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45 per cent turnout in last J-K round
Srinagar, Oct 8 (ANI): The fourth and final round of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections concluded with more than 45 percent voter turnout on Tuesday. Turnout over four rounds of voting was between 45 and 50 percent, said a senior government official. The polling for the final phase was marred by scattered incidents of violence in different pockets of Doda district in Jammu region. Doda and the Lolab area of northern Kashmir were the last districts to vote in the staggered poll that began September 16. Most of the people said they were voting to put an end to the 13- year old militancy in the state. "People want democracy and want militancy to end and have their own government," said Kishen Lal, a voter. Naeema Sultan, a voter from Kishtwar, one of the militancy inflicted areas of Jammu region, said people were not afraid and were coming on their own to cast their votes. "No we are not scared. Not at all. You can see the enthusiasm. You can see for yourself that women have turned out in large numbers. Can you make out that we are at all scared," said Sultan. Some others see election will turn the fortunes of the people and bring development to the state. "We hope that with this election unemployment will end and peace will be restored in the valley. Militancy should end here," said Rafiqa, a voter from Lolab constituency of Northern Kashmir. Earlier on Tuesday suspected militants disguised as policemen stormed a polling station in Doda, gunning down two soldiers. Soon after, voters hardened to years of violence poured steadily into polling booths across the insurgency-hit distirct in the Jammu region. But while many in the Kashmir Valley, the heartland of the 13- year-old separatist revolt, followed the boycott, voting numbers were swelled by heavy voting in the mainly Hindu Jammu region to the south. "We want peaceful elections here. Moreover we want development of Doda. The region needs a women's college and many other things. If we vote, it will lead to all-round development of Doda," said Rehana, a voter from Doda district. Mainstream separatists had boycotted the poll in the Himalayan state, which is at the heart of a military standoff between India and Pakistan. About 90,000 security personnel were on duty in the district, seen as one of the most volatile areas that went to the polls in a vote New Delhi sees as key to proving the legitimacy of its rule in Kashmir before it can consider talks with Pakistan. Polling stations were sandbagged and election officials wore flak jackets and helmets in Doda. Police frisked voters and sharpshooters watched from rooftops. P L Gupta, Inspector General of Police, Jammu region, said the security arrangements were foolproof. More than 600 people have been killed since the polls were announced in early August and there were fears the militants who had vowed to kill anyone taking part were preparing for a final deadly assault in the fourth round. Coinciding with the final voting round in Kashmir, where Hindu but officially secular India accuses Muslim Pakistan of sponsoring the rebels, Pakistan test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile, the second such test in less than a week. Tensions remain high between the nuclear-armed rivals, stoked by India's repeated charges that Pakistan sponsors Islamic militants in Kashmir and elsewhere in India in defiance of a promise to Washington earlier this year to crack down on the rebels. Pakistan has dismissed the Kashmir election as a farce, saying Kashmiris should be allowed a plebiscite on whether they want to join India or Pakistan, but denies sponsoring militants or helping them in their bid to wreck the poll. Indian officials have hailed the turnout figures as a victory of the ballot over the bullet but separatists and Pakistan charge the numbers were inflated, an allegation denied by New Delhi. Counting was set for Thursday for all four rounds. The ruling pro-Delhi National Conference was seen as likely to win the most votes, although many expected it to lose its absolute majority, potentially opening the door to other parties to try to assemble a rival coalition.(ANI) Court order dampens festive spirit in Gujarat
Ahmedabad, Oct 8 (ANI): The nine-day annual "Navratra" festival is being held amidst tight security in Gujarat which was rocked by religious violence early this year. The festival is very popular in the state because of the traditional "Garba" dances. But the mood is dampened this time because of restrictions imposed by the country's top court. The court has asked organisers not to play loudspeakers after 10 in the night. Normally, the dances start late in the evening and continue well into the night. But the court order has robbed much of the fun and frolic associated with Garba dances. Disappointment was writ large on the faces of the organisers and revellers on the first day on Monday. "People come at 9.30 and the loudspeaker has to stop by 10 o'clock. "Garba" dance is the pride and the identity of Gujarat. But then law is law and everybody has to obey it," said Kamal Seth, an organiser. Even the revellers are complaining. "The timings are a little bit problem. From 6.30 to 10 is really difficult. You have to get ready at 6.30 then come for the Garba," said Charu. With both the young and the old wielding a pair of "Dandiya" sticks and dancing to rhythm, Garba dances create an ambience of fun and frolic during the nine-day Navratra festivities. The Navratra festival is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga, a manifestation of the Mother Goddess in Hindu mythology. It is believed that during the days of Navratras, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons from the nether world and blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity. Fasting during the day ends in nights of celebration.(ANI) Dharamsala hosts the first ever Miss Tibet pageant
