India Says

Initiated in 2004, the peace process between India and Pakistan continues with the release and exchange of hundreds of prisoners.

At the forefront of the Indo-Pak Home Secretary-level talks scheduled for next week, India would be releasing 40 Pakistani prisoners (including 10 fishermen) today in exchange of 50 Indian prisoners freed by Pakistan on 1 June. This trade of prisoners will happen at the Attari-Wagah border.

India is firm for early liberation of all those Pakistani nationals who have completed their prison term. “This has been made possible due to the cooperation of the foreign and interior ministries,” said Burney, whose welfare trust, the Ansar Burney trust works for the release of poor foreign and local prisoners.

Sydney Opera House, India’s Red Fort joins World heritage list

After concerns over global warming, United Nations seems to make efforts to preserve World’s Heritage Sites.

UN has handpicked the Sydney Opera House in Australia and India’s Red Fort and added it to the list of the world’s cultural treasures. UNESCO World Heritage Committee has beautifully described Opera House as a “great architectural work of the 20th century” that has had an “enduring influence” on architecture.

Having listed the Taj Mahal in India, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Stonehenge in the U.K., the Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. and the Great Wall of China as the most famous sites, the committee plans to meet on 2 July in Christchurch, New Zealand, to invite submissions from more than 30 countries.

As a part of this initiative, countries may also receive monetary aid and advice for the conservation of sites by determining the ways to do away with the danger (if any) to the sites on list.

The 21 member committee includes signatories to the 1972 international convention for the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

Background:

Presently, the list includes 848 cultural and natural sites that are labeled as “outstanding universal value” by the committee.

The Iwami Ginzan silver mine on Japan’s main island of Honshu and ancient fortresses in the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan also resides on the World Heritage List. This Turkmenistan’s Parthian Fortresses of Nisa is revered as it is considered to “conserve the unexcavated remains” of the powerful empire.

The growing access of internet is expected to shove e-shopping by 150% in the nation to touch a sales mark of Rs 5,500 crore this fiscal, industry chamber Assocham said.

The chamber claims that total revenues through e-shopping would include 30% expenditure from Delhi while Mumbai’s share would be 40%.

As per Assocham, figures of 2005-06 exemplify that Delhi shoppers had accounted nearly 20% while Mumbai had contributed 24% to the revenues of Rs2, 200 in the e-shopping segment.

This growth is fuelled by the changing shopping habits and growing consciousness in metro cities. Other contributing factors include home delivery and 24X7 shopping facility.

“Maximum e-shopping takes place in electronic gadgets, apparel and design purchases, railways, air and movie tickets. Products that will gain popularity in e-sale could include gems and jewellery, online books sale, accessories, apparel, gift products, music and movies, hotel room besides tickets for transportation,” Assocham President Venugopal N Dhoot said.

Even Bangalore also seems to be on the list by contributing 6% for books, electronic gadgets, accessories, apparel, gifts, computer peripherals, movies, hotel booking, home appliances, movie tickets, health and fitness products and apparel gift certificates in 2005-06.

This growing contribution by the metros is the reason enough for cos to target business strategies gyrating around the internet. Currently, around 120 million people in India have access to internet and this is expected to grow more than 200 million by 2008.

According to an unconfirmed report, the Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested Shahzad Khan, a militant commander, near border districts in valley. Shahzad Khan was reportedly a Captain in Pakistan Army and served Pakistan as Second Lieutenant in Kargil war. This has happened for the first time in 18 years of militancy in state that the J&K police have detained a former Pakistani army officer. Now, the report says that the police have kept Khan in a secret location in Kashmir.

On the other hand, the top police officers in state police department have rejected the report of any detention of former Pakistani army officer-turned-militant in the state. At the same time, the Indian Express has reported that the J&K police have arrested a former Pak Army officer from Batapora locality and the continuous interrogation on him is going on in police custody.

The report says further that Khan was active in the Kargil fight in 1999 from Pakistani Army as a Second Lieutenant. He has some links with a very influential, political family from the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The police have found that he has also some links with Lt-General Mohammad Aziz, who is a right hand person of General Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf was actively involved in the Kargil war as the then Chief of General Staff in Pakistan army.

As the authenticity of this claim has not been confirmed yet but this has been said on several occasions that he was active in border areas such as Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipore districts since 2001.

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Indian politics has a unique character, which is the result of post-JP movement in the country. This is the emergence of sycophancy in the lower level of the Indian politics. There are so many examples of sycophancy in Indian politics. The political leaders of local level opt the option to do sweet talks to get favor from big political leaders. This time this has happened in Uttar Pradesh.

