Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - Two Hundred Forty EIGHT
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
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- by Palash Biswas 10 Nov 2009 This story has been read ... have picked up some intercept suggesting that a Mumbai-type terror strike could be carried out in four cities including Mumbai ...
Palash Biswas ... The horrific multiple terror strikes in Mumbai, coupled with the death of former prime minister ...
Palash Biswas ... trained in Pakistan.With India blaming Pakistan-based elements for the Mumbai terror strikes ...
Blood Hurricane: Terror Strikes the Heart and CIA ... Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 65 Palash Biswas http ... Accusing Mumbai Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad of harassing Muslims, the ...
About Palash ... Palash Biswas. Mumbai-type attacks can be replicated: Obama ... Asked about 26/11 terror strikes in an interview to ABC News ...
War Zone Widens, Deal Terror Strikes India Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 32Palash Biswas ... Dreams: Chapter 32 Palash Biswas War Zone ... Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and ...
Palash chandra Biswas ... and the 26/11 trial, which is going on in Mumbai, he ... and nuclear installations are vulnerable to terror strikes ...
Palash Biswas. http ... and the central bank is looking to strike ... helping the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terrorist group that carried out the bombings in Mumbai ...
Palash Biswas. Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto ... 1993 Mumbai blasts: First death sentences handed out to 3 ... State terrorism is a controversial term, with no agreed on ...
Palash Biswas Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs ... today warned that 26/11-type Mumbai terror ... take all steps to counter such strikes. "We have to take all steps to prevent any Mumbai ...
7/12/2009
Was 'double agent' Headley reporting to FBI as well?
Washington: The extensive use of terrorist tradecraft by Pakistani American terror suspect David Headley makes it evident that he "was not merely a low-level cannon fodder-type operative", according to US strategic think tank Stratfor.
Referring to Headley's alleged work as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and FBI informant, Stratfor said: "Given the demonstrated - and considerable - nexus between heroin trafficking and terrorism funding for the jihadist groups operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan, such a crossover of an informant from narcotics to terrorism is no surprise."
If Headley were reporting to the FBI, it could also explain the very specific warnings that the US government gave to the government of India about plans to attack hotels in Mumbai in Sep 2008.
Following the warning, the government of India initially increased security measures at these sites, but the measures were dropped before the attacks were launched in Nov 2008.
Stratfor said at present, it is very difficult to ascertain if Headley was a double agent who was really reporting to LeT and HUJI the entire time he was ostensibly working for the US government, or if he was merely a rogue informant who was playing both ends against the middle for his own personal benefit.
The Dec 7 indictment of Headley, charged with scouting targets for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, shows that he reportedly attended Lashkar-e-Taeba (LeT) training camps in Pakistan in February and August of 2002 and in April, August and December of 2003.
"This indicates that Headley progressed far beyond basic militant training, and it is likely that he was taught during his later training sessions the tradecraft required to conduct preoperational surveillance for terrorist attacks and to participate in the operational planning for such attacks," Stratfor said.
"One element of terrorist tradecraft that was evident in the indictment and the Oct 11 criminal complaint is Headley's careful use of language and of multiple methods of communications, including the use of cell phones and using long-distance calling cards, e-mail communication (using a variety of accounts) and face-to-face briefings," the global intelligence company said.
According to the Dec 7 indictment to conduct surveillance for the Mumbai attacks, Headley made five extended trips to Mumbai: one in September 2006, two in February and September of 2007 and two in April and July of 2008.
Noting that such rogue sources have been seen in jihadist cases before, Stratfor said: "If Headley was either a double agent or a rogue source, there may be some significant blowback for the US government as further revelations are made about the case."
Rahul Bhatt quizzed twice
Meanwhile, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) has quizzed Rahul Bhatt, the son of Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, during the ongoing probe into Pakistani-American terror suspect David Coleman Headley's links to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Mahesh Bhatt told IANS Wednesday in Mumbai: "They quizzed him twice over the past one week at a secret location in Mumbai. They wanted to know the circumstances in which Rahul met him (Headley), why he aroused Rahul's suspicion, etc."
Bhatt emphasised that the NIA team was very cordial and appreciative of Rahul's bold step of bringing the matter to their notice.
Rahul had earlier said he helped the American rent a three-bedroom flat near Breach Candy Hospital in the city.
Headley, charged with scouting targets for Mumbai terror attacks, is currently in FBI custody in the US.
Source: IANS
India to be top economic superpower by 2030: Survey
India to be top economic superpower by 2030: Survey
India to be top economic superpower by 2030: Survey
India to be top economic superpower by 2030: Survey
India to be top economic superpower by 2030: Survey
India is poised to take over the developed countries to emerge at the top of the heap in the global economic superpower league by 2030, says a survey.
More than half of the respondents (53 per cent) of a survey commissioned by London-based independent think-tank Legatum Institute said India is likely to be the world's most important economic power by 2030.
According to the respondents of the survey, India is now on course to outstrip developed nations such as -- the United States, Japan, Germany and the fast-emerging economic giant China over the next two decades.
The survey, which questioned nearly 2,400 Indian senior managers, entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs said the levels of confidence among the country's wealth-creators is very high, with nearly nine in ten saying they expected India to be in a stronger economic position in the next five years.
Only one in five said the world economic crisis had badly affected business in India, the survey said.
Click NEXT to read on further. . .
Image: The Indian economic tiger is set to roar and become the most important economy in the world by 2030, says a survey.
Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters
38th Vijay Diwas: Indian Army celebrates victory over Pak
'Vijay Diwas' or Victory day was celebrated as Indians paid homage to the heroes of the 1971 Indo-Pak war and celebrated India's victory over Pakistan. 16th December, 1971 was a historic day for India and more so for Bangladesh as around 90000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to the Indian army and the 'Mukti Bahini'. The war witnessed a death toll of almost three million people over all, and resulted in the birth of Bangladesh.
http://news.in.msn.com/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=3486133
Opposition questions Govt over US cooperation into Headley probeNew Delhi,December 17(ANI):Opposition parties today sought clarification from the central government on the extent of co-operation with the US on the issue of terror suspect,David Coleman Headley.The BJP,Samajwadi Party and Left parties questioned in the Rajya Sabha whether the US had passed on all information related to Mumbai attack conspirators Headley and Rana.
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Govt has full report on terror plot: Home Min
Home Ministry sources have revealed on Tuesday that the Government has a full report from the US authorities on the alleged terror-plot by Headley and Rana.
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Headley, Rana were in Pak during 26/11: Reports
Reports have come out that the LeT operatives David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana were in Pakistan during the Mumbai terror attacks.
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India requests Denmark, Canada for info on Headley
The Indian government has requested information on LeT operative David Coleman Headley from Denmark and Canada.
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Headley stayed at Mumbai Taj Hotel twice
LeT operative David Coleman Headley stayed in the heritage wing of Mumbai's Taj Hotel twice in 2007.
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Rana stayed in Taj hotel, Kochi
LeT operative Tahawwur Rana and his wife stayed in Taj Residency hotel in Kochi in November 2008.
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Delhi lives in slums, kids malnourished
New Delhi: More than half of Delhi's population lives in urban slums with inadequate provision of basic services, a study released here said. Further, 66 percent of children under the age of six in these slums are undernourished.
According to the study, titled "A Situational Analysis of the Young Child in India", 52 percent of Delhi's population resides in urban slums.
The survey, conducted in 4,600 households in six slums in Delhi by Forces, a voluntary organisation working on child care services in India, shows that in comparison to Delhi's infant mortality rate (IMR) of 40, the IMR in slums is higher at 54 for every 1,000 live births.
The study reveals that 66 percent children under the age of six in these slums are undernourished.
Mridula Bajaj, convenor of Forces said: "Water and sanitation emerged as critical issues in this study, with only 57 percent of families using open spaces for toilets."
The immunisation level in the slums covers a dismal 34 percent of the population and because of the negligence of civic authorities in providing safe drinking water and sanitation, there is a high incidence of diseases such as diarrhoea (75 percent) and anaemia (63 percent).
"The nutritional status of the urban poor in Delhi is a matter of concern. Delhi has 35.4 percent stunted, 15.5 percent wasted and 33.1 percent underweight children under the age of three despite being a state with the second highest per capita income in India," the report said.
The report goes on to say that 31 percent of Delhi's slum dwellers have no sanitation facilities and no underground sewage system. On the plight of construction workers, the report says that 67 percent children and 69 percent women construction workers are undernourished.
The report suggested: "The focus on quality health services has to be accompanied by a clear policy of land allocation for health services in Delhi's master plan. The current allocation shows a decreased allocation of space for primary health centres in urban poor settlements."
Amod Kanth, chairman of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) who was present at the report's release at the India International Centre, said that more focus should be given to increasing the number of service providers.
"We need more skilled manpower to handle our health services. That is key to proper implementation of the health services to the people," he said.
Source: IANS
Water on moon now, home on moon tomorrow
First India's [ Images ] lunar probe, Chandrayaan [ Images ], spotted water on moon. Then US space agency NASA [ Images ] bombed the moon's surface to lend credence to Chandrayaan's findings. But why is the discovery of water on the moon so significant?
To begin with we now have an answer to the debate that has been on for decades over the existence of water on the lunar surface, T Alex, senior ISRO scientist who played a very big part in the Chandrayaan mission, told rediff.com.
Alex explained the process by which the NASA confirmed Chandrayaan's findings. The surface of the moon was hit with a spacecraft. The resulting detonation kicked up debris and then through infrared emissions they were able to come to a conclusion.
ISRO scientists further explain that the dream of owning a house on the moon would no longer be a dream, but could become a possibility in just about two decades.
Having found water, ISRO scientists have also identified craters that can be colonised by earthlings. The crater, located near the moon's north pole, has been christened as Erlanger. This is considered to be one of the top colonies conducive for human habitation and where structures can be set up.
These places are conducive for habitation as sun's rays falls obliquely around the periphery of the crater, explains Alex. Life on the moon, however, may not be similar to that on earth. In face, homes on the lunar surface would resemble more like an igloo, say scientists.
Besides this, the discovery of water traces would also help in manufacture of rocket fuel.
NASA too has pointed out that researchers and engineers interested in setting up science outposts or industrial facilities on the moon would no longer have to worry about the astronomical cost of launching water or additional fuel from earth.
Image: The Erlanger crater identified by ISRO for human habitation in the distant future.
Photograph Courtesy: NASA
Anarya Dravid Vanga Indigenous: Fatwa, Vande Mataram, Anandamath ...
Faces of Future Lost In Virtual Reality Palash Biswas ( You may publish the ..... raised doubts over its alert of a possible Mumbai-type terror strike in ...
anaryadravidvangaindigenous.blogspot.com/.../fatwa-vande-mataram-anandamath-sanyasi.html - Cached -Anarya Dravid Vanga Indigenous: Financial sector reforms to ...
11 Nov 2009 ... Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 419. Palash Biswas ..... Police in Mumbai have already begun tracking down all the places he went ... point out that while there has not been a major terror strike since 26/11, ...
anaryadravidvangaindigenous.blogspot.com/.../financial-sector-reforms-to-quicken.html - Cached -Palash chandra Biswas's Blog at BIGADDA >> The grandma hypothesis ...
22 Nov 2009 ... Palash biswas द्वारा 24 जुलाई, 2009 3:39 PM पर ..... The explosions are seen as a retaliatory strike by the outlawed United Liberation .... he alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in which ...
blogs.bigadda.com/.../the-grandma-hypothesisas-in-2005-pm-the-driving-force-for-finalising-nuke-deal-with-us-in-2009china-wont-play-thir... - Cached -Palash chandra Biswas's Blog at BIGADDA >> N-deal will happen ...
25 Nov 2009 ... Palash Biswas asks why sachin has to defend Indians in Mumbai … ...... terror modules before they can strike. We have not improved our ...
blogs.bigadda.com/.../n-deal-will-happen-obama-to-pm-us-promoted-civil-societies-have-captured-power-as-well-as-resistance-hegemonies-in-i... - Cached -Fatwa, Vande Mataram, Anandamath, Sanyasi Vidroh, Bankim, Tagore ...
