| Washington, Sept. 23: US President George W. Bush, with Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf standing at his side, said on Friday his country is prepared to help India and Pakistan in any way to resolve their long-standing dispute over Kashmir.
Mr Bush said he raised the Kashmir issue with the Pakistani leader during their meeting at the White House and asked: “What can we do to help? What would you like the United States to do to facilitate an agreement? Would you like us to get out of the way? Would you like us not to show up? Would you like us to be actively involved? How can we help you, if you so desire, to achieve peace?”
Mr Bush, referring to the Palestinian and Kashmiri conflicts, said the US cannot impose a settlement in either one. “We can help create the conditions for peace to occur,” he said. “We can lay out vision. We can talk to world leaders — and we do. We can provide aid to help institutional building, so that a democracy can flourish.” He added that long standing peace depends on the will of leaders.
Gen. Musharraf noted that he met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Cuba recently and described their meeting as excellent. “It was a step forward towards (the) resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan. I did tell him on the way forward that we are moving on the Kashmir dispute especially,” President Musharraf said.
President Bush and President Pervez Musharraf on Friday celebrated their close cooperation in the war on terrorism but did not deny that it began with a US threat to bomb Pakistan “back to the Stone Age”. In a joint appearance after talks at the White House, Gen. Musharraf assured Mr Bush that a peace treaty with tribal elders near the Afghan border would not take pressure off Afghanistan’s Taliban militia or their terrorist allies.
And Mr Bush refused to say whether he would seek Pakistan’s permission to strike inside its territory at Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network. Gen. Musharraf made White House history when he invoked a book deal with a major US publishing house to keep silent on his earlier charge, in an interview with CBS television, that a senior US official had threatened to bomb Pakistan in order to force Islamabad to meet US demands after the September 11 strikes.
“I am launching my book on the 25th, and I am honour-bound to Simon and Schuster not to comment on the book before that day,” he said, sparking incredulous laughter among reporters and relieved chuckling from Mr Bush. “In other words, ‘buy the book’ is what he’s saying,” joked the US leader, who said that he had just learned of the allegation on Friday in a newspaper and was “taken aback by the harshness of the words”.
“I don’t know of any conversation that was reported in the newspaper like that. I just don’t know about it,” said Mr Bush. The US official who supposedly made the remark, former deputy US secretary of state Richard Armitage, flatly denied saying any such thing, declaring in an interview with CNN: “Never did I threaten to use any military force.”
|
| Hyderabad, Sept. 22: The foundation stone for the Aga Khan Academy was laid on Friday by Prince Aga Khan along with Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The academy coming up in Ranga Reddy district aims to prepare talented young people for leadership roles in India and abroad. It will be an essential part of the Agha Khan Development Network which is dedicated to empowering communities and individuals to improve living conditions. The foundation stone for the academy was laid in a sprawling 100-acre plot near Raviryala village in Maheshwaram mandal. Prince Aga Khan, the founder of the academy is also the 49th hereditary spiritual leader (Imam) of the Ismaili Muslims. Speaking at the function, the prince recalled how his ancestors dedicated themselves to the service of society and established educational institutions. “The well-led society of the future will be a meritorious one where leadership roles will be based on personal and intellectual excellence,” he said. “Our goal is not to provide special education for privileged elites but to provide an exceptional education for the truly exceptional.” In his speech, Aga Khan dwelt on various ills plaguing contemporary society. “We are often told these days… about the clash of civilisations-especially a clash between the Islamic world and the West,” he said. “I disagree with that assessment. In my view, it is a clash of ignorances which is to blame.” According to him, the academy would seek to erase such ignorances through the broad study of a variety of world cultures, including the study of Muslim civilisations, a subject which is often overlooked. Aga Khan said a broad public education was still an essential obligation of a just society and added that human resources were become more important than natural resources in determining the wealth of the society. Governments alone could not meet the educational challenges of the 21st century and civil society had to do its part, he said. “Our academies will have their own areas of special emphasis including an explicit concern for value pluralism, a strong emphasis on the ethical dimensions… and a focus on comparative political systems,” he said. Dr Rajasekhar Reddy promised all support from the government for the construction and smooth conduct of the academy. He added that his government was taking several steps to create a knowledge based society in rural areas. The academy is expected to start functioning in 2009-10 and its syllabus would be based on the International Baccalaureate system. It is designed to help students excel while creating a sense of civic responsibility, an understanding of global issues and nurturing analytical and study skills. It will enrol 750 to 1,200 students and the development network will spend the money needed for building and running the academy. The State government, with a view to further the city’s ambition to become a global hub of educational excellence, has donated 100 acres in the Hardware Park to the academy. |
