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Annan to visit India from April 25

     New Delhi: United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will arrive here on Monday on a four-day visit. He will hold talks with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and other leaders. He will also hold discussions with External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh on April 27. Annan had last visited India in March 2001. The proposed UN reforms are expected to figure prominently during Annan's talks with Indian leaders. He is also expected to be apprised of India's views on various international developments. Annan visit would provide New Delhi with an opportunity to discuss various elements of the report, "In larger freedom: towards security, development and human rights for all", which includes suggested reforms of the UN system. India has been repeatedly calling for UN reforms so that it reflects contemporary realities and makes the institution more relevant in the discharge of its mandate. The situation in the South Asian region, including Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's recent visit to India, will also figure in Annan's interactions with the Indian leadership. Annan will reach Delhi after attending the Asian-African Summit in Jakarta, which concludes on April 24, External Affairs Ministry sources said. Annan had expressed a desire to visit India in January soon after the tsunami tragedy had struck the southern and eastern coasts of India, but the Government of India did not encourage the undertaking of the trip, saying that it was too preoccupied with the relief and rescue operations to entertain such a high-profile visit.

Fresh BSF firing kills two Bangladeshis (Go To Top)
by Nazrul Islam

     Dhaka: Tension prevailed on the border between India and Bangladesh as India's Border Security Force (BSF) killed two more Bangladeshi youth on the south-western Mahespur frontier in Jenaidha district on Saturday. A top BDR official in Dhaka said that the BSF fired on the innocent villagers near the Zero Line of the international border at Gopalpur when the two were talking to their relatives. "They were shot from point-blank range," Hasan Suhrawardi, Director (Operations) of the BDR said, adding that the firing was unprovoked. Police identified the deceased as Zahidur Rahman and Akthar Hosaain aged between 20 and 24. Bangladesh has condemned the BSF firing and sent a strong letter of protest to the BSF. The BDR also sent a proposal for holding a flag meeting. The authorities have alerted the villagers. "We have asked the people to move carefully," said a BDR officer. As of now, four people, including a BSF assistant commandant have been killed in border-related firings. Heavy firing between the BDR and BSF had killed one Indian officer - Jeevan Kumar-- and a Bangladeshi girl - Nahida Akhter-- on April 16 in eastern Akharua border. Since then, both sides have declared a maximum alert on the international border and deployed additional troops along the border.

South Africa's highest award for Pt. Nehru (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The President of South Africa, Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, has decided to confer South Africa's highest award-the Order of the Companions of O.R.Tambo (Gold)-- to former Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. Besides Pt. Nehru, Indonesian President Sukarno will also be conferred with the award. UPA chief and granddaughter in law of Nehru, Sonia Gandhi has been invited to Pretoria to accept the award. Member of Parliament and great grandson of the former Indian PM, Rahul Gandhi, would receive the award on Sonia Gandhi's behalf on April 26, 2005. The award ceremony is being held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri is expected to receive the award for the late President Sukarno.

CPI (M) will oppose Pension Bill in LS: Karat (Go To Top)

     Chennai: Prakash Karat, general secretary, CPI (M) said here on Saturday that his party will oppose the Pension Regulatory Authority Bill in Lok Sabha when it is put to vote. "We have not proposed any amendments to the bill. We want it to be withdrawn. We have written a letter to the Prime Minister on the issue. We do not want to embarrass the government. It is a money bill and the government should take proper action," he said while talking to reporters here. He said that his party is opposed to the passage of the bill as it would divert pension funds to the private sector, to be invested in stock markets. He recalled that the erstwhile NDA government had given up the concept of pension as social security, when it started the contributory pension scheme for the government employees, which was followed by other state governments. Karat also said that his party would also oppose any move to further dilute Foreign Direct Investment restrictions in the print media. "The NDA Government allowed 26 per cent FDI and there were 'serious moves' to dilute it further. The Group of Ministers was considering the issue," he said. Karat also said that his party was opposed to the Centre's decision to allow 74 percent FDI in private sector banks because this will kill small Indian private banks. On the issue of merger of nationalised banks, Karat said, "we can consider merger of one or two banks but will oppose the move to merge all nationalised banks into three or four. The RBI is preparing a road map on this.

Chhattisgarh tense after Congress leader's murder (Go To Top)

     Raipur: Tension prevailed in Chhattisgarh's Kanker District on Saturday after two unidentified assailants shot and killed Ravi Srivastabh, a former Congress leader, late on Friday night. A former president of the Congress party in Kanker District, Srivastabh had also served twice as the chairman of the local municipality. According to Pradeep Gupta, Superintendent of Police of the district, Srivastabh died in hospital, and may have been a victim of a personal rivalry. When reports last came in, angry supporters of the dead Congress leader had blocked the national highway and had damaged some vehicles. Security has been beefed up in the district, Gupta said, adding that arrangements are also being made for a smooth funeral later in the day. All shops in Kanker have been closed today as a mark of respect to Srivastabh, who was a very popular leader.

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