9 Nov 2009 ... Palash Biswas Kolkata, India Sep 07, 2006 12:00 AM .... Home Ministry Rubbishes Intell Inputs on Terror Strike ...
palashspeaks.blog.co.uk/.../fatwa-vande-mataram-anandamath-sanyasi-vidroh-bankim-tagore-and-patiotism-7339115/ -Palash Speaks
Palash Biswas. http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/ ..... steps to end the hunger strike by activists seeking the creation of Gorkhaland. ... A terror alert was Monday sounded in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata following ...
palashspeaks.blog.co.uk/ -खोज परिणाम
- [ Translate this page ]I will stamp out Mumbai-like terror attacks: Obama Declares! Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 121 Palash Biswas Now the AXIS ... आगे पढ़ें. ...
hindi.mywebdunia.com/search/(a/20.html?type=text -खोज परिणाम
- [ Translate this page ]Palash biswas द्वारा 15 दिसंबर, 2008 11:43 PM पर पोस्टेड # ... I will stamp out Mumbai-like terror attacks: Obama Declares! ... DUNLOP Closed and STRIKE in the JUTE GRAVEYARD in Bengal! Direct foreign Interests hit ...
hindi.mywebdunia.com/search/firms/11.html?type=text -Terrorism strikes INDIA - Libertaria | Google Groups
28 Nov 2008 ... Palash Biswas. Terrorism Strikes India ... for engineering the strike. Indian Commandos Free More Than 200 After Attacks (Update4) Bloomberg ... Twitter & The Web Play Crucial Role In Mumbai Terror Attacks Aftermath ...
groups.google.com/group/libertaria/browse.../47c0c2b71affc5c1 - Cached -Human meat is the most saleable now! - Contribute - MSNIndia
by Palash Biswas 28 Nov 2009 ... As the horrors of the 26/11 strike came back to haunt India, people from all walks of life remember the day and ... The first anniversary of the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror carnage was also the 60th ...
content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID...ccd5... - Cached -
Mumbai terror suspect David Headley was 'rogue US secret agent'
David Headley was allegedly involved in reconnoitring targets for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, including the Taj Hotel
A key terror suspect who allegedly helped to plan last year's attacks in Mumbai and plotted to strike Europe was an American secret agent who went rogue, Indian officials believe.
David Headley, 49, who was born in Washington to a Pakistan diplomat father and an American mother, was arrested in Chicago in October. He is accused of reconnoitring targets in India and Europe for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terror group behind the Mumbai attacks and of having links to al-Qaeda. He has denied the charges.
He came to the attention of the US security services in 1997 when he was arrested in New York for heroin smuggling. He earned a reduced sentence by working for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) infiltrating Pakistan-linked narcotics gangs.
Indian investigators, who have been denied access to Mr Headley, suspect that he remained on the payroll of the US security services — possibly working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) — but switched his allegiance to LeT.
"India is looking into whether Headley worked as a double agent," an Indian Home Ministry official said yesterday.
Mr Headley, who changed his name from Daood Gilani, was in Mumbai until two weeks before the attacks on the city, which claimed 166 lives last November. It is alleged that he spent months checking targets in India's commercial capital, using his Western looks and anglicised name to move in elite social circles, hobnob with Bollywood actors and even to pass himself off as Jewish.
Despite being firmly on the radar of the US intelligence agencies, he was allowed to return to India as recently as March. Indian officials are furious that their American counterparts did not share details of that visit at the time. The Indian media has raised the possibility that Mr Headley was being protected by his American handlers — a theory that experts say is credible.
"The feeling in India is that the US has not been transparent," said B. Raman, a former counter-terrorism chief in the Indian foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing.
"That Headley was an agent for the DEA is known. Whether he was being used by the CIA as well is a matter of speculation, but it is almost certain that the CIA was aware of him and his movements across the subcontinent."
According to Mr Raman, it is probable that Mr Headley, who was arrested when the US authorities learned that he was about to fly to Pakistan, was listed on the main database of the US National Counterterrorism Centre, a facility used by the CIA and several other American agencies to track terror suspects.
Indian officials suspect that US agencies declined to share intelligence to avoid compromising other secret operations and to to be able to deny any link with Mr Headley.
Analysts believe that the US may also have been anxious to avoid sharing information that could further raise tensions between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought three wars.
According to documents put before a court in Chicago, Mr Headley had links with the Pakistan Army and, through it, with al-Qaeda.
As well as helping to co-ordinate the Mumbai atrocity, Mr Headley is accused of planning attacks on Mumbai's Bollywood film industry, the Shiv Sena, a Hindu extremist group also based in Mumbai, a major Hindu temple, and a Danish newspaper that had published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
The US authorities allege that he was close to Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a former Pakistani schoolmate and businessman who is also being charged with planning to attack the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten. Mr Rana is accused of having known about the attack on Mumbai in advance.
The CIA denied that Headley had worked for the organisation.
"Any suggestion that Headley was working for the CIA is complete and utter nonsense. It's flat-out false," Paul Gimigliano, from the CIA's Office of Public Affairs, said.
The Indian Home Secretary, Gopal Krishna Pillai, has said that his Government would seek the extradition of Mr Headley — a request that has so far been stonewalled by US officials.
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More denials, Pakistan evasive on 'Army link' to 26/11 Mumbai ...
26 Feb 2009 ... More denials, Pakistan evasive on 'Army link' to 26/11 Mumbai terror strike. Author: TheLonelyTuber Keywords: pak paki pakistan pakistani ...
media.punjabilokvirsa.com/...on...link'.../11-Mumbai-terror-strike - Cached - The Asian Age - Enjoy the difference
CIA didn't give full 26/11 info. Namrata Biji Ahuja. New Delhi ... as September 2008 since it had warned India about a possible "sea-borne" terror strike on Mumbai's Taj ... "Pasha" was allegedly Headley's direct link to Ilyas Kashmiri, ...
www.asianage.com/.../news/top.../cia-didn't-give-full-2611-info.aspx - Cached -Mumbai terror suspect David Headley was 'rogue US secret agent ...
17 Dec 2009 ... A key terror suspect who allegedly helped to plan last year's attacks in Mumbai and plotted to strike Europe was an American secret agent ...
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6960182.ece - 5 hours ago -Rediff.com: Terror hits Mumbai's heart
Why the CIA does not want Dawood in Indian hands ... Donate • Help Mumbai's terror victims ... 26/11 terror strike 'a good job',Rana told Headley ..... 'Why is police not probing Indian link in 26/11?' ...
www.rediff.com/news/mumterror08.html - Cached - Similar -Role of Alleged CIA Asset in Mumbai Attacks Being Downplayed(CIA ...
Role of Alleged CIA Asset in Mumbai Attacks Being Downplayed(CIA Links to ... funding and logistical support for the November 26 terrorist strike on Mumbai. ...
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az...all... - Cached -Even CIA nail Pak hand in 26/11 carnage - Related links | IMO
American terror suspect David Headley had stayed at the Taj hotel in Mumbai ... Official sources in Mumbai said investigations have revealed that Headley, ... five days before the attack fuelling suspicion of his link to the strike. ...
www.imo.in/node/56234/related_links - Cached -CIA director in India, to meet NSA
21 Nov 2009 ... CIA director Leon E. Panetta arrived in the Indian capital to hold ... terrorism is one of the key pillars of the link between the two countries. ... charged with conspiracy in last year's Mumbai terror strike shows the ...
www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a94684.html - Cached -statism watch » Blog Archive » 'Imminent' terror strike foiled in ...
4 Aug 2009 ... The conversation appeared to link the men to the international terrorist ... UK: Secrets of CIA 'ghost flights' to be revealed | Mumbai attack suspect .... 2 Responses to "'Imminent' terror strike foiled in Australia" ...
statismwatch.ca/2009/08/.../imminent-terror-strike-foiled-in-australia/ - Cached -Rediff.com: Terror hits Mumbai's heart
Why the CIA does not want Dawood in Indian hands ... 'The terrorists have the advantage of first strike' ..... Global links to Mumbai terror, says Pak ...
ia.rediff.com/news/mumterror08.html - Cached -Aletho News: American suspect in Mumbai attack claimed CIA links
American suspect in Mumbai attack claimed CIA links ... that also implies that he was a known entity to the counter-terror and drug enforcement authorities in the US. .... Germany: Afghan Air Strike Brings Down Army Chief . ...
alethonews.blogspot.com/.../american-suspect-in-mumbai-attack.html - Cached -
U.S. backs $100 bln climate fund, U.N. talks resume!Danish hosts re-launched U.N. climate talks on Thursday after the United States backed a $100 billion global fund to support poor countries and world leaders gathered for a final effort to reach a deal.
Ministers urged action as Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen dropped plans to present his own proposed draft texts which had stalled the process for more than 24 hours -- developing countries had insisted everyone should be involved.
"The United States is prepared to work with other countries toward a goal of jointly mobilising $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the climate change needs of developing countries," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference.
The European Union has proposed a $150 billion global fund, and the head of the African group of countries Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Wednesday supported climate aid for the world's poorest of $100 billion.
Agreement on a climate fund could add political drive to the U.N. talks which meant to agree a host of other measures on Friday, from saving rainforests to boosting carbon markets and stiffening global carbon emissions cuts.
Noisy protests for and against the creation of Telangana forced adjournment of the Lok Sabha Thursday while in the Rajya Sabha, the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) found common cause on the Headley saga and asked the government to make clear its stand on the case that was getting 'curiouser and curiouser'.
The prosecution in the 26/11 special trial Court in Mumbai finally closed the case on Wednesday, after hearing around six hundred witnesses for a period of over seven months.Meanwhile, our claim that Mumbai Terror strike is a CIA and Mossad affair is PROVED as HEADLY turns out a CIA agent and Indian as well as American agencies have already declared hi m the the Master Mind of 26/11. Now, Indian Foreign Affairs Ministry keeps MUM on the real Identity of Headly Rana and Toilet media ICONIZES him as DOUBLE Agent!I have posted all the RELEVANT documents and Proofs of CIA and mossad involvement in the Mumbai Incident to destabilise the Peace Zone Indian Ocean and tear apart the divided subcontinent with Insurgency, Terror Strikes, Ethnonationalism, Civil War and War in the best interest of US Corporate Zionist War Economy. I have already written friends that Osama Bin Laden as well as Taliban are created by united States of America but some friends indulged in False Hindutva Superpower Sensex Nuclear Free market Nationalism of Post Modern Manusmriti Apartheid TRI Iblis Zionist galaxy Order have been suggesting me to land in AGRA for mental treatment. It is obvious that MIND Control Machinery has Corrupted our GENE and RIBOSOMES are inflicted with Swine Flue of ICONIZED Economy. We have Created so many Myths, Icons and Idols to enslave ourselves and there seems NO Way out to lead us Escape from this bloody black Hole Infinite!
Opposition parties today sought clarification from the central government on the extent of co-operation with the US on the issue of terror suspect,David Coleman Headley.The BJP,Samajwadi Party and Left parties questioned in the Rajya Sabha whether the US had passed on all information related to Mumbai attack conspirators Headley and Rana.On the other hand, Prospects for a strong U.N. climate change deal grew more remote on Thursday at the climax of two years of talks, with developed and developing nations deadlocked on sharing cuts in greenhouse gases.Persistently deep divisions threatened to scupper a climate change deal in Copenhagen on Wednesday, but Africa offered a glimmer of hope by asking for less money from rich nations.
This evening I had a long Discussion with the Eminent Hindi Critic Dr. Ravi Bhushan who called me after reading my Lalgarh diary published in AKAAR. Last day, Editor Vagarth DR. Vijoy Bahadur Singh was complaining that I do not write for his Mag. Prakash Chandrayan from Lokmat also ringed me last day. I have been talking to all my friends based in different parts of India. Vivek Umrao talked from Delhi as Professor Vijoy Kumar from Kerala. Colonel Siddharth Barves from Mumbai. I always insist for democratic Process and constitutional safeguards for the deprived and Persecuted. I am concerned with Disintegration, Ethonationalism, Hatred, Conflict, Monopolistic Corporate Aggression , Ecology and Environment, Indigenous production system and aboriginal life and Livelihood, Human resources management, development displacement, continued holocaust, Repression, Free market disaster, Plastic Money,Bonded labour, human Trafficking, death Processions, starvation, Agrarian Crisis, Suicides in the Rural World, Lost childhood, Youth in subversion, Persecuted People!I called for Action which I believe in. I expect commitment and Concern. I want honesty. Ideologies make no difference as Policy making and Governance, Legislation and state power have been DEcoupled with whatsoever ideology. Election Manifestos and declared policies, Welfare Problems do not bail out the Endangered Humanity. Talented People do commit the Greatest TREASON unimagined.
My father, Pulin babu was not educated. He was a partition victim Black untouchable Bengali refugee ousted from his homeland and was not allowed to live in Bengal by the Ruling Brahaminical Hegemony. He led the first Peasant Uprising in the Teria of Nainital back to back Telengana and was finally ousted from the Party led by Comrade PC Joshi. I always had serious Disagreement on his way to interact with the Presidents, Prime ministers, chief Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Political leaders, Bureaucrats and so on. He was a rustic peasant. But he was Concerned and Committed and crossed all his limitations to cry FREEDOM, Justice and Equality for his people. He used to say, IRRESPECTIVE of my Talent and ability , I have to defend and Fight for my People! His oath has been Transformed as a Big Liability for me. But I may not get a few friends who would ally in Action. They would either condemn or Praise. This is seer Hypocrisy, we happen to be habitual always.
