Washington, Feb 26 (ANI): Aspirin doesn’t help in preventing second stroke in 20 percent of the cases, say researchers.

The study, led by Francis M. Gengo, Pharm.D., professor of neurology in the University of Buffalo and professor of pharmacy practice in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, found that up to 20 percent of patients taking aspirin to lower the risk of suffering a second cerebrovascular event do not have an antiplatelet response from aspirin, the effect thought to produce the protective effect.

“Millions of people use low-dose aspirin either for prevention of a second stroke, second heart attack or second episode of peripheral artery disease,” said Gengo.

“In those three indications, it’s crystal clear that aspirin reduces the risk of a second heart attack or stroke in most patients. But we have known for years that in some stroke and heart attack patients, aspirin has no preventive effect,” he added.

With no definitive data on the frequency of this condition, known as aspirin resistance, physicians were left with a best guess of between 5 and 50 percent, said Gengo.

However, the researchers have now confirmed the 20 percent figure through a strictly controlled study conducted over 29 months in 653 consecutive stroke patients.

Aspirin reduces the risk of a cardiovascular event by preventing blood platelets from aggregating in the arteries and obstructing blood flow.

If blood drawn from a patient taking aspirin shows that platelets are still aggregating, that patient is diagnosed as being aspirin resistant.

If a stroke patient has a second stroke while on aspirin, the patient has experienced what is known as clinical aspirin failure.

“We’ve known about clinical aspirin failure for many years. We’re just beginning to understand clinical aspirin resistance. The major question recently has been, ‘If you are aspirin resistant, does that mean you are more likely to be a clinical aspirin failure? Is one related to the other?’ The answer is, likely, ‘yes’,” said Gengo.

“That’s one of the critical pieces of information provided by this paper. We looked at how frequently aspirin resistance occurred in all patients and its prevalence in patients who suffered clinical aspirin failure. What we found was, across the board, about 80 percent of the patients in our study, were aspirin sensitive — their platelets did not aggregate in arteries — and 20 percent were aspirin resistant.

“However, when we asked the same question of the data from patients who had a second stroke while on aspirin [clinical aspirin failures], 80 percent were aspirin resistant,” he added.

The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology’s Web site as a “document of interest” and will appear in a future issue of the journal. (ANI)

Islamabad, Feb 26 (ANI): The European Union hopes to see Pakistan’s swift move towards the formation of a stable and functional government.

The EU wants the new government to start addressing core issues such as strengthening of democratic system, reestablishment of an independent judiciary, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and issues related to regional peace and stability.

This was stated in a declaration issued by the European Union here. The EU welcomed the elections held in the country on February 18.

“The elections provide a basis for a new democratic development in Pakistan,” the declaration said.

However, the EU regretted that not all political detainees including judges and lawyers have been released and thus prevented from taking part in the electoral process.

It renewed its call for their immediate release and reiterated the need for freedom of media.

The EU reiterated its commitment to the people of Pakistan in helping them build a prosperous and stable society, based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law.

The successful deployment of a comprehensive EU Election Observation Mission during the elections is ample evidence of this continuing engagement, The Nation reported. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb 26 (ANI): India is likely to test its first-ever under sea ballistic missile at Vishakhapatnam today.... Read more.

New York, Feb 26 (ANI): Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that he would seek a working relationship with President Pervez Musharraf since their coalition government may not able to impeach him.

“The ground reality is that we do not have a two-thirds majority in the Parliament” required for a successful impeachment, Zardari said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (ESJ).

“Our main objective is to work for the smooth transition to the democracy,” he added.

“We want to unify the country, which is facing some very serious challenges,” Zardari said.

“We have to establish democracy and for that we need unity and not confrontation,” the WSJ quoted Zardari, as saying.

The PPP hasn’t officially nominated its candidate for the Prime Minister, but Zardari confirmed that PPP vice-president Amin Fahim was the front-runner.

“We will name the candidate when the party is invited to form the government,” he said.

Zardari said his government would increase cooperation with the US, adding that Pakistan faces its own threat from extremists.

“We are fighting our own war on terror, rather than the American war on terror,” he said.ardari said his government wouldn’t talk to the militants, but that it would reach out to the people living in the tribal areas, The News reported.

He made it clear that he didn’t have any intention of becoming Prime Minister, but would concentrate on party organisation and assist the government.

“It is more important to guide the government and the party,” he said.

Zardari indicated that he might contest by-election from Larkana. (ANI)

Washington, Feb 26 (ANI): A new study has suggested that the rise of oxygen and the oxidation of deep oceans between 635 and 551 million years ago may have had an impact on the increase and spread of the earliest complex life, including animals.

