Tyre of Thai Airways plane from Kolkata explodes while landing

BANGKOK: A tyre of the Thai Airways International aircraft from India exploded while landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport here early this morning.

All 287 passengers and crew members were evacuated from the twin-engine Airbus 330-300 aircraft that had left Kolkata at 2.48 am, the Bangkok Post online reported.

The accident took place when the pilots of the flight THAI TG314 landed the plane at the Bangkok airport at 6.06am, the post reported quoting a local radio station.

No other details were available.

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Sikh man killed in Pakistan over his decision to marry second time

LAHORE: A Sikh man was murdered in this eastern Pakistani city over his decision to marry a second time, police officials said today.

An eyewitness told police that some persons entered 28-year-old Amarjeet Singh's store at Shalimar Town in Lahore yesterday and assaulted him.

They then bundled Singh into a car and sped away. Later, Singh's body was found near Sheikhupura district, 40 km from Lahore.

The body bore marks of torture, police said. Singh was a 'hakeem' and dealt in natural medicines. When police contacted Singh's family in the northwestern city of Peshawar, they learnt that he had recently decided to marry for a second time despite opposition from the woman's fiance.

"The deceased's family told us that Amerjeet Singh had contracted a second marriage with the fiance of Arjun Singh. It suspected that Arjun and the brothers of the second wife of Amerjeet might be involved in this murder," an official of Shalimar police station told PTI.

A murder case had been registered against Arjun Singh, Saroop Singh and Mastan Singh, the officials said. Singh's body was sent to the city mortuary for an autopsy.

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Sri Lanka refuses entry to British tourist with Buddha tattoo

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan immigration authorities have deported a British national who had arrived on holiday to the island.

The Briton, who arrived here yesterday, was quizzed by the authorities at Bandaranaike International Airport as he was having images of Buddha tattooed all over his body. The Briton explained that it was his free personal choice.

The act was deemed offensive to the majority Sinhalese community, who constitute 74 per cent of Lanka's population.

The airport officials in consultation with their seniors decided not to allow him an entry.

British tourists are the second largest inbound travel market in the island's booming tourism industry after Indians.

Sri Lanka has a majority of population, around 74 per cent, from Sinhalese community.

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Hyderabad blasts: Two IM operatives, lodged in Tihar prison, sent to NIA custody

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday remanded two alleged operatives of banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), lodged in a jail here, to NIA custody for four days for questioning over the February 21 Hyderabad blasts that killed 16 people.

District Judge IS Mehta, during an in-chamber hearing, sent Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan to national investigation agency (NIA) custody till March 20 for confronting them with another alleged IM operative Obaid-ur-Rehman.

Rehman, brought from Bangalore central jail, and is in NIA custody till March 20.

According to sources, the NIA told the judge that the IM operatives had given conflicting statements during their separate questioning.

The court earlier remanded Maqbool and Imran to NIA's custody for five days during which they were taken to Hyderabad.

The two in July 2012 allegedly carried out reconnisance of Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar, where the February 21 blasts this year killed 16 people and injured 117, the NIA claimed.

Maqbool and Imran have been in judicial custody in Delhi's Tihar prison after they were arrested for the August 2012 Pune blasts.

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Veteran south Indian actor Rajasulochana passes away

CHENNAI: Rajasulochana, a veteran actress gifted with exceptional dancing skills, died here on Saturday.

Rajasulochana, 77, had acted in more than 275 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

The actress, who holds the distinction of having paired with leading stars of yesteryear like MGR, Sivaji Ganesan and NT Rama Rao, would be remembered for her roles in films such as "Vanangamudi", "Arasilankumari" and "Padithal Mattum Podhuma".

Condoling her death, Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa said the actress had left an imprint for herself in the film industry.

She was engaged in creating artistes in her dance school "Pushpanjali Nrithya Kala Kendram" here, Jayalalithaa said.

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Delhi gang-rape accused chargesheeted in separate robbery case

NEW DELHI: The accused in the December 16 gang-rape case were on Saturday chargesheeted in a court here by the Delhi Police in a separate case of robbing lodged against them for looting a vegetable seller before brutally assaulting the girl.

During a closed-door proceeding, the police filed its chargesheet against all the accused before Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain, who also took cognisance of the final report, court sources said.

"Cognisance taken. To come for scrutiny of documents and consideration on March 28 RPT 28," the magistrate said.

According to sources, the charge sheet was filed for the offences punishable under various sections, including 395 (dacoity), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

The six accused, bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Singh and a juvenile, had allegedly robbed Ramadhar Singh, a vegetable seller, of his day's earnings after luring him into the bus.

According to sources, the proceedings against Ram Singh would be abated as he had allegedly committed suicide inside the Tihar Jail.

The juvenile, who was acting as the conductor, has been named in this case but a separate charge sheet has already been filed against him before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The other four adult accused are also facing trial in the gangrape case before a fast-track court and they have pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against them.

According to the police, Ramadhar, a resident of Sangam Vihar in South Delhi, was returning home from the RK Puram market when he was lured into the bus and robbed by the accused, who took away Rs 700 and a mobile phone from him.

Police had later on recovered the looted amount and the mobile phone from the accused.

The tracking of this incident helped the cops in establishing the movement of all the six accused on that fateful day.

They had allegedly pushed Ramadhar out of the bus near the IIT flyover on the evening of December 16 and then moved towards Munirka bus stand where the girl and her male friend were waiting for a public transport, it had said.

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Delhi gang-rape accused charged in separate robbery case

NEW DELHI: The accused in the December 16 gang-rape case were on Saturday chargesheeted in a court here by the Delhi Police in a separate case of robbing lodged against them for looting a vegetable seller before brutally assaulting the girl.

During a closed-door proceeding, the police filed its chargesheet against all the accused before Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain, who also took cognisance of the final report, court sources said.

"Cognisance taken. To come for scrutiny of documents and consideration on March 28 RPT 28," the magistrate said.

According to sources, the charge sheet was filed for the offences punishable under various sections, including 395 (dacoity), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

The six accused, bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Singh and a juvenile, had allegedly robbed Ramadhar Singh, a vegetable seller, of his day's earnings after luring him into the bus.