Mind you,Ten gunmen had landed on Mumbai shores by boats at sunset on November 26, 2008 and fired randomly inside a railway station, a Jewish settlement, a cafe and two luxury hotels.Several people were held hostage for the next three days and at least 166 died and over 304 were injured, before commandos smoked out the last of the terrorists on November 28 last year.
Additional Commissioner of Police Dewan Bharati and Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashok Duraphe were the two last witnesses to be heard in the 26/11 special trial court on Wednesday.
Standing trial is the lone surviving Pakistani gunman from the Mumbai carnage Mohd Ajmal Amir Kasab and two Indian nationals Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Sheikh.
Special judge M L Tahaliyani is expected to record the statements of Kasab on Friday (December 18).
Kasab''s lawyer asked for some favours on account of Kasab''s health ground on Wednesday; but Kasab, who was present in the court to hear the proceedings, appeared to be disinterested and said he had no problems in recording his statement.
Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor in the case requested the case to issue a rogatory letter with respect to the two terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana, who are currently in custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and being tried by a US court.
Parliament renames rural jobs scheme after Mahatma Gandhi
Zionist dynasty India for US war Economoy ironically encashes the Icon of Non violence in Nuclear India once again to blind our vision! May I ask what RELEVANCE is left for Gandhian Ideology in Superpower Hindu Zionist Nuclear India? It is a Super duper BOX Office attraction that we People may not evade!After all, Parliament Thursday approved a bill renaming a flagship rural jobs scheme after Mahatma Gandhi!On the other hand, a Parliamentary panel today expressed concern over the poor progress made with regard to the electrification of the below the poverty line rural households. Reviewing the performance of the Government''s ambitious rural electrification scheme -- the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), the panel called for putting in place a "more stringent monitoring mechanism to ensure speedy implementation of this programme.
Mind you, I am not a Gandhian Carbide. I had never been. Our people would never Forgive the War Criminals responsible to Bring about the Brahmin Bania corporate colonial raj in this part of world victimising us in UNPRECEDENTED Holocaust.But Gandhi advocated the feudal indigenous Production system and defended Manusmriti rule to sustain Indian agriculture. Notwithstanding the Reservations or , whether we agree with Gandhi`s vision related to Indian Economy, it is clear that Gandhi wanted to sustain the Peasantry whatever in form and his Topmost Priority was Agriculture and folk based Hidu Culture!Way back in Nehruvian age, Gandhi`s Hind Swaraj was DUMPED. But the Gandhian Carbides pushing for Economic Reforms and opting for ETHNIC Cleansing all on the name of US Promoted world bank IMF Version Free market democracy, do indulge themselves in MASTERBASION with the Gandhian Ideology on Indian economy. While India is AMERICANISED and Indian Peasantry and Agriculture have been Subjected to ELIMINATION, Gandhi is ICONIZED in the same manner as the Developed world does to showcase the CROCODILE Humanity!
Indira Gandhi was Never a Gandhian as she posed Pro USSR Socialist at best and enjoyed ABSOLUTE Power for Barhamin Bania Raj.Dr. Manmohan Singh is not a Gandhian in any remote sense neither Sonia Gandhi, the Remote control Imported. He manipulated Mandate with the Hindutva support and all the BASTARDISED Scripts of Enslavement, Inequality and injustice have been used to Make India Nuclear, Partner in the US Galaxy War Game Zionist. Dr. Manmohan Singh is neither a Politician nor a Brahamin. For me, he is HONEST who does what he believes. But other Ideologies and Political parties are just FUCKING with Gandhi and Ambedkar, Marx and Lohia and Mao Ideologies just to defend the Corporate Imperialism. Gandhi had been UNIFYING force as the Mother Image of Hindu War Goddess did justify ethnic Cleansing DEMONISING the Aboriginal and Indigenous Pre Aryan Dravid Negroid Black People of India. The ICON of a NON Political Militant SIKH nationality Icon is used by the Zionist Hindu Brahamin Gandhian carbide to mobilise the Unaware, ignorant, ill informed, enslaved, illiterate semi Literate Indian People for the ULTIMATE Destruction!
While you do believe in economic Reforms and are COMMITTED to AMERICAN Israeli Model of Development killing the Rural world making values, culture and even the bloody Hindutva and religion Irrelevant, why do you use Gandhi? In fact, Manusmriti rises from the Ashes of History like a PHOENIX and all aboriginal Indigenous Masses have to be Killed, as did the Ram. And here, you do land in the ram Rajya. Thus, Hind Swaraj is destined to be Converted into Free Market Democracy for ASHWA MEDHA Yagya Post Modern. Gandhi was NEVER Dumped in fact. Gandhian Carbide do accomplish belatedly the agenda of RAMRAJYA in which our people have to be PERSECUTED,CURBED, Enslaved, BONDED, Killed and ELIMINATED and it is the Flagship Welfare Programme altogether as it is!
About its earlier recommendation for giving tax benefits to energy efficient products, the parliamentary committee said, "despite the recommendation, tax benefits have not been given to energy efficient products or appliances." It said the next Budget should offer this incentives to those companies which manufacture such products.
Meanwhile, the committee also suggested that the Power Ministry need to expedite its efforts towards fuel linkages and placement of orders for early procurement of machinery necessary for the power sector in the next two years for the success of the present plan period.
Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi sought to shift the onus of the deficiencies of the Rs.39,000 crore Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) on the 250,000 panchayats in the states, regardless of which political party was in power.
'It is our honest effort to rededicate the implementation of the scheme as per Mahatma Gandhi's teachings and ideologies,' he said.
He wondered if there was a 'conspiracy to give the scheme a bad name'.
He said that 'only' Rs.2-3 crores of bungling had been discovered in the schame but admitted that of the Rs.346 crore released under the scheme in his Bhilwara constituency in Rajasthan, Rs.40 lakhs had been siphoned off.
Earlier, member after member reminded the government that drastic steps would have to be be taken if Mahatma Gandhi's name was not to be sullied.
On Tuesday, the government had admitted to huge slippages in the scheme and informed parliament that only 14 percent of its target of providing 100 days of work in a year had been met.
'We are committed to providing 100 days of work in a year to one member of every rural household in a year under NREGS. But in 2008-09, we could achieve only 14 percent of the target,' Joshi said during question hour in the Rajya Sabha.
'We find that in rural areas, people don't want to do manual work. So we are attempting to change manual work to skilled work,' he added.
Responding to a supplementary, Joshi denied that West Bengal was owed Rs.700 crore under the scheme.
'In April, we raised the wage to Rs.100 a day and provided the necessary money to those states that asked for this. West Bengal has asked for Rs.87 a day,' he said.
No talks took place while in custody, says ULFA chief
Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Thursday said the peace talks remained deadlocked, and flatly denied any negotiations took place between him and the government while he was in police detention the past 12 days.
Rajkhowa told this to his younger brother Ajay Rajkonwar while being taken to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) at a special court inside the Guwahati Central Jail.
The CJM Thursday sent Rajkhowa and ULFA's deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah to nine more days in police custody after investigating authorities framed three more charges relating to bomb blasts in Guwahati in the past.
'The investigating authorities had sought 12-day police remand, but the court granted them nine days police custody,' said Bijon Mahajan, legal counsel of Rajkhowa and Baruah.
For security reasons, the hearing was held inside the high security jail instead of at the CJM's court in Guwahati.
Earlier, Rajkhowa's younger brother and sister met him for nearly an hour inside the jail premises before the hearing took place.
'Arabinda Rajkhowa made it clear that there was no forward movement in the peace talks and that during the last 12 days while they were in police remand, no back-channel negotiations took place between them and the government,' Rajkonwar told IANS soon after emerging from the jail premises, citing his brother.
Rajkhowa, however, said the ULFA was ready for peace talks with the government.
'My brother was very clear in his stand, saying the ULFA was ready to hold peace talks with the government although any such talks would have to centre on their main demand of sovereignty,' Rajkonwar said.
The ULFA chairman, a diabetic, was being treated by medical experts during the last 12 days in police remand.
'His health is satisfactory and he enquired about our family in detail. We became emotional once again,' Rajkonwar said.
Rajkhowa and Baruah were whisked away under heavy security to the Special Branch headquarters for interrogation.
On Dec 6, Rajkhowa and Baruah with their families, Rajkhowa's personal security guard Raja Bora, and wife of ULFA 'foreign secretary' Sasha Choudhury surrendered before Indian authorities at Dawki in Meghalaya and were later arrested.
The ULFA chief later denied he surrendered and said they were being arrested although he did not elaborate.
World leaders address fraught climate summit
"I know my proposal today will disappoint those Africans who, from the point of justice, have asked for full compensation of the damage done to our development prospects," said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on behalf of African nations present in Copenhagen. Addressing the plenary, Zenawi endorsed UN proposals for fast-start aid of $10 billion per year between 2010 and 2012.
He also estimated long-term aid requirements at up to $50 billion per year by 2015 and $100 billion by 2020. "My proposal dramatically scales back our expectation with regards to the level of funding in return for more reliable funding and a seat at the table in the management of such a fund," Zenawi said.
The issue of how much money should be given to poor countries to help them deal with global warming, and who should handle the money, is one of the main stumbling blocs on the way to a deal in Copenhagen. But Wednesday's speeches by world leaders also saw a succession of finger-pointing and desperate pleas ahead of Friday's deadline.
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, for instance, accused rich nations of reneging on their promises, while Bolivian President Evo Morales and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, accused rich countries of creating a "world imperial dictatorship". The head of the European Union (EU) executive, Jose Manuel Barroso, in turn, recalled the bloc's efforts to cut emissions and provide financial aid to poorer nations, and urged the US and China - which together account for about 40 percent of world emissions - to step up their efforts.
And with the conference highlighting a deep rift between rich and poor nations, hecklers chanting "Social justice now!" disrupted a speech by Australian Environment Minister Penny Wong. Meanwhile, two draft texts prepared by bureaucrats in the run-up to high-level talks had failed to materialise on time, highlighting a lack of consensus among the nearly 200 delegations.
Some, including China and Brazil, also delayed proceedings, accusing the Danish presidency of excluding them from part of the negotiations. "The world is expecting us to move forward and we are talking procedures, procedures, procedures," complained Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who took over the chair of the conference.
"This is not about procedure, this is a matter of substance," retorted China's chief negotiator, Wei Su. Organisers were forced to issue a statement after some media outlets reported that the conference's chairwoman, Connie Hedegaard, had resigned.
Danish officials said they had always planned to entrust Rasmussen with conducting talks with fellow leaders and environment ministers, while Hedegaard was to lead informal consultations during the latter part of the conference. A restricted group of 25 countries, among them Britain, Germany and four other European nations, were discussing ways of helping the conference's chair break the impasse, German Environment Minister Nobert Roettgen explained earlier in the day.
Roettgen said major problems remained between the Danish presidency of the conference and the G77 group of developing nations, which includes big countries like India and China, but also smaller nations from Africa. "We are extremely disappointed at the lack of progress," said a delegate from Tuvalu, whose Pacific island state risks being submerged by rising sea levels as a result of global warming.
"I come here today to make a simple plea to seal the deal which will save my country, my people and our cultural heritage. The survival of my country is in peril," said Micronesian President Emanuel Mori.
The UN talks in Copenhagen aim to keep global warming in check by demanding massive greenhouse gas emission cuts from rich countries and billions of dollars in aid to the developing world. The EU was said to be considering raising its target on emissions cuts from 20 to 25 percent against 1990 levels by 2020 in a bid to encourage other parties to step up their efforts.
Prior to the start of the Copenhagen conference, the EU said it would raise its target to 30 percent, but only if other major polluters came up with comparable offers. The US has so far offered a 17-percent cut against 2005 levels.
An earlier base year would imply deeper cuts. But US negotiators say their longer-term targets are far more ambitious.
Denmark's Rasmussen removed one obstacle to the talks on Thursday, withdrawing his disputed plan to nominate small groups of countries to storm through complex texts littered with long lists of options.
Negotiators have nearly run out of time to present world leaders with intelligible drafts to sign at the end of the Dec. 7-18 meeting.
"The conference is now at a critical juncture and we have now agreed how to proceed," said Rasmussen. "We now rely on the willingness of all parties to take that extra step to make that deal that is expected of us."
