Army hosts yacht training camp for school children

Nainital, Sep 18 (ANI): With an aim to revive yacht sailing in the country, a 15-day camp is being organised in Nainital district of Uttarakhand where in school children are being trained in yacht sailing.

Over 40 school students from the various parts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are taking part in the camp, which is being conducted under the aegis of Indian Army’s Central Command.

The Lucknow based Central Command is conducting such adventure camps for school children from over a decade.

The participants are receiving guidance in the yacht sailing by a team of 11 Army instructors.

“This yacht sailing is a great sport because these days it’s becoming extinct. Most of the people do not want to take part and people of Nainital are also not taking so much interest in yacht sailing. But I feel it’s a very adventurous sport and a great sport,” said Karel Caprini, a participant.

Many of the participants also feel that the training would open up new job opportunities for them.

“We have come here to revive this sport and as far as I can say it’s a very good sport and there is a lot of job opportunity in it. If we do well and learn the technique, we can make our career in the sports,” said Deep, another participant.

According to the Chief instructor of the camp, Mahip Singh the main motive behind the camp is to popularise the dying sport among youth.

“Basic purpose is that sailing is an international sport and the facilities available in Uttaranchal especially, which comes under the central command. We have got our sailors, who have participated in international levels and we got the expertise. So to give the young building up generation a chance to gain knowledge and finally if they have the interest, so excel in the sport. That’s why we have organised the camp,” said Singh.

Despite being considered as a sport at the international level, yacht sailing in India is still at its nascent stage. (ANI)

India Air Force activates Nyoma airfield close to China border

New Delhi, Sep 18 (ANI): The Indian Air Force in a significant move today activated its Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) to support the Army in carrying out operations in the inhospitable terrain.

An IAF AN-32 aircraft landed at Nyoma ALG, which is located at an altitude of 13,300 feet in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir, at 6:25 a.m. today. It is located 23 kms from the Line of Actual Control. (LAC).

The successful landing of a fixed wing aircraft at Nyoma marks the culmination of joint effort by the IAF and Indian Army to enable the IAF to operate in the inhospitable terrain of Leh-Ladakh region in support of the Army.

The landing comes just fifteen months after an AN-32 landed at Daulat-Beg-Oldie (DBO), the highest airfield in the world situated at an altitude of 16,200 feet.

Group Captain SC Chafekar touched down on the Nyoma airstrip. Air Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command and Lieutenant General PC Bharadwaj, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command on board.

Though helicopters have been landing at this ALG, this is for the first time that a fixed wing aircraft has landed at the compact airstrip of Nyoma.

After deliberating on all aspects and carrying out aerial and ground inspection, it was concluded that Nyoma could be developed for fixed wing operations as well.

The Engineer Regiments of 14 Corps undertook the herculean task of developing the ALG to the standards required for fixed wing operations.

Joint development of Nyoma braving the extremely difficult working conditions and hostile weather is yet another step towards enhanced joint partnership between the two services.

Nyoma has been developed with an aim to connect the remote areas of Ladakh region to the mainland. This would also ensure movements in the area when the road traffic gets affected, during the harsh winters besides enabling improved communication network in the region. (ANI)

Aussie police command wobbled by sexual harassment claims

Sydney, Sep. 15 (ANI): Female police officers at an Australian police command have alleged that they were sexually harassed and intimidated by their male counterparts apart from being told that their place was in the home.

According to a complaint filed by a senior female constable at the Goulburn Local Area Command, five of her male colleagues sent sexually explicit emails to her and asked her to join a threesome.

Another three officers at the same command’s Bowral station have told their local MP they were “demeaned” due to pregnancy or because they were mothers, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The alleged harassment of the senior constable and sergeant began two years ago.

During one sleazy exchange in the police station, a senior colleague told the female constable that a threesome was “every man’s dream” and then suggested she “have a go” with the girlfriend of another officer.

The policewomen have also alleged that a local man was assaulted during an arrest in the middle of 2007 and that it was never investigated, despite his family attempting to make a complaint.

The senior constable said the arresting officer told her: “That guy’s a piece of s…, he was carrying on like a f…..t and mouthing off, he got what he deserved, we flogged him, he got pile-driven into the ground head first.”

