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June 2 (Reuters) – Somali pirates hijacked a Panama-flagged cargo ship and its 24-strong crew in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, the European’s anti-piracy taskforce said.
EU NAVFOR said an American warship had seen at least one person with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher on board the MV QSM Dubai.
It said the crew were from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ghana. (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)
Moscow/Islamabad, Sep.1 (ANI): Investigations into the hijacking of a Russian warship in April by Somali pirates show that Pakistani nationals played an important role in the hijack.
Twelve Pakistanis had been apprehended along with the Somali pirates. Pakistan has so far not launched a probe into the Russian allegations and claimed that 12 men were fishermen, the Times Now television channel reports.
Authorities have confirmed the first case of alleged Pakistani involvement with Somali pirates in a revelation that has raised concerns about a possible link between piracy and suspected terrorist groups.
On April 28, a Russian warship apprehended 12 Pak nationals – along with Somali pirates – for attempting to attack a tanker off Somalias coast.
Investigations pointed to Pakistani nationals having played a ‘lead’ role. Their nationality was confirmed through identity cards and evidence was handed over on May 8 to MSS Rehmat, a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency ship, 12 miles of Gwadar.
Pakistan first claimed that these men were fishermen but three months on, there is no word on the probe.
The incident occurred when Russian warship Admiral Panteleyev received a distress call 120 km east of Somalias coast from a tanker Bulwai Bank, registered in Antigua, en route to Singapore. The tanker was under attack from Somali pirates.
Russian commandos intervened and foiled the attempt. They found that the pirates speedboats were being guided from another mother vessel. (ANI)
New Delhi, Aug.29 (ANI): Leader of Opposition L. K. Advani and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not discussion a succession plan, as was being projected in the media, said a party spokesman on Saturday.
Prakash Javadekar told a press conference that the BJP’s parent organization – the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) had not chalked out a succession plan on Friday, and neither had the BJP leadership discussed the issue at Saturday’s meeting at Advani’s residence in the national capital.
‘No succession plan was discussed. No change in leadership or posts was discussed,” Javadekar, adding that over the past couple of days, the RSS had only come forward with suggestions that could “Pave the way for a more smooth functioning of the BJP”.
Reacting to the comments that were being aired in the media by expelled party leader Jaswant Singh against the BJP and its present leadership, Javadekar said:
“We continue to respect Jaswant Singh even after his comments. We don’t want to say anything. But the fact of the matter is that if a leader who once belonged to the BJP and spoke well of it while he was a member for years, now chooses to criticize its policies on the hour, the people will realize soon enough who is right and who is wrong.”
Jaswant Singh has been targeting Advani on the latter’s views on Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and his role in the 1999 Kandahar hijack case and the July 2008 Cash for Vote scam.
Javadekar’s statement to the media came as Advani arrived at the RSS’s Delhi headquarters – Keshavkunj – for a meeting with its chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The meeting is taking place amid reports that the RSS has readied a succession plan for the BJP, a plan that could facilitate an end to the internal crisis ravaging the party’s rank and file.
The RSS is believed to have told the BJP leadership to set its house in order. In a sign that this is being given serious thought, top brass of the BJP met at Advani’s residence this morning for about two hours and briefed him about their discussions with Bhagwat on Friday.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj had joined other party colleagues – Arun Jaitely, Ananth Kumar and M.Venkaiah Naidu at the residence of Advani to reportedly discuss a viable succession plan.
It is reliably learnt that though there are no immediate changes in the top leadership, a succession plan is being readied after discussions with the RSS on Friday night.
Sources said that the RSS has firmly asked BJP leaders to end infighting in the party and reach a consensus on a new party chief.
The decision to call Jaitley and Swaraj together to a meeting at the RSS headquarters is seen as very significant, as they are the leading contenders for the party leadership, sparking speculation that a power-sharing arrangement might have been arrived at.
Jaitley looks the front-runner for the party chief’s job while Swaraj is tipped to take over from Advani as Leader of Opposition. If implemented, the party could see Naidu becoming Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, a post currently held by Jaitley.