According to sources, the proceedings against Ram Singh would be abated as he had allegedly committed suicide inside the Tihar Jail.

The juvenile, who was acting as the conductor, has been named in this case but a separate charge sheet has already been filed against him before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The other four adult accused are also facing trial in the gangrape case before a fast-track court and they have pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against them.

According to the police, Ramadhar, a resident of Sangam Vihar in South Delhi, was returning home from the RK Puram market when he was lured into the bus and robbed by the accused, who took away Rs 700 and a mobile phone from him.

Police had later on recovered the looted amount and the mobile phone from the accused.

The tracking of this incident helped the cops in establishing the movement of all the six accused on that fateful day.

They had allegedly pushed Ramadhar out of the bus near the IIT flyover on the evening of December 16 and then moved towards Munirka bus stand where the girl and her male friend were waiting for a public transport, it had said.

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Move to reduce age of consensual sex will break Hindu society: Baba Ramdev

INDORE: Coming down heavily on union government for reducing the age of consensual sex to 16 years, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday said the move to reduce the age of consensual sex will disturb the social order of the country and it is an attempt to break Hindu society.

Ramdev said 16 years of age is not appropriate for sex neither physically nor psychology. He alleged that bill is being passed only to benefit a particular religion and destroy Hindu society.

Taking a pot shot at Congress led union government, Ramdev said instead of dealing with serious issues like corruption and inflation government is busy with deciding about the age of sex. Now government will decide when people should have sex and at what sex. In the same breath he also attacked Gnadhian scion and said Rahul Gandhi is still 'baba' at the age of 42 but congress expects youth of the country to get mature at the age of 16. He also advised people not to take Rahul Gandhi seriously as he lacks political acumen and his only qualification is son of Sonia Gandhi.

On black money, Ramdev said only 10 per cent of black money is out of country rest is in the country stashed in some private banks. He stressed that transparency should be brought in working of private banks, but government is reluctant to take action against these banks as money of Congressmen are stashed in these banks.

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Anji Reddy, chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, passes away

File photo of Anji Reddy. (TOI photo)

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Mar 15, 2013, 07.44PM IST

HYDERABAD: Kallam Anji Reddy, founder and chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, passed away Friday at a hospital here following brief illness. He was 73.

He is survived by wife Samrajyam, daughter Anuradha and son K. Satish Reddy, who is managing director and COO of the pharma giant.

One of the most well-known faces of Indian pharma industry, Reddy was suffering from lung disorder for last few months and was admitted to a private hospital here 10 days ago.

The technocrat-turned-entrepreneur, who started Reddy's Laboratories with a meagre outlay of Rs. 25 lakh in early 1980s, transformed it into $1.6 billion global entity.

Considered as a pioneer of reverse engineering, Reddy made significant contributions in making pharmaceutical products globally competitive and also affordable to the common man.

"Dr. Reddy's mission in life was to provide innovative new medicines at a price that the common man could afford," said a statement from the company

His passion for research became legendary when Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. became the first pharmaceutical company of India to initiate basic drug discovery research in 1993.

Born in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, he did graduation from Bombay University with specialization in pharmaceutical science and fine chemicals. He obtained his Ph.D in chemical engineering from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Soon after his studies, he served in the state-owned IDPL before he founded the company in 1984.

Under his leadership, the company became a pioneer and trendsetter in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Reddy also set up the Institute of Life Sciences at Hyderabad, which is a public-private partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government for carrying out cutting edge research in life sciences.

Anji Reddy, who was conferred Padma Bhushan in 2011, established Reddy's Foundation and Naandi Foundation as part of his mission to give back to the society.

"Dr. Reddy touched millions of lives through his contribution to the pharmaceutical industry and his philanthropic efforts. In improving access to affordable, high quality medicines and in innovation, his contributions have been extraordinary," said son Satish Reddy.

"His philanthropic initiatives made a difference in the lives of so many Indians in the areas of livelihood, education, clean drinking water and healthcare. A nation is grateful to a man who paved a way for the delivery of affordable medicines to the masses and made us believe and take pride in innovation as a means to prosperity," he added.

Anji Reddy served as a member of the prime minister's council on trade and industry, chairman of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (APIDC), and president of The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance.

He also served as a board member of GAIN, Switzerland (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition) and also was on the board of directors for TB Alliance, New York (Global Alliance for TB Drug Development).

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Karnataka's first micro credit society for street vendors launched in Mysore

MYSORE: The state government is trying to replicate the success of Bangaladeshi banker and Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus extending micro credit to street vendors.

On Friday it launched it launched Mysore City Street Vendors Multipurpose Cooperative Society, which has a seed money of Rs 5 crore to attend to the needs of street vendors in the city. The society, which will be developed as a cooperative bank later, will lend small loan to the street vendors who are too poor to qualify for bank loans. Urban development Suresh Kumar launched the initiative and hoped that it will be a success. The government will have control over the society with DC and the corporation commissioner on the board of directors while seven non-official directors will be elected.

The plan is to disburse small loan adopting the loan pattern of the cooperative banks. District minister S A Ramdas pursued the initiative and succeeded in getting Rs 2 crore budgeted to the scheme. The society's office is located at Vani Vilas Market in Agrahara and applications are disbursed to get the micro credit.

Launching the initiative, Suresh Kumar said: This is first time in India that a state government has extended micro finance to street vendors. It will be implemented across the state following the response. We are aiming to curb exploitation of street vendors by money lenders who charge exorbitant rate of interest given that small vendors don't stand a chance to get loan from the banks.

The minister said it is akin to what Muhammad Yunus did in Bangaladesh, which, he pointed out, was innovative when it was launched in the neighbouring country. 50 per cent of the profit by the society will be used for the welfare of the society members extending them health insurance.

Ramdas said the street vendors are harassed by the cops and said Rs 1 crore is paid by them to the police a year. While we known about the money lenders. What goes unnoticed is the harassment by the cops, he stated adding they are paid Rs 5 to Rs 50 by the roadside vendors. According to him, there are 6,500 street vendors in the city who will get the benefit of micro finance scheme.

