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Chhattisgarh band hits normal life
Raipur, Oct 6 (ANI): The ruling Congress-sponsored Chhattisgarh bandh to protest the arrest of Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and his cabinet colleagues in Delhi yesterday, disrupted normal life in the state today. Business establishments remained closed in the capital city and the agitators held demonstrations on railway tracks, resulting in delaying of trains. However, no untoward incident was reported from any part of the state, police said. Congress workers were seen moving in vehicles urging people to close down their establishments in support of the bandh. The bandh had a major effect in Bilaspur, Raigarh, industrial cities of Korba and Bhilai. A report from Bilaspur said businessmen had protested the bandh call for the closure of markets and on Sunday the bandh would lead closure of shops for three consecutive days. They had a virtual clash with Congressmen, who were forcing them to down shutters. However, prompt police action averted the situation turning worse. Businessmen were dissatisfied with the bandh as they had to suffer losses due to it. Jeetendra Agarwal, a small businessman, expressed his views saying, "Business is suffering because of bandh. Raipur is such a backward and impoverished state that it cannot afford to suffer losses like this. Moreover , a bandh should be called only if it is absolutely necessary and I don't think that it was necessary to call a bandh at this time." Another shopkeeper also expressed a similar concern, "This bandh is uncalled for . We workers are suffering losses. They should first discuss the matter, make it known to the public and only then announce the bandh, this way they will garner support from the public also. This is all a political gimmick. The protestors should be clear in their objective which they are not, no solution will come out of this aimless protesting." Jogi and others were taken into custody for violation of prohibitory orders while they were on their way to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to press for procurement of paddy from the drought-hit states or else giving financial aid as compensation. About 100 Congressmen were arrested at Raipur and about 50 at Bilsapur yesterday and released on bail for burning the effigy of Vajpayee and blocking traffic at various points to protest the arrest.(ANI) Two killed as militants ambush Army patrol
Jammu, Oct 6 (ANI): Two jawans were killed and three others injured by militants in Rajouri district on Sunday, police said. The terrorists ambushed two army vehicles carrying a patrol party in Pangai village. The security personnel retaliated and an exchange of firing took place, police said adding that combing operation has been mounted to track down the militants. The patrol party was on way to Rajouri from Shahdra when it came under attack. A militant belonging to the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI) outfit surrendered before police in Kishtwar. Meanwhile, Pakistani forces opened artillery fire and shelled areas along the Line of Control and International Border prompting Indian forces to retaliate but no loss of life was reported, according to defence sources. Troops from across the border fired on Mushkoh area of Kargil on Saturday night, they said adding that intermittent exchange of fire continued till midnight. Mortar shells were also fired from across the LoC in Kanzalwan area of Kupwara district and Jhangarh sector of Rajouri district for about three hours on Saturday evening. Exchange of small arms fire took place at Siachen Glacier and Kargil in Ladakh division and some sectors of Jammu and Kathua districts during the night, they said.(ANI) Opposition slams Krishna's padayatra
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Bangalore, Oct 6 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna's decision to undertake a padyatra on the Cauvery issue from Monday came under attack from Opposition parties, who dismissed it as a Congress "yatra" to cover up his government's "mishandling" of the Cauvery problem. Reacting sharply to Krishna's dramatic padayatra move, the Opposition leaders charged that he had taken a "unilateral decision" without even giving an inkling to them at the all-party meeting here on Saturday which fully backed him on the Cauvery issue. In a dramatic move after an all-party meeting, Krishna announced the decision to go on a padyatra covering Mandya and Mysore districts to reach out to the farmers and take them into confidence on the Cauvery issue. Setting off from here on Monday morning, Krishna, accompanied by his ministers, would trek about 20 kms on foot everyday during the mission that would take him to the KRS and Kabini reservoirs. Mandya, the home district of Krishna, has been reeling under severe protests against release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for the last five weeks and the stir has paralysed normal life there and blocked Bangalore-Mysore road traffic. (ANI) Campaigning ends for last J-K round