BLAME GAME
Earlier on Thursday prospects for a strong U.N. climate pact appeared remote at the climax of two-year talks as ministers and leaders blamed leading emitters China and the United States for deadlock on carbon cuts.
But ministers and leaders urged fresh urgency.
"Copenhagen is too important to fail," China's climate change ambassador Yu Qingtai said, adding that the presence of Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived in Copenhagen on Wednesday evening, was testament to China's commitment.
"China is not interested in becoming a party to the efforts by some people to try to blame other countries for 'a failure' at Copenhagen," Yu said.
India's environment minister Jairam Ramesh accused rich countries of planning a "propaganda campaign" to blame developing nations for any breakdown. Developing economies are expected to add almost all future growth in carbon emissions.
"We are in the end game. It's only a matter of time before the blame game starts," said Ramesh.
Clinton said that any U.S. contribution to a global $100 billion fund for the world's poor depended on developing nations standing behind their actions to curb growth in emissions under a new pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol after 2012.
Clinton said unless developing nations, specifically China, committed to transparency on their emissions curbs, a deal would fail.
Dozens of heads of state arrived in the Danish capital to address the Dec. 7-18 conference.
The summit is meant to agree a global climate deal, as a basis for a legally binding treaty next year, to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, to avoid dangerous climate change and drive a greener global economy less dependent on fossil fuels.
(With extra reporting by Anna Ringstrom, Alister Doyle, Krittivas Mukherjee, Karin Jensen; Writing by Gerard Wynn; Editing by Dominic Evans) (For more news on Reuters Money visit http://www.reutersmoney.in)
Indian universities must become hub of research: Sam Pitroda
National Knowledge Commission chairperson Sam Pitroda Thursday said Indian universities must become the hub of research to capture the synergies that exist between teaching and research.
'Universities must become the hub of research to capture synergies between teaching and research. This goes on to enrich the two areas beautifully,' Pitroda said in an interview to Indira Gandhi National Open University's newsletter.
Emphasising the need to expand the higher education system in the country, Pitroda said: 'India has around 350 universities and this number is simply not enough with reference to our needs in higher education. We need to create many more, appropriately scaled, universities.'
'This is necessary to raise our enrolment to levels comparable with most developing countries. We have also recommended 50 national universities that can provide education of the highest standard,' he said.
Sugarcane stir hots up in Uttar Pradesh
Sugarcane growers in Uttar Pradesh continued their agitation for the second day Thursday to protest the steps taken by the state government to get them better prices.
Farmers have not been mollified by the government's move to persuade mill owners to shell out a price higher than the state advised price (SAP) of Rs.165-170 a quintal, fixed in October.
Thousands of farmers converged here from different parts of the state to stand outside the office of the state sugarcane commissioner.
'Certain mills might have agreed to pay a price of Rs.215 a quintal, but that has created more confusion,' said V.M. Singh, chief of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, a farmers' lobby group, at a press conference here Thursday evening.
'This price was not binding on any mill owner, who was free to negotiate and secure different bargains with different farmers,' said Singh, who was accompanied by state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
Singh said he is in no mood to relent from his demand for a 'uniform price' that he wants to be applicable to all mills, including those in the public and cooperative sectors.
We have received reports about some private mills paying up to Rs.215 a quintal, but there is not a single cooperative or public sector sugar mill ready to pay that price,' he said.
'Let the state announce it would ensure a uniform price of Rs. 215 to be paid by all sugar mills, and that price should be applicable with retrospective effect right from the start of this crushing season', Singh said.
According to him, 'Such a demand was very much in consonance with the letter and spirit of a Supreme Court order'.
Citing excerpts from that order, he said: 'The country's apex court had clearly ruled that the power of the state cane commissioner to reserve every sugarcane grower's produce for a particular mill in the neighbourhood was coincidental with his power to fix a price that should be a binding on all sugar mills.'
Maintaining that 'sugar mills have the capacity to pay Rs. 280 per quintal', Singh said sugar was being sold in the market at Rs.4,000 per quintal as against Rs.1,800 last year when mill owners had paid a uniform rate of Rs.140 a quintal to farmers.
'If sugar mill owners are not ready to concede our demands, let them ensure that the market price of sugar is brought down by at least 25 percent, which can be done if they choose to cut down their unduly high profits.'
Visa applications of Rana, Headley not missing: Government
The visa papers of Tahawwur Rana, one of the two 26/11 conspirators in US custody, have been found while those of David Coleman Headley were being traced, the government said Thursday even as opposition parties sought to know the extent of US cooperation in unravelling the suspected involvement of the duo in the attacks.
A day after the government sought a report from its Chicago consulate on the alleged disappearance of papers related to the visas given to the Mumbai terror conspirators, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said the visa application papers of Pakistan-born Canadian Rana had been found.
'Rana's papers have been found and Headley's are being traced,' Tharoor said.
The government also added that all 'relevant information' in this regard was being shared with the investigating agencies.
In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said: 'It would not be accurate to conclude that these visa applications are missing. All relevant information in this regard is being shared with the investigating agencies.'
The spokesperson added that the visas were issued to the two men July 18, 2007, and March 3, 2006, respectively. A one year business visa was also issued to Rana Oct 31, 2008.
A senior official of the Indian Consulate in Chicago was quoted in some Indian TV networks as saying that the papers related to Headley and Rana had not gone missing and the 'relevant information' in this regard was available with the Indian government.
The Headley-Rana issue surfaced during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member Brinda Karat said: 'This is an issue that concerns all Indian citizens. I would request the prime minister for a clarification on what we are doing to take up the issue with the US.
'Whether he is a (US) agent or double agent, what is the extent of cooperation we are receiving from the US?' asked BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had said Wednesday that it would be 'unprofessional' to comment on speculation that Headley was a double agent as the matter was under investigation.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has denied that Headley was its agent at any point of time. 'I can't comment on an ongoing investigation, but any suggestion that this individual worked for the CIA is flat wrong,' said CIA spokesperson Marie E. Harf in Washington.
India's National Investigation Agency is currently probing the visa application process for Headley and Rana as part of its investigation into their roles in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
The visa papers are important because they could help Indian officials trace both the conspirators' local contacts as they made multiple trips to India before 26/11.
Headley has been charged in a US court with conspiring to commit terror attacks outside the US and providing material support to terrorist organisations.
Clarify matters on Headley, opposition urges PM
The Left and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) found common cause in the Rayja Sabha Thursday when it asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clarify matters on the US' cooperation in unravelling the alleged involvement of Pakistan American David Coleman Headley in the 26/11 Mumbai terror carnage.
'I am sure the government will respond at the appropriate time,' Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari ruled as the prime minister, who was present in the house, gently nodded his head.
It was initially thought that the government response would come Thursday itself as External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna remained seated in the house when zero hour began, as did Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao in the officials' gallery.
However, 15 minutes into zero hour, Krishna left the house and Rao also departed.
Speaking for the second time in the house on the Headley saga, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member Brinda Karat said: 'This is an issue that concerns all Indian citizens. I would request the prime minister for a clarification on what we are doing to take up the issue with the US.'
Referring to reports that Headley's visa papers had gone missing from the Indian consulate in Chicago, Karat said: 'Yesterday, the foreign secretary gave a clean chit to the consulate, while the home ministry expressed its concern (on the missing papers). Are there any differences on this between the ministries of external affairs and home?'
Karat had earlier raised the Headley issue on Tuesday.
Raising the issue as soon as the house assembled, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley (Bharatiya Janata Party) sought the response of the government on the Headley episode.
'This case is getting curiouser and curiouser. For the last one year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been prosecuting the (26/11) accused. They had not been able to get to him (Headley) all this time. Now, we are suddenly told that he was one of the masterminds.
'Whether he is a (US) agent or double agent, what is the extent of cooperation we are receiving from the US (on unravelling Headley's antecedents)?' Jaitley asked.
'Now, there is the case of the missing visa papers. It is creating serious doubts. Was the information the US had on Headley made available to us,' he wondered.
He too asked if there were differences between the ministries of external affairs and home on the issue.
Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party, who also spoke on the occasion, demanded that Headley be handed over to Indian investigators.
'The US was given full access to (Ajmal Amir) Kasab (the lone gunman captured during the Mumbai attacks). Headley should be handed over to us,' Amar Singh maintained.
Headley echoes Kasab: names Abu Qahafa as 26/11 trainer
The FBI has already charged Headley with surveying the attack sites in Mumbai and then passing on information to handlers in Pakistan. Clearly, Headley and Qahafa were in close coordination.
In Monday's submission before a Chicago court, the FBI, providing details of a conversation where Rana is effusive in his praise for those behind the 26/11 attack, mentions Headley's response: "Training was by Abu Qahafa".
According to the FBI, Headley explained that "LeT Member A" briefed the attackers on the targets. The general understanding here is that Sajid Mir is the person being referred to as LeT Member A as he was in touch with the attackers even during the attack. Headley further said: "This jamaat (group) prepares people really well". Rana agreed, "Yeah, there they stood their ground".
FBI accounts reveal that an impressed Rana named LeT member A as Khalid bin Walid who is a historical figure known as the most successful commander of the Prophet Mohammed.
This came to light in an email that Headley sent to LeT Member A on August 11, 2009, where he mentions that he and Rana heard "some music videos on the net, you had made".
The term "music videos", the FBI believes, is coded reference to taped intercepts between LeT Member A and the Mumbai attackers. The email was apparently referring to a programme on Channel 4 that broadcast the recordings of the 26/11 communication intercepts.
In that email, Headley informs the name Rana had given to Let Member A. In return, LeT Member A asks Headley to convey his "regards to Dr Rana".
While the submission is aimed at proving Rana's prior knowledge about the attack, it indicates that former Pakistan military officer Major Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha was also aware of the attack. So far, the FBI had only implicated him in the plot to attack the Danish newspaper.
Pasha is, in fact, the person referred to as Individual A in previous affidavits and the one who was in close touch with Ilyas Kashmiri and a very close contact of Headley.
The FBI submission states that Rana was told about the attack on Mumbai while in Dubai where he was from November 21 to 24, 2008. Interestingly, he had flown to Dubai from Mumbai by an Emirates flight after a three-week stay in India.
The FBI believes — on the basis of a conversation between Headley and Rana — that Pasha informed Rana of the Mumbai attacks in Dubai. However, when confronted with intercepts of this conversation and asked what the two were taking about, Rana told investigators: "That thing that happened in, uh, uh, India...um, they were, uh uh, I think people who hijacked hotels or something (in) Mumbai".
He acknowledged having met Pasha and staying with him. But Rana, the FBI says, denied having been told about the attacks and has claimed that the two spoke about the "fighting in Kashmir".
Express news service
Uproar in LS over Telangana, price rise, Women's Bill
It was a free-for-all in the Lok Sabha on Thursday with a variety of issues ranging from Telangana to price rise to Women's Reservation Bill leading to pandemonium and forcing its adjournment for two hours.
Trouble began for the second time as soon as the Question Hour was over with four members from TDP storming the Well carrying placards saying, "We want united AP". They were soon joined in by S K Bwismuthiary (BPF) demanding separate Bodoland.
Earlier, the House was adjourned minutes after it met for the day as TDP members from coastal Andhra and Rayalseema disrupted proceedings protesting against the announcement for a separate Telangana.
The trouble continued after Question Hour with TDP members K Narayana Rao, M Venu Gopala Reddy, N Kristappa and N Sivaprasad raising slogans even as Speaker Meira Kumar asked them not to display placards, saying the members should observe "sanctity" of the House.
Fissures in TDP and Congress were visible with a lone TDP member R Ramesh trooping into the Well in favour of separate Telangana.
Groups of Congress members from Telangana and other regions of Andhra Pradesh were on their feet chanting slogans in favour and against a separate state.
Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy, was seen nudging those agitating members who were demanding a united Andhra Pradesh.
Soon, Samajwadi Party members, including Dharmendra Yadav, Shailendra Kumar and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh trooped into the Well demanding withdrawal of the Women's Reservation Bill, a report on which was presented in Parliament today.
Former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) too came to the Well but he was protesting against price spiral.
In the din, Speaker Meira Kumar ordered laying of various reports and statements listed for the day.
As the House met for Question Hour, TDP members opposed to division of Andhra Pradesh displayed placards which said, "We want united AP", and rushed to the Well raising slogans.
Congress members from Telangana countered the TDP members by showing placards favouring a separate state and raised "Jai Telangana" slogans.
However, the clear divide between members from Telangana and Andhra irrespective of party affiliations came out openly.
As repeated pleas by the Chair to TDP and BPF members to return to their seats and a promise that they would be heard during Zero Hour went unheeded, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes.