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TRS, YSR Congress Party give notices for no-trust motion against Cong govt

HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti and YSR Congress Party today gave separate notices in the legislative assembly for a no confidence motion against ruling Congress government in Andhra Pradesh.

K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS has 17 MLAs in 294-member House and is banking on the support of CPI, BJP, Lok Satta Party and some Independents.

To a query if the party has the backing of 30 MLAs, the required minimum number needed to introduce the no-confidence motion, TRS MLA T Harish Rao replied in the affirmative.

Separately, YSRCP, which has 17 MLAs, also submitted its notice to the Speaker.

YSRCP MLA Shobha Nagireddy said, "Her party is ready to extend support to whoever moves the no-confidence motion on people's problems".

Meanwhile, the assembly was adjourned for an hour, minutes after the session began as Opposition members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans.

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HC cancels exam for sub-inspectors, subedars in Chhattisgarh

BILASPUR: The Chhattisgarh high court has nullified the examination for sub-inspectors, subedars and platoon commanders held by the state administration for not following the rules of reservation meant for ex-servicemen.

The order was issued on a petition filed by Praveen Dwivedi and nine other ex-servicemen.

The single bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra yesterday cancelled the main examination conducted for as many as 758 posts of sub-inspectors, subedars and platoon commanders on June 24 and 25 last year by the state administration, petitioner's lawyer Pratik Sharma said today.

The court directed the state to conduct a fresh examination, giving the petitioners an opportunity to appear in it.

The state police department had conducted the examination for the said posts in 2011 and later the main test was conducted on June 24 and 25 last year. The physical test and interview were conducted from March 7-11 this year, he said.

The petitioners contended that the ex-servicemen have reservation under Ex-Servicemen (Recruitment to State Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1985, but during the examination these rules were not followed.

During a previous hearing in the matter, the Chhattisgarh high court had stayed the recruitment process and had issued notices to the respondent state with direction to file replies.

Initially, the state government did not respond but later it replied to the court that the selection was being done under amendment rules 2006, hence the provisions of recruitment rules 1985 do not comply with the process, he said.

During the last hearing, the court had reserved the order in the matter and stayed the recruitment process.

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Last respects paid to CRPF jawans killed in Srinagar attack

SRINAGAR: CRPF and police officers today bid a tearful adieu to their colleagues who were killed in a militant attack on a security forces camp in Bemina area of the city.

Director General of CRPF Pranay Sahay and DGP of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ashok Prasad led the officers and jawans of the two forces in paying floral tributes to the five CRPF personnel who were killed in the firing yesterday.

Sahay and Prasad laid floral wreaths on the coffins of the jawans before they were flown to their respective native places. Those killed in the militant attack are Assistant Sub-Inspector A B Singh, constables Om Prakash, L Parmol, Subhash and Satish Shah.

Meanwhile, IG CRPF, Kashmir, V S Yadav dismissed suggestions that the CRPF men were unarmed when the attack took place.

"We have a standard operating procedure and that was followed. One-third of the jawans of the concerned (CRPF) company were armed, one third were carrying the riot gear and one-third had lathis," Yadav said.

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Seven students of dance institute hospitalised for food poisoning in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Seven students, including four girls, of a dance institute were taken ill allegedly after eating food at their hostel.

The students of Kathak Kendra in GTB Nagar were admitted to Bara Hindu Rao hospital last night with symptoms of food poisoning, Dr R B Mittal, medical superintendent of the hospital, said today.

Six of the students were now stable while the seventh one is still under observation.

"Seven students, four girls and three boys, of a musical school were admitted last night. Six of them are absolutely out of danger and would be discharged by tomorrow evening. However, one of them is still sick and has to be kept under observation till his condition improves," said Gupta.

He said all the students were in the age group of 20-22 years.

"If one goes by the symptoms, the most likely reason is food poisoning due to consumption of contaminated food. But it would take some time to ascertain the cause," Gupta said.

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Kerala govt asked to pay Rs 2.5 lakh compensation for improper probe in murder case

KOCHI: Ruling that government has the liability to pay compensation for pitfalls or inaction of public officials, the Kerala high court on Thursday held that state government should pay for Kerala Police's lethargy in probing a murder case of 2001.

Justice P Bhavadasan ordered state government to pay Rs 2.5 lakh as compensation to parents of Balakrishnan of Kasaragod, who was murdered on September 18, 2001, ruling that improper investigation by Kerala Police resulted in violation of fundamental rights of the parents.

Balakrishnan had fallen in love with a Muslim girl named Rasina and had married her in June 2001, after eloping to Coimbatore. He was killed, allegedly by a quotation gang employed by the girl's parents, after they returned to their native place later on.

The girl's parents had disagreed to take her into their home after the murder and the girl is still staying in Balakrishnan's home. Parents of Rasina were deadly against the marriage and said that the marriage brought shame to the girl's family as well as entire Muslim community, petition by Balakrishnan's parents said.

The parents, M Gopalan and Pankajakshi of Avikara near Kanhangad in Kasargod, had sought a compensation of Rs 2 crore from the state government, alleging that police not only failed to prevent their son's murder but also didn't conduct a proper probe.

Alleging improper investigation, the parents had approached the high court multiple times, with the court finally ordering a CBI investigation, finding that Kerala Police's probe is not progressing in a fair manner. The CBI probe was completed but trial in the case is still pending.

Though the government's counsel argued that the parents have to file a civil suit to claim compensation, the court dismissed it. Public law remedy by way of resorting to judicial review method has now been accepted as an effective mode of rendering quick justice, the court held.

The right to have a fair, impartial, and proper investigation is part of right to life envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution. If there was no proper investigation or if there was callousness or indifference on the part of the investigating agency concerned, that amounts to violation of the fundamental right envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution, the judge ruled.

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Europe snow cover: Paris train services with Brussels, London resume

PARIS: High-speed train services resumed on Wednesday between Paris, London and Brussels after heavy snow stopped them the day before, the French rail authorities said.

SNCF said the cross-Channel Eurostar service to London and the Thalys service to Brussels as well as other stops in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany had resumed around 0700am (0600 GMT).

High-speed links were also restored between Paris and regional centres like Amien, Rouen and Caen, it said.