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Dharamsala, Oct 8 (ANI): The most beautiful women of Tibet have descended on the Himalayan city of Dharamsala which is hosting the first ever Miss Tibet beauty pageant starting Thursday. Dharamsala is the headquarters of the exiled Tibetan government. The pageant seeks to revive the culture and tradition of Tibetans. "In the beauty pageant we have a modern round in which we have to wear modern dresses. In the swimming round we have to wear swim suits. So here also it is a blend of both traditional and modern," said Tenzin Deki Chokteng who has come from Colorado in the United States of America to take part in the three-day extravaganza. As part of the cultural heritage promotion, organisers have planned to take the contestants to the Tibetan institutes and monasteries in India. Ngawang Sandup, an organiser, said the event sought to bring together Tibetans living in different parts of the world and blend the ancient culture of Tibet with the modernism. "Till now we have got almost 35 contestants. We will finalise them and at last we have six contestants but two are yet to come. We will have choreography, talks on current affairs, Tibetan culture, tradition and many more," said Sandup. More than 150,000 Tibetans have taken refuge in India since 1959 when Dalai Lama and his followers fled their homeland, after an abortive uprising against China.(ANI) Spectre of terror strikes has Left Front govt worried
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to top Kolkata, Oct 8 (ANI): West Bengal's festive spirit has been considerably marred by the possibility of terrorist strikes during the Puja days and the state government's financial insolvency. The CPI(M)-led Left Front government, which is concerned over the rise of some extremist outfits in north and south Bengal, appears shaken by reports of fundamentalist forces posing a serious threat to public life in Kolkata and its neighbourhood on the Puja days when people usually throng the pandals to have a glimpse of Durga images. The state's financial crisis, which reached a new high on the Puja eve, has also affected festival shopping with traders and shop-owners complaining about poor sales. The ruling Marxists are naturally expected to face a spate of political stirs by the opposition parties over the twin issues of terrorism and economic bankruptcy after the festive season. The state government has not altogether ruled out terrorist strikes at the crowded puja pandals or temples during the puja days after the terrorist attack on the Swaminarayan temple in Gujarat last month. The administration has already raised a special commando force and also decided to strengthen deployment of plainclothesmen to meet any eventuality. The main concern of the city police is to ensure peaceful and incident-free pandal-hopping by puja revellers from the neighbouring districts in the evening hours. There is also every possibility of a major stampede and consequent loss of lives in the event of even a minor bomb explosion at a crowded puja pandal. High officials of Kolkata police are naturally keeping their fingers crossed even after taking all possible steps to ensure security to the visitors. The recovery of four powerful landmines from a West Midnapore- bound passenger bus at Howrah station on Saturday has given a new dimension to the already existing threat perception from some extremist and terrorist outfits. The recovery of the explosives only a day before chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's public rally in Midnapore came as a rude shock to the intelligence wing of the state police which was earlier alerted by the Centre about a possible attempt on his life. The police are still clueless about the owner of the bag containing the landmines and a revolver even after subjecting the bus passengers to thorough interrogation. The state administration suspects that the mines were being supplied by the PWG activists in Andhra Pradesh to their counterparts in West Midnapore to carry out some "violent and subversive operations." The chief minister's subsequent decision to stop "indiscriminate arrests" of PWG sympathisers is being regarded in political circles as a fresh attempt to politically tackle the extremist outfit active in south Bengal districts. The financial crisis poses an equally formidable problem to the CPI(M)-led Left Front despite its uninterrupted rule for the past two and a half decades. The state government's decision to halve the puja bonus and undertake some other austerity measures have not been taken kindly by the employees who are apprehensive of getting deferred salaries after the festive season. Bhattacharjee and finance minister Asim Dasgupta, who are keen to implement the austerity steps at the grassroots level of the administration, however, found it hard to convince major Left Front partners like the RSP, CPI and the Forward Bloc about the rationale behind the government's decision to pay 50 per cent puja bonus to its employees. The concerned Left Front constituents, which had been kept in the dark about the government's decision before its formal announcement, sought a detailed report from Bhattacharjee and Dasgupta at the Front committee meeting. According to informed sources, the finance minister put the entire blame for the present problem on the Centre, but failed to explain why he could not take suitable steps to pre-empt a crisis. The state government's decision to mobilise additional resources by way of increasing stamp duty on landed properties is not expected to yield the ammount required to meet the monthly deficit. Dasgupta's recent circular to departmental heads to cut down administrative expenses has also not percolated to lower levels as official functions in the districts occasionally continue to be extravagant. Besides, there is a clear indication about the state government employees getting deferred payments in the coming months.This was apparent from Left Front chairman and CPI(M) politburo member Biman Bose's cryptic remark:"We can assure the employees that they will continue to get their monthly salaries, though not on the scheduled dates." There is every possibility of the opposition parties making the state government's economic bankruptcy a major issue in next year's panchayat polls.(ANI)
