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Gripen running the extra mile to bag IAF’s
Rs 45,000 crore deal
Biharis in Nepal under attack
Nepali Maoist leader meets Indian official
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UP Govt for poll in Feb
Godhra carnage
A matrimonial site opposed to dowry
Budget session from Feb 23
Bardhan discusses UP with Sonia
Punish guilty of fake encounters: CPM
19 killed in building collapse
Jitendra new Gorakhpur Commissioner
India, China Foreign Ministers to have hotline
Let’s see what happens to Shah Rukh in
35 years: Amitabh
Cessna crashes, pilot, trainee hurt
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Gripen running the extra mile to bag IAF’s
Rs 45,000 crore deal
Bangalore, February 3 This is a significant development because the only drawback the ultra-modern Gripen had in comparison to its rivals-the F-16, F/A- 18 Super Hornet and the MIG-35-is its limited range and lesser weapon-carrying capacity. This development will field the JAS-39 Gripen as a strong contender for the contract, besides being the most cost-effective. In an exclusive interview with the Tribune News Service, Gripen International India Director Tony Ogilvy said, "The Gripen will be a perfect force mix with the powerful Sukhoi-30 MKI and is an apt replacement for the MIG-21. "We can say with confidence that the Gripen will be the lowest-cost aircraft, both in acquisition as well as the 40-year life cycle," Mr Ogilvy said. Mr Ogilvy, while answering a question about the absence of adequate combat experience of the aircraft, said this was true but added the aircraft had proved highly successful over the last five years of entering service. The director added the aircraft has an edge on the weapons front also as it is the only one selected for the trial of the PVR-Meteor missile produced in Europe. The Gripen, Mr Ogilvy said, can source weapons from across the globe to meet the customer requirements. "This ensures the customer will never be held ransom by a sole source of supply". When asked whether India could suffer as the JAS-39 has an American engine, he said the company will satisfactorily guarantee the supply of all parts of the aircraft, including the engine, which is off-shored. Saab does not feel it has arrived late to join the race for the IAF order. "You have to understand we are just the latest and the newest fighter there is", Mr Ogilvy says, adding, that in recent global competitions, Gripen won three of the most significant contracts in South Africa, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Saab has flown in three air-craft for the forthcoming Aero India show. It will organise a demonstration of its cockpit simulator for the IAF as well as will give an opportunity to IAF pilots to fly a twin-seat aircraft.
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Biharis in Nepal under attack
Patna, February 3 The entire conflict, reportedly, has been triggered with Madhesis demanding greater political representation in various aspects of public life in Nepal. Reports reaching here indicated that the Nepalese army resorted to firing at Birganj near Jogbani on the Indo-Nepal border two days back to disperse protesting Madhesis. Sources in the state Home Department said that the situation in the Indo-Nepal border was tense as Madhesis were allegedly facing racist attacks in the country. The impact of the violence was being felt along the border in Bihar. The Terai belt bordering India was tense as Nepali paharis and Madhesis were at loggerheads on the issue of sharing power. According to reports from the districts bordering Nepal, about 10,000 Nepali citizens of Indian origin have already crossed the border into Bihar in the past three days due to continuous violence at home. Araria, Jogbani, Kishanganj, Sitamari are some of the areas of the state which were experiencing the heat of the violence in the Terai region of Nepal. Talking to mediapersons, Mr Kumar advised people living on the Bihar-Nepal border not to get infuriated with the disturbances in the neighbouring country. He said,"Whatever is happening in Nepal is their internal matter." Additional forces have been deployed in the border districts of the state. The state auxiliary police (SAP) has also been posted in sensitive districts, besides the deployment of Shasastra Seema Bal(SSB) which usually guards the Indo-Nepal border.
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Nepali Maoist leader meets Indian official
New Delhi, February 3 Mr Gajurel, Chief of the CPN-M’s foreign cell, who was released from an Indian jail in December after about four months, left for Kathmandu after about hour-long meeting, sources said. This is only the second time that a senior Indian official met a Maoist leader. During the meeting between Mr Gajurel and the official, the two are understood to have discussed the proposed amendments to be made in the 1950 Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty. Amendment to the treaty has been one of the key demands of Maoists and India has agreed in principle to do it. Details are being worked out. — PTI
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Gujarat Govt counsel points to conspiracy
Ahmedabad, February 3 Attempting to rubbish the “flash over fire” theory that could have caused the blaze inside the coach on February 27, 2002, as suggested by an advocate, lawyer Sumit Shah made a slide-show presentation to the Nanavati-Shah Commission that is probing the case. Shah, one of the battery of lawyers conducting the matter for the state government, began by stating that he would explain “several facets about fire, its behaviour and burning pattern that will demonstrate how the S-6 blaze could not have been a flash over fire”. Explaining the complex topic to the commission, Shah said there were crucial aspects like the different stages of a fire, and explained the concept of “flash over fire and certain misconceptions of it”. Shah said fire had three zones -- the lower one is the combustible zone (which has flames and where fuel is burning), the middle zone is the plume (a column of hot air) and the upper zone is the smoke zone and sludge layer. He was trying to counter the “flash over fire” theory presented by advocate Mukul Sinha of the Jan Sangarsh Manch, which claimed that “given certain conditions, a small fire can spread very rapidly”. — PTI
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A matrimonial site opposed to dowry
Hyderabad, February 3 www.idontwantdowry.com is a website where the gen-next, opposed to the practice of dowry, can post their profiles. Ten months into its existence, this Hyderabad-based portal with a cause has been doing well, indicating the overwhelming sentiment of the would-be brides and grooms against the role of money in marriage. "The idea was to bring together like-minded youngsters who want to fight against the social evil. While a lot of them have a stand on the issue, they don't have a forum to express it. This site provides a ground for action," says Satya N., the brain behind the novel effort. The site has to date attracted as many as 4,500 profiles. Interestingly, a majority of the profiles, 2970 to be intact, are of boys who are actually the beneficiaries of the practice. Girls, who don't want to pay dowry are not too far behind with 1,499 of them posting their profiles.