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to top Doda, Oct 6 (ANI): Campaigning for the fourth and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir elections ended on Sunday with 20,000 additional troops already deployed in the militancy-infested Doda and Kupwara districts. The six segments of Doda district and Lolab segment in Kupwara district will go to polls on October 8. Polling in Lolab segment was earlier scheduled on September 16 in the first round of polls but was countermanded due to the assassination of National Conference candidate Mushtaq Ahmad Lone. Hizbul Mujahideen militants have called a general strike on the voting day and threatened to teach them a lesson, who will participate in voting. But local people say that the militant threat won't do. (ANI)
Vajpayee's three-nation tour from Monday Go to top New Delhi, Oct 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will leave for a week-long visit to three countries, namely Cyprus, Denmark and Britain, on Monday. The first stop on Vajpayee's tour will be Nicosia, capital of Cyprus, where he will hold discussions with President Glafcos Clerides on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern. The Prime Minister's visit to Cyprus is long overdue. He was supposed to visit that country last September, but due to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the trip was put off. Three agreements on cooperation in the field of public health and medical sciences, information technology and services and cultural exchange programme will be signed during the visit. From Nicosia, Vajpayee will fly to Danish capital Copenhagen on October 9 for the India-EU Summit the next day. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha will join him at the Summit. The EU side will be represented by its president Andres Fogh Rasmussen, who is also Prime Minister of Denmark, European Commission President Romano Prodi and EC High Representative Javier Solana. The EC External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten and the EC Commissioner for Enterprises and IT, Erkkiliikenan will also participate in the Summit from the EU side. (ANI) Cyclone-hit Siberian birds skip their natural home Go to top Bhubaneswar, Oct 6 (ANI): Kulik is a bird sanctuary in Dinajpur which is famous as the resort for the migrated Siberian birds. It is also the second largest bird sanctuary in North East. These migratory birds go only where there is a peaceful spot and Kulik suits them best. This year, the sad thing is that the number of migratory birds has considerably reduced. And the main reason for this is the cyclones that they faced while migrating. A.K.Das, Divisional Forest Officer, says, "This time, we hoped that the number of migratory birds will increase. Last year, it was around 70,000. We thought it would be larger this year but because of the cyclones in their migratory path, the number is low. For the past two days, nearly 10,000 have died because of the cyclone." The Kulik bird sancturay is also trying to update itself with the best technology and to make it more tourist friendly. Das said, "Right now, there is a proposal for a new bird tower for the tourists. The Deer Park has also put forward the proposal of a reseach station. We also want to build a centre for observation to undersatnd the birds and their life cycle. We are making a film on this and the project is almost complete." Every year, more than one lakh birds land on the banks of Kulik in July. Horn bill, Night hiron and other Siberian species lay eggs and bring up their chicks within a time span of five months. In December, they start their homebound journey. For obvious reasons, the Kulik sanctuary has become an important attraction of the area and bird lovers from different parts of the world come to enjoy the presence of the migratory birds. The sanctuary has proper feed facility where fish are bred for the cranes. It covers one and a half square kilometre area. The birds nest on nearly 700 trees and according to the last census, around 76,000 birds come here every year.(ANI)
Saddam will be eliminated before US attack: Experts
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top Washington, Oct 6 (ANI): Iraqi President Saddam Hussain might face a possible dismissal by members of his inner circle before US launches a major ground attack, according to American intelligence experts. Senior military officials or other high-ranking officials, who would be left with the choice of either being Hussain's successors or being imprisoned or killed in the fighting, would take the chance to eliminate their leader, Washington Post quoted experts as saying. Senior officials, including Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld, have recently spoken publicly about elimination of Hussain by Iraqis, either through assassination or sending him into exile. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer had spoken on the same lines last week. "The cost of a one-way ticket is substantially less than the cost of war. The cost of one bullet, if the Iraqi people take it on themselves, is substantially less than that", Fleisher said. This approach has been central to the CIA's efforts to end Hussain's dictatorship. Earlier this year, President Bush directed the CIA to undertake a comprehensive covert program to topple the Iraqi leader. It included instructions to increase support and contacts with Iraqi opposition groups and forces outside and inside Iraq. Also, efforts to collect intelligence within the Iraqi government and military where pockets of anti-Hussain sentiment have been detected. (ANI)
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