The study was carried out by an international team of scientists from Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to the study, for a long time, geologists and evolutionary biologists have speculated that the rise of the breathing gas and subsequent oxygenation of the deep oceans are intimately tied to the evolution of modern biological systems.

To test the interaction between biological evolution and environmental change, the research team examined changes in the geochemistry and fossil distribution of 635- to 551-million-year old sediments preserved in the Doushantuo Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China.

“Millions of years ago, the Yangtze Gorges area was an ancient sea,” said Kathleen A. McFadden, a Ph.D. candidate in geobiology at Virginia Tech.

Scientists hypothesized that there was a lot of dissolved organic carbon in the ocean when oxygen levels were low. If oxygen levels rose, some of this organic carbon would be oxidized into inorganic forms, some of which can be preserved as calcium carbonate in the rock record.

“We measured the carbon isotope signatures of organic and inorganic carbon in the ancient rocks to infer oxidation events,” said co-author Ganqing Jiang, assistant professor of geology at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

The layers of sediment exposed by the Three Gorges Dam represent millions of years of deposits. “We went through road cuts, bed by bed, measuring and describing the exposed rock, then took small rock samples every few feet or so,” said McFadden. he researchers collected about 200 samples, cleaned and crushed them to powder, and reacted them with acid to release carbon dioxide from carbonate minerals, and then burned the residue to get carbon dioxide from organic matter.

“The relative abundances of the carbon-12 and carbon-13 isotopes, which are stable and do not decay with time, provide a snapshot of the environmental processes taking place in the ocean at the different times recorded in the layers of rock,” McFadden said.

The stratigraphic pattern of carbon isotope abundances suggested to these researchers that the ocean, which largely lacked oxygen before animals arrived on the scene, was aerated by two discrete pulses of oxygen.

According to McFadden, “The first pulse apparently had little impact on a large organic carbon reservoir in the deep ocean, but did spark changes in microscopic life forms.”

“The second event, which occurred around 550 million years ago, however, resulted in the reduction of the organic carbon reservoir, indicating that the ocean became fully oxidizing just before the evolution and diversification of many of Earth’s earliest animals,” she added. (ANI)

Hobart, Feb 26 (ANI): India were at 47/1 after the end of ninth over in response to Sri Lanka’s total of 179 runs at the Bellerive Oval.

Lankan pace spearhead Lasith Malinga drew first blood for his team as he claimed the wicket of opener Robin Uthappa early on in the Indian innings.

Uthappa lobbed an easy catch to Amerasinghe at a score of 11 runs as India were 18 runs for the loss of a wicket.

Earlier, Sri Lanka made a mess of a flat batting track in Hobart, limping to 179 in a game they have to win to stay alive in the CB Series.

In what was a sloppy display, Sri Lanka skid from a comfortable 1 for 72 to a perilous 7 for 93 before Chamara Kapugedera’s fifty lent some respectability.

India’s seamers swung the ball around in overcast conditions. Praveen Kumar triggered the collapse with three wickets in as many overs before Ishant Sharma pierced the soft underbelly with a deep incision.

Kumar Sangakkara’s poor shot selection opened up the floodgates and the rest seemed more intent to catch the next flight out of Hobart. On a flat pitch, they saw their chances of entering the final all but go up in smoke.

Sri Lanka were cruising along when Sanath Jayasuriya and Sangakkara were out in the middle. The duo had shrugged off the early dismissal of Dilruwan Perera, castled by a peach of a straightener from Ishant, by cashing in on a slightly wayward new-ball spell.

Everything changed when Praveen Kumar was introduced in the attack. Playing only his third ODI, he showed why he’s so highly rated in the domestic circuit.

Sangakkara paid the price for taking Kumar too lightly: he walked down the track and poked recklessly, only to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni pull off a fine catch diving to his left.

Kumar was ecstatic after his first international wicket but he was to nab two more in quick time. Mahela Jayawardene was undone by a sharp catch by Rohit Sharma at point before Chamara Silva wafted at one that shaped away to watch Dhoni pull off another fine take.

Jayasuriya, watching all the mayhem from the other end, thought it was best to break the shackles. Faced with a short ball from Irfan Pathan he attempted a high-risk pull, kicking the ground as the ball ballooned into Dhoni’s gloves.

Ishant returned to removed Tillakaratne Dilshan, with a peach that swung into his pads, before tempting Chaminda Vaas with an indiscreet pull.

Kapugedera found an able ally in Lasith Malinga and the duo went about playing time rather than over ambitious shots. The pair went without a boundary for 12.2 overs before Kapugedera began to gradually open out.