The RSS has felt that if the factionalism is not quickly resolved, the issue could prolong till the end of the year. (ANI)
New Delhi, Aug 28(ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Friday denied the charges that were levied by expelled party leader Jaswant Singh, who sharpened his attack on the party by asserting that senior party leader L K Advani was “at the centre” of the cash-for-votes scam drama enacted in the Lok Sabha last year.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Javadekar strongly denied all the charges and said that all the blame were baseless and attack on Advani is uncalled for.
“We totally deny the charges levied by one magazine (Outlook) and Jaswant Singh regarding the cash-for-votes scam. It was orchestrated by the ruling party (Congress) and the proof of this is with the channel which did the sting operation, it is not a sting operation done by political party, but done by one news channel in which our three MPs (Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora), who were offered money have cooperated with that channel and they have all the evidence,” Javadekar said.
“Let me first totally refuse that it was a BJP orchestrated plan. No way. It was the ruling party organized drive, which was tried to be caught live by one channel in which we cooperated for unearthing the truth,” he added.
Javadekar further said that the Kandahar hijack issue, which took place in December 1999, is long discussed and over, and now there was no point in unnecessarily raising the issue.
“The Kandahar episode is a 11 year old episode in which 160 lives were in danger, the Government of the day (1999), took everybody including Congress and other major parties into confidence and went ahead with what was best and advised by security experts,” Javadekar said.
“So, the decision was taken at a Government level. The chapter is over, so some people raising unnecessary controversy over the issue 11 years after is needless. It’s not right, and attack on Advani is uncalled for,” he added. (ANI)
New Delhi, Aug.27 (ANI): Former External Affairs and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on Thursday said that he completely backed former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra statement that senior BJP leader L.K.Advani was aware of all key decisions related to the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
Confirming that Advani was present at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on December 31, 1999, Sinha said: “The truth should be spoken. Advani must come out and clarify events. The CCS minutes of that day need to be examined for clarification. I completely back Brajesh Mishra on L.K. Advani. IC-814 is a matter of recent history, not a party matter.”
Sinha’s reaction was in response to former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra saying that Advani was aware of all the key decisions taken with regard to the 1999-2000 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Mishra rebutted Advani’s contention that he was unaware about IC-814 being taken from Amritsar to Kandahar by terrorists. He also rejected the view that Advani did not know that a Cabinet Minister would be flying to Kandahar to secure the release of the hostages in exchange for the three most wanted terrorists.
“L.K. Advani knew all about the IC-814 hijacking. Advani agreed to send the plane to Kandahar to free the hostages. The terrorists had threatened to kill all the 160 passengers onboard. Advani knew that Jaswant (Singh) was on the plane with the terrorists. It was one of the most difficult decisions we took,” said Mishra.
Mishra’s views on the Kandahar hijacking comes days after former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh embarrassed Advani by saying that he (Jaswant Singh) “covered” up for him (Advani) when he said that the former Home Minister was not aware that he was going to Kandahar with three terrorists in 1999.
He also said Advani was aware of the decision to release of the terrorists in exchange for freedom of over 160 hostages kept in the Indian Airlines plane that was hijacked.
“Yes, he did,” Singh told the NDTV news channel last Friday when asked whether Advani knew that Singh was going to Kandahar with three terrorists.
It maybe recalled that Advani had claimed a few years ago that he did not know that Jaswant Singh was on the plane with the three dreaded terrorists to Kandahar.
Singh was asked why he said during the election campaign that Advani did not know that he was going to Kandahar with the terrorists and whether he covered up for Advani.
“I”m sorry I did. I tried to cover it. I treated it as part of my continuing sense of commitment and loyalty,” he said.
Asked whether he regretted covering up for Advani, Singh told NDTV: “I don”t regret because that is the step I had taken. But it was part of an election campaign. How should I put it? I was being very conservative with truth.”
He said Advani could not have not known about the decision to fly to Kandahar.
“I announced it in the Cabinet. Yes, Advani was there, how can they (terrorists) be released from prison without the Home Minister consenting and signing pieces of paper? he asked.