A police spokesman said the women were the subject of a 181D action and faced a loss of confidence of the Commissioner.

“Their reward for a combined 37 years of dedicated front-line service is to be subjected to systematic bullying by male officers because of their gender and because they had the courage to stand up and complain about their treatment,” Hodgkinson said.
The two women have paid dearly for their service, with the senior constable needing surgery to fuse her spine last year and the sergeant suffering a broken back on duty. (ANI)

Pak Army claims that it has killed 16 more militants in Swat

Islamabad, Sep.14 (ANI): Security forces killed 16 more militants, at least two of them senior Taliban members, while one soldier was killed in clashes during searches in Swat on Monday, the military said in a daily update.

Over 1,700 militants have been killed since Pakistani security forces launched the military operation against Taliban militants in the month of April.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Sunday, the top Taliban leader in the Swat valley, about 120 km northwest of Islamabad, was surrounded, adding the back of the Taliban insurgency had been broken.

The military’s chief spokesman, however, was more cautious, saying efforts were being made to capture the Swat Taliban chief, a self-styled cleric called Fazlullah, but media reports of his imminent capture were speculation.

‘We’d like to capture him today,’ the official said, while declining to say when he might be tracked down.

The Pakistani Taliban under the overall command of Baitullah Mehsud were held responsible for a wave of attacks across the country from 2007, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December that year. (ANI)

Congress to decide over alliance with NCP on Sunday

New Delhi, Sep 12 (ANI): Union Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said that the decision on alliance with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls would be taken by Sunday.

Speaking to the media after a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Deshmukh said the party will take a decision on the continuation of alliance by Sunday.

On Friday the Congress High Command appointed Deshmukh as the chairman of party’s poll management committee and Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as the chairman of campaign committee for the Maharashtra polls.

Both Deshmukh and Shinde held an hour-long meeting with the party’s central leadership.

He said, Sonia Gandhi had asked him to coordinate party’s election work by taking everyone into confidence.

Earlier, the Congress Party asked the Sharad Pawar led NCP to accept new ground realities during seat sharing. (ANI)

US Navy ship sunk in World War II battle located

Washington, September 11 (ANI): A research mission has located and identified the final resting place of the YP-389, a US Navy patrol boat sunk approximately 20 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, by a German submarine during World War II.

Six sailors died in the attack on June 19, 1942. There were 18 survivors.

The wreck is located in about 300 feet of water in a region off North Carolina known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” home to US and British naval vessels, merchant ships, and German U-boats sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and its expedition partners mapped and shot video of the wreck using high-resolution camera equipment, multibeam sonar and an advanced remotely operated vehicle deployed from the NOAA ship Nancy Foster.

Researchers were able to locate and positively identify the YP-389 by reexamining data from the Duke Marine Laboratory expedition that discovered the USS Monitor in 1973.

Today, the relatively intact remains of the YP-389 rest upright on the ship’s keel.

The wreck site is home to a variety of marine life. Much of the outer-hull plating has fallen away, leaving only the intact frames exposed.

“She rests now like a literal skeleton, a reminder of a time long ago when the nation was at war,” said Joseph Hoyt, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary archaeologist and principal investigator for the project.

Built originally as a fishing trawler, the YP-389 was converted into a coastal patrol craft and pressed into service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The ship was equipped with one 3-inch deck gun to protect the ship from enemy aircraft and surfaced submarines and two .30-caliber machine guns.

However, on the day of the attack by the German submarine U-701, the ship’s deck gun was inoperative, and the YP-389 could return fire only with its machine guns.

Weeks after the attack on the YP-389, the U-701 was sunk by Army aircraft in the same vicinity as the YP-389.

According to Rear Admiral Jay A. DeLoach, USN (Ret), director, Naval History and Heritage Command, “The US Navy considers the YP-389 discovery a grave site and, by law, it is to be left undisturbed.” (ANI)

New ‘Taliban killer’ sights for British troopers on Afghanistan frontier

London, Sep 9(ANI): After reports of British soldiers facing weapons’ shortage in the Afghanistan frontier, a range of new thermal weapons’ sights has been launched to enable soldiers to dominate the battlefield in Afghanistan.