The innings might have ended early if Sachin Tendulkar hadn’t dropped Malinga on 8. But Muttiah Muralitharan also showed some gumption towards the end as Kapugedera completed a well-deserved 57, his highest score.

Praveen Kumar returned to clean up Murali before Harbhajan snapped up his only wicket to keep Sri Lanka down to 179. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb 26 (ANI): Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav will present his fifth Rail Budget today that is expected to be people friendly.... Read more.

New Delhi, Feb.25 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, today assured that the interests of the farmers will be fully protected in this year’s General Budget scheduled to be announced on February 29.

Without elaborating on the measures to be taken, he told a delegation of farmers and workers from Punjab, who called on him at his residence this afternoon that they would get a fair deal.

Dr. Singh said the UPA Government has taken several measures to improve the conditions of farmers and to bring a turnaround in the agriculture sector. Hundreds of farmers have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister to give them a new deal in this budget.

Senior Congress leaders Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Mohinder Singh, who led the delegation, thanked the Planning Commission for a special package to Punjab for its all round development.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the minimum support price of almost all the crops have been raised by the Government.

The concerns and grievances of farmers are being addressed with a humane approach and expressed hope that more will be done in the budget, she added.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has made a strong case for a cut in petrol and diesel taxes, while indicating there would be a substantial increase in social sector allocations.

“We have said in the Integrated Energy policy…Please decide on a rational tax policy and once you have a rational tax policy in place, on a medium term basis, under-recoveries of petroleum companies are not feasible,” he said.

He said the consumers would have to bear the burden of the increasing crude oil prices.

“I think the consumer will ultimately have to bear the burden otherwise you kill your oil companies and I don’t think the government wants to do that,” Ahluwalia said, adding that he did not anticipate any easing of prices in the short run.

“So we have to live with the oil prices we have got,” he said. World oil prices rose again to near USD 100 a barrel in Asian trade on Monday.

The government decided this month to partly pass on the burden to the consumer by raising petrol prices by Rs.2 and diesel prices by Re 1 per liter

Asked whether he expected a higher allocation for the social sectors in the Budget, to be unveiled later this week, Ahluwalia said “Increase definitely. I am very happy you will find Plan (Annual) shows substantial increase especially in the social sectors.”

The Annual Plan for the central ministries form part of the expenditure of the government reflected in the Budget.

However, he did not agree that taxes were on the higher side for kerosene and LPG.

He further said that in any political process the government has to balance different needs of the people.

“We should look at the oil price situation, determine the rational burden of taxation, then superimpose on them some explicit subsidy that you want to give on a targeted basis,” Ahluwalia said.

He said the government should be allocating more funds on education, health and rural development.

The Planning Commission Deputy Chairman said the Budget has to give a real thrust to the country’s medium term objectives, besides “re-assuring investors that India remains a good and sound investment destination”.

Delving into issue of the global economic slowdown, he said Finance Minister P Chidambaram will have a difficult task in responding to short-term challenges, which have not been addressed in the current Five-Year Plan.

“For example when the 11th Plan was approved, we did not have the present perception of the state of the world financial system,” he said pointing out that there is a lot of financial uncertainty in the global market.

One of the bigger challenges before the government is to deal with the food prices which are likely to go up next year, he said, adding, “We have to manage the domestic economy in a way that availability of food at reasonable prices is assured.”

He said the nation needs to have an effective public distribution system (PDS) for the targeted beneficiaries, a good agricultural production and a strong procurement mechanism to ensure availability of food grains for the PDS. (ANI)

New delhi, Feb.25 (ANI): Biennial elections to 56 Rajya Sabha would be held on March 26 following retirement of as many members, including rebel BJP leader from Gujarat Keshubhai Patel.

Aeven members are retiring from Maharashtra followed by six each from Tamil Nadu nd Andhra Pradesh, five each from West Bengal and Bihar, four each from Orissa and Gujarat.

Three members from Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Rajasthan, two each from Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and one each from Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh would retire in April.

Bye-election to one seat from Bihar following death of RJD member Motiur Rahman would also be held on 26th March, the Election Commission (EC) has said.

The EC said elections to four seats in Karnataka would not be held following dissolution of the state assembly.

Janardhan Poojary, Prema Cariappa, M V Rajashekaran and Vijay Mallya would be retiring in April.

According to the schedule announced by the EC, notifications would be issued on March 8 and the last date for filing nominations would be on March 15.

Scrutiny would take place on March 17, last date for withdrawal of nominations would be on March 19.

Counting of votes would take place on March 26 at the end of the polling.

Among the retiring members, