009
Visionmp.com News Service

main

Amid diplomatic tactics employed by Pakistan to shun liabilities brought forth by the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai, Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee Thursday said India would "spare no efforts in tackling the multi-dimensional challenges of terror". He was addressing the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi.

"Security has been a concern? There are multidimensional challenges before us," said Mukherjee.

He pointed out that "terrorists from Pakistan" had targeted "financial centers" and the economy.

"Medical centers, aviation and infrastructures have not been spared. In recent times India has become a victim of terrorism including cross border terrorism. The 26/11 attacks was one such gruesome example. This needs to be tackled in a resolute manner. We will spare no efforts to deal with terrorists."

Speaking on a more indigenous topic and one that has found his party at the receiving end in Andhra Pradesh, Mukherjee asserted that the Satyam scam cannot be allowed to harm the prospects of the Indian IT industry.

The government says it would employ every measure to get to the bottom of the fraud.

"We will spare no effort in getting to the bottom of this terrible scam and will take whatever measures are necessary on the basis of the findings," said Mukherjee, who also holds the finance portfolio.

The government acted swiftly and is doing everything in the domain of investigations, protecting the livelihood of thousands of employees and restoring confidence among clients.

Without naming Satyam, he said that a single aberration does not undermine the reputation of the Indian IT industry or the country's standing as an emerging trillion dollar economy.

"The adverse fallout of the (wrong-doings) in a single company cannot be allowed to cast its shadow on the entire Indian IT industry worth 60 billion dollars," Mukherjee said.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Washington Miffed over AQ Khan’s Release


The Bhopal-born Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. AQ Khan is back in the media glare, as his release, from house-arrest in Pakistan, has sent ripples across the international community. Expressing concern over his release, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Obama Administration will have “more to say about that."

"I am very much concerned," Clinton told reporters in response to a question on the issue at a joint media availability with Philippine President, Macapagal-Arroyo, at the State Department headquarters in Washington.

"We'll have more to say about that," Clinton said in her brief response over a Pakistani court’s decision to free Khan.

Earlier in the day, the State Department made it clear that it was not pleased with the release of Khan, who is better known as the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear programme.

Terming Khan a significant "proliferation ris," State Department spokesperson, Gordon Duguid said it would be "unfortunate" if he were to be released from house arrest.

"We believe AQ Khan remains a serious proliferation risk. The proliferation support that Khan and his associates provided to Iran and North Korea has had a harmful impact on the international security, and will for years to come," Duguid said in reply to a query.

A significant section of the international community believes Khan was responsible for providing crucial assistance to the weapons programme in the two countries.

Vajpayee Serious But Stable, Doctors


Doctors tendng to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), termed his condition as serious but stable on Saturday morning, the octogenarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart is suffering from an infection in the lower respiratory tract.

"He is in a serious but stable condition and continues to be on mechanical ventilation following lower respiratory tract infection," AIIMS medical superintendent DK Sharma was quoted as saying by IANS.

Vajpayee was on Tuesday admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at the premier facility after he complained of difficulty in breathing.

He was put on mechanical ventilation Friday.

"A multi-disciplinary team of doctors is regularly monitoring his health and all his basic parameters, including blood pressure, kidney and liver, are normal," added Sharma.

26/11 Probe Report on Monday, Gilani


Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani while speaking to reporters in Lahore on Friday expressed optimism that the report on preliminary investigations into the Mumbai attacks will be submitted to him on Monday and its findings will be made public soon, reported dawn News on its website Saturday morning.

Talking to media at the Lahore airport Gilani said the findings would be shared with India and the international community.

“No fact will be kept secret,” he stressed.

Rejecting media reports that suggested an Indian diplomatic offensive, launched after the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, had left his country isolated. Gilani said: “The entire world is supporting our stance on the Mumbai attacks.”

He stressed that his administration was not silent on the Kashmir dispute and wanted its resolution in accordance with the wishes of the people of Kashmir.

He informed that the issue had been raised with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during his recent visit to Islamabad and also with US Vice-President Joe Biden and at the World Economic Forum, he added.

He also sought to play down speculations of differences between his government and Kashmiri leaders on his side.

Meanwhile on Saturday Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said Pakistan's probe into the Mumbai incident "can only reach fruition with Indian cooperation".

Qureshi was addressing "young leaders roundtable on security" in Munich.

He lamented that New Delhi’s "belligerent" response to the Mumbai terror strikes "unfortunately threw the Pakistan-India peace process back to square one".

"Democratic governments in Pakistan have always pursued a policy of friendly relations with India. We want to cooperate with New Delhi in rooting out terrorism from the region and to resolve all our differences including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue," he said.

Analysts say Qureshi’s inclusion of the term “democratic” was significant, especially, as he represents a country with a long and oft-repeated history of military disctatorships.

Terming the Indian diplomatic action as "unfortunate” Qureshi said: “Mumbai was as much a blow to Pakistan as it was to India."

In Kolkata, Reacting to Premier Gilani’s statements, Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherje said India was yet to receive an official response on the dossier it handed over to Pakistan on the Mumbai terror strikes.

"I am yet to receive any official communication from Islamabad so far," said Mukherjee while talking to he media on Saturday.

Scores Flee Lanka Conflict Zone

Over 2,500 civilians are reported to have Sri Lanka's war zone in the last two days as government forces continued to step up pressure against Tamil Tiger rebels. The civilian exodus came soon after the military on Friday announced the capture of the biggest sea base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The fighting is concentrated around a circle of jungle in the country's northeast, where the military says it has all but surrounded the LTTE.

Thousands of civilians - said by aid agencies, the government and a growing list of nations to be held in the war zone by the LTTE - are under grave threat of harm from the fighting.

"Today, 600 people have come up until now," Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, the Sri Lanka military spokesman, said on Friday.
The previous day, 1,637 escaped the fighting, he said.

The international community, including US, Britain and the European Union, has urged the LTTE to surrender, and for both sides to stop firing temporarily to allow civilians out and aid into the island’s embattled north.

Sri Lanka, however, has rejected a call by international donors for it to begin negotiating with the LTTE.
While stressing that the LTTE would not accept unconditional surrender, Damien Kingsbury, a professor at Australia's Deakin University and an expert on Sri Lanka expressed fears that captured Tiger rebels would be shot down in cold blood.

"Quite clearly they fear that if they do surrender, they will be treated very badly if not killed on the spot," said Kingsbury, he was speaking to Al Jazeera.

He added: "Tamil civilians are claiming that they are being very badly mistreated in this conflict ... and this is going to widen the gap between the government and Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority.

Sri Lankan military officials on Thursday said that following the fall of the Chalai base, the LTTE was now left with just 20km coastline in the northeastern district of Mullaittivu.
The seizure of Chalai would disrupt LTTE supplies as the sea base was used to receive arms and fuel from other countries through a widespread smuggling network.
The Sri Lankan government says that the LTTE is close to being vanquished, as the Army marches ahead towards victory in what the government has repeatedly termed a “decisive war.”
The UN and other aid agencies say more than 250,000 civilians are still trapped in the war zone.
Aid groups said the last functioning hospital there was shut down on Wednesday after being shelled for the fifth time in three days.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said staff and patients fled the hospital after the incident.

Sri Lankan troops have been engaged in an all-out offensive in recent months against the LTTE, which has been fighting for a separate Tamil heartland since 1983.

Bhujbal-Thackeray Meet amid Speculations


Key NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal met his mentor late on Saturday night, though Bhujbal termed the meeting a courtesy call, his clarifications failed to calm media houses that were abuzz with speculations of troubled times ahead for the ruling NCP-Congress alliance.

Bhujbal, accompanied by his wife and son, arrived at Matoshri - Thackeray's residence in Bandra West at around 2100 hours and spent some two hours behind closed doors with the Thackeray family.

It was the first meeting between the Sena chief and Bhujbal after a gap of 18 years.

Bhujbal had quit the Sena after differences with the Thackerays in December 1991. In October 2008, he made a unilateral gesture of withdrawing a 10-year old defamation suit he had filed against the 82-year-old Sena supremo.

After the meeting, Bhujbal, dismissed all speculation by saying that it was "a get-together" between the two families. He reiterated that the old 'bitterness' between the two leaders had ended.

Bhujbal's efforts at mending fences with the Thackerays have alarmed many in the NCP.

The meeting is said to have comprised of several emotional moments as the leaders attempted to pick up threads they had left untouched for nearly two decades.

Present on the occasion were Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and his wife and children.

Bhujbal, according to reports, carried several gift for his one-time mentor.

With general elections round the imminent corner, the dinner meeting was considered significant on various counts.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar too enjoys a great rapport with the Sena chief and had met him a few months ago at Matoshri.

The Sena, recently, offered to support Pawar as prime minister if such a situation develops after the next elections - annoying many within Sena’s alliance principality, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Pawar, however, played down the meeting saying: "What is wrong if Bhujbal meets his erstwhile mentor? In fact, Thackeray had invited me too, but I could not make it," he told mediapersons in Satara.

With Pawar unfazed by the development, the meeting may well set the clock ticking on the Congress-NCP alliance which has had its rough moments in recent times after a wrinkle free alliance for nearly five years and may see the Congress attempt to iron-out differences with the NCP.

Dooars Tense, Two Killed in Clashes


A Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha supporter, Akbar Lama, and a petty trader from Chamurchi, Sunil Mandal, died when GJMM supporters clashed with activists of CPI-M, Akhil Bhartiya Adviasi Vikas Parishad and locals in the Dooars of Jalpaiguri district on Saturday.

Another GJMM supporter Sanu Dorjee was gravely injured in the clash and is fighting for his life in a Jalpaiguri hospital.

The clashes erupted during a bandh sponsored by the GJMM in the proposed areas of Gorkhaland, which includes the Dooars, Terai and Siliguri.

While the bandh was total in the Darjeeling Hills and was peaceful, people resisted it on the outskirts of Siliguri and in the Dooars in general, sparking off incidents of violence at Debidanga near Siliguri and the Dooars.

An unspecific number of people were injured in the Dooars clashes and are receiving treatment. A GJMM supporter is being treated in Kurseong hospital for injuries.

The IGP, north Bengal, KL Tamata said 15 police personnel had been injured in Saturday’s hostilities. “Additional police force is being brought in from the neighbouring districts to maintain law and order,” he added.

Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Vandana Yadav said agitators torched over 20 houses and shops at Chamurchi and Birpara.

“The agitators also burnt a number of two-wheelers. Twenty people had been arrested for the violence in Dooars. Section144 of the CrPC has been promulgated at Kalchini, Birpara, Banarhat, Malbazaar and Madarihat blocks and RAF deployed. The situation is now under control,” said Yadav.

Indian Medic Convicted for Manslaughter


Hippocrates Shamed: Priya Ramnath a 40 year old doctor of Indian-origin was given a six-month suspended jail term by a British Court after being found guilty of killing a patient by giving her a fatal injection of adrenaline against the advice of her colleagues, media reports said on Friday.

The Birmingham crown court on Friday convicted Ramnath, who worked in Britain's National Health Service, of manslaughter for her involvement in the death of Patricia Leighton at Stafford District General hospital in July 1998, reported the Guardian.

Ramnath, who lives in the US, had administered the fatal injection to Leighton, an intensive care patient against the advice of three of her colleagues. Leighton died of heart failure shortly after.

The prosecuting lawyer, Michael Burrows, told the court that within moments of receiving the jab, Leighton "jerked forward and sat bolt upright in her bed". He said she had shouted out: "What's happening to me? I am going to die."

Leighton, later, lost consciousness and her heart stopped and all efforts by the doctors to resuscitate her failed.

According to the prosecution, Ramnath failed to speak to a consultant anaesthetist at the hospital before injecting the drug into Leighton.

Ramnath, whose sentence was suspended for two years, came back from the US last February to face the charge after being threatened with extradition.

The jury, which had been considering its verdict since on Tuesday, found her guilty by a 10-2 majority.

(With Internet Inputs)

Arrests, Detentions over MLA Daughter Attack


Mangalore police on Saturday arrested two persons and detained four, a day after CPM MLA's daughter and her Muslim male friend were attacked allegedly by Sri Ram Sena and Bajrang Dal activists who beat up and kidnapped Shruti, the girl in question, for talking to Shabib, a classmate of her brother.

The identities of those arrested or detained could not be ascertained.

The incident took place at 1530 hours on Friday when Shruti, the daughter of CPM MLA Kunjambu, was on her way to Mangalore from Kasirgarh after a vacation by a bus.

The activists attacked the 12th standard student in the bus while she was talking to a Muslim male friend. They dragged the two out of the bus and beat them up before forcibly putting them in a waiting auto-rickshaw and fleeing the spot.

The girl was released after an hour, the boy is still missing.

Kunjambu had confirmed the incident saying, "My daughter was coming back to home after the vacation by a bus. The conductor of the bus belonged to BJP. He informed the Ram Sena and Bajrang Dal goons who attacked my daughter, dragged her and her friend out of the bus and kidnapped them.”

He further added, "My daughter was released after almost an hour.”

Meanwhile, condemning the incident Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Saturday termed the incident as “devilish”.

The Sri Ram Sene has denied any role in the attack.

B’lore Blast Case Cracked, Claim Cops


Some six months after serial explosions rocked India’s silicon valley city of Bangalore, the Karnataka police claim to have cracked the mystery with the arrest of nine persons belonging to a Kerala-based radical group, one person was killed while eight others were injured in the orchestrated bombings.

Abdul Sattar, Abdul Jabbar, Sarfudin, Sakariya from Mallapuram, Kerala and Mujeeb, Faizal, Abdul Jaleel, Manaf of Kannur, and Badruddin from Ernakulum have been arrested for alleged involvement in the July 2008 blasts, DGP Ajai Kumar Singh was quoted as saying by PTI.

Four others involved in the blasts were killed in an encounter with the Indian army in Jammu and Kashmir while they were attempting to crossover into Pakistan between October 4 and 7.

The police, however, maintained a studied silence on the identity of the radical outfit and parried queries on possible links between the group and militant outfits like Lakshar-e-Tayyeba.

The top police officer said the group was "radicalised by general feeling of perceived injustice to Muslims in India due to Babri Masjid demolition and Godhra incident and Gujarat riots," quoted PTI.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Ansals Granted Bail in Uphaar Case


The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to the Ansal brothers -- Sushil and Gopal-- who were convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment in the Uphaar fire tragedy case. 59 people had died of asphyxia and over a 100 injured in the stampede at the cinema hall back in 1997.

A bench, headed by Justice S B Sinha, also issued notices on the cross appeals filed by the Ansals and Association of the Victims of the Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) challenging the one year sentence imposed on the accused by the Delhi High Court.

The bench ordered that the Ansal brothers be released on the personal bond of Rs 10,000 each.

While the Ansals had challenged the sentence imposed by the High Court, the victims' association had sought enhancement of the punishment on the ground that the offence fell under the purview of section 304 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

The High Court had earlier reduced the sentence to one year prison term from the two years imposed by the Sessions Court.

Afghan Presidential Polls Postponed


Afghan officials said Thursday that Presidential elections in the country stand postponed and would now be held in August. The officials attribute the decision to more time required to prepare for polls, which will see President Hamid Karzai seek re-elecion for the top office.

The decision, to postpone polls, apparently contravenes the country’s Constitution and raises questions over the legitimacy of what could be President Karzai’s final months in office.

Karzai in stark contrast to his predecessors is a key New Delhi ally and has sided with India on several counts, including the attack on the Indian Mission in Kabul and the recent terror strikes in the Indian commercial capital.

Azizullah Ludin, the chairman of the Independent Election Commission, said his office had decided to put off the voting until Aug. 20, which would give election workers more time to register candidates and set up voting machinery, and soldiers more time to bring dozens of chaotic districts under control.

Ludin said the new date would allow the presidential election to take place under more favorable weather.

The Afghan Constitution states that the presidential term expires on May 22. and elections, the Constitution says, must be held 30 to 60 days before the end of the term.

Citing the Constitution, Opposition leaders say they would stop recognizing Karzai’s authority after May 22. They called on the United Nations and Western governments to help them appoint a temporary president after Karzai’s term formally expires.

The development comes amid media reports that, for several weeks now, have suggested that Karzai may be on his way out of power and any controversies on the matter may see an interim government, blessed by the US, put in place in Kabul.

ATS to Question Sene Chief


Worries for Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik continue to burgeon on Friday, as Muthalik, who hit headlines after his supporters attacked women in a Mangalore pub, will now be questioned by Maharashtra's Anti Terror Squad (ATS) for allegedly praising Sadhvi Pragya Singh.

In a speech he made earlier this month he praised Sadhvi Pragya Singh, an accused in the Malegaon blast case.

It has also emerged that the prime accused in the blast case, Lieutenant Colonel Purohit, also knew him. A team of the national commission for women is also reaching Mangalore.

NDTV, on its website, claims to have a copy of a speech Muthalik made 10 days ago where he praised Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and warned that no one could stop the power of Hindu extremism.

Pro-Tamil Protest: 38 Arrested in Chennai


At least 38 people were arrested Friday for protesting the killing of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, police said. The protesters were on a road leading to the Sri Lanka's deputy high commissioner's office in Chennai the state capital of Tamil Nadu. According to the police, a majority of those arrested are students.

Staff at the deputy high commissioner's office did not see or hear the protests, but saw it on television news, diplomatic sources said. The sources added that they have full confidence in the law and order machinery of Tamil Nadu.

Security had been tightened outside the mission in south Chennai Thursday after a man set himself on fire outside a building housing central government offices to protest the killing of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, triggering a mob attack on a Bank of Ceylon branch.

A sub-inspector and three constables have been placed under suspension for the attack on the bank

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

PM May Come out of ICU Today


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who underwent a coronory bypass surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on January 24, walked around in his room today and took regular meal, doctors say he might pull out of the intensive care unit late in the day today (Wednesday).

The PMO said in Delhi on Tuesday evening that the PM was making steady progress in the post-operative period. Dr Singh is being supported by a team of cardiac rehabilitation and physio-therapy experts.

Doctors attending to Singh say, the prime minister is being weaned off the ICU and will b administered routine care Wednesday onwards.
Several of his invasive monitoring lines have been removed and physiotherapy is being given to enable early mobilisation. Premier Singh is conversing with the family and the doctors.

Israeli Raids Target Gaza Tunnels


In a pre-dawn attack on Wednesday Israeli jets blew-up tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, no casualties were reported in the raids that, reportedly, sent hundreds of people fleeing their homes in panic. Israel later confirmed the raids which came hours before the newly appointed US Middle East peace envoy was due to arrive in Israel.
The raids were ostensibly in retaliation of an attack on an Israeli army patrol that killed an officer and wounded two other soldiers.

Confirmed the raids, Israel said the attacks on the Rafah tunnels are aimed at stopping alleged weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip by Hamas fighters.

The tunnels are also used to smuggle food, fuel and consumer goods from Egypt and are considered a life-line for thousands of ordinary Gazans.

The latest attack came despite fragile ceasefires declared by Israel and Hamas last week, ending a 22-day Israeli military campaign on Gaza in which 1,300 people were killed.

Israeli jets had targeted scores of cross-border tunnels during the recent war, but many tunnels resumed work shortly after the ceasefire.

Neither Hamas nor any other group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bomb attack targeting an Israeli army patrol along the Gaza border.

Meanwhile, Egyptian mediators have been talking separately to Israel and Hamas to negotiate a more permanent ceasefire.

Hamas wants the border crossings into Gaza reopened, including the Rafah checkpoint bordering Egypt, to end the Israeli blockade in the territory.

Israel wants to stop the rocket fire and prevent Hamas fighters from using smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt to rearm themselves with weapons.

Barack Obama, the US president, has despatched George Mitchell to the region to discuss the ceasefire efforts.

Speaking on Monday Obama said he had instructed Mitchell, who played a prominent role in the Northern Ireland peace process, to "engage vigorously" to achieve real progress between Israel and the Palestinians.

Ex-President Venkatraman Passes Away


India’s eighth president Ramaswamy Venkataraman passed away on Tuesday. Elected to the post of President in 1987, his five-year term at the Rastrapati Bhawan saw Venkatraman work with four prime ministers, including three - V P Singh, Chandrashekhar and Narasimha Rao – appointed by him.

His term rang-in the era of constitutional politics in the country that resulted in marginal players hold key offices in the country.

Venkataraman was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital on January 12 and breathed his last at 1430 hours on Tuesday. Venkataraman is survived by his wife, Janaki, and three daughters. His wife and son-in-law were at his side at the time of his death.

He was hospitalised after he complained of delirium and dehydration. Hospital authorities said he was suffering from multi-organ failure and was on life support systems.

Venkataraman, who was elevated from Vice-Presidency, assumed the office of President on July 25, 1987 and his term lasted till July 25, 1992.

Earlier, as Minister in the Union Cabinet, he held the key portfolios of Defence and Finance. He was also Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

He was a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution.

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi paid rich tributes to the departed leader.

The President said Venkataraman was a true patriot who served the nation with distinction in various capacities in public life, and rose to occupy the highest office.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari said that the former president had left a distinct mark in the national polity with his “innate simplicity, vast erudition and deep sensitivity for the poor and the deprived in his long public career.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the former president would be “remembered long for his service to the nation, the strength of character and his knowledge and wisdom.”

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said in the death of Venkataraman, Indian politics had lost a “guiding light”.

The government declared a seven-day state mourning in the country.

Freak Jam Disrupts ATC Links to Seven Aircraft


Passengers and crew-members aboard seven civil flights approaching Kolkata had a harrowing time Tuesday morning, as a freak snag hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication systems severing all contact with the aircraft hovering over the city for landing and ground support.

ATC officials later claimed they managed establish contact with the pilots using alternative channels and asked them to hover till the snag was sorted out.

Media reports attributing inputs to well placed sources, however, say anything could have happened in the half hour when the seven planes became incommunicado.

All was fine till 0955 hours, suddenly, things went horribly haywire.

The very high frequency (VHF) radio, over which air traffic controllers keep in touch with departing and incoming flights, began to behave in a very peculiar manner, said a report on Times of India website.

Some reports say the VHF signals were jammed by an unidentified instrument.

The ATC says it contacted the approaching aircraft to hover over the city but make no attempt to land.

Peculiarly, through the epsode, the ATC link to an approaching Jet Airways flight from Bangkok was not broken.

The ATC decided to land the lone aircraft it was still in touch with, to decongest the airspace, the flight touched down at around 1020 hours, following which the jammed frequencies ‘miraculously’ opened up and links to the remaining flights were restored.

Relieved ATC officials later parried queries on probable causes for the jam, which after intelligence agencies expressed fear of Pakist6an based terror organisations attempting to launch air-borne attacks against the country to disrupt republic day celebrations on January 26.

Crisis Worsening in Lanka: Red Cross


With nearly 250,00,000 unprotected civilians caught in the midst of Sri Lanka’s bitter war with itself, aid agencies fear outbreak of a major humanitarian crisis in the island nation, where government troops are pressing forth in a “decisive war” against Tamil Tiger rebels.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has appealed to both sides to facilitate the movement of civilians out of the combat zone which has seen intensified fighting.

"People are being caught in the crossfire, hospitals and ambulances have been hit by shelling and several aid workers have been injured while evacuating the wounded," Jacques de Maio, ICRC head of operations for South Asia in Geneva said in a statement on the ICRC Web site."

The violence is preventing the ICRC from operating in the region.

In the capital, Colombo, foreign affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee huddled Wednesday with Sri Lankan President Mahindra Rajapaksa on the potential humanitarian crisis.

"The Sri Lankan government has reassured that they would respect the safe zones and minimize the effects of conflict on Tamil civilians," Mukherjee said.

His discussions with Rajapaksa also envisioned a post-civil war Sri Lanka.

"We will work together with the government of Sri Lanka to enable all Sri Lankans, and particularly the Tamil community who have borne the brunt of the effects of the conflict, to lead normal lives as soon as possible," Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee’s visit that followed pressure tactics employed by a vital ally of New Dlhi’s ruling-UPA coalition has failed to enthuse political outfits in Tamil Nadu, the Indian state has close cultural and family ties with Tamils living in neighbouring Sri Lanka.

As expected, Mukherjee’s visit was a tight-rope walk between New Delhi’s oft-pronounced resolve to counter terror and compulsions of alliance politics.

Back in the battle-zone, the ICRC says hundreds of patients are in need of emergency treatment and evacuation to Vavuniya Hospital in the government-controlled area and has urged that humanitarian assistance be unhampered in the Vanni region.

"When the dust settles, we may see countless victims and a terrible humanitarian situation, unless civilians are protected and international humanitarian law is respected in all circumstances," Maio said.

"It's high time to take decisive action and stop further bloodshed because time is running out."

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also called for the safety of civilians as humanitarian groups try to provide aid to people trapped in the region.

"The secretary-general is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of civilians caught in intensified fighting in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka," a spokesman for Ban said in a statement Monday.

Ban called on the government and the separatist Tamil Tigers to respect "no-fire zones" and civilians areas, including schools, hospitals and humanitarian posts. He also asked both sides to allow civilians trapped in the fighting to move to "safe areas."

Sri Lankan soldiers seized a key rebel stronghold in a surprise attack Sunday, even as humanitarian agencies feared for the safety of civilians. Video Watch a report on the recent fighting »

"It's an incredibly serious situation," James Elder, a U.N. spokesman, said Monday. "We have a very large number of people, including tens of thousands of children, trapped in a fast-shrinking conflict zone."

Troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from Tamil fighters, according to the government-run news agency.

"Our troops fought their way through a 40 km (25 mile) thick jungle track," Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said in a televised address Sunday.

"This is the long-awaited victory and I am happy to say that our heroic forces today captured the Mullaittivu town after 12 years," the Sri Lanka Army chief said.

There has been no confirmation from the rebels that the strategic garrison has been overtaken.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead.

The rebels gained control over Mullaittivu in 1996 and established a military garrison there, according to the government.

In recent days, the military has said it has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds.

Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula.

It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years.

The recapture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea.

"The area that the LTTE has dominated has shrank phenomenally," Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, C.R Jayasinghe, told CNN. "They lost ... about 90 percent of what they had."

(With CNN Inputs)

14 Kg Heroin Bust on Samjhauta


Acting on a tip-off, Indian customs officials carried out ‘special frisking’ of some suspected passengers traveling aboard the trans-border Samjhauta Express, when the train arrived from Pakistan at the Attari railway station on Monday, the search operatio resulted in the recovery of some 14 kgs of heroin.

The heroin, being smuggled into the country from Pakistan, was seized and four passengers arrested for allegedly carrying the contraband, having a street value of Rs 70 crore, officials said in Amritsar on Tuesday.

All those arrested are Indians and include two women, identified as Saddiqiquan, of Muzaffarnagar and Bundila while the males were Akhtar Abbas and Ali Baksh, residents of Bulandshahr. The four had traveled to Pakistan on January 19.

During the interrogation, they said that the consignment of heroin was given to them at the Lahore railway station to deliver to a person who would contact to them on reaching India, according to customs officials.

The four are being questioned to extract information about the persons who were to collect the consignment on the Indian side, they said.

Barabanki, Bulandshahr and Muzaffarnagar – all in Uttar Pradesh - are known to be strategic feeder points on the country’s drug map.

With international agencies repeatedly pointing out towards a vital link between drug-trade in the sub-continent and terrorism, the security agencies are sure to probe every possible angle.

After the November 26 terror attacks in Mumbai, Indian security agencies have enhanced frisking at the Attari railway station and the Attari check post on the land transit route.

German Tourist Rape: Sentence Today


A Chandigarh court on Wednesday will sentence the accused convicted in the German woman gang rape case on Tuesday. The accused - Pankaj, Manvir Singh Jolly, Harpreet Singh, Sompal and Sukhwinder Singh, all from Haryana, face stern sentences for the crime that made national headlines September last.

The court framed rape charges against the youths who had sexually assaulted the 20-year-old German woman after picking her from the swank Taj Hotel in Sector 17 at about 0200 hours on September 28, 2008.

The men allegedly picked up the German tourist in their black Scorpio SUV from the parking area of the hotel.

She was taken to a farmhouse in Haryana's Ambala district, where she was sexually assaulted for several hours before being dropped off in Chandigarh by one of the men the next evening.

The tourist had accompanied a Germany-based Indian friend to attend his wedding. The victim had gone to the Taj for coffee.

While her two friends sat in the hotel coffee shop, she came out in the parking lot to smoke. It was here that she was befriended by one of the accused who offered to let her drive the SUV.

The man was later joined in by his friends.

The examination of the victim conducted by the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) here that confirmed rape.

The Chandigarh police later changed the case registered against the youths from molestation to rape and criminal intimidation.

Sexual assault on unsuspecting tourists is not uncommon in India, where Central and State governments spend millions of dollars on advertising to woo foreign tourists and earn foreign exchange vital to the country’s huge development requirements.

Top LeT Militant Gunned Down in J&K


Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday morning gunned down Abu Hamza, a top commander of the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), after a fierce encounter with the militant. Hamza was in-charge of the outfit activities in the Baramulla district of the state.

Hamza was holed up inside a house in Amargarh village, along with one more militant. He was one of the most wanted militants in the state. He was believed to have been behind several attacks.

The encounter, which started yesterday, continued for over 18 hours.

No confrmation of the second militant’s fate was forthcoming and it could not be ascertained if he too died in the gun-battle or managed to flee.

A jawan of 52 Rashtriya Rifles was also killed in the gun-battle, while another jawan suffered injuries.

SSP Baramulla Anand Jain had earlier told local media that the state police and CRPF and Rashtriya Rifles jawans launched a combing and search operation in the area on Tuesday following a tip-off that militants could be hiding there.

The security forces managed to zero-in on a residential house, where the militants were hiding, Jain said. The militants refused to surrender on being asked to do so and opened fire, triggering an encounter, he added.

Reports said that the house belongs to one Mohammad Akbar Ganie.

In another encounter that also broke out on Tuesday at village Bakihara in Handrawa area of Kupwara district, an unidentified militant was killed while two security men were injured today, sources said.

The operation is still continuing.

Sena MP Held, Bailed


Move over Raj Thackeray, the original Sena is back in business, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly "leading the attack" on a five-star hotel in suburban Andheri last week to protest against the management's decision to sack 21 employees.

The Shiv Sena is known for leading violent agitations in Maharasshtra, especially in Mumbai and garbs it motivated campaigns as a part of a ‘democratic’ struggle to resurrect Marathi ‘asmita’, (honour).

Raut, a Rajya Sabha member and Executive Editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', he was produced in Andheri metropolitan magistrate's court later in the day, where he was granted bail.

He has been booked under IPC sections related to rioting, said a senior police official from Sahar police station.

So far 53 persons from Shiv Sena-led Bhartiya Kamgar Sena (BKS), who were involved in the attack, have been arrested in this case.

Raut was arrested following pressure from the Centre which had directed the Maharashtra Government to deal sternly with those involved in the attack, sources said.

Around 500 Shiv Sena/BKS workers had vandalised the lobby and kitchen of Lalit Group's Intercontinental Hotel to protest against sacking of 21 employees by the management on January 21.

BSF Fires to Foil Infiltration Bid


The Border Security Force (BSF) fired twice after noticing "suspicious movement" along Jammu and Kashmir's border with Pakistan early Sunday. BSF Inspector General (Jammu Frontier) AK Saroolia later said BSF personnel in Kanachak area spotted two to three people at 0230 hours and opened fire at them.

The infiltrators were again noticed at around 5 a.m. and the guards fired again. "We saw some footprints in the area this morning... It could be an infiltration attempt."

Security forces along the border are on high alert in the run up to the Republic Day on Monday.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Country on Alert Amid Air Raid Threats


A heavy security blanket has descended on the national capital a day ahead of Republic Day celebrations. A no fly zone has been declared for choppers in Delhi and Chandigarh for the next few days, the decision came after security agencies expressed fears of Pak based militants launching chopper mounted attacks on the parade marking the occasion.

The alert has made it mandatory for everybody seeking to rent a chopper to get security clearances from local police.

Flight operations including training schedules have been suspended at various airports across the country, including Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj Airport.

Normal aviation activity will also be disrupted at the Bhopal airport between 0800 and 1100 hours on Monday.

Nearly 198 companies of Delhi Police, including 56 companies from paramilitary, have been deployed in the national capital.

Media reports say, intelligence inputs also asked airports in south India to exercise extra caution.

A report on IBNLive said: “According to sources, there have been at least three inputs within one month indicating that a hijack is possible.”

The gravest risk has been reported from the north east, where police is on the look-out for six alleged jihadis who have sneaked into Assam from Bangladesh, added the report.

A massive security cover guards three of the seven northeastern states with militant groups calling for a boycott of Monday's Republic Day celebrations.

Four separatist groups in Assam, Manipur and Tripura, have announced a 17-hour general strike from 0100 hours IST to 1800 hours IST on Monday to enforce the boycott call.

The groups have vowed action against anybody violating the boycott call.

The armed groups calling for a boycott of proceedings include the notorious United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), the banned outfits are embroiled in a battle for a separate homeland they want carved out of Assam and West Bengal.

Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), an amalgam of several Manipuri rebel groups, and the Tripura People's Democratic Front (TPDF).

Similar security alerts are in-force in Manipur and Tripura.

The situation is much the same all over the country, as deployment and patrolling has been intensified by local police and other security departments.

Gilani Accepts Need to Amend Terror Laws


With mounting diplomatic pressures prodding Islamabad into action against terror perpetrators holed up inside its territories, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan is ready to amend its anti-terror laws to facilitate the prosecution of accused in terror related acts which take place outside the country.

Gilani made the statement in an interview to `Financial Times' in response to a question about Pakistan's response to the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes.

"We are committed to the world that we'll punish them (terrorists) according to our laws, and if need be, if somebody is out of the country and he has proved to be guilty, then certainly we have to look into our own laws as well,'' said Gilani.

In another significant statement, Gilani said that Islamabad needed to act fast to ease tensions with India.

"We are committed with India that whatever the information given to us, we have transferred that information to the ministry of interior and they are investigating and soon, whatever is the findings, we will get back to India and we will share it with the rest of the world. We are serious about it,'' said Gilani.

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, are in police custody in Pakistan. India has repeatedly sought custody citing their involvement in the Mumbai terror incident, but Pakistan has rebuffed Indian overtures attributing its stand to the lack of a suspect-sharing treaty with New Delhi.

"There are some discrepancies in the law. Our anti-terror laws need some alteration. If the offence is committed outside the country, we cannot prosecute unless we make amendments,'' Gilani was quoted as saying by the Pakistani mediaon Saturday.

Gilani’s statements some amid a huge diplomatic offensive launched by India after the Mumbai terror attack and coincided with US President Barack Obama’s remarks on Pak-Afghan territories being the front of his war against terror.

President Obama in his agenda document has said his administration will link Washington aid to Pakistan with Islamabad’s performance on the terror front.

On Friday, the President said: "Afghanistan and Pakistan are the central front in the America's war against terrorism and the deteriorating situation in the region poses a grave threat to the global security. It's an international challenge of the highest order. That's why we are pursuing a careful review of our policy."

Obama, through his campaign has spoken of plans to bring the war on terror to the restive mountain regions bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In short clear signs of ‘tough times ahead’ for the region, a situation that could only be deemed a culmination of decades of short-sighted policies un-promulgated, but followed by successive Pakistani governments.

ATS Kills Two Terror Suspects in Noida


In a pre-dawn encounter on Sunday two terror suspects were gunned down by a joint team of the Noida police and the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in Sector 97of Noida on the outskirts of the national capital while they were attempting to enter New Delhi, apparently, to spawn terror on Republic Day.

A report on the IBNLive website identified the two as Ali Ahmad resident of Rawalkot and Abu Ismail resident of Okara - both in Pakistan.

The incident comes some 24 hours before the nation celebrates the Republic Day.

Senior Superintendent of Police Navin Arora said the police action followed specific information of that said some men were on their way to Delhi from Ghaziabad in a Maruti carrying arms and ammunition.

The ATS, after receiving the inputs, chased the alleged terrorists who were travelling in a white Maruti from Ghaziabad. The terrorists fired at the ATS team which returned the fire.

The encounter took place at 0240 hrs IST. Two AK 47s and five hand grenades and some incriminating documents were recovered from the car, said the report on the IBNLive website.

A UP ATS constable was also injured in the encounter.

(Update)

"Two AK-47 rifles, four magazines, 120 live bullets, five hand grenades, detonators, nine RDX shells, a Maruti 800 car, Pakistani passports, some documents and Rs 18,000 were recovered from the terrorists," UP police ADG Brij Lall was quoted as saying.

The police later confirmed that the terrorists were Pakistani, after a Pakistani passport was found in the vehicle. The second man allegedly confirmed their identity after being captured just before dying.

"Both militants were injured and taken to hospital. One of the injured terrorists said he is Farooq from Akara in Pakistan, and he named the other terrorist as Abu Ismail of Rawalkote in Pakistan. Both of them died on way to hospital," informed the ADG.

(With Inputs from NDTTV and IBNLive)

CWC to Take Final Call on Cong-SP Truck


A meeting of the Congress Working Committee is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on January 29 to take a final decision on the pre-poll of alliances with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and finalise strategy for similar arrangements with other ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting will be held in the absence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is recovering from a bypass surgery conducted on Saturday.

Accusing Samajwadi Party of not being serious on the tie-up, the Uttar Pradesh Congress has left the final decision on the alliance to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

Though not officially announced, the agenda for the meeting is likely to attempt a thaw in the Congress-SP relations.

SP had earlier unilaterally announced names of 52 candidates out of the 80 seats in the state and the PCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi has urged the party high-command to go it alone in all 80 constituencies, if a final consensus could not be worked out with the SP by January 30.

On Saturday, SP general secretary Amar Singh met Sonia Gandhi but refused to comment on what transpired during the talks.

Senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra earlier had a meeting with senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee. Mishra claimed that the meeting was only for conveying "wishes" of UP Chief Minister Mayawati for the speedy recovery to the Prime Minister.

Analysts rule out a pre-poll alliance of any kind between the Congress and the BSP, but add that BSP may consider post-poll support to the Congress if the party contests the UP elections on its own.

(PTI Inputs)

Parisians, Londoners March for Gazans


Thousands of demonstrators have marched in Paris for a fourth straight weekend to show their support for Palestinians, following Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. Organisers say nearly 20,000 protesters marched towards the presidential Elysee Palace on Saturday, police sources put the number at a little under 10,000.

A heavy police presence surrounded the rally, called by the National Collective for a Just and Durable Peace to pressure France's government.

The marchers carried Palestinian flags, chanted "resistance, resistance" and waved banners like "Israel assassin" and “Shame on Israel” written in English.

Thousands of marchers have poured onto Paris' streets on each of the last four Saturdays in response to the Israeli offensive on Gaza that began on December 27.

Israel announced a cease-fire on January 17, and Hamas followed suit a day later.

In London, around 400 people gathered for a rally outside British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices to protest the media giant’s refusal to broadcast a charity appeal to raise emergency funds for people in Gaza.

The crowd was addressed by speakers including Tony Benn, a former Labour cabinet minister, and George Galloway, an MP, who accused the BBC of bias against the Palestinians.

The protesters chanted "BBC, shame on you" and a few threw shoes at the BBC office.

The numbers later swelled to at least 5,000 for a march through central London.

The ‘Stop The War Coalition’, which organised the march, estimates that the ban on broadcasting the appeal could cost up to $14 million in donations.

The group had organised big rallies opposed to the violence in Gaza in London over the past few weekends.

Around 5,000 people also took to the streets of Birmingham, Britain's second biggest city, for a pro-Palestinian demonstration, while around 100 Cambridge University students have occupied the law faculty there in protest at Israel's attacks on Gaza.

(Excerpted from Internet Reports and Al-Jazeera Website)

Adrenalin, Booze, Cars - ABC of GenNext

Akbar Khan

Posh cars, driven by educated people with a taste for liquor and abhorrence for the law of the land, mowing down pedestrians are a regular feature on Indian roads, as young professionals and scions of ‘respectable’ families continue to live out a new found lifestyle that oscillates between access and excess.

Streets in Bangalore were bloodied early morning on Saturday, when 30 year old Karthik Somaiah, at the wheels of his Honda Accord, crushed to death three morning joggers and a cyclist.

Somaiah, who was drunk at the time of the accident, was later sent into judicial custody to cool off his heels.

Though, Somaiah’s stupor was broken by the crash, the hangover of the incident will continue to haunt families of those killed in the accident long after the young driver is granted bail and goes back to a ‘normal’ life.

Road rash is becoming increasingly commonplace in urban India where blood splattered roads account for cutting short more lives than ‘much hyped’ terror attacks.

Having grown up on a liberal fare of virtual reality computer games like NFS, young Indians, on a heady cocktail of adrenalin and alcohol, often fly off the handle to crash-land into infamy.

Mumbai and Delhi top the table with tipsy young professionals mowing down men on the street, cases in point are Bollywood icon Salman Khan, thespian Raj Kumar’s son – Puru Raj Kumar in the tinsel town and Sanjeev Nanda, Ashana Moga and Utsav Bhasin in the national capital.

The worrying fact is the impunity with which the so called ‘educated’ youth, belonging to apparently cultured families, break the law, their utter callousness and even contempt in which they hold fellow citizens.

Many view the irreverent behaviour as a failure of the country’s education system, which despite years of schooling fails to inculcate the basic moral or civil character in the students, while others attribute it to new found financial freedom and the growing ‘have money-can manage’ attitude.

Whatever be the case, the next time the ‘GenNext’ gangs up, to light candles for a vigil or blast the political system in the country, maybe it should punctuate the jingoism with an analysis of its own behaviour.

Especially, as respect for the law of the land and love and compassion for fellow citizens are the cornerstones of loyalty for the nation, without which patriotism would lose all fizz and simply fall flat as......a love for real estate.

Challenges, Opportunities Echo in President’s Speech


The Republic turns 60 today, in line with tradition Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, the first woman President of India addressed the nation on the eve of the landmark occasion. Following is the text her speech, which covered the entire gamut of challenges facing the country.

My Dear Fellow Citizens,

Tomorrow, we will be celebrating our 60th Republic Day. I extend my good wishes to our citizens from all walks of life, living in the country and overseas. I convey my special greetings to the members of our Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces who guard our frontiers on land, sea and air. I also extend my greetings to the Central and State level police forces, including our internal security forces. Today is also an occasion to pay homage to those who laid down their lives for the safety and security of the nation. We owe a deep gratitude to them.

For six decades we have been a democratic republic and have been guided by the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The 60th milestone is marked with the many successes that we have achieved in different fields, and a host of issues that need our attention. We can look at our achievements with justifiable pride and focus on our shortcomings with a spirit of resolve. It is the manner in which we address the challenges we face that will determine the destiny towards which our nation is steered.

We have witnessed, in the last one year, major events in the financial and security scenario both at the global and the national level - terrorism and violence, natural disasters, volatility in oil and food prices, and a global economic slowdown. These tested the inherent structures and systems for dealing with emergent situations, throwing up challenges of addressing inadequacies and highlighting the need to reinforce monitoring and response mechanisms.

In the terrorist attacks in our cities and in different States many innocent lives were lost. The concerted and well planned attacks in Mumbai stand out as an example of a ruthless operation undertaken to damage the confidence of India. The nation was outraged. However, contrary to what the terrorists had hoped, the event saw the emergence of a unified and strong voice from India. The elections that were held after the Mumbai attacks to the Legislative Assemblies of some of our States, including Jammu and Kashmir saw a large voter turnout, reaffirming the faith of the people of India in a democratic polity. Unity is our greatest strength. It is that unique amalgam which transforms the over one billion individuals of the country into an over one billion strong resolve of one nation. It is this unity which has seen us through difficult times and is what we must preserve as we seek to fulfill our national ambitions and goals.

One of the priority tasks faced by us is to secure the nation against terrorist and fundamentalist elements. Government has put in place a new agency to deal with terrorist threats and has also brought in legislative changes. A determined, coordinated and concerted approach by all agencies to tackle this menace would be necessary. Our security personnel can be confident that every citizen of India is with them as they take action to safeguard our borders and secure our safety and security within the country. I call on fellow citizens and the media to be a part of this security network. This entails responsible behaviour in which we are aware of our surroundings, and do not inadvertently create an atmosphere of fear or insecurity.

Our Constitution is our charter of democracy and of the rights of the people. Individual freedom and dignity is guaranteed under the fundamental rights included in the Constitution. Universal franchise has given to the citizens the right to determine their political choices. The development process itself is becoming an increasingly participatory activity. The Right to Information Act provides citizens a channel to seek accountability in governance. All this places the citizen at the centre, in terms of the recipient of the benefits of the growth of the nation and as also the key player in shaping the growth process. For success to be achieved each one has to play his or her part. Gandhiji used to emphasize that, "it is in this spirit that each one of us should act." I am confident that all citizens will perform their duties towards the nation in accordance with the wise words of the Father of our Nation. Hard work, grit, determination and perseverance of its population are the brick and mortar of nation building, which itself is a complex task. I mention this because at times, cynical views have been expressed, ignoring that it was the will and sacrifice of our people that defeated a mighty colonial power and there is no reason to doubt, that with determination and dedication we will become a mighty nation.

I believe each one of us is a proud Indian, willing to work for the nation but the question is how do we bring about unison in our efforts? It cannot be through the following of a narrow agenda. We cannot give in to regional, sectarian or caste considerations. These concepts militate against the very principles we chose to follow when we began our journey as a free nation. All Indians, undoubtedly, have many identities but with an underlying common identity of being Indian. We may hail from one region but belong to a different caste or religion or speak a different language, but that cannot dilute our Indian identity. That identity in essence means a civilizational ethos of a shared experience of living together in harmony through generations, in a milieu of great diversity but in a spirit of tolerance and forbearance, that flows from our basic belief of unity. The incidents of violence by one community against another can have no place in a pluralistic society. I appeal to my fellow citizens to vow that they would fight divisive agendas and work for an India in which our first identity is Indian and, only thereafter, our other descriptions follow.

My fellow citizens,

The slowdown of the global economy, triggered by the actions of some credit and banking institutions has resulted in a crisis of confidence all around. The need for strengthening oversight mechanisms for financial institutions and for rules which are clear, transparent and uniformly applied is being acutely felt. Some companies that over-extended or functioned in an unethical manner have caused losses to shareholders. Such incidents profile the need for stronger corporate governance. There must be clear principles of accountability when such losses take place. The richness of a few cannot be at the cost of depriving others of their due. The traditional Indian ethics emphasized saving wisely, investing productively and not borrowing more than the capacity to repay. These hold valuable lessons for the business world. As Governments take necessary domestic measures to ensure that financial institutions and companies adhere strictly to high standards and conduct, it should be accompanied with greater international co-operation so that there is coordinated action in this regard. The need for having an inclusive international financial architecture cannot be over emphasized. India will bring to the global discussions considerable weightage and meaningful contribution for a more credible and viable financial structure. The instances of financial imprudence, which can put global welfare at jeopardy, cannot be allowed to happen again.

India has been impacted by the global environment. However, our economy has the fundamental strength and resilience to remain on course for economic growth. The global financial crisis can be an opportunity to reinforce the structures of our domestic economy. Government has announced monetary and fiscal stimulus packages to increase liquidity in the market and encourage investments. We have a very large domestic market and by increasing the purchasing power capacity of all sections of society, our economic development can be stimulated. We could even be one of the nations who can act as an engine to help revive the global economy.

Economic development serves a social purpose when it is for the welfare of the people. It is our effort to work towards providing education, health and better living conditions for the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak. We have made progress in the last 60 years but our task is not yet completed. We have to continue our efforts if we are to achieve the goal that we have set for ourselves to become a developed country.

We are seeking to address inequities in the growth process through an inclusive approach that brings within its ambit all regions and all peoples. This assumes even greater importance in these difficult days of economic stress. Economic opportunities should also be accessible in the remotest areas. We should expedite development of our basic infrastructure in the country, including in the North Eastern region. The poor and the disadvantaged people need to be drawn into circles of growth, to avoid their alienation from the mainstream. Welfare and development schemes implemented in earnest can bring about tangible difference to the lives of the people. Development partners, working with the utmost commitment and without the taint of corruption, can be the agents of change. Improvement in the human development parameters is important to create a productive work force and an enriched society. It is Gross Domestic Product along with welfare of the people that are the twin pillars of a progressive nation.

Rural development can be a very effective vehicle for spreading the benefits of balanced growth. The global spike in the price of food grains last year, and the resultant fears of shortages and hunger, carries the message that the nation must, at all times, be focused on its agriculture sector and food sufficiency. Improvement of agriculture through better and scientific agricultural techniques would contribute to the food security of the country. We have a rich heritage of agricultural practices like land use, cropping patterns and use of manure. We can also appropriately use this reservoir of traditional knowledge in our agriculture sector. Locating food processing industries close to our rural areas can, while avoiding tremendous losses in agricultural produce, be useful for generating employment options for our rural youth. By strengthening our agriculture economy, we can bring about the upgradation in this sector, and also create internal economic demand, through enhanced incomes of the farmers. Thus our agriculture sector can act as a catalyst for stronger and sustainable growth.

Many countries of the world have greatly benefited from their forests. Similarly, we must look at better management of our forests, which have a wide diversity of flora and fauna including medicinal plants. They can be important in generating social, economic and environmental benefits for the country. We have adopted legislation for recognizing habitation and occupation rights of forest dwellers. It is important to build their capacity for undertaking forest based enterprises in a manner that while they use forest resources they preserve forest health and conserve its wild-life and bio-diversity.

My fellow citizens,

On the social welfare agenda, I would like to highlight two groups that constitute a major part of our population -youth and women. India is a young nation from a demographic point of view. The youth represent the hope for the future and are an invaluable asset to the nation. Their hopes and aspirations for growth and prosperity are indeed the aspirations of the nation itself. Productive employment generation prospects can be created through skill development and vocational training. I call on our youth to take advantage of opportunities that are available to them. In addition to self- development, they must pledge to abjure violence and work for the welfare of humanity. I would be amiss if I did not mention the laurels that the youth have brought to the nation in the field of sports in the recent past. The Olympics in Beijing last year saw medals being won by Indians. This, along with the commendable performances at various sporting events around the world, is significant. They, perhaps, signal that we are at the beginning of a more fulfilling era in international sports. A focus on providing facilities and encouragement to our young sportspersons is necessary.

As the first woman President of India, there is a natural empathy that I have for the women of our country. I am conscious about the constraints and difficulties that they face in realizing their full potential. Their empowerment is necessary and that can only come through education and economic development. A woman has a right to live with dignity and a right to be an equal citizen of the country. I have set up a Committee of Governors, to suggest steps to move forward rapidly on the agenda of gender equality. Government has introduced gender budgeting. It should be adopted by every Ministry, every Department and all State Governments for promoting gender equality. These initiatives along with other efforts to make women effective partners in our national life, should converge into a national mission for empowerment of women. Self Help Groups have proved to be effective vehicles for the economic transformation of women. It should be our endeavour to bring every eligible woman under the cover of a Self Help Group for her economic empowerment. We also need to address the gender bias prevalent in our society which has resulted in social malpractices like female foeticide, dowry, child marriage and other evils. With a view to make society sensitive towards the girl child, the "National Girl Child Day" will be celebrated on 24th January, from this year onwards. Civil society and the media can also play a very important role in changing mindsets and I call upon them to do so with drive and commitment.

Malnutrition among women and high infant mortality are intrinsically linked to affordable medical facilities reaching the common man. Growth in the country should get reflected in reducing malnutrition. Programmes like the National Rural Health Mission require the medical fraternity to come forward in larger numbers to serve humanity in the highest traditions of that noble profession. Older people require medical care, which should be catered for along with their other welfare needs, including security.

Fellow citizens,

Technology plays a very important role in the progress of mankind. Its use in improving communication systems is evident. Scientists are exploring new frontiers in the medical field. The launch of Chandrayaan-I has made every Indian proud. Our efforts at collaborating with the international community to reap the benefits of technology for the welfare of the nation continue apace. The concluding of the nuclear civil cooperation agreement has made India a participant in the international regime for nuclear energy. Moreover, its finalization was an expression of confidence by the international community in India. We will make every effort to augment and diversify our energy options. Technology should be used to counter terrorist threats to the nation. We should be far ahead of the terrorists who are increasingly using sophisticated technology to carry out their violent agenda.

As a responsible nation, the conduct of our foreign relations since independence has been to promote peace and development. We are, however, located in a region which harbors the epicenter of terrorism. We have been victims of terrorism over the last two decades. The international community must take decisive and united action against terrorism, which poses a grave threat to the stability of the world. No country can afford to take an ambivalent attitude in this fight. Arguments that terrorism is being perpetuated by independent actors are self-defeating and cannot be accepted. Countries must own up their responsibilities as must the international community in defeating terrorism.

I conclude with an appeal to all citizens to bring forth their very best to serve the nation. India has the privilege of being a great civilization; today, it is the world's largest democracy and its people have the commitment to fulfill the promise of it being a great nation. I quote a line from a known Hindi poet, to describe our wish for the nation:

As our tri-colour flutters high in the sky tomorrow, let each one of us take a pledge to bring glory to India and take our country to its destination of becoming a great nation that stands for human values.

Jai Hind.

Last Tiger Refuge Falls, Troops Enter Mullaitivu


Criticism for alleged human rights violations aside, the Sri Lankan army on Sunday entered Mullaitivu, the last refuge of the Tamil Tiger rebels battling for a separate homeland for the ethnic minority. Fierce fighting is continuing in the town that has not yet been ‘captured.’

The claims were made by the Sri Lanka army on Sunday.

In the last few months the 25 year struggle between majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils has looked increasingly one-sided with Sri Lankan troops taking apart every Tamil bastion, in what they term a decisive war.

The rebels have not yet confirmed the claims made by the Army.

Independent journalists are barred from entering the battle-zone, hence making it impossible to ascertain claims made on either side of the war.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the two and a half decade strife.

A government spokesman said troops from the 59th division had entered Mullaitivu and that it was "a matter of time before they take full control of the area".

Tamil Tiger rebels blasted through the walls of a reservoir on Saturday in an attempt to stall the advancing troops, the military said.

As battles rage in and around Mullaitivu, aid agencies and rights activists the world over have expressed concerns for the safety of nearly 250,000 civilians trapped inside the troubled region.