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BJP expels senior leader Madan Lal Khurana for six years
by Sandeep Datta/Ashok Dixit

     New Delhi: Veteran Bhartiya Janata Party leader and former Chief Minister of Delhi, Madan Lal Khurana has been expelled from the party for six years by the disciplinary committee of the BJP. The meeting led by fomer Petroleum Minister, Ram Naik, BJP Disciplinary Action Committee(DAC) was in session since the morning. Professor O.P.Kohli and Sheesha Giri Rao were among those who attended the meeting. On August 22, the BJP veteran leader was served the show-cause notice seeking his explanation for his attack on party president L.K. Advani. Khurana had written a letter to party president L K Advani demanding the removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He had asked Advani to clear the taint the party had suffered due to the Gujarat riots. The former Delhi chief minister had said that BJP should emulate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had apologised for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and removed Jagdish Tytler from his council of ministers. The decision to formally suspend Khurana probably signals the end of a political career that was both colourful and at times irreverent over a period of nearly five decades.

Pak minister set to visit Israel to promote diplomatic ties (Go To Top)

      Jerusalem: Pakistan will soon send a team of senior officials led by a federal minister to Tel Aviv to promote 'diplomatic relations with Israel". Quoting a statement by the Tel Aviv-based International Organisation of Jews (IOJ), the Middle East Study Centre reported this on Monday. According to the Online news agency, the Pakistani minister's visit would be a follow-up of the recent meeting between the Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers in Istanbul. The Centre also said that around two months ago Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had a covert interaction with a noted Jewish figure in Islamabad, but he feared that he would have to face a public backlash at home if he allowed diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Israel. "However, Musharraf promised that Islamabad will gradually advance towards formalizing Pak-Israeli relations," the statement added. It also claimed that Musharraf had allowed Pakistani Christians to visit Jerusalem.

Pak has had secret links with Israel for over a decade: Kasuri (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri has said that his country's engagement with Israel was not a recent phenomenon, as it had maintained secret contacts with them for over a decade. Justifying his recent handshake with his Israeli counterpart, he said that it was in the interests of Pakistan and no pressure from outside whatsoever was at work for this. This would certainly help in enhancing Pakistan's role for the cause of Palestine, The News quoted Kasuri as saying. He added that at present no meeting has been fixed between Pakistan President Musharraf and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, when the two leaders arrive in New York to attend the UN Summit later this month. On the other hand, the Foreign Office spokesman Naeem Khan said that there was no chance of Pakistan recognising Israel until Palestine was a sovereign country. "Progress that Israel will make in the Middle East leading to an independent Palestine would also determine how close Pakistan will get to Israel in this process," he added. The spokesman also ruled out any confidence building measure (CBM) as far as Israel was concerned.

'China wants to become a democracy' (Go To Top)

     London: The Cultural Revolution may be over, but China or rather its leadership never ceases to surprise. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, currently on a visit to Beijing, was visibly taken aback when his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao said that Communist China was undergoing a peaceful revolution and heading towards becoming a democracy. According to The Sun, Blair was visibly shocked when Wen told him free votes for all in China are on their way. British diplomats described Wen's comments at a press conference as a "significant" step forward. This is a very big question regarding China's political reform. I will not dodge the question. We have direct elections at village level but we must have an evolving system for our towns and urban areas.But China will press ahead with its democratic policies, Wen was quoted, as saying Observers said last night it would take another 20 to 30 years and a new generation to grow up before Chinas Communist grip is finally broken. Mr Blair raised the issue of democracy during talks with Wen in the Great Hall of the People. China's economy is booming, with 1,000 new cars arriving on Beijing's streets every day. Builders are constructing 127 brand new airports to try and keep pace with the breathtaking economic expansion. Learning English is already compulsory for all children.

Americans appalled over Bush begging for Katrina aid (Go To Top)

     London: US President George Bush may have gone down in the American poll ratings because of his administration's lackadaisical approach and ineptitude in dealing with the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States, but what has appalled most people, is Washington's decision to approach Third World countries for aid. According to a poll carried out by the Daily Mail, the world's richest nation's inability to cope with the disaster and its decision to take aid from countries like Sri Lanka, Cuba and other lesser developed countries is being seen as humiliating. With America having already spent a staggering 186 billion pounds on the Iraq conflict, its unashamed move to turn to Europe and the UN with requests for anything from nappies and baby milk to forklifts and veterinarian supplies has not been taken to kindly. Strong allies like Britain, Australia, Israel and Kuwait have leapt to help, but so have Cuba and Venezuela, nations demonised in the recent past by the Bush Administration. Even Iran, of Axis of Evil fame, has offered humanitarian aid. Romania, not yet a member of the EU, is also sending two teams of medical experts. Tsunami-battered Sri Lanka and Thailand have been generous in coming forward with donations despite struggling to feed and house their own people. According to the Daily Mail poll, "it is a disgrace that the US should accept offers of help from the poorest nations who are barely able to cope with their own disasters." "I will deeply resent it if this Bush government accepts aid from any country... I deeply appreciate the gestures of all countries involved," one poll participant was quoted, as saying.

Anju Bobby George returns after winning Asian Championship gold (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: India's ace jumper Anju Bobby George arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening, days after winning the long jump gold at the 16th Asian Athletic Championship in Incheon, South Korea. George cleared 6.65m in her fourth attempt for the gold medal. However, she fell one centimeter short of her season best of 6.66m which she clocked during World Championship at Helsinki last month. George said that she has a busy season ahead later this year and next year. "This year, World Athlete Finals are coming up, which is end of the season. Next year, we are going for the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup for which I have qualified. Then we going for Asian Games," she told reporters at the airport. Twenty-eight year old George has now qualified for the World Athletics Finals scheduled to be held in Monaco later this month. The current season has not been the best for the lanky south Indian long jumper, who had finished fifth at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki last month with her season's best jump of 6.66m. Anju, the first Indian to win a medal at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, had finished outside the medals bracket at the meets in Stockholm and Doha earlier this year. In the latest rankings, the Russian trio of Tatiana Kotova, Irina Simagina and Tatyana Lebedeva hold on to the first three spots. Helsinki gold medallist Tiana Madison of the United States and her compatriot Grace Upshaw occupy the next two places.

 

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