Centre identifies 30 rivers for linking
The Water Resources Ministry, based on the report of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 River links which includes 16 under Peninsular Component and 14 under Himalayan Component for preparation of feasibility reports.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent Pala, said: "Out of these, feasibility reports of 14 links under Peninsular Component and of 2 links (Indian Portion) under Himalayan Component have been completed. Further, five links in the peninsular component have been identified as priority links for building consensus among concerned state for taking up their Details Project Reports (DPRs)."
The National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Water Resources Development in 1980 envisaging inter-basin transfer of water from surplus basins to deficit basins and areas which comprises of two components, namely, Himalayan Rivers Development Component and Peninsular Rivers Development Component.
The NWDA was set up under the Water resource Ministry in 1982 for carrying out various technical studies to establish the feasibility of the proposals to give concrete shape to it.
"DPR of one priority link namely Ken - Betwa has been completed. Further, NWDA has taken up the DPRs of another two priority links namely Par - Tapi - Narmada and Damanganga - Pinjal after concurrence of the concerned states which are planned to be completed by December, 2011. Another Priority link namely Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link is part of the Polavaram project of the Andhra Pradesh. Planning Commission has given investment clearance to the Polavaram Project and the Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken up the above project including link component as per their proposals," Pala said.
The projects including interlinking projects are taken up for implementation after the clearances of the central appraising agencies which include Environmental clearance by Environment and Forests Ministry, Techno-economic clearance by Technical Advisory Committee of Water Resources Ministry clearance by Tribal Affairs Ministry and investment clearance by the Planning Commission.
Further, the Water Resources Ministry has constituted a committee of environmentalists, social scientists and other experts on Interlinking of Rivers in December 2004 under the Chairmanship of Secretary (WR).
The committee comprises of members from concerned Government departments, eminent environmentalists, and social scientists and NGOs. The committee renders its advice to the Government from time to time on its terms of reference. The committee has held 7 meetings so far. NWDA has taken necessary action on the suggestions made by the committee.
US initial jobless claims rise to 480,000
The count of claims for unemployment benefits in the US climbed to 480,000 for the week ended December 12, even as the labor market slowly comes out of the shadow of the financial crisis. According to the US Labor Department data, the initial claims have risen by 7,000 from the previous week''s 473,000.
"The four-week moving average was 467,500, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week''s revised average of 472,750," it said in a statement today. Going by the statistics, the number of people receiving unemployment benefits too went up by 5,000 to 5,186,000 for the week ended December 5.
In the previous week, the same stood at 5,181,000. "The four-week moving average was 5,318,250, a decrease of 106,750 from the preceding week''s revised average of 5,425,000," the statement noted.
Signalling that employment conditions are improving, the country''s jobless rate fell to 10 per cent in November. In the previous month, the same had touched a 26-year-high of 10.2 per cent.
Essar block holds 43 pct higher reserves - report
Reuters
India's Essar Oil is estimated to hold around 43 percent more recoverable reserves in its coal bed methane block in eastern India than previous estimates, according to an analyst report.
The report, issued last week by local brokerage IDFC-SSKI Securities Ltd, said the estimated more than 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) reserves of the Raniganj block, from the earlier 700 billion cubic feet, had been certified by Netherland, Sewell and Associate Inc.
It said Essar was expected to produce coal bed methane gas at a peak rate of 4 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) from the block versus the earlier guidance of 2.5 mmscmd.
"It (Essar Oil) expects to maintain plateau production for 14-15 years after which production is estimated to decline gradually till FY42," the report added.
Raniganj is the country's oldest coal-mining zone and is located near the steel city of Durgapur.
The Essar group, which owns 100 percent of the 500-square-kilometres Raniganj block, plans to spend some $350 million in the next 3-4 years to fund drilling of 500 wells in the block, a company official had said in August.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Malini Menon)
No 'transparency', no climate deal: Hillary Clinton
There will be no accord at the climate summit unless emerging economies take 'decisive actions' to combat global warming that can be 'operationalised in an international code' in a transparent manner, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday.
Clinton named China but appeared to include India, South Africa and Brazil too as she said there must be 'standards of transparency that provides credibility to the entire process' of moving towards a treaty to tackle climate change.
India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh quickly reacted: 'I agree with her 75 percent, but not fully.'
The bone of contention is the US insistence on international scrutiny of actions taken by emerging economies to make their economies greener. China and India have opposed this strongly in the past, saying this was against sovereignty.
At a crowded press conference on the penultimate day of the Dec 7-18 summit, Clinton made a 'transparency mechanism' the condition both for an accord and for the $100 billion a year she promised to put together by 2020 to help poor countries cope with climate change effects.
'The agreement has interlocking pieces that must go together,' she said. 'No commitment to transparency is a deal breaker.'
Asked if she expected China to change its stance and allow international scrutiny of its domestic actions, Clinton said unless China took steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and did so in a manner transparent to the international community, the $100 billion fund she had promised would not be forthcoming.
After Clinton's press conference, Martin Kaiser of the international NGO Greenpeace expressed disappointment because she 'failed to announce any increase in US emissions reduction targets. She also continued to resist and duck calls for a legally binding agreement, announcing instead that the US wants an operational accord in Copenhagen and a politically binding agreement in 2010.
'The inadequate US emissions reduction target of 3 percent by 2020 (at 1990 levels) and continued resistance to support a legally binding agreement remain major blockages to a successful outcome. President Barack Obama must deliver both when he arrives on Friday,' Kaiser said.
Dubai crisis over, UAE united - Formin
Reuters
The economic crisis in Dubai is over, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister said on Thursday.
The $10 billion aid package this week from the wealthiest emirate Abu Dhabi to Dubai had proved the unity of the Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahayan said.
Speaking to Reuters during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, he said the United Arab Emirates government was "committed to dealing with the effects of the global crisis" for all UAE members.
"The economic crisis in Dubai is over," he said.
The lifeline to fellow-member Dubai "is proof that the UAE is united politically and economically", Sheikh Abdullad added. "It is also proof that UAE remains committed towards local government to deal with effects of the global economic crisis.
"I believe the (global) crisis will be behind us once the United States recovers, and we believe the United States is recovering, which will reflect on other countries."
Dubai World rocked global markets on Nov. 25 when it asked creditors for a standstill in debt mainly linked to its two property firms, Nakheel and Limitless World.
Abu Dhabi came to the rescue of Dubai on Dec. 14, several days after state-owned conglomerate Dubai World asked creditors for a delay on payments of debts totalling some $26 billion.
The UAE safety-net, in the form of bonds to head off a bond default, cheered Gulf and global markets but raised questions about the undisclosed terms.
(Reporting by Mohammed Assadi, Ali Sawafta and Joseph Nasrwriting by Douglas Hamilton)
Under pressure, Chiranjeevi quits as MLA
Praja Rajyam Party President and film star Chiranjeevi steps down as MLA of Andhra Pradesh assembly. In a press conference, Chiranjeevi said he was stepping down for a united Andhra. He also said that a united Andhra was essential for a rich Telangana.
Chiranjeevi said he was taking moral responsibility for his words during the state assembly elections. On December 7, he had rallied for a separate statehood for Telangana. Now, he has changed his stance, keeping in mind the public outcry against this decision.
Chiranjeevi, who held consultations with senior party leaders throughout the day, was understood to have come under pressure from them that the party reverse its pro-Telangana stand and extend full support to the unified state movement.
The two PRP MLAs hailing from Telangana region, however, opposed a change in the party's stand and wanted it to stick to the Samajika (social) Telangana promise.
Senior PRP leaders tried to exert pressure on Chiranjeevi to resign as MLA and support the ongoing movement for a unified Andhra Pradesh. He hails from West Godavari in coastal Andhra and represents Tirupati assembly constituency in Rayalaseema.
15 PRP MLAs from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions have already submitted resignations and are taking part in the ongoing agitation against the proposed bifurcation of the state.
Ever since the launch of PRP in August 2008, Chiranjeevi has always supported Telangana and even included it in the party's election manifesto this year.
Chiranjeevi maintained there would not be any change in PRP's stand on the separate statehood issue after the political imbroglio following the Centre's announcement on initiating the process for creation of Telangana state.
But with mounting pressure from his party cadre, which is predominantly from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, Chiranjeevi is said to be left with no other choice but to toe their line, the sources pointed out.
PRP Leaders from different districts of Telangana reached the party headquarters here and met Chiranjeevi to express their displeasure about the party's stand on Telangana issue.
PRP's MLA from Telangana region A Maheswar Reddy too joined the meeting and sought a clarification from Chiranjeevi on reports that he was now favouring a unified state against the party's line for a Telangana.
PRP's official spokesman Shravan Kumar said at the end of the meeting that there was immense pressure on Chiranjeevi to support a unified state.
Apex court denies urgent hearing to Asaram Bapu's bail plea
The Supreme Court Thursday refused to accord an urgent hearing to self-styled spiritual guru Asaram Bapu's plea for anticipatory bail for his alleged involvement in a murderous attack on a former disciple in Ahmedabad.
A bench of Justice Altmas Kabir and Justice Deepak Verma refused to give it an urgent hearing, and said it would hear his plea on the date slated for it.
In the thick of controversy over allegations of paedophilia and child abuse in his orphan homes in Gujarat and elsewhere, Asaram Bapu moved the apex court fearing arrest after the Ahmedabad police filed a case naming him as an accused in the attack on Raju Chandak Dec 6 this year.
The Gujarat High Court Dec 10 dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail and for scrapping the criminal case filed against him.
Ahmedabad police registered the cases against Asaram Bapu and two others on complaint by Chandak for allegedly attempting to murder him, after he was shot at by two unidentified men in Ramnagar area of Sabarmati.
After the shooting, Chandak told police from his hospital bed that he suspected Asaram Bapu was behind the attack on him.
On Chandak's complaint, the three were booked for attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. They also face charges under the Arms Act.
Chandak suffered bullet injuries in his shoulders and chest. He was referred to the SAL Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
Gorshkov price is settled with Russia at dollar 2.3 billion
The price of aircraft carrier Gorshkov has been finally settled at US dollar 2.3 billion.
Notwithstanding some bitterness, the Indian side finally agreed to pay this price after being told by the Prime Minister's Office that the high level of friendship with Russia has to be maintained and an agreement had to be worked out, preferably before Manmohan Singh left for Moscow Dec 6.
That was indeed done on the morning of Dec 4, Navy Day, with a visiting Russian delegation, according to the latest issue of India Strategic defence magazine. Defence ministry officials refused to comment on the development.
The Indian side had asked for some additional onboard equipment at least as part of the increased price, but within that price, which the Russians agreed to. Details of that were still being finalized with the Russians 10 days later in the Indian capital.
The original agreement with the Russians signed in 2004 was for dollar 974 million for the carrier's refurbishment and upgrade, Gorshkov itself being offered free of cost. The delivery was then set for 2008.
In 2007, Rosoboronexport, the sole Russian agency responsible for selling and exporting weapon systems, indicated a delay in the delivery of the carrier. In 2008, it demanded an additional dollar 1.2 billion in writing saying it had made mistakes in calculations and that it had to many more miles of wiring for instance than it had originally thought.
After that, during the negotiations to settle the dispute arising from this new demand, Rosoboronexport representatives mentioned varying figures asking for still more money, taking the cost of the carrier to dollar 2.9 billion.
Rising prices of oil, which is consumed during the trials, was among the reasons quoted for this second revision of the Gorshkov cost.
The Indian side had agreed to consider the written request for additional dollar 1.2 billion but declined to entertain anything above that.
Well placed sources from Moscow told India Strategic that the Russian government asked Rosoboronexport to come down to dollar 2.4 billion and it also submitted a letter in this regard to the Indian Navy's negotiating team.
Finally, India agreed to pay a total of dollar 2.3 billion but with a request for some additional equipment, and the Russians agreed to that.
India has also agreed for delivery of the carrier, which the Navy urgently needs, by 2012 without any penalty.
It may be noted that the Russian government paid the Sevmash shipyard, which is doing the repair work on Gorshkov, dollar 250 million as credit to ensure that the work did not stop. India had paid dollar 600 million at the time of the contract, and another dollar 122 million in August this year.
India has already paid more than dollar 600 million for 16 Mig 29K carrier borne aircraft, the first four of which have been delivered at the INS Hansa, the naval base in Goa.
The Indian Navy has asked for 29 more Mig 29Ks, the proposal for which has been cleared by the government. An order is likely to be placed soon.
These deals, although related to the Gorshkov, are separate and the Mig 29K aircraft will operate from both the Gorshkov and India's first indigenous aircraft carrier now under construction at the Kochi shipyard in southern India.
There has been no official confirmation of the price from either side but Russian sources said that the agreed price was 'close to what the Indian Navy wanted'.
The Indian prime minister's delegation did announce though from Moscow that the agreement over the price had been reached.
'We do not know if the two sides shared some vodka over the deal, but there is goodwill between the negotiators on both the sides following the conclusion of the price,' said an informed source.
Assembly resolution not necessary for Telangana: TRS chief
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao Thursday said there was no need for passing a resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly to carve out a separate Telangana state.
Addressing a news conference here, his first since the Dec 9 announcement by the central government to initiate the process for formation of Telangana, Rao said the statement made by the government was clear.
'The statement made by (Home Minister) P. Chidambaram on behalf of the government of India is clear. Nobody should have any doubts about it. Separate Telangana has already been formed,' said KCR, whose 11-day fast forced the government to make the announcement.
The Mahabubnagar MP said there was no precedent of the Government of India taking back its decision. He was responding to a query on what the TRS would do if the government went back on its statement due to the ongoing agitation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
KCR said there was no need for passing a resolution in the assembly to form a separate state. He pointed out that Gujarat was carved out of Maharashtra without a resolution in the assembly.
The TRS chief said his party was maintaining a strategic silence as it would take some time for the centre to implement its decision.
He reiterated that Hyderabad would be the capital of the new state and rejected demands for making it a separate state or a union territory.
Rao also alleged that some vested interests who had acquired lands and assets in Hyderabad through illegal means were behind the ongoing anti-Telangana protests in Andhra.
Egypt invites Tata Motors to build Nano plant - paper
Reuters
Egypt has invited Tata Motors to build a factory to make the Nano, the world's cheapest car, in the African country for the local market and sales elsewhere, the Mint newspaper reported on Thursday.
"Egypt is seeking consent of Tata for left-hand drive Nano to be produced in Egypt, where a huge market is expected not only internally, but in the left-hand drive market in the Middle East and in Europe," the paper quoted Egypt's ambassador to India, Mohamed Higazy, as saying.
Higazy told the paper the company would consider the proposal after the initial phase of the Nano launch.
Tata launched the Nano in March this year and is expected to to take it to Europe by 2011 and to the United States later.
"While Tata Motors has said that the Tata Nano and its variants will also be introduced in other countries, the company has not decided on its manufacturing strategy (in other countries), let alone Egypt," the paper quoted a Tata Motors spokesman as saying in an email.
(Reporting by Janaki Krishnan; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)
NTERVIEW - Rich wrongly blame poor on climate - India
Reuters
India said on Thursday rich countries were set to launch a "propaganda campaign" wrongly blaming poor nations if a U.N. summit in Copenhagen failed to reach a deal to combat global warming.
"We are aware that the western countries will now launch a propaganda campaign to hold developing countries responsible," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told Reuters.
"This is wrong, this is mischievous. This is not the time for mutual recriminations," he said as leaders gathered for a closing summit on Thursday and Friday.
"It's only a matter of time before the blame game starts," he said, adding that some developed nations were already accusing developing nations of blocking an accord.
Ramesh, however, faulted host nation Denmark for the impasse at the Dec. 7-18 conference.
"The process adopted here in Copenhagen has been deeply flawed," he said. "A trust deficit has accumulated and no effort has been made by Denmark to remove that trust deficit."
He said that Denmark had asked British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to chair a small group of developed nations to try to work out a political declaration for about 120 leaders at the summit.
But Ramesh said the text had not been shared with other nations that would have to sign up. "Until this morning we don't know the content of the text that the heads of state are supposed to see tomorrow, the so-called Copenhagen outcome," he said.
"We were repeatedly promised that a draft would be shown to us. But those promises have not been fulfilled," he said.
"I am still hopeful that during the course of the day we might be able to salvage something but the continued reluctance of the Danes to reveal the political text to the ministers is most baffling," he said.
Earlier a western official said China had told participants it saw no possibility of achieving a detailed accord to tackle global warming. He said that China had instead suggested issuing "a short political declaration of some sort".
(Reporting by Krittivas Mukherjee, writing by Alister Doyle, editing by Janet McBride)
Krittivas Mukherjee
Wall St amassed $50 bln of profits in 9 months
reuters
Wall Street, the bedrock of New York City's economy, amassed $50 billion of profits in the first nine months of this year, the state comptroller said in a report on Wednesday.
The surprisingly swift turnaround by the banks and brokerages that could have collapsed without a federal bailout should help the city's employers avoid the even deeper layoffs that were feared.
New York City likely will lose 220,000 jobs by the time the recession ends, which means 108,000 fewer layoffs than Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said he forecast in June.
Though securities firms cut 29,300 workers from November 2007 to October 2009, the pace of layoffs has "moderated" in the past few months and may top out at 36,000 positions.
DiNapoli, a Democrat, said Wall Street bonuses, including deferred payments, could surpass last year's total of $18.4 billion, which was the sixth largest-ever despite some record losses and and company failures.
Both Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, for example, succumbed to over-borrowing and unexpected hazards in mortgage securities.
"The average bonus could grow at an even higher rate since there are fewer jobs than last year," DiNapoli said.
Cash bonuses fell almost 37 percent in 2008 to an average of $112,000, the comptroller said in a Jan. 28 report.
Some analysts now estimate the average bonus in 2009 will rise 40 percent, he said. (Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)
2000-2009 - The decade that changed the world
India Today
On a warm blue September day in 2001, Mohammed Atta, an Egyptian architect from Germany, forced his way into the cockpit of American Airlines Flight 11 bound for San Francisco, flew it into the World Trade Center Tower 1 and changed everything. No hostages, No released prisoners, no cash, just this humble Al Qaeda goal: The destruction of free liberal Western democracy as we know it.
With the idea unleashed, the decade saw reproductions. India's Parliament in 2001, the Madrid train bombings in 2002, the London transport system in 2004, the Sharm Al-Sheikh hotel attacks in 2005, the Bali nightclub bombings in 2005, Mumbai 26/11/08.
Till the end of the 1990s, people saw terrorists as holding innocent people to bargain for something. The last decade has shown us the willingness of cosmopolitan, educated young, moneyed people using the Internet revolution that's happened in parallel, to be taken in by the appeal of martyrdom and spectacularly kill themselves for Osama Bin Laden.
The world scrambled to react. America led the excitement with the catch phrase, "War Against Terror" and the clear declaration, "Either you're with us or against us". "We're with you", India shouted, "We've known terrorism almost daily, now you know what it feels like to be us" and other such brotherhood ideas were loudly proclaimed. The Americans weren't listening and didn't care. The only time America did say, "What's going on here?" was in December of 2001, when some Lashkar people showed up in jeeps to blow up our Parliament and we said we might go to war.
As the decade rolled on, there were surprises, disappointments, optimism, shame, joy, elation and apologies, but none predictable. The sudden rise (and complete domination of) the Congress party from a position of relative weakness made pundits look foolish and made the BJP's India Shining slogan work against them as India shone essentially to, and for, the Congress.
Even though an economic rise was guessed, 8 per cent GDP or thereabouts as Europe shrunk, elated us and generated a lot of chat about the rise of a new India and its consuming power. A young nation gained confidence from earning and spending much sooner than their parents did, call centre jobs and a visit from President Bush ("We love you" our prime minister said).
And the poster child of this new India, certainly post elections, was Rahul Gandhi, proving his dexterity at balancing convoluted patriarchal alliances with new-age consultant thinking, all the while carrying his charm with the good looks of a Turkish lothario.
Some things came as no surprise: politicians held up bags of money in Parliament exposing bribes they said were offered to switch affiliation. This came some years after a news organisation held covert operations (coined "sting" to sound forceful I suppose) to expose a shocking new reality. Politicians caught on camera taking bribes in suitcases.
A large debate ensued about the venal and barbaric nature of the elected corrupt while those accused defended themselves by
a) claiming they were set up,
b) threatening and shutting down the news organisation in question or
c) trying to slither out through petty detail loopholes.
To the public, there was never any debate on whether our elected officials take bribes. It was certainty. What we refer to as everyday. The only sting operation that would have indeed shocked the people was if our politicians didn't take a bribe.
Later, a news channel did another sting operation exposing the movie actor Shakti Kapoor asking for sexual favours in return for giving a young lady a film role thereby starting a debate on Bollywood's casting couch. Again, the only shock for the nation here was that Shakti Kapoor sleeps with women.
Any highlight of these past 10 years would be incomplete without mentioning last year's events in Mumbai. Arguably, the logic and procedure had antecedents across the world and, therefore, it should have been no shock when men in their 20s with guns and backpacks showed up to kill and die.
Yet it was. Beyond of course, the shock of what they did was the shock of who we were. A crumbling city with inadequate security, a foolish elite incapable of erudite opinion, an intelligentsia with no political voice, an elite paralysed in its own elitism. This decade showed we needed to wake up, even if we had no idea what the hell to, where to go or what to ask for.
Post 26/11, much anger was aimed at politicians again. This time, I'd argue, misdirected. The urban public needed a target and they were the easiest. Foolish generalisations like they are all corrupt and thieves and criminals were really ways for the public to vent, forgetting that in a multiparty democracy, we had elected these very same people by large majorities.
And could throw them out. It wasn't an us versus them because they were us, just those of us we had put in power. Once the anger subsided and ridiculous attempts at civic action from clusters of posh people died down, everybody went about their business of not voting and not caring. The tragedy and the small burst of shouting that followed did help the politicians in realising that they need to occasionally care or sound like they do, so words like "good governance" and "public accountability" became the mantras of the most recent campaigns.
The interesting analysis post 26/11 that angered the media (and subsequently, the public) was how much was spent on security for a handful of VIPs while our biggest cities lay exposed to any kind of assault. One television channel asked a perturbed Murli Manohar Joshi as he walked in with his melange of black cats, "Sir, who is paying for this?"
This decade also woke up the other end of the economic spectrum, the poorest of the poor, and not in a good way. They'd had just about enough with the India of fashion shows and DLF SEZs and zipping Mercedes. They wrote a manifesto about armed revolution, called themselves Naxals, revived a dead 70s student protest ideology and took to killing policemen and stopping trains in the deep interiors.
One party that simply by fiery speeches and obstructing regular life gained attention and political legitimacy was the MNS, with an agenda against migrants to Mumbai, especially those from Uttar Pradesh. In a country otherwise economically powering ahead with attempts at decent government, improving infrastructure, progressive secular and liberal economic ideas with a middle class that aspired to a better life, one wondered where the MNS ideas came from.
And who voted for the mandate. As the TV debates between supposed urban intelligentsia essentially became noise and screaming matches, the MNS quietly got the votes to become a party to reckon with. We realised the only thing more worrying than an agenda of malice or absent security, was us.
On a less sombre note, Shashi Tharoor, our erudite world ambassador with the foppish Oxonian Merchant Ivory charm brought the proper British accent back to Parliament reminding us that the Raj did not die; it just moved to the External Affairs Ministry and posed on the cover of GQ.
We also found out Kapil Sibal, Cabinet minister, wrote poems (on his cellphone on long flights, like a frequent flying T.S. Eliot) whose literary merits were debated on national television. The main curiosity this aroused was what other Renaissance talents were there in the upper echelons of our ruling party? Maybe our finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was a ludo champion or our home minister P. Chidambaram made world famous lemon pudding?
So there you have it. The era that changed our lives, in brief. Winston Churchill had once said, "Indian politics is lunacy trying to reach its full potential." This decade, we came close.
Anuvab Pal
FACTBOX - What "green" CEOs want from Copenhagen
Reuters
Business leaders are watching Copenhagen climate talks, which might launch new, bigger carbon markets and help drive investment in green technologies.
Following are views of chief executives of green and clean companies attending the conference.
Ditlev Engel, CEO Vestas Wind Systems
"We need a price on CO2 and we need it now. Renewable energy needs exactly the type of long-term visibility and planning that you had in the oil and gas industry, in that once you understand the possibilities, you make sure the regulatory framework is there. For the political decision that needs to be taken here, it's important that there is a unity across renewable industries."
Tom Knutzen, CEO Danisco
"Even though we will not have the technicalities in place at this meeting, if we produce a binding agreement that is executed in the short term, then I will applaud that."
If the summit talks collapsed then Danisco would go ahead with its present bioethanol business plans but it may take longer for these to grow and to develop new projects, said Krutzen. "We will go on. We will do what we do right now."
Jan Hylleberg, CEO Danish Wind Energy Association
"Our hope is, of course, that no matter what kind of a deal they agree on on Friday, that it becomes as ambitious as possible.