Singh said he felt very hurt when Advani said what he did and he went.
“I went and told him. I was really hurt. Look I have travelled this route to Pakistan in every possible fashion, the Lahore bus, to Kandahar, to Agra, Chhatisinghpura, Parliament attack. But I have never tried to transfer responsibility. I have never spoken, it was very hurtful,” he said.
Singh also made a veiled criticism of Advani when he asked why the aircraft was allowed to leave Amritsar because once it left the “game was lost”.
“Who would be responsible for the aircraft leaving Amritsar. For 45 minutes the aircraft was on ground at Amritsar. All of you are fixated on Kandahar. I didn”t go to Kandahar because there was a good night club there. I went there because 166 lives were involved and the officers there asked me to consult if a decision was to be made,” he said.
He even asked Advani what the latter wanted him to say.
“He said you say whatever you want to,” Singh said.
Asked whether he would have expected Advani to stand up for him, Singh said “He (Advani) was not required to cover any misdeed. My going to Kandahar was not a misdeed. And I was not going on a holiday jaunt. 166 lives were involved.”
He said it was a sense of commitment to India that required to save whatever another colleague has done.
“You know what the comment means. I didn”t know. It”s a comment not on Jaswant Singh. It”s a comment on Atalji because there is a sense of collective responsibility of the Cabinet. We forgot essentials.” (ANI)
New Delhi, Aug.20 (ANI): An internal report of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is being discussed at the party’s Chintan Baithak in Shimla, has reportedly blamed senior party leader L.K.Advani, GUjarat Chief MInister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the party’s chief election manager Arun Jaitely, besides other top leaders for the BJP’s debacle in this year’s general elections.
According to the Times Now channel,there was a perceived lack of unity among the party leadership and the BJP squarely failed to advertise its agenda among the general public.
The report also says the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate by certain members of the party and the personal attack on the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh (which did not go down well with the people), were key factors in contributing to the BJP’s electoral loss.
According to Times Now, the other factors responsible were (1) The highlinghting of the Varun Gandhi issue, which pushed aside the other main issues; (2) The party failed to assess the public mood in Haryana and conceded a virtual walover to the Congress; (3) Elections were lost in Delhi even before campaigning began; (4) the BJP failed to corner the Congress on 26/11 and (5)Allowing the Congress and the media to corner the BJP on the Kandahar hijack issue.
According to the channel, the internal report apparently targets issues and not individuals. (ANI)
Madrid (Spain), July 1 (ANI): Brazilian star forward Kaka has admitted that he snubbed Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti because Real Madrid are ‘the biggest club in the world’.
The 62-million-pound superstar, who was paraded before 50,000 adoring fans at the Bernabeu, confessed that he could have joined the Blues when Ancelotti tried to hijack the deal.
But according to Sun Sport, Kaka, 27, said: “I thanked him for everything he did for me in all the years we spent together at Milan and all the triumphs we lived.”
“But I had made the decision a long time ago that if I left Milan I would only go to Madrid – and that meant I couldn’t join him at Chelsea,” he added.
The Brazil superstar knew his days at Milan were numbered when the San Siro giants gave him permission to speak to Manchester City back in January.
“After the season, because of the financial crisis, Milan were ready to let me go. I had offers but my desire was always to play at the Bernabeu,” Kaka said.
Kaka insisted there will not be any problems with winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be presented on Monday after his world-record 80 million pound move. (ANI)
Pheowa (Kurukshetra), May 4 (ANI); Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of terrorism and said that the saffron party was incapable of handling the matter considering its weak stand during the Kandahar hijack episode.
Addressing an election rally here, about 30 kilometers from Kurukshetra, Singh said, “Our opponents claim is that only they can take a decisive and strong stand against terrorism, but by looking at the record of the BJP a completely different picture emerges.”
Three dreaded terrorists were released and sent to Afghanistan during the regime of BJP, he said, referring to the Kandahar hijack case.