| Warangal. Sept. 22: Tiger mosquitoes are proving to be more of a menace to the Maoists than the Greyhounds.Many Maoists hiding in the forests are reportedly suffering from chikungunya, thanks to the relentless attack of tiger mosquitoes. Chikungunya is a viral fever with excruciating joint pains that, in extreme cases, can last for as long as six months. In fact, top Maoist leader Alvala Saraiah alias Madhu, who was shot down in a recent encounter, was unable to run fast and escape the police dragnet because he was suffering from chikungunya. Similar was the fate of his three women comrades, who were also suffering from the crippling fever. “We had clear information that Madhu and his comrades were suffering from chikungunya,” said a senior police officer. “We trapped them when they were vulnerable.” The encounter, which took place on September 15 in the Tadwai forests, ended with the death of Madhu and three women activists — Prameela, Nirmala, and Padma. Four other Maoists, who were not suffering from fever, were able to escape the police. Informers had leaked the news to sleuths that the Maoists were suffering from the viral fever and were taking treatment from local doctors. This was confirmed by the prescription slips and medicines found in the kitbags of the slain Maoists. “We believe many Maoists are lying sick within the forests and we want to intensify our combing,” said a police officer. Since Maoists were suffering from chikungunya, they would not be able to change shelters every day which was their usual practice, he added.
|
| New York, Sept. 22: These days, it takes a billion — at least. For the first time, Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest Americans consists exclusively of people worth $1 billion or more. As a group, the people who made the rankings released on Thursday are worth a record $1.25 trillion compared to $1.13 trillion last year. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson pole-vaulted to No. 3 from 15 in last year’s ranking, finishing behind the mainstays at 1 and 2: Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Mr Adelson is now estimated to have $20.5 billion, Mr Buffett $46 billion and Mr Gates $53 billion. Mr Gates has held the No. 1 spot for the last 13 years while Mr Buffett has been No. 2 every year since 1994 except 2000, when Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp. held that spot. Indian-Americans are not just climbing the corporate ladder but taking the elevator up, leaving behind many US corporate moguls. Google Inc. founder-director Kavitark Ram Shriram and Bose Corporation chairman Amar Gopal Bose have both moved up the rankings in the list of Forbes’ 400 Richest Americans. Acoustics pioneer Bose and tech wizard Shriram have tied at the 242nd position in the list, ahead of Margaret C. Whitman, the president and CEO of global online auction giant eBay Inc, Howard S. Schultz, chairman of coffee retail giant Starbucks and Hilton Hotel chairman William Barron Hilton. Mr Bose and Mr Shriram, who are now US citizens and worth $1.5 billion each, have also beaten Mr Rober William Galvin of Motorola, Robert Drayton McLane Jr of Wal-Mart and Roy Edward Disney of Walt Disney. While Mr Shriram had entered the list at 258 in 2005, for Bose (ranked 283 in 2005) it is the fifth year in a row on the Forbes 400 list. |
| New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday cleared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister P. Chidambaram of the charge that they held offices of profit. The EC also cleared the names of Union minister Subbirami Reddy, senior BJP leader Najma Heptullah and Narayan Singh Manaklav, source said. The EC sent its opinion to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in this regard in the light of Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment law, 2006, EC sources said. Petitions were referred to the EC against the Prime Minister and the finance minister on the ground that they were holding offices of profit as trustees of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. However, under the latest amendment the office of chairperson or trustee (by whatever name called) of any trust, whether public or private, would not attract the disqualification clause. | YSR to ask for more dam money | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 22: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Friday said recruitment into the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) had stopped because of the development initiatives lau-nched by his government.Speaking to mediapersons before leaving for Nainital for the conclave of Congress Chief Ministers, Dr Reddy said his government had taken measures to bridge the urban-rural divide and gave top priority to developing infrastructure in rural areas. He said that a case for dialogue with the Maoists did not arise till the latter laid down weapons. He was of the view that the people will not look to the Maoists or others for help if the government instilled confidence in them. Dr Reddy said the CMs’ meet would discuss the problem of Maoist and ISI-sponsored terror as part of improving internal security. He said that he would explain the State government’s strategy of containing the Naxal menace and that he would ask the Centre for more financial assistance to step up developmental activities in the affected areas. On the irrigation front, the Chief Minister said he would urge the Centre to reverse the present loan to grant ratio of 70:30 under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme so that the State will get 30 per cent of the money as loan and 70 per cent as grant. He said the foundation stone for the Chevella-Pranahitha would be set in six months and comprehensive investigation work of the project was on. Dr Reddy said the government had been planning to provide irrigation facilities to an additional area of 10-15 lakh acres every year as part of Jalayagnam. He said that the government had been spending thousands of crores of rupees on irrigation. The Chief Minister will urge Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to prevail upon the finance ministry to ensure that banks give farm loans at three per cent interest. |  |
|
Gandhi insists on land reforms | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 22: West Bengal Governor Gopalakrishna Gandhi said that failure of comprehensive land reforms had resulted in the growth of naxalism in several parts of country. He alleged that land reforms were sabotaged by people interested in class and caste and the rage of the landless and rural unemployed were capitalised by Leftists. Mr Gopalakrishna Gandhi was delivering Dr B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Lecture organised by the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) in the city on Friday. He said that land reforms implementation need to be revived nationally. “Even in States where land reforms have been implemented well as in West Bengal and Kerala, there has to be such a thing as a next stage so that the reforms of the 70s and 80s can benefit more number of people and more deserving,” he observed. The subject Mr Gandhi had taken was “Rage and Calm”. He supported the reasonable and justified rage by mentioning B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi and their rage against caste and colour discrimination. Mr Gopalakrishna said “what worried Gandhi and Ambedkar was not the rage, not the turbulence but the calm, the calm of disdain, the ice of neglect and isolation.” He found a reason in the rage of students who opposed the recent quota issue (reservations to OBCs in central and higher educational institutions). | |
|
State still not ready on RTI | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 22: Even 15 months after the Right to Information Act came into force, scores of State government offices continue to function without public information officers (PIOs) as mandated by the Act. In the absence of the PIOs, people are finding it difficult to file for information. In some offices, PIOs have been designated but the information has not been disclosed. If any person applies for information by paying the nominal fee, the assistant PIO or PIO has to provide it within 30 days. The immediate superior officer will be the appellate authority. People who are turned down by the appellate authority, can file a petition with AP Information Commission. According to the Act, which was enacted on June 15, 2005, the public authorities have to computerise the records within 120 days. Assistant PIOs and PIOs have to be appointed within 100 days. Ironically, many lethargic departments have not completed the procedure even after more than one year. Nearly 70,000 PIOs have to be designated in all levels in 200 departments in the State. Only departments like revenue, municipal administration, some wings in the police, medical and health departments have come forward to implement the Act at the grass root level. The AP Information Commission has taken the issue seriously and decided to initiate action suo motu from October onwards on the heads of the departments which did not implement the Act in a true spirit. “We will summon them, pass strictures and impose fines if they fail to complete the procedure” said chief information commissioner C.D. Arha. | |
|
Police seeks 2 LC seats | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 22: Pol-ce officials demanded that the State government give them two seats in Legislative Council. AP Police Officers Association met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and home minister K. Jana Reddy with the demand. | |
|
Urdu University opens centre at Jeddah | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 22: Maulana Azad National Urdu University has gone international.
It has set up an education-cum-examination centre at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and over 100 students have already joined for distance education programmes. The university is offering B.A, B.Com, and post graduate courses, including MA Urdu, MA English and MA History, to students in Gulf countries for the current academic year. Other courses will be introduced later. The Indian Education Council, a body identified by the Indian Consulate, will facilitate and coordinate with the university in the admission and conduct of exams. Vice-Chancellor Prof A.M. Pathan told this correspondent that the centre at Jeddah was established following numerous petitions from the Indian expatriate population for access to courses in Urdu medium.These memoranda were submitted to Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, when he visited Jeddah in July 2006. Subsequently, the Indian Consulate officials got in touch with the university, following which a three-member team, led by the vice-chancellor, visited Jeddah this month to set up the centre. “We held a meeting with social and cultural organisations working in the field of Urdu promotion, representatives of IEC and consulate officials,” said Dr M. Shujat Ali, a spokesperson of the university. The examinations will be conducted under the aegis of the Indian Consulate. An eligibility test will be held on November 5 for students who are 18 years old and do not posses 12th class pass certificate. Those who have passed 12th class will be given direct admission. The last date for submitting applications is November 18. Students can get the prospectus-cum-application form from the IEC or download it from the university website. The study material will be sent by post to the Indian Consulate, who will distribute it to students through the IEC. | |
|