"My concern is that, in a worst-case scenario where we don't have a climate deal, then we could have a setback in relation to how fast we (the wind industry) would otherwise recover from the current financial crisis."
Denise Bode, CEO American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
"We would like to see an agreement on carbon. We are excited that the U.S. is here and that (Obama) is coming at the end of the conference, which indicates to us that the president wants to make a strong statement on behalf of the U.S."
"We just need to have that long term policy in place."
Tulsi Tanti - Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Suzlon Energy
"We need very clear, long-term visibility from Copenhagen. Without a deal, the wind industry could supply 20 percent of global energy by 2030.
"With a deal, that could grow to 30 percent, and that would cut global emissions by 10 percent. In having long-term visibility, we can develop the required resources like capital expenditures, human resources and geographic distributions."
Ian Mays, CEO, Renewable Energy Systems
"We need investment, and that investment needs stability. Mechanisms supported by significant and binding emissions targets agreed here will provide that. They would have to be met with renewables playing a substantial part of the solution."
"We can, by 2020, reduce carbon emissions by around 10 billion tonnes if we have a challenging but achievable programme for renewable energy. That will need a very strong message from Copenhagen, a trigger for policy action at the national government level."
Delhi government gets a year to improve infrastructure
The Delhi government Thursday got an additional year to improve urban infrastructure and deal with issue like illegal commercial structures in residential areas with parliament passing the necessary legislation.
The Rajya Sabha unanimously approved the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Bill, 2009, by a voice vote and without a debate.
As Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan asked Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy to move the bill, S.S. Ahluwalia (Bharatiya Janata Party) said: 'Sir, let him read out the memorandum and we will pass it by voice vote.'
The measure, passed earlier by the Lok Sabha, will also enable the Delhi government to deal with issues like illegal constructions of country villas on agricultural land, unauthorised colonies and encroachment on government land by Dec 31, 2010. The previous law on the subject was to have expired on Dec 31 this year.
'We need more time to finalise norms for encroachments by slums, as also existing farmhouses, schools, dispensaries and cultural institutions on agricultural land. We have also drawn up guidelines for regularising unauthorised colonies but more time is required for their orderly implementation,' Reddy said.
'We have dealt with the issue keeping in view several rulings of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court,' Reddy maintained, adding: 'The idea is to provide relief from hardship.'
ndia to issue 'visa-on-arrival' to tourists from five countries
Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja informed the Parliament on Thursday that the Centre has decided to introduce visa-on-arrival scheme for tourists from five countries including Singapore, Finland, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Japan on a pilot basis for a period of one year.
Kumari Selja said that this step has been taken to counter the downward trend of the inbound tourism.
The Tourism Ministry has taken several steps to counter the downward trend of inbound tourism and to promote tourism to the country which includes liberalizing the marketing development assistance scheme for service providers promoting India, organizing road shows in important tourist generating markets overseas, arranging familiarization tours to India for international travel trade and media representatives to keep them updated on safety and security conditions in the country, media campaigns are being organized in the print, electronic, online and outdoor media and a "Visit India 2009" scheme, in collaboration with all stakeholders including airlines, hotels, tour operators, State Governments for incentivising travel to India.
Selja said various countries have been issuing travel advisories from time to time, advising their citizens to avoid travel or to take precautions while traveling to areas in the country which are temporarily disturbed.
"The Tourism Ministry through its overseas offices and in collaboration with the External Affairs Ministry and Indian missions abroad takes up the matter regarding lifting of travel advisories as and when issued by different countries to avoid any adverse impact on tourism to the country," Kumari Selja said.
Iraqi woman 'researcher' causes scare in Ahmedabad
Gandhinagar, Dec 17 (IANS) An Iraqi woman who came to Ahmedabad for academic purposes has vanished without a trace, giving the security establishment in Gujarat sleepless nights.
The burqa-clad woman, who introduced herself as Haula Younis from Iraq had visited the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute at the Ahmedabad civil hospital campus last month.
Claiming to be a teaching assistant in a science college of the Baghdad University, she had e-mailed her desire to pursue research in cervical cancer. She was asked to report with necessary papers to complete registration formalities.
Accordingly, she reported Nov 16 at the institute but without the papers. She left after making preliminary enquiries when asked to deposit Rs.10,000 as fees, and has not returned since.
The Ahmedabad airport has no record of either her arrival or departure. What has perked up investigators is that the close-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) installed at the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute were switched off on the day of her visit at the institute.
Installed after the serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad July 26 last year, particularly targeting the civil hospital campus, left a trail of death and destruction, these CCTVs drew a blank on that particular day. This has led to suspicion of a possible wider network with an insider connection.
The cancer institute authorities have scoured the net for the Bagdad Science College but in vain. The university exists but the college remains elusive. Her e-mail address has proved of little help either.
With a security scare for possible terror infiltration and the Gujarat cops on alert, her mysterious disappearance is additional work for the already stretched investigators. Of the 60 killed in the Ahmedabad serial blasts, over 20 perished in this hospital campus alone.
Indo Asian News Service
Goa home minister warns of 'spectacular' terror violence
Panaij, Dec 17 (IANS) Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik Thursday told the Goa legislative assembly that Pakistan-based terrorists groups could indulge in 'spectacular violence' in Goa.
'Available intelligence inputs indicate that a strong desire is entertained by various Pak-based terrorist groups to indulge in spectacular violence in Goa,' Naik said in a written reply to a discussion on matters of urgent public importance vis a vis the clandestine visit of terror suspect David Headley.
Goa was emerging as an important target for terrorists, Naik added.
'It may be pointed out that Goa is emerging as an important target for terrorists because of the presence of foreign tourists from countries like the US, Britain and Israel and any attack impacting their safety would immediately attract international media attention,' the home minister said.
Naik stressed that the Goa police were maintaining 'close liason' with central intelligence agencies as well as state police organisations concerned to ensure that relevant intelligence is shared quickly.
In a vague, unclear reference to Headley's visit to Goa, Naik said: 'Goa police have taken necessary note of the reports indicating visit of a certain individual to Goa. And in interest of ensuring security of information, nothing more needs to be stated'.
Media reports in the recent past quoting home ministry sources have said that Headley visited Goa earlier this year and stayed for a week, scouting coastal areas namely Anjuna and Arambol, both frequented by Israeli tourists. Reports also said that Headley stayed in a guest house in Anjuna, near an Israeli prayer house.
Indo Asian News Service
Advani likely to quit next week, Rajnath on Dec 19
A generational change in the BJP hierarchy may be on the anvil with Leader of Opposition L K Advani likely to quit his post next week and party President Rajnath Singh stepping down on Saturday.
Sources said Advani is likely to announce his decision to step down as Leader of Opposition in the Parliamentary Party meeting to be held on the morning of December 21, the last day of the current Parliament session.
However, BJP's Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who declined to talk about Advani's moves, said the Parliamentary party meeting on December 21 will not take place in case the winter session of Parliament adjourns sine die tomorrow itself.
BJP President Rajnath Singh is slated to tender his resignation on December 19, paving the way for Maharashtra party unit Chief Nitin Gadkari to take over, party sources said here today.
"BJP Parliamentary Board meeting will be held at 3 pm on December 19 followed by a meeting of office-bearers of the party," BJP headquarters In-charge Shyam Jaju said. Sources said Rajnath Singh will submit his resignation to the Parliamentary Board in this meeting.
Gadkari has been called to Delhi for the meeting and will be anointed party unit Chief. The decision will be ratified by the BJP National Council. In the wake of these developments, a number of posts would be up for grabs in the party. The elevation of Swaraj as Leader of Opposition is almost a certainty, sources said.
The race for the post of Deputy Leader of BJP in the Lower House is now between Ananth Kumar, Gopinath Munde and Shahnawaz Hussain. Munde and Yashwant Sinha are also eyeing the post of Public Accounts Committee Chairman which has fallen vacant after Jaswant Singh's resignation.
Apex court suspends mining permission to Reddy brothers
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The Supreme Court Thursday suspended the Andhra Pradesh High Court's grant of permission to mine and transport iron ore by Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), owned by Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy and his brother.
'The interim order of the high court is stayed till Jan 4,' a bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice P. Sathasivam ruled during a brief hearing of the Andhra Pradesh government's lawsuit against the high court's order.
Refusing a plea by the Obulapuram Mining Company Pvt Ltd against passing any order till detailed hearing of the matter Jan 4, the bench wondered: 'How by an interim order the whole of the matter is disposed of.'
The Andhra Pradesh government moved the apex court challenging the Dec 11 order of the high court, which halted the government's order prohibiting the mining activity by the company. The government lawsuit was also supported by a public interest lawsuit.
The Andhra Pradesh government prohibited mining after an apex court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC) recommended stopping of mining by the company in the area.
The empowered committee was constituted by the Supreme Court to inquire into the matter based on a writ petition filed by Tapal Ganesh of Bellary against the OMC over its alleged illegal activity in violation of the Forest Conservation Act.
Indo Asian News Service
LS adjourned over Telangana, Bodoland issues
Unrelenting members from the Telegu Desam Party and Bodoland Peoples' Front forced the adjournment of Lok Sabha on Thursday, as they disrupted proceedings from the time the House met in the morning.
The House saw two adjournments during the pre-lunch sitting. While the Question Hour was adjourned for 15 minutes following uproar over the two issues, the House was adjourned for two hours during Zero Hour. When the Lok Sabha reassembled after the second adjournment, similar scenes were witnessed with TDP members trooping into the well displaying placards in favour of united Andhra Pradesh and raising slogans against the Centre's decision to create a separate Telangana.
They were joined in the well by S K Bwiswmuthiary of the BPF, who held up a banner demanding a separate Bodoland. Congress members from Telangana region too were on their feet, countering the slogans raised by TDP members and vociferously demanding a separate state. As Deputy Speaker Karia Munda [ Images ] took up the listed business, the protesting members continued with their protest.
In the din Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee [ Images ] introduced a Bill to consolidate laws relating to coinage and mints and their protection, and Home Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ] introduced another bill to raise salaries and allowances of ministers. As pandemonium prevailed, the House took up discussion on Naxalite and Maoist violence. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Basudeb Acharia rose to speak, but TDP and BPF members continued their slogan shouting.
Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal-United requested the protesting members to return to their seats and urged the Chair to allow them to raise the issue very briefly so that the House could carry on with its business without disruptions. Munda almost relented, but Lalu Prasad said the House should decide if it wanted to debate the bifurcation of states or the Maoist violence and that members from all parties be allowed to speak on the issue so decided. This led to the Chair sticking to the business and asking Acharia to continue with the discussion on Maoist violence. But TDP members, who had briefly resumed their seats on Yadav's request, returned to the well to continue with their protest. The Deputy Speaker then adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for 15 minutes soon after it met in the morning, as TDP members from coastal Andhra and Rayalseema disrupted proceedings protesting against the announcement for a separate Telangana. As soon as the Question Hour began, TDP members opposed to division of Andhra Pradesh displayed placards which said, "We want united AP", and rushed to the well raising slogans. TDP members K Narayana Rao, M Venu Gopala Reddy, N Kristappa and N Sivaprasad continued shouting slogans even as Speaker Meira Kumar [ Images ] asked them not to display placards, saying the members should observe "sanctity" of the House.
Congress members from Telangana countered the TDP members by showing placards favouring a separate state and raised "Jai Telangana" slogans. The differences between members from Telangana and Andhra, from both TDP and Congress, was out in the open. TDP member from Telangana R Ramesh displayed "Jai Telangana" placard and Congress members from Andhra and Rayalseema raised slogans favouring united Andhra Pradesh. In the din, Ministers Mamata Banerjee [ Images ] and Dayanidhi Maran [ Images ] replied to a question each. Amid pandemonium, Bwiswmuthiary too rushed to the well with a placard demanding separate statehood for Bodoland and raised slogans.
As repeated pleas by the Chair to TDP and BPF members to return to their seats went unheeded, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes. When the House reassembled and the Question Hour got over, trouble began with issues ranging from Telangana to price rise to Women's Reservation Bill being raised forcefully. Four TDP members stormed the well and they were soon joined by Bwismuthiary.
Y S Jaganmohan Reddy [ Images ], son of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy, was seen nudging members, who were demanding a united Andhra Pradesh, to continue the protest. Soon, SP members, including Dharmendra [ Images ] Yadav, Shailendra Kumar and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, trooped into the well demanding withdrawal of Women's Reservation Bill, a report on which was presented in Parliament on Thursday.
Former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) too came to the well protesting against price rise. In the din, Speaker Meira Kumar ordered laying of various reports and statements listed for the day and later adjourned the House for two hours.