India, Cyprus sign five agreements Go to top Nicosia, Oct 8 (ANI): India and Cyprus signed five agreements on Tuesday for cooperation in Information Technology, science and technology, telecommunications, health and cultural exchange. The two countries also decided to intensify high level political contacts and explore prospects of tie-ups in tourism and other diversified areas. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides after the two leaders held one-to-one talks on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern. Clerides later told reporters that India was fully entitled for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council. Terming Cyprus as a "time-tested and valuable ally", Vajpayee said India remained committed to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country. He also said that the agreements signed on Tuesday would "impart a new momentum in our bilateral relations". The memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Information Technology and services will facilitate enhanced interaction in these sectors. For the Indian IT sector, this is especially important due to the strategic location of Cyprus, its developed human resource base and also its imminent membership of the European Union. (ANI) Indo-British summit will reflect bilateral friendship Go to top London, Oct 8 (ANI): When Atal Behari Vajpayee meets Tony Blair on Saturday afternoon it will be a cosy chat, continuing a year- long conversation. It will be the fourth meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and the United Kingdom in 12 months - during which time there have also been numerous complementary ministerial meetings at sub-summit level, the most recent during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to London in August. There cannot be many aspects of bilateral relations that have not already been thoroughly explored, and not much that is new since the last meeting. Officially it is said that the two leaders will exchange views on the current international situation, and review progress in bilateral relations within the framework of the New Delhi Declaration which they signed last January. Even the ambience of the talks will be informal. They will be held at Chequers, the British Prime Minister's official country residence, 50 kilometres north-west of London. The weather forecast for the week-end is not good, so tea on the lawn will probably be ruled out, but Tony Blair may be relied on to appear in an open-necked shirt, as he greets his Indian guests, of whom there will not be many, because summit talks at Chequers are, by tradition, mostly one-to-one, without any firm agenda. No doubt they will talk about terrorism, and about Iraq. Perhaps Vajpayee will vouchsafe to Blair his innermost thoughts on cross- border terrorism in Kashmir, without expecting any more than understanding sympathy in response. No doubt Blair will set out his case for supporting military action against Iraq, without expecting his guest to promise to join him in the event of war - though undoubtedly both, as leaders of nuclear powers, will agree that Iraq should not be allowed to hold weapons of mass destruction. If these topics are unlikely to cause friction, there will be even less when the talk turns to trade and other aspects of bilateral relations. Indo-Britiah trade continues to grow despite a global economic downturn. Three months ago a conference of Indian and British industrialists sketched out a plan to double trade between the two countries from 5 billion to 10 billion pounds in five years. Successive Indian ministerial and corporate missions to the UK have been delighted to find that tension in the sub-continent has not deterred British businessmen from wanting to invest in India. And the feeling of friendship goes beyond big business. This has been apparent at annual conferences of the three major political parties, all of whom have "Friends of India" groups that interact with diplomats from the Indian High Commission at the seaside resorts where the conferences are traditionally held. This year the diplomats have been struck by the warmth towards India, and by the lack of "India-bating" by demonstrators that normally attends such gatherings. It is in this context of fraternal goodwill that the summit meeting will be held. No one expects anything dramatic to emerge from it; everyone expects it to confirm that all is well between India and Britain. (ANI)
Time is up, Bush warns Saddam
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top Washington, Oct 8 (ANI): US President George W Bush has issued a blunt message about the choices facing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He said that war was not imminent or unavoidable, but the Iraqi leader must either abandon weapons of mass destruction or face an American-led coalition that would disarm him. "The time for denying, deceiving, and delaying has come to an end," Bush said. The president, speaking in Cincinnati, Ohio, also made it clear that any of Saddam Hussein's generals who followed orders to launch a chemical or biological weapons attack would face war crimes charges. Bush set out in stark terms the threat he believed Saddam Hussein - whom he described as a "homicidal dictator addicted to weapons of mass destruction" - posed to Americans. "Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists," he said. "Alliance with terrorists could allow the Iraqi regime to attack America without leaving any fingerprints." The president said the United States did not know how close Iraq was to building a nuclear weapon, but could not afford to wait. Scribes say many Americans remain uneasy about the prospect of military action, but this speech was aimed more at members of Congress who will vote this week on resolutions which would give the president authority to go to war. Egypt has responded by criticising Bush's "rewriting the rules in the middle of the game", referring to US attempts to force a tough new United Nations Security Council resolution threatening military force if Baghdad backs out of its pledge to allow arms inspections. "The important thing is to resume the work of the [UN weapons] inspectors as soon as possible," said Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher. An Iraqi official said the speech was "full of lies and full of unreasonable argument". "You [Bush] are just like a beast which wants to eat small countries and while you should help them you want to destroy them," said Abdul Aziz Kailani, head of the parliamentary religious affairs committee. Congress is expected to pass a resolution authorising Bush to use force, if necessary, against Iraq. The Republican-dominated House of Representatives has largely supported the strongly-worded resolution Bush is seeking, and is expected to vote this week.
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