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Budget session from Feb 23
New Delhi, February 3 The first phase of the session would continue till March 21, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.R. Dasmunshi told newspersons here. There would be a recess between March 22 and April 17. The session would resume on April 18 and continue till May 22, he said. The government’s recommendation had been sent to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, he said. Remaining non-committal on whether the much-delayed Women’s Bill would be introduced in the upcoming session, which would have 42 sittings, Mr Dasmunshi said there were more than 60 bills pending and some new ones were also to be tabled. The Budget session this time would have seven more sittings compared to 35 last time.
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Bardhan discusses UP with Sonia
New Delhi, February 3 Mr Bardhan, accompanied by the party's national secretary D. Raja, also discussed with Ms Gandhi the upcoming Assembly polls in the state, party sources said. The CPI leaders also met Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and expressed concern over the rising prices of essential commodities, particularly ‘atta’, pulses and edible oils and demanded the government to take immediate steps to control the prices. Mr Chidambaram told them that the government had already initiated measures to monitor and check the prices of essential commodities.
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Punish guilty of fake encounters: CPM
New Delhi, February 3 “The people of Kashmir valley have every reason to feel outraged. Every single officer and personnel of the police and the Army responsible for these atrocities must be arrested and tried for murder and abetment of murder,” the Politburo of the CPM said in a statement here. The fact that such “killings” were motivated by greed for reward and promotions shows the “degeneration” which has set in among some sections of the security forces, the party said. “The state and the Central Government must show by firm action that they will not tolerate any extra-legal actions and violations of human rights by the security forces," it added. “The Army units involved in false encounters must be withdrawn,” it demanded.
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19 killed in building collapse
Mumbai, February 3 Fire tenders from Karamboli and Panvel stations have also been pressed into service to facilitate the search and rescue operations, Navi Mumbai fire sources said. Meanwhile, the administration has sought the assistance of Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel for speedy clearance of the debris. The building, at the time of collapse, had a large number of labourers working on it, making it difficult to ascertain the exact number of people trapped, added the sources.
— UNI
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Jitendra new Gorakhpur Commissioner
Lucknow, February 3 While curfew was relaxed in all four police station areas in Gorakhpur district today, the city still remained tense with supporters of locked-up BJP MP Yogi Adityanath’s disrupting normal life and protesting in various parts of the city for his release. Members of the woman wing of the BJP held a demonstration at the district jail demanding the immediate release of the MP. Meanwhile, a comprehensive report sent by the state government to the Centre has questioned the role of BJP MP in instigating the communal violence in Gorakhpur.
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India, China Foreign Ministers to have hotline
New Delhi, February 3 Mr Mukherjee and Mr Li will hold talks on the entire range of bilateral relations. The latter’s visit assumes importance as it is being viewed as a follow up to Chinese President Hu Jintao's sojourn to this country in November last year. The two sides are also expected to enlarge the basket of items for trade through the Nathu La border and take steps for achieving a bilateral trade target of $ 40 billion by 2010. Bilateral trade between India and China had spiralled to $ 24 billion last year compared to a mere $ 2.7 billion in 2000.
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Let’s see what happens to Shah Rukh in
35 years: Amitabh
New Delhi, February 3 “Whatever he says is correct. I am old and he is young and I agree that he is smart and sexy,” the Big B said. For good effect, he added that he was “sexy Sam,” the character he had portrayed in the hit film “Kabhi Alvida Na
Kehna”. But Bachchan accepted that Khan was the “reigning king of Bollywood”. Khan, who recently replaced Bachchan as host of the hit TV game show “Kaun Banega
Crorepati”, had said, “I am sexy, smart and young, that was his century, this is mine.” While the two Bollywood biggies appeared to be engaged in a clash of titans, Bachchan told Times Now channel that all the hype about the competition between them was just a media creation. “It makes good copy so you people keep on writing about it in beautiful words,” he said. Khan, who is said to be trying to step into the Big B’s shoes with projects like “Kaun Banega
Crorepati” and the remake of “Don”, had said, “I have never imitated anyone. I am quite good at what I do.” Bachchan recently said he wanted to do more good work so that people could imitate him.
— PTI
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Cessna crashes, pilot, trainee hurt
Hyderabad, February 3 Pilot Mandi Sharma and 22-year-old trainee Jasmine Mercy were admitted to a private hospital at L B Nagar, the police said.
— PTI
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In video: Curfew relaxed in Gorakhpur. (