Ajay K Soni managed to put the poster of Sonia Gandhi as Goddess Durga in Moradabad district Congress office. However, depicting Sonia as goddess Durga has finally proved as self-hurting practice for Ajay Soni. He has been suspended from the post and facing an inquiry within the party for this act.

After watching that poster of Moradabad district Congress office on different news channel, Sonia Gandhi swung in action and the result was suspension of Moradabad Congress chief Ajay S Soni. The report says that Sonia Gandhi has herself asked the Uttar Pradesh party unit to conduct an inquiry and to find out the person or persons responsible for making the poster in which she was depicted as goddess Durga.

Congress chief has taken strong note of this practice of sycophancy. Similar strong signal should be sent directly against these kinds of practices to stop the sycophancy in Indian politics.

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I was really hopeful for something more cheerful in my initial address, but why beat just about the bush? In the past few years, other country have caught up with, and in a lot of ways exceed, the United States in attainment important goal, and the prospect is probably leaving to get inferior. Element of the cause I cover international technological trends is to suck up to my future masters. Here are just some of the threatening symbols

Asia become the center for industrial developed several years ago and is now creation inroads into high technology, advanced manufacturing for things like chips, according to George Scalise, A decade or so ago, roughly 35% of the stash in leading-edge fragment knowledge were made in the United States. In the last 5 years, only about 10% to 12 % of those investments land stateside.

The 47th Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris spectator the show of the Mitsubishi made jet MRJ presented at Le Bourget airport on 20 June.

Its entrance into the market is designed for 2012. MRJ is the latest offer from Japan to the world’s commercial aircraft market

The planet Venus after being eclipsed by crescent moon was seen in Amman, Jordan on 18 June. Venus’ disappearance took place after the sunset in Amman and was seen coming back after the passing of nearly one hour.

A Lunar occultation happens when a celestial body appears to have moved behind the moon. Such events happen very frequently but in most cases the star being occulted may be very faint. However, when the moon occults bright stars or planets such as Venus, the scenic beauty can be seen with the naked eyes.

In today’s political circle no one has the power Sonia enjoying now. The nation had seen the glimpse of her power in May 2004 when he had appointed Manmohan Singh as PM of India. Now, the nation has seen again when she decided to give India its 1st woman president. After much political drama, Pratibha patil, 72, is now ready to become India’s first female president as the numbers favor UPA’s candidate in the presidential poll.

This was a great surprise and strange twist in the story as the Congress party has fielded a ‘Shekhawat’ against ‘Shekhawat’. Some political observers say that Pratibha has no personality of national stature. She is not known in the political circle outside her home state of Maharashtra. One thing has been clear that Rajasthan is definitely is going to be the home state for the next President of India. It’s would be either Rajasthan’s son or daughter-in-law.

Pratibha was a lawyer before entering into politics. She became MLA in 1962 and served the state as minister in severel state governments between 1962 and 1985. Later, she was elected as MP in following years. Now, she is the governor of Rajsthan.

Shekhawat’s poll managers will have to re-draw their strategy because their plan was focused on Shivraj Patil as the contender. The NDA is not ready to make Pratibha a consensus candidate as Vajpayee had reportedly turned down Sonia’s call on Thursday by saying that it is too late.

Now, the campaign theme “first woman President” may create hurdle for Shekhawat who has an eye on cross voting during the poll. He asked, where was UPA’s ideology of first woman president at the time of candidature of INA veteran Lakshmi Sehgal in last election. Now all eyes are on the decision of the ‘Third Front’ who would decide on June 18.

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If you Loyal to Gandhi Nehru family in India, it would pay you definitely in the long run. If Pratibha Patil would become the President of India, her name would come in the list after the PM Manmohan Singh himself. People may remember the scene of May 2004, when it was all of a sudden decided that manmohan Singh will be India’s new PM.

The similar story is going to be happened again as Congress has been decided to field Pratibha Patil as UPA’s nominee for the post of the President. Patibha’s decade-old loyalty to Nehru-Gandhi family was widely professed as a major factor behind her candidature as UPA-Left Presidential candidate.

On Saturday Patil met with PM and Sonia Gandhi and after meeting that she would not be a ‘rubber stamp’ President.
 She said: I would not be a rubber stamp. I have never been a rubber stamp Governor. There is no reason why I should be a rubber stamp President. I have my own independent thinking.
She said that her nomination is nothing but a big step for the development of women in the country. India has a lot of respect for women. This would inspire Indian women for their empowerment.

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