State to seek death for Surana killer | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 22: The prosecution in the sensational killing of prominent industrialist Dulichand Surana has asked the metropolitan sessions judge court to sentence the accused, Mayank Bohra, to death. Mayank Bohra, 25, was charged with abduction, extortion and killing of Dulichand, owner of Deepak Galvanising & Engineering Company, on the New Year eve of 2002. The accused was re-arrested after he jumped bail. The court has posted the judgement to October 9. Dulichand Surana and his wife Manjula Surana, residents of Secunderabad, were kidnapped by Mayank Bohra, while they were on their way to Taj Krishna to celebrate the birthday of their twin sons. Mayank, an unemployed acquaintance of Mr Surana who was in need of money had demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore. Police said that Mayank resorted to kidnapping after being inspired by a thriller serial. Terming it as a rarest of rare case special public prosecutor P. Satya Murthy said, “We request the court to award death penalty to the accused. As the murder was planned, brutal and coldblooded, it had a major impact on the community.” “The accused had plotted the killing for three months and acquired a vehicle and pistol for the purpose. Moreover, on the date of trial, he absconded. This shows that he has no respect for the law,” added Satya Murthy. Manjula Surana, wife of Dulichand, who sustained serious injuries in the attack and an eye-witness to the killing recalled, “Mayank, who was standing at Begumpet waved a hand in front of our vehicle for a lift. But as soon as he entered the vehicle, he threatened my husband at gun point and drove us to a secluded post in Mahendra Hills and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore. When my husband replied he can arrange only Rs 10 lakh within an hour he was stabbed to death. I was also attacked and he took away my jewellery.” Mayank was arrested on January 1 based on Manjula’s statements. Mayank’s dairy, blood-stained clothes, cellphone, and pistols were seized. Khurmimlal Doungel a second year BA student of Amrita College, and a native of Assam was also charged with supplying weapon to Mayank. |
|
| PM lobbies for Havana deal | | |
| | New Delhi, Sept. 22: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, worried about the strong reaction against the proposed joint terror mechanism with Pakistan from the BJP and the Indian strategic community, has started lobbying for the agreement — of which the details are reportedly still to be worked out. He had a meeting with the Left leaders for a start, and expressed the hope that the mechanism would be given a try and that it would succeed. The Prime Minister will be meeting the members of the Cabinet Committee on Security to discuss the terror mechanism and get a green signal to go ahead on this with Pakistan. Till date, however, the details of the mechanism are not known, with the concerned ministries and agencies in the dark about the proposal. The ministry of external affairs, the home ministry, the intelligence agencies and the armed forces were the nodal agencies that sources said should have been consulted and taken on board by the Prime Minister, but they admit to being completely in the dark. It is still not clear whether some of the salient points of the controversial joint terror mechanism have been worked out by him and Gen. Musharraf at their meeting in Havana or whether they will be starting the process from scratch. Gen. Musharraf himself has not received an exactly enthusiastic response from Pakistan, and indicated as much to reporters in New York when he said that the intelligence agencies were worried about what they would have to share with India. The extremist groups are also not particularly happy about the deal, with reports in the Pakistan media hinting at reservations that have not yet been voiced as the leaders are waiting for Gen. Musharraf to return and explain the form and substance of the joint mechanism against terrorism. Significantly, both Dr Manmohan Singh and even the usually talkative general have maintained a discreet silence about how they expect the terror mechanism to be shaped and whether it would involve active interaction between not just the intelligence agencies of both countries but the armed forces which are playing an active role in tracking down terrorists. Pakistan high commissioner to India Aziz Ahmed Khan told an Indian television channel that Pakistan had already made it clear that it would not allow its soil to be used against any country. He was non-committal about the extradition of persons like Dawood Ibrahim, but told this correspondent that he had not linked this to the joint mechanism as he himself did not know any details about the proposal as yet. Pakistan has continued to maintain, and this was stated by Mr Aziz Khan in the television interview, that it was prepared to investigate any terror attack provided India backed this with hard evidence. The Indian intelligence agencies claim that they have provided Pakistan with hard evidence against Dawood and other terrorists, but now Dr Singh has agreed with Gen. Musharraf to “let bygones be bygones” and look ahead. A mechanism to discuss and cooperate on terrorism is already in place between the two countries under the composite dialogue. Officials of the Indian home ministry and Pakistan’s interior ministry have been meeting to exchange notes on intelligence information on terrorism, but there has been absolutely no movement forward on this issue. The joint terror mechanism, thus, is probably envisaged as a more influential setup involving direct exchanges between the intelligence networks. This has not been met with enthusiasm on either side, as the intelligence agencies of both countries deeply distrust each other and are visibly reluctant to be drawn into a mechanism to cooperate on terrorism. The BJP is determined not to allow this to get off the ground and will oppose it at all levels. The jihadi groups have still not made their mind known but clearly the first reaction is not welcoming. The Left parties have supported the entire Pakistan package that the Prime Minister brought back with him from Havana. Pakistan has insisted throughout that it is not supporting terrorism, that it is not running terrorist training camps as alleged not just by India but the Pakistani and the international media, and that it is a victim of terrorism itself. | |
