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Victory for democracy in Kashmir: Advani
Solan, Oct 9 (ANI): Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani on Wednesday hailed the 45 percent polling in Kashmir as a victory for democracy. "For the first time, people were interested in knowing the percentage of voting. The fourth round yesterday was in Doda where militancy is high and the terrain is very difficult. Everybody was worried. Yesterday morning, in Ahmedabad I came to know that militants had entered the townhall there. And in the evening I was informed that the voter turnout was 52 percent," Advani said after inaugurating a technical institute in the town of Solan in Himachal Pradesh. Suspected Muslim militants stormed a Doda polling station early on Tuesday hurling grenades and gunning down two paramilitary policemen before one of the attackers was killed. The turnout over four phases of voting in Kashmir that began last month and ended on Tuesday was 45 percent, which was lower than the 54 percent in the previous state polls in 1996. But the lower percentage was still a strong showing considering election-related violence that claimed 730 lives across the Muslim-majority region from early August. Indian government officials had hoped a good turnout would be seen as an endorsement of its rule in the state, which has been at the heart of decades of hostility with neighbouring Pakistan. "The entire nation is happy. The results will be declared shortly. There is a feeling that anybody might win or lose. We can say however that democracy has won," Advani added. The National Conference party is widely expected to win the most votes but may lose its absolute majority, opening the door for a rival coalition that analysts say could be more attentive to voter demands. Vote counting is to begin on Thursday morning and the outcome is expected later in the day.(ANI) Cong may form anti-NC alliance in case of a hung Assembly
Srinagar, Oct. 9 (ANI): The Congress has declared its readiness for forming an alliance, should there be a hung Assembly, with all Independents and small parties which are opposed to the BJP and the National Conference. The party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said "there's an option for the Congress to tie up with smaller parties and Independents who are non-BJP and non-National Conference." The idea is to unite all those who are fighting on an anti-NC platform. Meanwhile, the National Conference has already said that it won't stake claim to form a government in case it doesn't get a simple majority. Its president Omar Abdullah has stated that his party won't form a government if it gets less than 44 seats. It may also be recalled that 15 Independent candidates announced the formation of a new front two days ago. The counting of votes begins tomorrow. (ANI) Lashkar militant nabbed in Kolkata
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Kolkata, Oct 9 (ANI): Police in Kolkata on Wednesday said they have arrested a militant suspected of having links with a Pakistan-based group. A city court has sent the militant, Fazley Karim, to 14-day police custody. A senior police official said the militant was nabbed from the city's railway station, on an intelligence tip-off. "One man suspected to be (of) Lashkar-e-Taiba has been arrested at Sealdah railway station," said Chayan Mukherjee, Inspector General of Police. Mukherjee said security has been beefed up in other sensitive areas of the city which is preparing for its annual "puja" festivities. Apprehending terrorist strikes during the four-day puja celebrations due to begin from October 12 in the state, police have asked organisers to remain extra vigilant. The Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been banned by the Pakistani government, is one of two groups which India says was involved in an attack on parliament last December.(ANI) Vajpayee asks EU to share prosperity with developing nations
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to top Copenhagen Oct 9 (ANI): Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Wednesday called on the European Union to share India's philosophy of even spread of development and sustainable prosperity of the developed countries. He said that whereas many minds in India and Europe have proclaimed this vision, its realisation has eluded the world. The Prime Minister also warned this rich grouping of nations that dismantling of high agricultural subsidies will greatly harm the growth prospects of developing countries. The doing away of subsidies is on top of the agenda of the EU and is a touchy topic with socialist economies of the EU. The Prime Minister said that the preeminent challenges before the international community are poverty alleviation and sustainable development. India is working towards these goals in a comprehensive manner and the result, he said, is that in the first quarter of this fiscal year India's economic growth has been over 6 per cent. The 15-member EU is India's largest trading partner and the biggest source of foreign direct investment. It is also a major contributor of developmental aid to India and in this regard the Prime Minister's statement on even and sustainable development is significant. The Confederation of Indian Industry which is one of the sponsors of the Third India-EU business summit has identified nine specific sectors for bilateral trade and investment flows between India and Europe. They include advertising, biotechnology, entertainment, environmental products and services, education, financial services, health services, information technology and Rand D and design. Small and medium enterprises constitute the backbone of the EU economy and so also of India, and the CII has identified this commonality as a meeting ground for greater integration. Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on board the Prime Minister's aircraft on way to Copenhagen said that the summit level talks with the EU are of great importance because the EU recognises the fact that India is a growing economic giant and its political stature is growing as a result of that. Since the last summit, EU and India have entered into joint working groups in several fields in order to further trade and expansion of cooperation at all levels. The Foreign Secretary said that the Joint Working Group on terrorism has made progress towards fighting international terrorism. On being asked whether the Prime Minister would take up the issue of extradition of Abu Salem from Portugal, the Foreign Secretary replied that the issue was being tackled on a goverment-to-government level with Portugal and would not come up at the EU meet. The Foreign Secretary said that India would have to work with the legal system of Portugal and then take steps accordingly. Even in the EU, he said, many member nations did not see eye to eye on political issues. Hence there might not be prudence in bringing up the Salem issue at the summit meeting. Significantly, the Prime Minister did not dwell too much on the issue of terrorism and made just a passing remark on cross- border terrorism. He did not mention Pakistan in his speech whereas just a day earlier he had dwelt at length on this issue in Cyprus. The Prime Minister said that the fact that India had managed a healthy economic growth level despite what he callled "relentless and sustained terrorism in parts of or country masterminded from across our borders and designed to create political turbulence and economic disruption and social disharmony" was indeed noteworthy. The Prime Minister's address is the concluding part of the three-day India-EU business summit. Many industry leaders as well as Minister for Disinvestment Arun Shourie and Minister of External Affairs Yashwant Sinha spoke at the closed door meetings and interactions.(ANI)