"SNCF put up more than 1,000 customers in hotel rooms near stations and in train sleeping carriages that were made available," the rail authority said in a statement.

"For 24 hours, 10,000 employees have been working to remove snow from the rail lines and re-establish service," it added.

The train services were suspended when a severe late-winter snowstorm battered northwestern Europe on Tuesday, causing widespread travel chaos with the cancellation of hundreds of flights at main airports.

Blizzard-like conditions -- coming only eight days before the official start of spring -- also knocked out power to thousands of people in France and left motorists stranded in their cars.

France was the worst affected but Belgium, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands also reported major disruptions.

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SC lawyer Harish Salve withdraws as counsel for Italian naval guards

NEW DELHI: "Insulted" and "shocked" by Italy's stand on the marines issue, senior Supreme Court advocate Harish Salve has quit as counsel for the Italian government in the fishermen killing case.

Salve said that now it is "a question of Indian prestige" and the government will be "justified" in the tough steps it takes in the matter after the Italian government refused the return of two marines, charged with killing of two Indian fishermen last year.

"I am an Indian first and then a senior counsel and after that comes my duty to my client and I feel insulted...I feel that first of all we are officers of court and secondly in a matter like this, the client has to take you into confidence and if the client does not have confidence in you, I think we owe it to the system not to continue," he said.

"Now its a question of Indian prestige, prestige of the Supreme Court, prestige of all of us is at stake and I think that Government of India will be justified in the toughest steps it takes," he said.

Salve said the Italian government's conduct was "disappointing" especially after they had "acceded" to our jurisdiction and the apex court had taken up the case out of turn and had even given a "substantial relief" by quashing the proceedings in Kerala and shifting it to Delhi.

The two accused marines, Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone, were allowed by the apex court on February 22 to travel to Italy for four weeks under the control and custody of the Ambassador of Italy in India, to cast their ballot in the elections scheduled for February 24 and 25.

The court had said that the marines are only allowed to travel to Italy and remain there and will have to return to India.

Salve said, "They (marines) acceded to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. A very busy Supreme Court heard their case out of turn, gave substantial relief, quashed proceedings in Kerala, brought it here, let them live in Delhi, was trying to get the government to set up a court and all these questions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), etc. everything would be gone into. Then this happens. So it is very disappointing".

Salve said there was no suggestion, implied or otherwise, from the Italian government that they are going to take such a stand and said that he was "shocked" when he came to know about it through the media.

"Never. On the contrary, the assurance was given. It was honoured the first time. That is why the court and the Indian government in an act of nobility agreed...," he said adding, "It came as a complete shock to me when I saw news headlines saying Italian government directly informed Government of India."

On who in the Italian government should be held responsible for their decision, Salve said that while the undertaking was given by their Ambassador, it was "powers above him (Ambassador) who gave the instructions.

"It's his undertaking. Beyond that I have no idea," he said, adding, "I am sure its powers above him (the Ambassador) who gave the instruction and I don't know who as they are interacting directly with the Indian government."

Terming the whole turn of events as "unfortunate", he said that the matter now has to be resolved at the level of the two governments.

"What happened was very unfortunate. I think now it has to be resolved at the level of the two governments," he said.

The two marines were on board the Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie', when they had shot dead the two fishermen on February 15, last year.

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Curfew to be clamped in Srinagar over youth killing

SRINAGAR: Authorities have decided to impose curfew in Srinagar district following the death of a youth in CRPF firing in Zoonimar area of the city.

"Curfew will be imposed in Srinagar district after midnight," District Magistrate Srinagar Baseer Ahmad Khan told PTI.

A 22-year-old youth was killed when CRPF personnel allegedly opened fire after coming under attack by a group of stone pelters in the Zoonimar area.

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Pakistan returns Chamel Singh's body after nearly two months of his death

ATTARI: Nearly two months after the death of an Indian national Chamel Singh, Pakistan returned his body on Wednesday from Attari border. Chamel Singh had died of beating in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail by jail staff on January 15. Chamel's two sons Deepak Singh and Dara Singh and other relatives had arrived at border to receive his body. The sons burst into tears as they identified their father's body which was sent back packed in a coffin after conducting his postmortem in Lahore's Jinnah hospital on Wednesday morning.

The inconsolable family have urged the government to take up the issue of Chamel's death with Pakistan government and press upon taking action against the persons responsible for Chamel's death in jail.

Chamel Singh's younger son Deepak Singh said, "My father's death is not natural but he was murdered in jail and those responsible for his murder should be booked and punished." He said that Indian government should take up the issue with its Pakistani counterparts at the earliest.

Resident of Pragwal village in Akhnoor district of J and K , Chamel's death by beating in jail could have remained a closely guarded secret in wall of Kot Lakhpat jail if a Pakistani advocate Tehseem Khan had not exposed the issue to media. Talking to TOI Khan said, "I am witness to the incident as the jail staff passed racial remarks against Indians and minorities which were objected by Chamel and he was mercilessly beaten by the jail staff. "

Tehseem who is president of NGO Jesus Rescues was also lodged in the same jail and was released on January 18. He said Chamel kept on pleading mercy but none of the jail staff listened to him.

Dara Singh, Chamel's elder son informed that in the year 2008 his father was working in his fields situated close to Indo Pak border after which he disappeared. He said in the year 2012 the family received a letter from his father through which they came to know that he was sentenced for 5 years in Pakistan on charges of spying. "But it was shocking for us when we came to know that he had died" said he. He said their agitation had not ended yet but they have to fight a long battle to get justice. "I want Indian government should take up the issue at the international level to pressurize Pakistan government to punish the guilty".

Commenting on the return of Chamel's body, UK based right activist and an advocate Jas Uppal who had already taken up Chamel's case at various international platforms including UN told TOI over phone from London. "It is absolutely disgraceful, degrading and inhumane that it took the Pakistani authorities more than 9 weeks and a lot of pleading to repatriate Chamel Singh's body to his family in India. I understand that a post mortem was eventually undertaken. This would never happen in a civilised society." She said it appears that Pakistani authorities do not have respect for neither the living or the dead.