Pointing out other terror incidents like the attack on Parliament, Red Fort, Raghunath temple, Akshardham and Jammu and Kashmir assembly, all of which happened when BJP was in power, the Prime Minister said, “This is the record of the BJP…you decide how strong and decisive are these leaders (of BJP).”
Claiming that the Congress party has always has a strong stand on fight against terror, Singh assured that the party would always remain committed towards the issue.
“All necessary steps needed to be taken to tackle terrorism will be adopted…but we will keep in mind that a particular religion or section of society does not face problems unnecessary,” he said.
“In my opinion only a national party like Congress can deal with such problems,” Singh added.
He further made it clear that coordination between states is necessary to tackle the problem of terrorism and said that the issue needs to be addressed at an international platform as well. (ANI)
New Delhi, Apr 25 (ANI): The Congress on Saturday attacked senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh for his latest claim that BJP’s primeministerial candidate L.K. Advani had opposed the decision to free terrorists during the Kandahar hijack crisis.
Talking to reporters here, party spokesperson Rajiv Shukla termed Jawant Singh’s attempt to defend Advani as a “complete farce” and said that he was “unnecessarily blaming” former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
“Why to blame unnecessarily an old Brahmin Vajpayee who is not able to defend himself because of ill health,” Shukla said.
Jaswant Singh had claimed that Advani, who was the Home Minister in 1999, when the Kandahar plane hijack episode took place, was not in favour of the proposal to swap terrorists for hostages.
He had said that the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had, in fact, asked him (Jaswant Singh) to meet Advani to persuade him to agree to the exchange. Advani later had to agree to the Union Cabinet’s consensus on the issue, he said.
Advani had earlier said that he was unaware that the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh accompanied the three terrorists released in exchange for passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in 1999.
Reacting sharply to Singh’s comments, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, on Friday had accused the BJP of telling a thousand lies to hide a single lie.
“The question is not what happened in Kandahar, it is about telling the truth. You have to admit – say yes, we made a mistake. This reminds me of the saying: you tell a thousand lies to hide one lie,” she said at a rally in Gujarat’s Kheralu. (ANI)
Kheralu village (Gujarat), Apr 25 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi continued to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Kandhar plane hijack episode of December, 1999.
She assailed the role of leaders of the BJP during the issue while addressing a huge election rally here on Friday.
Sonia charged the then Foreign Minister and Home Minister under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government for misleading the country by issuing contradictory statements on the Kandhar issue.
L K Advani was Minister of Home while Jaswant Singh was the Foreign Minister in the BJP-led NDA Government when the flight from Kathmandu was hijacked in mid-air on the eve of X’mas in 1999 and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
However, on Friday, a leading Indian daily newspaper had featured an interview with Jaswant Singh, presently contesting as a candidate of the BJP from Darjeeling in West Bengal, in which he said that Advani and another Minister Arun Shourie had opposed the cabinet’s decision in handling the hijack.
In his autobiography, Advani is quoted as saying he was unaware of the government’s move to free the hijacked Indian Airlines aircraft.aking these two contradictory aspects, Sonia questioned the integrity of the BJP leaders.
“I have read a statement of Jaswant Singh. And Advani has told something else to a television channel on the same issue. Both were in the same government, both knew everything. The question is not that whether they went Kandhar and why or why not, but the question is of telling the truth. I think this is not correct for the one in politics to hide the truth from the people. If they have done anything wrong, they should straightaway say that a mistake is committed,” she said.
Five armed men had hijacked the Airbus A-300 with 189 passengers and crew on board and enroute the aircraft had touched down in western India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates before landing in Kandhar in Afghanistan.
The hijackers killed one passenger during the week-long suspense but the remaining passengers and crew walked free after India released three Kashmir separatist militants from jail.
Later, India said that the hijackers, who were never caught, were all Pakistanis and accused Pakistan’s Government of complicity in the hijacking. (ANI)
Dhar (Madhya Pradesh), Apr 23 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said that her party did not need the Bharatiya Janata Party’s advice for tackling issues like terrorism.