Food price index up 19.95 per cent
New Delhi: The food price index rose 19.95 percent in the 12 months to Dec. 5, while the fuel index was up 3.95 percent, the government said on Thursday.
The driest spell in 37 years and floods in some parts of the country have trimmed farm output and pushed up food prices.
C. Rangarajan, chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, was quoted on Wednesday as saying that the Reserve Bank of India could tighten monetary policy in December as inflation could rise to near 7 percent by March.
The government is also under pressure from opposition benches in parliament to take immediate steps to contain inflation as the wholesale price index has also gone up by 4.78 percent in November compared to 1.34 percent in October.
Source: Reuters
Indian Mujahideen helped Headley, Rana execute 26/11
Investigators told rediff.com that more than two people within the Indian Mujahideen provided logistical support to Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana [ Images ] to survey the targets that were attacked during 26/11.
The name of Riyaz Bhatkal, the suspected chief of the Indian Mujahideen, had cropped up just after the Mumbai [ Images ] attacks. However, the Mumbai police then denied all possible local links and maintained that the attacks were planned and executed only from Pakistan.
Sources in the Intelligence Bureau and the National Investigating Agency now point out that most of the money required to execute the Mumbai attacks was routed through Bhatkal. He laid the groundwork and opened 20 bank accounts in different countries, most of them in the Gulf.
Bhatkal was in India when both Headley and Rana visited the country. Bhatkal, who was in Kerala [ Images ] after the serial blasts that rocked Bengaluru [ Images ], Ahmedabad [ Images ] and Delhi [ Images ] last year, met Rana during his visit to Kerala.
Investigators say Headley and Rana were constantly in touch with Bhatkal who regularly transferred funds to them to survey and gather video footage of targets in Mumbai and other cities.
IB sources say they have established that the same Lashkar-e-Tayiba handlers controlled both Headley and the 26/11 attackers. While men like Abu Jundal and Abu Hamza, who are based in Pakistan, handled the attackers and Headley only during 26/11, two others constantly guided Headley and Rana during their stays in India.
The IB sources say phone records would show that Headley and Rana were in constant touch with Lashkar operative Abu-al-Qama. It was through him that the duo stayed in touch with Zarar Shah, a top Lashkar terrorist.
While records would show that Headley sought Abu-al-Qama's counsel about the targets in Mumbai, the same man also briefed Rana on the role he needed to play.
Qama asked Rana to travel to Kerala and re-activate the Indian Mujahideen who were virtually decimated after the national crackdown following last year's serial blasts.
He instructed Rana to get in touch with Amir Raja who was in charge of the Indian Mujahideen. Raja, who is based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir [ Images ], asked Rana to ask Riyaz Bhatkal for help to survey likely targets in Kerala. He was also told to lure more youth into the Indian Mujahideen under the guise of operating a recruitment agency.
Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluruhttp://news.rediff.com/report/2009/nov/19/indian-mujahideen-helped-headley-rana.htm
David Headley's terror mission in Mumbai
Intelligence Bureau agents have informed the Mumbai [ Images ] police that Headley made several visits to the city. The police are now probing Headley's links with the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, IB sources told rediff.com
According to information available with the IB, Headley visited Mumbai in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He changed his name to David Headley from Daood Gilani around 2006.
Sources say Headley traveled on a business visa; he got in touch with a US firm which specialised in creating fake visas and passports. He located a similar firm in Tardeo, central Mumbai, which helped him procure fake travel documents.
With the help of these fake documents, Headley traveled to India [ Images ] at least five times. During each visit, he made it a point to visit the visa agency.
Headley was present in India when the terror attacks on Mumbai was being planned and he may have been aware of such a plan, the IB sources say.
If investigations reveal that Headley activated a local module to assist the 26/11 attacks, the Mumbai police may file an additional charge-sheet detailing this link, the sources added.
IB agents suspect Headley's brief in Mumbai was to establish a network of sleeper cells to assist terror attacks.
Headley also traveled to other states including Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh [ Images ], using his business visa. The FBI has revealed that Headley had conducted a reconnaissance of the National Defence College in New Delhi [ Images ] where he planned a terror attack.
India downplays inability to quiz Headley in US
Seeking to downplay the inability of Indian officials to get access to suspected terrorist David Headley, the government on Tuesday said it has received a full report from US investigators and has advised them on what lines further probe was required.
Home ministry officials said the government has received a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was prepared on the basis of interrogation of Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, both arrested for their alleged involvement in terror activities.
"We now have a full report from US authorities on the alleged terror plot. There were gaps in the information given through the affidavit. We have also told them on what lines further probe is required," an official said.
On the inability of the Indian intelligence team, who went to the US, to question Headley and Rana, the official said it happened due to "procedural" hurdles and also because both of them are currently in jail.
"Because of the US law, it would be inappropriate to discuss it in public," the official said
Headley (49) was arrested last month at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel to Pakistan. Subsequently the FBI also arrested Rana, 48, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin.
Headley and Rana were arrested for planning to carry out terrorist activities in and outside the US with the help of Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ].
During interrogation, they told the FBI that they were planning to carry out terror attacks in India [ Images ] which included hitting vital installations like National Defence College in Delhi [ Images ] and five-star hotels.
This information was shared by the FBI with Indian government following which a team, comprising officials of Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing, was sent to the US.
The team is returning to India on Tuesday night after a weeklong stay.Strong Pakistan link in Headley probe: India
Home Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ] has said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe into a terror plot targeting India has confirmed a definite Pakistan link.
Speaking to reporters after attending a passing-out parade of 61st batch of Indian Police Officers at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad on Thursday, Chidambaram said that on the advice of FBI, two or more persons have been arrested in Pakistan in connection with the same terror plot, uncovered by FBI.
"There is an obvious Pakistan link. If you have read the affidavit FBI agent has filed in the court and reproduced in the paper, there is a Pakistan link."
"One of the arrested persons, David Headley, visited Pakistan many times, the minister said, adding, "I think on FBI's advice, two or more persons have been arrested in Pakistan. There is definitely a Pakistan link," he said.
David Headley and his aide Tawwahur Hussien Rana reportedly told FBI investigators that there was a plot to carry out a major terrorist attack in India on Lashkar-e-Toiba's behest. They said that the plan was to target the National Defence College in Delhi [ Images ], some tourist destinations popular among the western tourists and two major schools in North India on the eve of the first anniversary of 26/11.
Asked about the reported intelligence inputs on possible attack sites, he said, "If.there are any targets, I will not tell you in public. Don't create alarm. Security forces are vigilant and perfectly capable of thwarting any attack. There is no reason to raise any alarm."
On another question, Chidambaram said that the Indian Mujahideen [ Images ] was some sort a virtual organization with lots of people and groups carrying out activities under its name. "Many people and groups claim they belong to Indian Mujahideen. We have arrested number of people who claim to operate under the name of the outfit whenever there was evidence," the home minister said.
In another significant remark, Chidambaram dismissed all the talk about Central government launching operation Green Hunt against Maoists as a creation of media. He said the Centre was only assisting state governments in their anti-insurgency measures.
"There is no operation. Operation is your invention. State governments are carrying out all the (counter) insurgency measures against Naxalites [ Images ]. Wherever necessary, the Centre is providing assistance by way of central paramilitary forces, intelligence sharing and technical help. State police is responsible for maintaining law and order. Operation Greenhunt is purely an invention of the media," he said.
Earlier in his address to the IPS cadets, the home minister said India today was better prepared to face any challenge to its security, sovereignty and integrity.
"As a nation growing not only in numbers, but also in influence, growing as economic power, a regional power, an Asian power, we can never afford to sleep. We must always remain vigilant," he said.
Is SRK the 'Rahul' that Lashkar is looking for?
Speculation is rife in Bollywood circles about who the 'Rahul', whom the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's [ Images ] operative David Headley wanted to target in Mumbai [ Images ], could be.
Headley, a Lashkar operative arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago, told the investigators that his prime target in India [ Images ] was an Indian actor named 'Rahul'.
Among the actors with the name are Rahul Bose [ Images ], Rahul Khanna, Rahul Dev [ Images ], Rahul Roy [ Images ] and Rahul Mahajan [ Images ]. But why would the Lashkar want to target any of them?
Unless, one goes by Rahul being the popular screen name of an actor, like 'Prem' was for Salman Khan [ Images ] or 'Vijay' for Amitabh Bachchan [ Images ].
The only top-notch actor who has played 'Rahul' in many films is Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ].
In Darr he was Rahul Mehra, in Yes Boss he played Rahul Joshi, in Dil Toh Pagal Hai we saw him as Rahul, in Zamaana Deewana he essayed the role of Rahul Malhotra, in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [ Images ] it was Rahul Khanna, in Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, in which he made a special appearance, he was Rahul. And in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham he was Rahul Raichand
The question is, is he the 'Rahul' the Lashkar would like to target?
Earlier, too, when the underworld wanted to target Shah Rukh Khan they used the codename 'Hakkla' for him since his character Rahul Mehra in the film Darr stammered (remember K..k..k..Kiran?)
A spokesperson for Shah Rukh Khan merely said the actor was away in London [ Images ].
Lashkar's makeover: New boss, new HQ and strategy
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa sheds light on the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's [ Images ] latest makeover and its repercussions for India [ Images ]
In a bid to continue with their activities against India the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has re-grouped yet again under a new chief called Muhammad Iftikar. After the heat was stepped up on the top leadership of the Lashkar, the terrorist group decided it was time to revamp and bring their Indian operations back on track. Sources told rediff.com that Iftikar's name came as a surprise as it never cropped up during the investigations.
Iftikar is believed to be very close to Jamaat-ud-Daawa chief and main accused of the 26/11 Mumbai [ Images ] attacks, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and was handpicked by Saeed to head the outfit. Saeed who has been in the eye of the storm has decided to lie low following the cases against him. Saeed is aware that there is no question of getting back into business immediately since he is being watched very closely.
Information about Iftikar and his antecedents is scarce. Sources say that the investigating agencies are trying to get more information on the man. It has however confirmed that this man is a trusted aide of Saeed and this means that he had always played a very important role in the LeT, behind the scenes. It is also said that Iftikar is a fanatic by nature and his hatred for India has earned him the top slot, not to mention the blessings of Pakistan's spy agency the Inter-Services Intelligence.
Sources said that Iftikar has been with Saeed for over 15 years and was in the know of all the outfit's activities. If Saeed has handpicked him for the job, then it is very evident that Iftikar will work under his mentor's guidelines, which only means that the trouble for India will not end, despite a major crackdown on the Lashkar in recent times.
A security expert told rediff.com that the ploy of the Lashkar is a very interesting one. Iftikar's name never cropped up in the past. Not once during the investigation into the Mumbai terror attack did Iftikar's name come up. Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari who are being tried in the Mumbai terror attack case were in the know of all the goings-on in the Lashkar. An officer said that they may have been aware of this man, but had deliberately kept it a secret from the police. The officer also adds that there is every chance of these two not knowing about this man as it could have been an intentionally guarded secret by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba top rung.
If one looks at the functioning of the Lashkar very closely then it is evident that the Lashkar plans way into the future. The decision to appoint Iftikar as boss is not some overnight decision by the Lashkar. It was on the anvil since several years and all these years this man was being groomed into taking up the mantle in case of a crisis within the Lashkar.
Intelligence agencies say that there may many such Iftikars in the Lashkar camp and each one of them has been trained to take over the Lashkar at any given time. Sources said that initially there was no intention of appointing a head, but the group realized that the cadres were getting demoralized following the arrest of the top leadership. Hence it was absolutely necessary for them to appoint someone who in turn would guide the cadres.Iftikar's speeches and the writings will be made available to the cadres to draw inspiration.
New strategy: Apart from appointing a new boss, the Lashkar-e-tayiba has also shifted it main operational base from Muzzafarabad to Jaffrabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Prior to the Mumbai attack, the headquarters housed over 50 members who were actively involved in planning and execution. The Lashkar has decided to keep its operations small and the new headquarters will have just 6 members. The LeT has realized that too many people in the loop would constitute a security risk and hence they have decided to keep the group small and keep intelligence sharing to a bare minimum. This would mean that the cadres arrested in future would have very little information about the group's activities since they would be working on a need to know basis.
Over the next few months, the Lashkar will indulge in various tactics to distract security agencies so that the transition within their group passes off smoothly. India has already been witnessing several instances where fake currency has been seized. This is largely a tactic to distract security agencies who will keep their focus on cracking this menace while these groups go about their business. If one notices before every attack or major overhaul in a terror group there have been such fake currency hauls or some small member of a terror group being caught. Sources say that these tactics are intentional and the focus on the operations of the main group should never be lost in the interest of security.
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