|
Monkey strangles girl to death | | |
| | Lucknow, Sept. 22: Deep Chand is in deep distress over the death of his 16-year-old daughter Mamta who was strangulated by a monkey two days ago. The “murderer” did not flee after committing the crime but sat near the body, grinning away to glory. The police refused to arrest the killer or even register a case. “How do we register a case against a monkey,” asked the incharge of the PP Ganj police station in Gorakhpur district. Mamta, according to Mr Deep Chand, was drying corn kernels on the terrace of her house on Tuesday. A monkey suddenly appeared and began eating the kernels. She tried to shoo away the monkey. When he refused to budge, she picked up a stick to beat the monkey. But before she could get him, the monkey attacked her. | |
|
New debate over closure of Hyderabad airport | | |
| | New Delhi, Sept. 22: After the issue of privatisation, there is a new debate over the intended closure of the existing Hyderabad airport for civil flights by the government (after the new airport at nearby Shamshabad comes up). The debate has occupied much of the time of the tripartite committee on modernisation set up by the government. The issue figured prominently at the recent meetings of the tripartite committee held on September 13 and 20 in the capital. As per the minutes of the meeting held on September 13, the Airports Authority of India Employees Joint Forum had suggested that “existing airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore are to be kept operational, if necessary even for domestic operations”. The joint forum further suggested, “If new airports are being constructed at Hyderabad and Bangalore, then there is no necessity of investing huge amounts in various works in the existing airports.” There are currently nine members of the tripartite committee, including four AAI officials, four AAI union members and one official from the civil aviation ministry. The committee, which had initially been constituted in February, 2006, was revived last month by the government after the AAI unions threatened a nationwide strike after they claimed that the government was not being taking their demands seriously. When asked about Hyderabad airport, an AAI union official and tripartite committee member said, “We are totally opposed to the closure of the existing Hyderabad airport after the new airport becomes operational. We have raised this issue very strongly in the committee meeting.” In fact, a parliamentary committee had earlier expressed distress at the decision of the civil aviation ministry to shut down the existing Hyderabad airport for commercial operations. | |
|
Guidelines on effective police action in States | | |
| | New Delhi, Sept. 22: In a landmark judgment on police reforms in the country, the Supreme Court on Friday laid down guidelines aimed at making it free from unwarranted influence and to act in effective manner but also to make it accountable through a better mechanism of redressal of the complaint against them. The top court asked the Centre, States and Union Territories to comply with the guidelines on creation of various bodies contemplated on or before December 31, so that these could become operational on the onset of the new year. “The State governments are directed to constitute a State Security Commission in every State to ensure that the State government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the State police,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Justice C.K. Thakker and Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan. It will also have the power to lay down the broad policy guidelines so that the State police always acts according to the laws of the land and the Constitution” said Justice Sabharwal, writing the judgment for the bench. In order to ensure that such a commission is not only an eyewash, the bench also ordered that its recommendations shall be binding on the State government. Its functions would also include giving directions for the performance of the preventive tasks and services oriented functions of the police, evaluation of the performance of the State police and preparing a report, which is to be placed before the legislature, stated the bench. This body shall be headed by the chief minister or home minister as chairman with DGP of the State as its ex-officio secretary. | |
|
Top court stays fresh GM trials | | |
| | New Delhi, Sept. 21: The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the Central government from granting fresh approval for field trials of genetically modified (GM) products in the country until further orders. A bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal also directed the government to induct scientists and exp-erts into the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee. The court’s stay order would, however, not apply to field trials of genetically modified products which are already underway such as those of Bt brinjal and Bt cotton. | |
|
SC nod for student poll norms | | |
| | New Delhi, Sept. 22: The Supreme Court on Friday gave a green signal for the implementation of J.M. Lyngdoh Committee recommendations on students’ union election in colleges and universities across the country. The recommendations got the nod from a bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat as an interim measure, till the court arrives at a final decision. Saying that it was generally felt that the organisations such as NSUI, ABVP, AISF, SFI etc., had a tendency to unnecessarily politicise the election process, the committee has recommended that during elections, no person, who is not a student on the rolls of the college/university shall be permitted to take part in the election process. “Any person, candidate or member of the student orgainisation violating this shall be subject to disciplinary proceedings in addition to the candidature as the case may be being revoked,” the committee recommended. |
| |