Sonia Gandhi also accused the BJP of kneeling down to terrorists during the Kandahar plane hijack episode.
“When the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was in power, it had bowed down to terrorists, but now, the same party is telling us how to deal with terrorism,” she said at an election rally here.
The UPA chairperson also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for opposing the nuclear deal.
“The BJP had opposed the nuclear deal, which the UPA government signed with USA to solve electricity woes. The BJP may stop all development in the country,” she added.
Gandhi recalled the sacrifices made by her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi and husband Rajiv Gandhi for the country. (ANI)
Marathwada (Maharashtra), Apr 20 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena of taking the country backward and said these parties remember Lord Rama only during elections.
“It is unfortunate that those invoking the name of secular and democratic ruler like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are those who divide people on the basis of region and religion. These people remember Lord Rama only during elections,” Gandhi said while addressing an election rally in Jalana in Marathwada region on Monday.
Gandhi also accused the BJP and the Shiv Sena of being ‘communal and parochial’.
“The new generation is fed up of politics of regionalism, casteism and also criminalisation of politics,” she added.
Gandhi termed the Indo-US nuclear deal as an achievement of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
“The deal was done on our terms but due to opposition, the country’s image tarnished globally,” she added.
Gandhi also criticized the BJP and the Shiv Sena for opposing initiatives of the UPA Government on economic liberlisation.
“These people were opposing us and ridiculing us when we were initiating steps like 33 per cent reservation of women, computerisation and IT revolution,” Gandhi charged.
Gandhi also recalled the Congress-led UPA Government’s achievement during its five-year tenure at the Centre.
“The waiver of Rs. 65,000 crore loan of farmers and providing pension and insurance in unorganised labour sector were the important decisions,” she added.
Meanwhile, addressing a rally in Dondaeecha town of Dhule District, Gandhi slammed BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani for releasing the terrorists during the Kandahar plane hijack episode.
“Perhaps their definition of a strong leader is one who was deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister when there were a series of terror attacks including one on Parliament. Arrested terrorists were released and taken to Kandahar as if they were guests,” Gandhi said. (ANI)
Sydney – A ballerina, Spiderman, a vet, a train driver and sometimes even a sea lion: these are the jobs that toddlers see themselves in when they grow up.
Kate Castine, an adviser to Australia ‘s department of education, isn’t happy about this and wants 4-year-olds to be more serious about their career options.
As well as the danger of the nappy-bound hankering after non-existent jobs such as that of a mermaid even, there is a risk that they will just want to copy mum and dad and be farmers or housewives, doctors or welfare dependents.
Castine wants proper career counseling to be in the national childcare curriculum the department is busy drawing up.
“The argument that children should be exposed to career development concepts at an early age has been endorsed by current worldwide research,” she said. “Reference to career development competencies needs to be explicit so (kindergarten) teachers understand its importance.”
Castine’s recommendations have been criticized by some who see them as an attempt to hijack childhood and burden little ones with worries about what to do when their schooling is over.
Barrie Elvish, head of a big Queensland childcare provider, argues that careers advice should come much later. “It’s bad enough that kids in years 11 and 12 have to choose a career,” he said. “How on earth can you get a 4-year-old to think about what they’ll be doing in 20 years’ time?” (dpa)
Mumbai, Apr 15 (ANI): Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not including any measures to boost the public sector and private sector in its election manifesto.
Addressing a press conference here, Chidambaram said the manifesto had failed to incorporate efficient steps to build up the economy at the time of global recession.
Appreciating the United Progressive Alliance government for its competency in handling the current economic downturn, Chidambaram expressed confidence that the Indian economy will post a growth of ‘close to seven percent’ in the 2009-10 fiscal.
It would not come as a surprise if the growth rate figure touches the seven percent mark, he added.
“The Congress-led government raised the growth rate of an average 5.8 percent during the NDA regime to an average of 8.5 percent. In fact, in the first four years of the UPA rule, the average growth rate was above 9 percent,” Chidambaram said.