According to reports, the British Ministry of Defence will buy almost 11,000 new sights for 150 million pounds, allowing the Army to equip 95 infantry companies of more than 100 men.

As part of the Ministry of Defence’s Future Integrated Soldier Technology (Fist) programme troops have been issued with a small glass prism-like sight, which project a red laser dot. It would help a soldier to quickly align the red dot on an enemy who is very close and hit him with guaranteed accuracy.

“This means the infantryman can pick up the enemy coming in. At night the enemy’s field craft has to be pretty adept because he has to remain in dead ground all the way up to your position and that is hard yards. This will allow us to dominate the night,” The Telegraph quoted Col Bill Pointing, a former battalion commander in charge of the project, as saying.

“This will allow the infantry to operate quicker, better, at longer range, at night and in difficult weather conditions,” he added.

It will provide improved protection, day and night surveillance and target acquisition, and assistance with navigation, command and control and battle preparation.

The new thermal weapons’ sights would also allow soldiers to conduct surveillance and engage targets in all weather and light levels, including zero light where normal night sights would be rendered ineffective.

“There is a considerable improvement in terms of us infantry engaging the Taliban at very close quarters in the villages of Afghanistan, especially at night time. It will help us to put very effective fire into them,” said Cpl Ciaran Hanna of the Irish Guards. (ANI)

Nuke Sub, Aircraft Carrier in Kalam’s vision 2020 for Andamans

Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Sep 4 (ANI): Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on Friday unveiled a vision document for the strategic development of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the year 2020.

Inaugurating a national seminar on ‘Security and Development of the Andaman and Nicobar islands’ here, Dr Kalam said that a 250 mw nuclear power station on one of the islands would form the core of the development programme.

Dr Kalam said the islands being a vital part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) would have “enhanced significance” in the next decade.

He further said that the ANC should have bases for static aircraft carrier and a nuclear,

Dr Kalam also called upon the Armed Forces to evolve an effective security plan for underneath the sea, at sea level and in air.

“The security plan which you evolve should ensure that there is no unauthorised occupation of the vacant islands,”said Dr Kalam.

Meanwhile, Commander-in-Chief of the ANC, Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar, said that the location of these islands confers a geostrategic advantage.

“Its economic and forest potential dictates a sound security presence,” he added.

Top defence and security experts, including Deputy National Security Advisor Shekhar Dutt, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India R Chidambaram, are attending the two-day seminar. (ANI)

‘Fifty to Sixty Pak militants waiting to infiltrate into India’

New Delhi, Sep. 2 (ANI): About 50 to 60 Pakistani militants have positioned themselves to infiltrate into India, and the Indian defence forces are fully prepared to foil any such attempt, a top military brass has revealed.

“There are approximately 50 to 60 terrorists in various locations operating in Jammu, Smabha, Kathua. And they are waiting on time to infiltrate. However, we are keeping a clear watch of the situation and any attempt by the terrorist to infiltrate will be foiled by the forces deployed along the border. We have absolute synergy in this aspect by the border security force to prevent infiltration,” said Lieutenant General E M Nair, GOC 9 Corps.

The GOC mentioned that Pakistan is building fortifications along the border and more than 50 militants who are operating from various locations along the border could infiltrate.

The 9 Corps with its headquarters at Yole Cantonment oversees the defence operations in the Jammu region overlapping Himachal Pradesh.

Corps is the major formation responsible for a sector under an operational command and the 9 Corps functions under the Northern Command. (ANI)

China denies any violation of Indian air space

Beijing, Sep.1 (ANI): Chinese government on Tuesday said that there has been no violation of Indian air space and reports about such an occurrence by India media were baseless.

“Chinese military never crossed into the air space of other countries and its border patrols are conducted strictly “in accordance with law”, said Jiang Yu, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, in reply to a question about Chinese helicopters violating Indian air space.

Jiang termed the reports as “groundless” and said that the two countries have arrived at a consensus about making efforts to safeguard peace and tranquility on the border region while the border issue is being negotiated.

