Mulayam Gives Bribe To Get Vote Pool Panel Issue Notice

New Delhi (IANS) The Election Commission on Thursday to notice Slapped on Mulayam Singh Yadav after his activists were filmed distributing money to potential voters even as the Samajwadi Party chief admitted it was a "mistake" though not for bribes.

Hours after the poll panel pulled him up for violating the model code of conduct for the April-May Lok Sabha elections, Mulayam Singh told reporters in Lucknow: "Yeh hai ke such bhul hui (it's correct, it was a mistake)."

But he added that "every year he gave gifts to people on Holi. It's a tradition, part of Holi celebrations" and not an attempt bribes to anyone. He said he was ready for any "investigation".

Asking him to explain why he violated the model code of conduct, which came into force March 2 when the elections were announced, the poll panel asked Mr. Mulayam Singh to reply by March 14. The commission will take action if the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister fails to answer by that day, the panel said.

The commission took Cognizance of reports in television channels showing Mr. Mulayam Singh holding a public gathering at his Saifai village in Etawah district Wednesday. He is expected to contest the Lok Sabha election from the neighboring district of Mainpuri.

According to the footage, Mr. Mulayam Singh's supporters Rs.100 currency notes distributed among a large number of people at the gathering, in his presence.

"It is apparent that the distribution of money in your presence has been made with a view to soliciting votes and support for yourself and your party," the statement said.

The model code of conduct provides that all parties and candidates shall avoid scrupulously all activities which are 'corrupt practices'.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh also tried to play down the incident. He told reporters: "Yes, I gave the money at Bareilly dargah as part of Holi traditions. Let someone get an Election Commission notice to me."

"Should we stop celebrating Holi now? Like elders give money to family members on festivals, we also gave it," he asserted.

Obama Inauguration Ceremony - People Crowded In Washington

WASHINGTON,- Despite Terrón time, a large crowd was unprecedented reunion in Washington on Tuesday to witness the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th U.S. president. 

  According to official estimates, as much as 2 million people are expected to gather around the Capitol, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial by noon, when Obama takes oath of office. 

  The official opening ceremony of the U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has already begun in the western U.S. front of the Capitol with prelude music. 

  The musical includes the Marine Corps Band from the United States, San Francisco Boys and Girls Choir of San Francisco. 

  Meanwhile, members of Congress and other special guests began filling the seats with a view to the position where the inauguration of Obama will occur. 

  Michelle Obama and his wife began the day by attending a prayer at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House. 

  Then he met with President George W. And his wife Laura Bush for talks at the White House. 

  The inauguration will start around 1630 GMT, with Biden oaths first, followed by Obama at the swearing in and inaugural speech. 

  Some of the opening of the hearing will be more than 1.6 kilometers from the swearing in ceremony, watching on giant TV screens erected along the National Mall. 

  Thousands arrived before daylight Tuesday in the standing-room only trains. 

  Obama took wore scarves and blankets for protection against the wind, less than 10 degrees centigrade. 

  Visitors wandered around the Mall on Monday night, snapping photos and shooting video of the Capitol and monuments. 

  The opening day began at 4 am for the many entries without a land grab on the Mall, rush to match the positions of the ceremony. 

  In about 20 minutes of his speech, Obama said America has been hurt by a "me first" attitude that contributed to the current economic crisis, say aides, and will appeal to people - as well as organizations and businesses - to take responsibility for their actions. 

  After an official farewell to President George W. Lunch with Bush and congressional leaders, Obama will head up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, where he and his family see the opening of the parade review stand. 

  The new president and first lady after closing the official opening night of 10 to attend the ball. 

  Inauguration events have already drawn record crowds. 

  A crowd attending an inaugural concert on Sunday was estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 and stretching from the Lincoln Memorial all the way to the Washington Monument, which stands at the midpoint of the National Mall. 

  Secret Service director, while Mark Sullivan said he had "no credible threat" to the events of opening a security cordon has been put in place around the city's core, making much of downtown Washington, in a single pedestrian. 

  Apart from the secret services, security involve8 effort, 000 police officers from the District of Columbia and other jurisdictions, 10,000 National Guard troops, about 1,000 personnel from the FBI and hundreds of others from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Park Service and the U.S. Capitol Police. 

  Another 20,000 National Guard members are ready to respond if there is an emergency.

Satyam Computers : will remove from sensex ?

MUMBAI: Satyam Computers may be removed from the nifty SENSEX and the following revelation of Manipulation in the company's accounts, analysts said. 

Rajiv Mehta, senior analyst with India Infoline, a big brokerage house said his firm has stopped immediately covering Satyam and many other brokerage houses are also expected to do the same. There will not be any investor interest in the company anyway. The company may be removed from SENSEX and nifty, he said. 

With the fall in its stock prices, Satyam has lost its weightage in SENSEX considerably over the past and currently has only weightage of 1.56 as of yesterday (Tuesday). While in nifty, weightage is the only 0.63 per cent.

Fall of Satyam Stocks (07/01/2009)

PAK Ready for WAR

Lahore, Dec 25: In a move which could heighten tension between New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan has purportedly moved its tenth brigade to Lahore and ordered its third Armed Brigade to march towards Jhelum. 

Islamabad has also reportedly put its 10th and 11th divisions on high alert. Unconfirmed reports have said militants have also been stationed alongwith the Army at the said locations. 

Also Pakistan's Army has reportedly stationed its troops in the Rajouri and Poonch sectors of J&K. 

Pakistan’s troop build up along the Indian border has also given credence to the current war hysteria between the two nuclear powered states. 

The move comes a day after Pakistan deployed its Army in place of the regular Pak Rangers along its border with India. 

Confirming the news, Additional Director general of BSF, Barmer, UK Bansal said, “There is a lot of activity along at the Pakistan side of India-Pakistan border near Barmer in Rajasthan and Pakistan Rangers have been replaced by the Pakistan Army.” 

The ADG also added that BSF is on full alert and is capable of handling any eventuality.

The deployment is an indication of the level of apprehension on the Pakistani side on an Indian attack. It should be noted that the last time Pakistan Rangers were replaced by Army during the Kargil war. 

The State government of Rajasthan has ordered the residents of border villages to be prepared for relocation. According to sources, the order came after a meeting of state Director General of Police and Home Secretary with official of the Central government. 

This move came just a day after Pakistan Army Chief General Asfaq Kiyani warned India of a befitting reply in the wake of an Indo-Pak war. 

The troops build up by Pakistan could also be seen as a tactic to send a message to the US administration that any tension along its eastern border could jeopardize Pentagon’s anti-Taliban operations in the western sector of the country. 

Also, this is among various steps by Islamabad to tick India of its war preparedness in the wake of a war. 

Diplomatic relations have gone into a tailspin between the two countries in the aftermath of a deadly terror attack on India’s financial capital Mumbai, believed to have been perpetrated by Pakistan based terrorists. 

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had on Wednesday vowed to defend the country ‘until the last breath’, and said no compromise would be made with the nation’s sovereignty. 

Meanwhile, after reports of a possible Indian attack on Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force continued its state of high alert and started aerial surveillance of the Chashma power plant and other sensitive sites. 

There were reports of the fighter jets continuing aerial surveillance over the Chashma nuclear power plant and other sensitive sites. 

Pakistan had put its airbases on high alert amidst fears of Indian ‘surgical strikes’ in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks.

source:http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-25/493778news.html

Hotel Taj Reopen After Mumbai War

The Mumbai luxury hotels whose marble interiors became killing fields for terrorists three weeks ago partially reopened on Sunday with pledges to upgrade security to levels similar to those of airports.

The Tata group opened the high-rise wing of its Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel as well as the restaurants and pool areas of the complex, where over nearly three days, four terrorists gunned down 31 people.

The Oberoi group reopened the Trident, the business hotel that suffered less damage in the violence, but it left shut the badly affected luxury Oberoi hotel that stands next door. In all, 32 people died in both hotels.

The 105-year-old “heritage wing” of the Taj, the red-domed Mumbai landmark in which the most fighting took place, might not fully reopen until 2010.



“When the old wing, the heritage wing, is restored and rebuilt to the extent that it can be, then we will send an even stronger message not only for the Taj but for the whole city that we can be hurt but we cannot be knocked down,” said Ratan Tata, the chairman of the Tata group, whose great grandfather built the hotel. 

The reopening of the hotels is seen as an important step towards resuming normal life in India’s financial capital, which has suffered numerous attacks in the past but none as devastating as the November attacks.

Unlike train bombings in the past, from which the city bounced back immediately, the hotel attacks shut down commercial life in Mumbai’s southern business and tourist areas, for several days. 

The terrorists also attacked the city’s main train station, a Jewish centre and a renowned tourist hang-out, Leopold Cafe, leaving a total of 172 dead and hundreds injured. 

Security was tight at both hotels on Sunday as they held ceremonies attended by clerics of all faiths. “This [multi-faith] ceremony tells you a lot about India: we are a united nation,” said Syed Ather Ali, president of the All India Ulema Association and Muslim representative at the Trident. 

“Luckily none of the people involved in the terror attack were Indian Muslims. That would have been a disaster for our community.”

The hotels were bustling on Sunday with the Taj opening 268 rooms, or nearly half its 565 rooms. The Trident reopened its 550 rooms and said it had at least 80 bookings. 

R.K. Krishna Kumar, the vice-chairman of the Indian Hotels Company that owns the Taj, said new security measures would include armed guards who would blend into the environment of the hotel, luggage screening and background checks on employees.

“I believe this is a turning point for how the hotel industry looks at this threat,” Mr Kumar said. “I think a world-class hotel needs to be an invisible fortress.”

At the Trident, a foreign businessman having a cigarette outside said: “Business and life has to go back to normal. When I come to India I always stay here – a terrorist won’t change my habits.”

Suhel Seth, the managing partner of Counselage, a branding and marketing consultancy, who was checked into the Taj at the time of the attacks, checked in again on Sunday night.

“India has once again shown that the spirit is indomitable but my only worry is that political class will treat this resilience as an excuse for inaction,” he said.

source:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/922656f8-cf8a-11dd-abf9-000077b07658,dwp_uuid=f39ffd26-4bb2-11da-997b-0000779e2340.html

Manmohan Singh :- Pakistan Should Cooperate with us

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday apologised to the country Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks during a discussion on Mumbai terror attacks, in Parliament House in New Delhi. for the government's inability to prevent the Mumbai attacks Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks during a discussion on Mumbai terror attacks, in Parliament House in New Delhi.

Making an intervention during the debate on the Mumbai attacks in Lok Sabha, Singh noted the action by Pakistan against Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed but asserted that Islamabad needed to do "much more" to take things to logical conclusion and convince the world about its actions. 

Outlining steps to gear up the country's security system to meet the "unprecedented threat", he said the government has decided to set up a National Investigation Agency, decentralise NSG, form more commando units, strengthen coastal security by making the Coast Guard the sole force responsible for it and step up air surveillance. "I apologise to the people of the country that this dastardly act could not be prevented," he said referring to the Mumbai strikes and acknowledged that acts of terrorism have witnessed an increase resulting in death of hundreds of citizens. Observing that the "epicentre of terrorism" is located in Pakistan, he underlined that the terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country must be dismantled and India cannot be "satisfied with mere assurances." Singh said India has so far exercised "utmost restraint" but it should "not be misconstrued as a sign of our weakness". Promising to have a comprehensive review of the security machinery of the country, Singh asserted that terrorism will be fought with determination to ensure that the scourge is destroyed from its roots. Declaring that "all means and measures" would be used to deal with terrorism, he said the government cannot "countenance a situation where safety and security of our citizens are violated with impunity by terrorists and other militant forces". The prime minister said the government's immediate priority was to restore a sense of security to the people of the country. The government has to work at three levels, he said. He identified these steps as galvanising the international community into dealing "sternly and effectively with the epicentre of terrorism, which is located in Pakistan", pressing Pakistan bilaterally to act against terrorists and prepare the country to meet "these kinds of assaults". Singh said the Mumbai incident had highlighted "gaps" in the country's preparedness to deal with these kinds of assaults and "we need to equip ourselves more effectively to deal with this unprecedented threat and challenge to our country's integrity and unity". 

source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pakistan_needs_to_do_more_Manmohan/articleshow/3824381.cms

All terrorists in Mumbai attack identified: Police

Mumbai: All 10 terrorists who struck at Mumbai last month have been identified, police officials said here on Tuesday. Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Rakesh Maria released eight photographs of the terrorists and their identities in the evening.

One picture was not released since the body of the terrorist - involved in the attack at the Taj hotel - was burnt beyond recognition. His name has been given as Umar and his body was thrown down after the gun battle with the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos Nov 27.

The lone terrorist captured alive, Mohammed Ajmal Amir, was initially identified as 'Kasab,' and he quickly became the face of the Mumbai terror attacks.

His associate, now identified as Ismail Khan, was shot dead by the police near Chowpatty in south Mumbai during the early hours of Nov 27.

Ismail Khan's picture and actions were also captured on some closed circuit TVs installed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) before he escaped with Amir to the nearby Cama and Albless Hospital, then to Metro cinema hall, from there to Nariman Point and finally to Chowpatty.

The three who laid siege at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel were: Bada Abdul Rehaman, Abu Ali and Abu Soheb. The Taj operation was the longest and bloodiest of all at the 13 sites which were attacked during the terror strike.

The duo killed at Nariman House in Colaba, where they laid a bloody siege to a Jewish place of worship, necessitating airdropping of commandos, are identified as Nasir alias Abu Umer and Babar Imaran alias Abu Akasha.

The two terrorists killed in the attack at the Oberoi Trident Hotel have been identified as Fahad Ullah and Abdul Rehaman Chhota.

Further investigations are underway to get the full background details of the nine killed terrorists, their associates and probably local support.

Total terrorists 10 - nine killed, one arrested: They are: Bada Abdul Rehaman, Abu Ali, Abu Soheb - all involved in the attack at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in south Mumbai;

Abdul Rehaman Chhota, Fahad Ullah - both involved in the attack on the Oberoi Trident Hotel at Nariman Point;

Ismail Khan - the terrorist involved in the attack at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus along with his associate Mohammed Ajmal Amir, (who was nabbed alive by the police);

Nasir alias Abu Umer and Babar Imaran alias Abu Akasha - involved in the siege at Nariman House at Colaba, where they attacked a Jewish place of worship. (IANS)

source:http://www.headlinesindia.com/state-news/maharashtra/all-terrorists-in-mumbai-attack-identified-police-4090.html