BJP leader Sat Sharma who had accompanied Chamel's relatives quipped on J and K government for not extending any help to the family in getting Chamel's body from Pakistan. " Chief minister Omar Abdulla is keen on bringing the body of Afzal Guru but he had not shown any interest in bringing the body of Chamel Singh". He said they would take up the issue at national and international level to get justice for the family . He also demanded compensation for Chamel's family members.

Family members of Chamel Singh and accompanying BJP leaders and workers from Jammu and Kashmir and Amritsar had a verbal dual with BSF and police personals after J and K police insisted on taking the body in government's ambulance and not in the private air conditioned ambulance which was arranged by the Chamel's family. All of them sat before the ambulance and raised slogans . Deepak Singh , Chamel's son said "My father's body is already decomposing and by the time we will reach home it will go from bad to worst so why they are not allowing us to take the body in air conditioned ambulance".

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Pakistani government 'confiscates' passports of visiting Hindu jatha

ATTARI: Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) officials 'confiscated' the passport of Hindu pilgrims as soon as they entered Pakistan on March 8th and didn't allow them to meet Hindus of Pakistan during their 6 days pilgrimage to Katasraj in Pakistan where they had gone to celebrate Shivratri. The 88 member jatha of Hindu pilgrims arrived back via Attari land border on Wednesday.

Talking to TOI resident of Kurukshetra JJ Bhardwaj said that "Pakistan government took passports of all the pilgrims as we reached there on March 8th and kept an eye on us". He said it was like being put in a open fort during their pilgrimage. He said the Indian Hindus were not allowed to mingle with the Pak Hindus. "However a few Pakistani Hindus met us but they were scared and informed us that they were discriminated on basis of their religion." Bhardwaj expressed satisfaction over the ongoing development work of cluster of temples in Katasraj.

Another pilgrim Parveen Kumar said, "Indian government never take passports of Pakistani pilgrims or delegations when they reach India then why they were humiliated by Pakistan government."

He said ETPB officials only allowed Hindu Jatha members from India to meet a couple of Hindus who were either their employees or priest of Krishna Temple in Lahore. Another devotee SP Bajaj said that ETPB had made satisfactory arrangements for the devotees. He said according to revenue records there were 192 temples. Most of the idols in the Hindu temples were plundered during 1947 Indo-Pak partition.

Meanwhile, three Hindu families of Pakistan arrived India to settle here permanently. They pleaded not to give their names in media fearing harassment of their remaining relatives or other Hindus living in Pakistan. Head of a family told TOI that Hindus were not safe in Pakistan especially those living in border areas with Afghanistan. "Pakistan government has failed to protect us which in turn encourage Mullaha's and anti social elements who kidnap us, abduct our daughters and collect jajia," he said.

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Vadra land deal issue rocks Parliament; Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned

NEW DELHI: The issue of land deals allegedly involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadraparalysed proceedings in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments till 2pm as BJP members stormed the Well seeking a probe into the issue.

The plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Italian marines, held for killing of Indian fishermen, not returning, and other issues were also raised but the issue that dominated was one relating to Vadra.

Gandhi was present in the Lok Sabha when the BJP members trooped into the Well carrying a placard which said 'Finance Minister, adopt the formula of son-in-law; earn sitting at home and reduce losses'.

The BJP had earlier given notices in both Houses for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the alleged anomalies in land deal by Vadra in Rajasthan.

The notices came in the backdrop of reports alleging that Vadra had broken the law in buying land in Rajasthan, much above the prescribed ceiling, and that he was set to reap a windfall from the land in arid Bikaner area.

AIADMK and Congress ally DMK triggered uproar over the plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, carrying placards and pictures of slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's 12-year-old son.

CPI(M) members raised the issue of Italy refusing to return the two marines accused of killing fishermen of Kerala in the high seas.

Both the Houses were adjourned till noon soon after assembling for the day and later adjourned again till 1400 hours.

Soon after papers were laid in the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal was asked by Speaker Meira Kumar to reply to the two-day debate on the rail budget. But as the din continued unabated, Kumar adjourned the House.

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Anti-rape protests: Delhi Police give clean chit to all accused in constable's death case

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Tuesday gave clean chit to eight people booked in constable Subhash Tomar's death during the anti-rape protests here in December last year.

Appearing for the police, additional solicitor general (ASG) Sidharth Luthra told the court that no evidence was found to link the eight accused to the constable's death.

However, Luthra said that they were involved in destruction of public property near India Gate during the protests against the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman.

"We have electronic records (phone locations records). They were involved in damaging public property but they were not involved in Tomar's death," Luthra added.

The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Somnath Bharti on behalf of the eight accused booked for the constable's death case for quashing charges against them.

Justice GP Mittal posted the matter for final arguments for March 20.

Police had earlier said that Tomar was assaulted and trampled upon by the crowd at India Gate. However, two witnesses said that he collapsed while chasing the crowd and that he was not beaten or trampled by the protestors.

The trial court granted bail to the accused on December 24. They had been arrested on charges of murder.

Justice Mittal will also hear another petition filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Tomar's death while controlling anti-rape protests near India Gate in December 2012.

Tomar died two days after he collapsed on the road. Bansal alleged that there were contradictions in the versions of police, witnesses and doctors.

The plea said the police commissioner's statement was contradictory to the version of two witnesses - Yogendra and Pauline - and the medical superintendent of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where Tomar was admitted and later died.

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State govt mulls arming Bihar Public Service Commission with recruitment of professors

PATNA: With more than 3000 posts of professors of various categories lying vacant in different universities in Bihar, the state government today said it would bring an amendment bill in the current budget session itself to entrust state public service with recruitment job.

Replying to a short notice question of Awdesh Kumar Rai (CPI), education minister P K Shahi admitted more than 3000 posts of Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors were vacant in different universities for over five years.

Intervening in the issue, parliamentary affairs minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said concerned over the situation, the state government has decided to make an amendment in the Bihar University Act to entrust Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) with the responsibility of recruitment of professors.

Going into details, the education minister said the state government dissolved University Service Commission in 2006 as it was not functioning properly and vested power in the Chancellor to make recruitment through Vice Chancellors.