On Monday, the Indian Army said that China violated the Indian air space in Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

It has happened. That is confirmed. But there is nothing alarming in it. I have given a written reply and that is the correct version, said Army Spokesperson Northern Command, Colonel Kachari,

Two Chinese helicopters reportedly violated the Indian air space in the recent months in Leh. The helicopters air-dropped some canned food in a barren land at Chumar, northeast of Leh, along the border on June 21.

The MI series helicopters were reported by residents living along the Pangong lake.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been crossing over into the Indian side in this region quite frequently with August reporting the maximum number of incursions.

In August, Chinese patrols entered into the Indian territory 26 times and walked away with petrol and kerosene meant for jawans of the border guarding forces. (ANI)

Karnataka Housing Minister resigns following defeat in by poll

Bangalore, Aug 31 (ANI): Karnataka Housing Minister V. Somanna resigned from the state cabinet on Monday following his defeat in the recent by polls to the state assembly.

Somanna handed over his resignation to the Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa.

“I will take a decision on accepting his resignation after consulting the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief D.V.Sadananda Gowda and national general secretary Ananth Kumar and the party high command,” Yeddyurappa told reporters after receiving the resignation letter.

Somanna, who was earlier, elected from the Govidrajnagar constituency in Bangalore resigned from his seat as well as from the Congress Party to join BJP in February.

Subsequently Somanna was rewarded with a cabinet birth in the Yeddyurappa Government.

Somanna who is known for his innovative election strategies, tasted maiden defeat in his political career against debutant Priyakrishna of Congress in the by polls on August 18.

The two-day southern region meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held in Davangere in central Karnataka on Sunday asked Yeddyurappa to seek the resignation of Somanna.

The BJP is reward Somanna with another post as the elections to the Brihat Bangalore Municipal Corporation (BBMC) are on the cards. Somanna played a crucial role in party’s victory in all the three Lok Sabha seats in Bangalore in the 2009 general elections.

Somanna is the third minister to resign from the Yeddyurappa government during the last one-year. Earlier S.K. Bellubbi, and Krishnayya Setty resigned from cabinet to make way to accommodate new faces in the cabinet. (ANI)

New Commanders for Southern Command of Indian Navya and Air force

Kochi (Kerala), Aug 31(ANI): The southern commands of the Indian Navy and Air Force based in Kerala were assigned new commanding heads on Monday.

Vice Admiral KN Sushil took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) from Vice Admiral SK Damle at a ceremonial parade held at the naval base in Kochi.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1973, Admiral KN Sushil joined the submarine arm in 1976 and has served on both the Vela class and the Shishumar class submarines.

Air Marshal Sumit Mukerjee will be the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command and will assume charge on September 1, 2009.

Prior to this, Air Marshal Mukerjee was the Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel at Air Headquarters in New Delhi.

He is the only pilot in the history of IAF to have commanded units with the Mig-21, Mig-23U, Mig-25, Mig-27 and Mig-29 aircraft.

Air Marshal Sumit Mukerjee was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on January 22, 1972. By Juhan Samuel (ANI)

Army confirms violation of Indian air space by Chinese copters

New Delhi, Aug 31 (ANI): The Indian Army on Monday said that China violated the Indian air space in Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

Army Spokesperson Northern Command, Colonel Kachari said, “It has happened. That is confirmed. But there is nothing alarming in it. I have given a written reply and that is the correct version.”

Two Chinese helicopters reportedly violated the Indian air space in the recent months in Leh.

The helicopters air-dropped some canned food in a barren land at Chumar, northeast of Leh, along the border on June 21.

The MI series helicopters were reported by residents living along the Pangong lake.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been crossing over into the Indian side in this region quite frequently with August reporting the maximum number of incursions.

In August this year, Chinese patrols have entered into the Indian territory 26 times and walked away with petrol and kerosene meant for jawans of the border guarding forces.

The Chinese Army had made 223 attempts last year and left tell-tale signs.(ANI)

Vasundhara Raje to meet Venkaiah Naidu today

New Delhi, Aug 31 (ANI): Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu here today.

Earlier, the BJP central leadership had said that they have asked Raje to report to them in New Delhi on August 30.

On Thursday, Raje had asserted that she had no plans to leave Rajasthan and would continue to serve the people of the state “post or no post”.

Raje, however, declined to comment on whether she would resign from the post.

She has been asked by the BJP high command to step down as the Leader of the Opposition in the wake of the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections.

In the 2009 general elections, the BJP was reduced to four seats from 23 that it had in 2004 in Rajasthan. (ANI)

Raje arrives in New Delhi to meet senior BJP leaders

New Delhi, Aug 30 (ANI): Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening to meet senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

Raje is to meet M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday.

On Thursday, Raje asserted that she had no plans to leave Rajasthan and would continue to serve the people of the state “post or no post”.

Raje, however, declined to comment on whether she would resign from the post.

She has been asked by the BJP High command to step down as the Leader of Opposition in the wake of the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha and Rajasthan State Assembly elections.

In the 2009 General Elections, the BJP reduced to four seats from 23 that it had in 2004 from Rajasthan State. (ANI)

BJP top brass meets Advani, immediate change in party leadership ruled out

New Delhi, Aug.29 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) top brass met senior leader L.K. Advani at his residence late on Friday night for almost two hours.

Among those who met Advani were Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar.

Sources claimed that despite RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat chalking out a succession plan for the BJP, there are no immediate plans to ring in changes in the leadership.

The RSS succession plan is reported to have been discussed during the meeting.

BJP leaders were reluctant to reveal to the media what exactly transpired at the meeting claiming that it was a routine meeting.

The other issue that came up for discussion was Jaswant Singh’s charge that Advani knew about and was in favour of exposing the cash for vote scam that hit Parliament in July last year, as the UPA Government was seeking a vote of confidence.

Firing a fresh salvo, Singh said Advani was “at the centre” of the cash-for-votes scam drama enacted in the Lok Sabha last year.

“It’s a great sense of pity. Here was a man who was consumed by an ambition to be Prime Minister, and that desire made him commit so many mistakes. Do you know this whole wretched thing of money for votes is a classic example of wrong decision-making and it’s extremely troubling that he did not stand up and say no? Advaniji was at the centre of this whole drama,” he told Outlook magazine.

Singh was referring to the episode when three BJP MPs displayed bundles of currency notes totaling Rs.10 million, claiming they were being offered as bribe to support the government.

Singh said the facts were clear and he stumbled on to the whole thing when Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former aide of Advani, brought a very strange looking fellow to his house.

“I was not consulted but I was appalled that Advaniji was giving the MPs the go ahead to display money in Parliament,” he said adding that Advani had two choices — either to take the money to the Speaker or into the House. But he told the MPs to display the money in Parliament.

The options left for Advani are to break his silence and publicly clarify his stand to take on his detractors or else resign as Leader of Opposition and end his political career, leaving the BJP to battle the crisis.

Advani could also stay on till BJP presidential election in December to chart out a comprehensive succession plan.

It is clear that the fault line in the BJP have widened with a number of senior leaders rebelling against the party high command. With some much infighting there seems to be three distinct camps within the BJP – the Rajnath Camp, the Advani Camp and the Vajpayee Camp. (ANI)

Raje to hold BJP Legislature Party meeting in Jaipur

Jaipur, Aug 26 (ANI): Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, will hold a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party here on Wednesday, to chalk out strategy for the upcoming State Assembly session.

According to sources, the issue of electing a new Leader of Opposition as per the direction of party’s high command is not likely to figure in the meeting.

Raje, who has been asked by the BJP central leadership to resign from the leadership of the party’s legislature wing is, appears to be in no mood to quit.

She returned to Jaipur on Tuesday evening from Delhi after holding meetings with party chief Rajnath Singh and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani.

According to party’s deputy whip Rajendra Rathore; the meeting is likely to take up the issue of suspension of three MLAs from the State Assembly.

Speaker Deepender Singh Shekhavat suspended MLAs Gyandeo Ahuja, Bhawani Singh Rajawat and Hemsingh Bhadana on July 28 for the remaining period of the Assembly.