CBI optimistic of Salem's deportation Go to top New Delhi, Oct 9 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday the process of extradition of Abu Salem, the prime suspect for the 1993 bombings in Mumbai, which left 260 dead, might take time as certain legal procedures had to be gone through. CBI director P.C.Sharma said the officials are working closely with their Portuguese counterparts to seek early return of Salem. India does not have an extradition treaty with Portugal. "Let me stress that procedure is important to be followed and it may take time. As I said in the very beginning earlier it will be unrealistic to expect that he could be brought back to India without going through certain mandatory procedures," Sharma told reporters in New Delhi. Salem, a lieutenant of underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested last month by the Portuguese police. A federal team has already visited Lisbon, capital of Portugal, in this regard. Sharma said the federal body need to examine the areas of compatibility between the legal system of two countries to get back Salem. Under Portuguese law, an accused cannot be extradited to another country if he can be executed there. "Their law requires an assurance that if an offence carries capital punishment a person or a fugitive cannot be extradited unless the capital punishment is brought down to or converted into life imprisonment. And our law provides that in such a case our Extradition Act Section 34 (c) to be precise provides a certain assurance can be given. So this is the compatibility between their law and our law. And we are going to make use of this compatibility," said Sharma. He added the 90-day detention of Salem and his associate Monica Bedi, who had been lodged in separate prisons, could be extended if required, so that they were not set free. He said both could face up to five years imprisonment on charges of carrying forged documents in Portugal after their trial. Salem has also been charged with cheating and forgery in Bhopal from where he obtained fake passport for himself and his girlfriend Monica Bedi. Salem is also suspected in the death of music magnate Gulshan Kumar, who was shot dead in Mumbai five years ago and has also been accused of extorting money from dozens of people in Bollywood. Salem was arrested by Dubai police in October last year but later released as Indian authorities failed to push through the deportation process. India has struggled to repatriate several key suspects in the Mumbai bombings and other high-profile crimes in the country's commercial capital.(ANI) TN observes 12-hour strike on Cauvery water issue Go to top Chennai, Oct. 9 (ANI): The dawn-to-dusk shutdown on Wednesday, called by all the political parties of Tamil Nadu to show solidarity with the farmers of the Cauvery delta and to condemn Karnataka's refusal to release water, had substantial impact. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has appealed to the people to participate in the strike and make it a "grand success". Several flights were cancelled and shops downed their shutters. Traffic was thin and all educational institutions and hotels remained closed. Opposition Dravida Munnetra Khazagam, the Congress and the Communist parties have also supported the shutdown. The 12-hour strike began at 6.a.m. Essential services (like water, milk and power supply, telephones, hospitals,fire services and newspapers) have been exempted from its purview. Many public and private sector establishments, including banks, declared a closure for the day. The strike is also being supported by various associations, traders, farmers' bodies, trade unions, students and women's organisations. The film industry observed a ceasework. The Southern Railway has called off its services during the day and officials said the suburban trains would remain off the tracks. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the main city railway station as all trains came to a grinding halt at 6.a.m. "I am going going to Calcutta for one and a half week. One day is completely wasted. It is a wastage of one day from my life also," said a man waiting to catch a train to the eastern metropolis. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been at loggerheads over sharing of Cauvery river waters as scant rains failed to fill the reservoirs this year. The Supreme court has asked Karnataka to release water as per the order of Cauvery River Authority chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, but Karnataka refused toonlige following protests from its farmers. (ANI)
Iraq attack likely "only if provoked"
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top Washington, Oct 9 (ANI): The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) believes Iraqi President Saddam Hussein could respond with chemical or biological weapons if he thinks an American-led strike against him is imminent.But in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee, CIA director George Tenet said the likelihood of Iraq launching an unprovoked attack on the United States was "low". In a subsequent statement, Tenet insisted that the letter did not contradict President Bush's tough stance on Iraq. It comes as Congress is debating a resolution authorising President Bush to use military force against Baghdad. According to Tenet's letter, Saddam Hussein might help Islamic militants use weapons of mass destruction against the US if he sees it as "his last chance to exact vengeance". For now, the letter says, Baghdad "appears to be drawing a line short of conducting terrorist attacks with conventional or chemical weapons". But should Saddam Hussein conclude that a US-led attack could not be deterred, "he probably would become much less constrained in adopting terrorist action," the letter said. The BBC says Tenet's letter provides ammunition for both supporters and opponents of the Bush administration's policy. (ANI)
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