Pointing fingers over "faulty" recruitment of VCs and pro-VCs by the outgoing Governor Devenand Konwar, the education minister without naming the governor said since there was no transparency in the recruitment by the chancellor the process of recruitment of professors further got effected.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and two other senior ministers have demanded probe against Konwar in the light of complaint raised by Congress MLC Jyoti during his address to joint session of Legislature on February 18 last.

The matter triggered verbal duel between parliamentary affairs minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui. Siddiqui asked the government, how the educational work was being carried for over 5 years without required strength of teachers and does this not indicated that education system has crumbled in the state, in reply Yadav said the situation had deteriorated during previous RJD rule.

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Bulgarian President Plevneliev appoints caretaker government

SOFIA: Bulgaria's president has appointed diplomat Marin Raikov as interim prime minister to organize early elections after the Balkan country's center-right government quit in the wake of nationwide protests.

Rosen Plevneliev announced on Tuesday a caretaker government of experts whose main task will be to guarantee stability in a country shaken by weeklong protests against poverty and corruption.

The president says he will dissolve the current legislature on Friday, and set the election for May 12.

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Suspect in Russian spy Litvinenko's murder pulls out of inquest

MOSCOW: The main suspect in the grisly poisoning of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London withdrew on Tuesday from the British inquest into the murder, saying that political pressure and state secrecy were preventing him from clearing his name.

Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer turned fierce Kremlin critic, died in 2006 after drinking tea poisoned with the radioactive isotope polonium-210 at a London hotel. His family says he was working for Britain's intelligence services, and believes the Russian state was behind his death.

Britain has named Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB officer and Russian lawmaker, and businessman Dmitry Kovtun, who met Litvinenko hours before he fell ill, as the main suspects. Both deny their involvement and have refused to attend the inquest, though they have sent legal representatives. Russia has turned down British requests to extradite the two men.

In Britain, inquests are held to determine the facts whenever someone dies violently, unexpectedly or in disputed circumstances, though they do not apportion blame. But in Litvinenko's case every detail of the inquiry is being scrutinized for clues to the alleged involvement of Russia's secret services.

Parts of the inquest have been held in secret after the British government cited security reasons, over the objections of Litvinenko's family and media. Russia's top investigative agency has conducted its own investigation of the crime and said that Lugovoi, who claims he was also exposed to the polonium, was also a victim.

Lugovoi claimed the polonium trail in fact led from London to Moscow and scoffed at allegations in the British media that the Russian state ordered Litvinenko's death.

"Litvinenko's not Trotsky — he doesn't have enough stature for secret services to run around the whole world after him with an icepick in their hand," he added, referring to the prominent rival of Stalin assassinated in Mexico in 1940.

Brandishing what he said was a classified British police report into Litvinenko's death, Lugovoi said that the accusations against him were "nonsense" and that Scotland Yard was ignoring alternative theories of the crime in order to smear the Kremlin.

Litvinenko's alleged work for British intelligence, collaboration with Spanish authorities investigating the Russian mafia and private intelligence work was a "lifestyle that earned him all sorts of open and covert enemies," Lugovoi said.

Logovoi alleged that the British inquest has been influenced by Boris Berezovsky, a flamboyant and outspoken Russian oligarch in London exile who had close ties to Litvinenko. Lugovoi says Berezovsky was involved in the poisoning, a charge that Berezosvky has denied.

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Nearly 4,000 ultras still living across border: J&K govt

JAMMU: Nearly 4,000 Kashmiri militants are still living across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"Reportedly around 3,974 ultras are still living in PoK and Pakistan (across the border)", chief minister Omar Abdullah said in a written reply to the question of member Chaman Lal Gupta in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

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Work at Delhi HC paralyzed as lawyers join strike

NEW DELHI: Work was paralysed at the Delhi high court on Monday after lawyers joined a strike to protest against police action against colleagues in Jaipur and registration of a first information report (FIR) against 20 others in Chandigarh earlier this month.

"Work in all courts including high courts will remain paralysed on March 11, as lawyers throughout the country have decided to observe strike against the unwarranted lathi-charge by police on lawyers in Chandigarh and Jaipur who were protesting peacefully in support of their demands," said Rajiv Khosla, spokesperson of the Bar Council of Delhi.

The strike is also being observed in the city's six district courts. In the high court, only proxy counsels appeared before the court to get next hearing dates in their cases.

Police used batons and lobbed teargas shells against lawyers in Jaipur while they were protesting March 6 outside the Rajasthan assembly demanding better pay and cheaper homes. Nearly 30 lawyers were injured in the incident.

In Chandigarh, an FIR was registered against former additional advocate general of Punjab Rupinder Singh Khosla and 19 other high court lawyers for thrashing a police constable and ransacking a security room inside the court premises March 4.

"Lawyers across the country are aggrieved by the police action. We urge the government to take immediate action against the erring police officials. The police force should be sensitised to prevent them from using force against peaceful protesters in future," Khosla added.

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Non-tribal elected Meghalaya Speaker for first time

SHILLONG: Abu Taher Mondal was on Monday elected unopposed as Meghalaya Speaker creating history of sorts by becoming the first non-tribal to occupy the post.

Mondal, the Congress legislator from Phulbari, was elected unopposed after the nomination papers of Hills State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) legislator Ardent Basaiawmoit were rejected on the ground that no one seconded his name on time.

The HSPDP abstained from the election of the Speaker. Congratulating Mondal, chief minister Mukul Sangma said, "People of the state will celebrate the vibrant nature of democracy as it has created space for all sections."

"We have full faith in your capability where you will uphold the tradition, dignity and decorum of the House and that you will provide space for all to reflect the aspirations of the people," he said.

Pledging to work for the economic uplift of the poor, Mondal said, "It will be my endeavour to look into the interests of all the members irrespective of their positions."

Stating that Meghalaya assembly was known for high order of debates, dignity, decorum and discipline, former chief ministers D D Lapang and S C Marak urged the new Speaker to ensure justice and impartiality.

Earlier, all legislators including members of the opposition congratulated Mondal.

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Bangladesh president flown to Singapore after respiratory complications

DHAKA: Bangladesh president Zillur Rahman was today flown to a specialized hospital in Singapore by an air ambulance following respiratory complications.

"He is now undergoing dialysis at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital," an official of the Bangabhaban presidential palace told PTI without elaboration.