The BJP, which boycotted all the legislative committee meetings, in protest against the suspension will decide on attending the House Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting to fix the agenda for the remaining days of the session.

Most of the legislatures are in favor of boycotting the committees till the suspension is revoked, sources said. (ANI)

Archaeologists unearth British General’s 19th century command post in Portugal

Lisbon, August 24 (ANI): A team of archeologists has unearthed what is believed to have been the headquarters of Luso-British troop commander General Wellington in the early 19th century, in a dig inside the Alqueidao Forte in Portugal.

Located between Mafra and Torres Vedras, the fort is thought to have sheltered General Wellington’s troops serving the Torres Vedras line during the French invasions, between 1807 and 1814.

According to a report in The Portugal News Online, the General’s private quarters, a store room, a warehouse and a weapons locker were defined during the excavation.

The division had been previously outlined in maps, but this is the first time excavations were attempted to unearth them.

Of the weaponry storeroom, archeologist Artur Rocha said that “strategically, it is one of the most important points within the fort as it offered privileged views in comparison to other war weaponry storerooms and the cannons positioned on the Torres Vedras line.”

“That is why we believe the room was General Wellington’s command post,” he said.

The ‘Torres Vedras Line’ was made up of 152 forts built between Torres Verdras and Vila Franca de Xira, between 1809 and 1812, with the intention of defending Lisbon from invading troops.

The weaponry storeroom that was recently uncovered is said to be one of the largest identified to date.

The good state of conservation that the storeroom was found in has allowed the archeologists to study construction techniques and materials that were used for construction at that time. (ANI)

US commanders in Afghanistan seek more troops

New York, Aug 24 (ANI): American military commanders operating with the NATO led mission in Afghanistan have informed President Barack Obama’s special envoy to the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, that they do not have enough troops to do their job, and are being pushed past their limit by Taliban rebels who operate across borders.

The American commanders spoke with Holbrooke this weekend, The New York Times reported.

Over the past two days, Holbrooke visited all four regional command centers in Afghanistan, and the message from all four followed similar lines: While the additional American troops, along with smaller increases from other NATO members, have had some benefit in the south, the numbers remain below what commanders need.

The total number of American soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan is now about 57,000. It was unclear whether the commanders told Holbrooke exactly how many additional troops might be required.

Eastern Afghanistan, in particular, has been a trouble spot. On Sunday, during Holbrooke’s stop at the Bagram military base, Major General Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the United States and NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan, told him and visiting reporters that the Haqqani network was expanding its reach.

“We’ve seen that expansion, and that’s part of what we’re fighting,” The NYT quoted him, as saying.

American commanders believe that the network, whose leaders Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin have been linked to Al Qaeda, are using sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch attacks against American and Afghan forces.

The problems in Afghanistan have been aggravated by what the American commanders call the Pakistani military’s limited response to the threat of militants based there.

Although General Scaparrotti said that cooperation by Pakistan and the United States against the militants had improved recently, he stressed that it was important for the Pakistanis to keep up the pressure, particularly after the reported killing of Baitullah Mehsud.

Holbrooke visited regional command centers in Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Bagram on Saturday and Sunday.

Speaking to Afghan reporters at the NATO base in Mazar-i-Sharif, Holbrooke said that part of the new strategy would include reaching out to members of the Taliban who show a willingness to lay down their arms. (ANI)

Haryana Assembly dissolved

Chandigarh, Aug 21 (ANI): Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia dissolved the state assembly on the recommendation of the State Cabinet on Friday evening.

Earlier in the day Haryana Cabinet recommended the Governor to dissolve the State Assembly.

The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Hooda said the state cabinet has decided to call for early polls.

“The cabinet meeting has decided to recommend the Governor to dissolve the state assembly. It is now for him to decide when to dissolve,” Hodda said.

Hooda added that going for early polls is in the interest of the state.

The 90 member Haryana Assembly was to end its term in March 2010.

According to sources the Congress high command has made its mind to go to polls in Haryana after winning nine out of ten Lok Sabha seats in the general elections.

Now Haryana is likely to go polls with Maharashtra and Raunchily Pradesh, scheduled to be held in October or November. (ANI)