Attacking BJP’s primeministerial candidate L K Advani on the 1999 Kandahar plane hijack episode, Chidambaram claimed that if he would have been the Home Minister at that time, he would never have permitted release of terrorists as done by the NDA government.
“If I was the Home Minister I would not accept…I will not say after four years I do not know whether the External Affairs Minister accompanied the terrorists, ” he said.
“I would have told the Prime Minister not to allow the External Affairs Minister to accompany the terrorists,” added Chidambaram.
Advani had recently said that he was unaware that the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh accompanied the three terrorists released in exchange for passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in 1999. (ANI)
Mumbai, Apr.15 (ANI): Congress leader Rajiv Shukla has claimed that the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government paid five crore US dollars to end the 1999 hijack of an Indian Airlines plane in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in January 2000.
Shukla claimed that the amount was paid to Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Maulana Azhar Masood in exchange for the nearly 200 passengers taken hostage in December 1999.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, All India Congress Committee spokesman Rajiv Shukla said: “Was (Gujarat CM) Narendra Modi aware of the release of Maulana Azhar Masood and Jaswant Singh accompanying him with a booty of five crore US dollars?”
He alleged Masood used the money to set up the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group and armed it to attack Parliament, Askhardham and Raghunath temples. hukla asked Modi if he approved of senior BJP leader L. K. Advani going to the mazar of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, which no Congress leader ever visited, and “prostrating before it and calling him a secular leader and a great visionary”.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar denied knowledge about any money given to the terrorists as alleged by Shukla.
He also rubbished Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that there were 28 prisoners on death row and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s number was 22.
“There is no queue for death row. He (Afzal) should be immediately hanged. Afzal Guru’s trial and conviction was expedited due to POTA,” Javdekar said. (ANI with inputs)
Mandla (Madhya Pradesh), Apr 14 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani for releasing three dreaded terrorists in Afghanistan during Kandahar plane hijack episode.
“When Advani was the Home Minister, three dreaded terrorists were released in Afghanistan. One of them was the main accused in the Parliament attack later on,” she said while addressing an election rally here.
Gandhi also dismissed BJP’s ‘nation first’ plank, saying the saffron party did not have anybody to laid down his life for the sake of the country.
She also accused the State governments headed by the BJP of not spending Central funds allocated to them for various developmental schemes.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson also listed various schemes launched by her government for the farmers.
“The UPA government announced Rs. 70,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme keeping in mind the plight of agricultural workers many of whom were forced to commit suicides,” she added.
Gandhi said only the Congress could give a stable, strong, able leadership and honest government and this could happen only under Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. (ANI)
Bhatinda (Punjab), Apr 14 (ANI): Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani for his reported statement that he was not aware of the release of militants in exchange for Indian hostages during Kandahar plane hijack episode in 1999.
“Either the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not trust him or he is not telling the truth. Youth of India wants to know that how Advani was not aware that his government is to release militants,” Gandhi said while addressing an election rally here.
Gandhi also said that the funds provided by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to Punjab were siphoned off and did not reach to the people.
Gandhi blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of depriving the people of the benefits due to them.
“Manmohan Singh is working in New Delhi for the poor but the people of Punjab are not receiving the benefits of it,” he added.
Gandhi also praised Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for his effective leadership for the last five years.
“Manmohan Singh has been running the UPA Government for the last five years effectively. It was a government for the common man.
Manmohan Singh is the pride of Punjab, Sikhs and India. He has done a lot for the people,” he added. (ANI)
Rescued captain’s sailors celebrate
* Crewman urges Obama to defeat pirates
(Adds quotes, details)
By Celestine Achieng
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 12 (Reuters) – The crew of the ship captained by released U.S. hostage Richard Phillips fired flares, hoisted an American flag and jumped for joy at news of his rescue after a five-day ordeal on the high seas.
“We are very happy. He’s a hero,” a crew member of the Maersk Alabama shouted at journalists amid raucous celebrations aboard the vesse, which docked in Kenya’s Mombasa port after a failed attempt to hijack it earlier in the week.