But the Daily Star newspaper reported the health condition of 85-year old had deteriorated as he reached the facility early this morning.

"The President's heart is not functioning," the report said quoting Rahman's family sources.

Doctors could not start treatment for his respiratory complexities, for what he was taken to Mount Elizabeth Hospital, due to heart dysfunction, the sources added.

Rahman was earlier admitted at Combined Military Hospital at Dhaka cantonment on Saturday night as he complained of respiratory complications.

Officials familiar with the situation said Rahman was flown to Singapore after the doctors of both the countries jointly reviewed his fitness for the overseas travel.

Rahman, a veteran politician who celebrated his 85th birthday on Saturday, was installed as the ceremonial head of the state in 2009 after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was elected in the landmark December 2008 general elections.

A lawyer by profession, Rahman was a close aide of Hasina's father and Bangladesh's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and is regarded as a key figure in consolidating the Awami League's unity at different times.

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Punjab and Haryana high court quashes FIR against lawyers

CHANDIGARH: Putting an end to the controversy that had taken place last week between the advocates of Punjab and Haryana high court and Chandigarh police, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday ordered the quashing of FIR against former president of the high court bar, Rupinder Singh Khosla and other advocates.

Division bench headed by Chief Justice A K Sikri ordered to quash the FIR on Monday following the amicable settlement between both the parties and on the report of Registrar (Vigilance), Shekhar Dhawan who had conducted a fact finding inquiry on HC directions. Both the parties were also present in the court.

The incident had completely paralyzed the functioning of the high court for almost a week, as the lawyers had boycotted the courts in protest of registration of criminal case against Khosla and other lawyers.

After the HC orders of quashing the FIR, general house of the high court bar was convened by the President, K S Dhaliwal who apprised the house about order given by the Chief Justice. Former President of the bar, Rupinder Singh Khosla against whom the FIR was registered, also expressed his thanks and indebtedness to the advocates for their untiring support in the hour of crisis.

Speaking on the occasion, Senior Advocate R S Cheema thanked the Chief Justice for taking suo moto cognizance of this incident and hailed it as an extra ordinary judgment.

On Thursday, Chief Justice A K Sikri had stayed on the investigation of the case against lawyers and directed the Registrar (vigilance) of the high court to carry out a fact-finding inquiry and submit its report on March 11 before the bench.

The orders were made by the bench after taking cognizance of a request made by Punjab and Haryana high court bar association, which had expressed before the Chief Justice that that the cases against the advocates were registered on on-sided version of the police official and the viewpoint of the bar members was not even inquired into or gone into.

On February 26, some altercation took place between head constable Ramesh Chand of UT police and advocate Rupinder Khosla, when Khosla failed to produce identity card required for entry into court premises. The constable was severely beaten up by the high court lawyers, after Khosla accused the cop for slapping him.

Later, an inquiry conducted by IPS officer Arun Kampani gave clean chit to the cop and found the lawyers responsible for obstructing a public servant from conducting duty and destructing public property etc. A FIR against Khosla and other lawyers was registered on March 4 on the basis of Kampani's report, following which the lawyers had gone on strike.

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Union Cabinet may consider Vodafone tax issue next week

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Mar 10, 2013, 11.04AM IST

NEW DELHI:The government is likely to take a view on the Rs 11,200-crore Vodafone tax case next week, a top finance ministry official has said.

"The issue (Vodafone tax dispute) may come before the Cabinet next week. A proposal to settle the row has gone to law ministry," the official said.

At a customary post-Budget interaction with business chambers, finance minister P Chidambaram had said: "We have decided the appropriate time to go to Parliament would be after we have been able to resolve the Vodafone case."

"As far as Vodafone is concerned, they had written to us proposing conciliation. We have written back saying that yes your request will be considered by the competent authority. So the matter will go to the Cabinet," Chidambaram had said.

Vodafone, which is facing a tax liability of Rs 11,200 crore for purchase of Hutchison Whampoa's stake in its Indian telecom business Hutchison Essar in 2007, had written to the finance ministry seeking settlement of the tax issue.

This follows finance ministry's reminder notice to the UK- telcom giant Vodafone in January for payment of tax.

The Vodafone tax liability arose due to amending of the Income Tax Act, 1961, with retrospective effect during the tenure of the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to undo the Supreme Court judgement that had ruled in favour of the company.

The government is working towards a solution based on recommendations of the Parthasarathi Shome panel which suggested that either government withdraw the retrospective tax amendment or waive interest and penalty in case it had to recover the taxes.

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Maharasthra Cong MPs want party to fight all seats on its own in next Lok Sabha elections

NEW DELHI: Apparently wary of the poll game plan of NCP chief SharadPawar, Congress MPs from Maharashtra could tell party vice-president Rahul Gandhi at their meeting on Monday that it should prepare to fight all the seats on its own in the next LokSabha elections.

"Instead of fully relying on the NCP, the Congress should be ready to contest all the seats", party MP Rajani Patil said, adding, this was necessary to avoid any unexpected move by Pawar's party that could derail Congress's plans.

Patil recalled assertions by the state NCP that despite an alliance with the Congress, it will make preparations for contesting all the 288 assembly seats as a "safety measure." It is also saying it wants a larger number of seats.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Congress had secured 17 and NCP 8 in the state having 48 seats. In the assembly polls later, Congress had secured 82 seats while the NCP 62 in the 288-member House.

The state NCP has already started laying claim on Pune Lok Sabha seat currently represented by Suresh Kalmadi of the Congress, who has been suspended from the party in the wake of alleged irregularities in the organisation of Commonwealth Games

Congress and NCP are ruling Maharashtra in an alliance since 1999 just a few months after Pawar parted ways with the Congress on the issue of foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi. The two parties are sharing power at the Centre since May 2004 when Sonia led UPA to power ousting the BJP-led NDA.

State leaders say that Rahul will be told that Congress could ill afford to lower its guard at a time when chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has put the NCP on the backfoot.

At the same time, a section of party MPs feel that if the Congress and NCP alliance continues it could help the party at a time when there have been efforts in the opposition camp to have a broader alliance involving the Shiv Sena-BJP as also MNS.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due in the second half of next year and the talk in political circles is that the alliance could continue in the state polls only if the UPA retains power at the Centre after the next Lok Sabha elections due in May next year.

The meeting with Rahul is also expected to be utilised by party MPs to plead for streamlining the functioning of the organisation in the state by giving specific responsibilities to office bearers to prepare the party ahead of elections.

The Congress vice-president had visited Mumbai two weeks back when he had held a detailed meeting with party leaders from the megapolis including MPs and had even reportedly disapproved the working of some leaders.

With Maharashtra witnessing severe drought, the MPs are likely to take up the matter with Rahul to ensure more central assistance. With Lok Sabha elections not far away, they are also expected to emphasise the need for early clearance of state projects pending with the Centre including the proposed airport at Navi Mumbai.

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Falkland Islands vote in referendum with eye on world

LONDON: Falkland Islanders hold a referendum today and tomorrow to send a message to the world that they want to stay British, although Argentina has already dismissed the vote as illegal.

Residents of the windswept archipelago in the South Atlantic have hoisted British and Falklands flags and even created a giant "YES" made of four-wheel drives ahead of the vote.

In a move instigated by residents themselves, 1,672 eligible voters are being asked whether they want the Falklands to remain an internally self-governing British overseas territory.

Argentina and Britain fought a brief but bloody war over the islands in 1982, and diplomatic tensions have escalated in recent years with the discovery of oil near the Falklands.

Britain has held the barren islands since 1833 but Buenos Aires claims what it calls "Las Malvinas" are occupied Argentinian territory.

"We would be deluding ourselves if we thought that Argentina would change overnight, but we hope it'll be a strong message to them and to others," legislative assembly member Jan Cheek, a sixth generation Falkland Islander, told AFP.

Falklanders hope the outcome -- and ideally a big turnout -- will provide a slap in the face to an increasingly bellicose Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner.

They also hope the referendum result will arm them with an unambiguous message to take to other capitals when pressing their case for acceptance on the international stage.

The United States, for example, has studiously avoided taking sides on the issue despite its close ties with Britain.

In the Falklands capital Stanley, television footage showed islanders busy on the eve of the vote hanging bunting with the British Union Jack and the Falklands flag, which is deep blue with the Union Jack in one corner and a crest with a sheep in the middle.

Argentina, 400 kilometres away, has branded the referendum "illegal" because, it claims, the islanders are "implanted" and thus do not have the right to self-determination.

The Argentinian foreign ministry said on Friday that the vote was "a British attempt to manipulate" the status of the archipelago.

The "attempt will not alter the essence of the Falklands or put an end to the sovereignty dispute", it insisted.

London says it will not discuss sovereignty issues with Buenos Aires unless the islanders expressly wish it.

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Disgruntled Malian soldiers desert posts demanding bonus

BAMAKO: A group of Malian troops briefly abandoned their posts this week and fired shots in the air to demand a deployment bonus, soldiers and officials said on Sunday.

"Several dozen Malian soldiers positioned in Diabaly with the forces from Burkina Faso deserted their posts on Thursday and Friday," a local official told AFP.

"They pulled back to Segou to demand their deployment bonus and fired shots in the air," he said on condition of anonymity.

"Our bonus is a right. That's why we left our positions. Now the issue has been sorted and we are back in Diabaly," said one soldier involved in the protest.

A senior army official based in the larger city of Segou said the situation was back to normal in Diabaly and added that some of the ring leaders were punished.

France launched a military operation on January 11 to prevent al-Qaida-linked groups that had occupied northern Mali for nine months from pushing south and threatening the capital Bamako.

Days later, Islamist fighters were retreating on several fronts but made surprise foray into government-controlled territory to briefly capture Diabaly, which lies 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Bamako.

The Malian army has been in disarray since a renegade captain carried out a coup in March 2012, ostensibly to protest against the military's failure to stop the Islamist takeover of the north.

Bamako faces the daunting task of securing enough funds to pay and train its soldiers, who are expected to take over from French and African forces when the last pockets of diehard jihadists have been flushed out.

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Syrian rebels treated UN hostages like 'guests', peacekeeping official says

MANILA: Rebels who held 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers in Syria put blankets on their hostages to help them sleep through the cold nights and a rebel commander became visibly emotional when his group released the men, a UN peacekeeping official said on Sunday.

Despite the good treatment they got from the insurgents fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, the peacekeepers were relieved to have survived the four-day ordeal unscathed and were thankful for UN and Philippine government efforts that set them free, said Philippine army Col Cirilito Sobejano, who is the chief of staff of the UN's monitoring mission in the Golan Heights.

The unarmed Filipino army soldiers, who were riding in trucks, were abducted by anti-Assad gunmen after providing water and food to other peacekeeping troops on Wednesday in southern Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

After tough negotiations, they were freed yesterday on Jordan's border and taken to a hotel in the Jordanian capital of Amman, Philippine officials said.

A medical checkup showed the released hostages were all in good health.

"They were in high spirits. We were laughing about their experiences," Sobejano told The Associated Press by telephone from Amman. "They had a cordial relationship with their captors, who put blankets on them because it was very cold at night." "When they were handed over in Jordan, a rebel commander got visibly sad," he said. "They were really treated as guests."

At the Amman hotel, the peacekeepers were welcomed with a "boodle fight", a Philippine military mess-hall style of eating, where food is usually laid out on banana leaves atop a long table and soldiers eat with their hands, said army Col Roberto Arcan, who heads the military's peacekeeping operations center in Manila.

Arcan said he talked by phone with one of the freed peacekeepers, army Maj Dominador Valerio, who asked him to "please tell my wife I'm okay," Arcan said, adding he immediately relayed the good news to the officer's wife.

But the abductions have raised concerns about the future of UN operations in the area.

A Filipino army major and his driver were held at a checkpoint in the Golan Heights by anti-Assad rebels last January but were released after about four hours, Arcan said.

The freed peacekeepers from a 326-member Filipino contingent in the Golan Heights are part of a UN mission known as UNDOF that was set up to monitor a cease-fire in 1974, seven years after Israel captured the plateau and a year after it pushed back Syrian troops trying to recapture the territory.

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