“We made it!” shouted one colleague, punching the air as a red emergency flare screeched into the night sky. Others hung a large Stars and Stripes flag from a rail high up the ship.
Another crewman said the pirates had hunted them for days before the attack on Wednesday, and he urged Barack Obama’s administration to send more military forces to the region to stamp out the threat to shipping.
“Tell the president to get these guys. It shouldn’t come to that,” he said, referring to their pursuit. Like other elated crewmen who spoke to journalists, he declined to be named.
The media has camped out by the 17,000-tonne freighter since it docked in Mombasa late on Saturday, hoping to get word of how its crew fought off the pirates to retake control of their ship.
There has also been huge interest in how Phillips, a saxophone-playing father of two, apparently volunteered to board the lifeboat with the pirates in return for his men’s safety.
But reporters’ efforts have mostly been frustrated by tight security at the port as FBI officers debrief the crew on board. (Additional reporting by Njuwa Maina; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
(Reuters) – American ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued by the U.S. Navy on Sunday from the hands of Somali pirates who had held him hostage since trying to hijack his container vessel five days ago in the Indian Ocean.
Following are five facts about the merchant seaman:
* Phillips, aged 53, grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts, where his father coached high school basketball. He lives in Underhill, in rural Vermont.
* Married since 1987 to Andrea Coggio, an emergency room nurse he met in Boston. They have two college-age children, Mariah and Danny.
* Drove a cab in Boston to pay his way through college at the University of Massachusetts and later at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he graduated in 1979.
* Phillips played the saxophone in his high school band, and still plays the instrument from time to time. He listens to the blues. His favorite: blues singer Taj Mahal.
* Plays pickup basketball at the local YMCA, and golfs with a group of retirees. Supports Boston sports teams, particularly the Celtics basketball team.
Source: The New York Times.
(Compiled by World Desk, Washington)
(Reuters) – U.S. Navy special forces shot dead three Somali pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia and freed American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips on Sunday in a dramatic end to a five-day standoff, officials said.
Here are answers to some key questions about the incident, mainly from information provided to reporters by Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, head of the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet.
HOW DID THE NAVY END THE STANDOFF?
Navy SEALs, elite special operations troops, on the USS Bainbridge shot dead the pirates in the lifeboat after the Bainbridge’s captain determined that Phillips’ life was in imminent danger because a pirate pointed an AK-47 rifle at him.
Navy sailors then sailed to the lifeboat in a small inflatable craft and rescued Phillips, who was tied up inside the 18-foot-long lifeboat. He was later transferred to the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship.
A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said special operations forces had tried to approach the lifeboat earlier in the standoff, but the pirates had fired at them.
A fourth pirate who surrendered before the end of the standoff was aboard the Bainbridge when Phillips was freed.
The pirate had sought medical treatment for a stab wound to the hand, inflicted by a member of the Maersk Alabama’s crew when the gang tried to hijack the ship, the official said.
The pirate was being transferred to the Boxer.
HOW WERE SEA CONDITIONS AT THE TIME?
Conditions were deteriorating and the USS Bainbridge was towing the lifeboat in search of calmer waters at the time of the incident. The lifeboat was about 80 to 100 feet away from the Bainbridge when the Navy SEALs opened fire on the pirates.
The lifeboat was about 20 miles off the coast of Somalia when the standoff ended. U.S. military officials were determined to prevent the lifeboat from reaching the Somali shore.
WHAT IS PHILLIPS’ CONDITION?
Phillips is in good health, Gortney said. The former hostage declined an offer of food after his rescue and has called home. President Barack Obama also called the Boxer to speak to him.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE FOURTH PIRATE?
The Navy says it is working with the U.S. Department of Justice to determine how to hold the pirate accountable for his crimes. He could be prosecuted in the United States or in Kenya, Gortney said.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE INCIDENT?
U.S. officials insist they did not want the stand-off to end violently. Somali pirates have generally not harmed their hostages and officials fear they could now act more violently.
“This could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it,” Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon on a conference call from his headquarters in Bahrain.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray, Editing by Stacey Joyce)
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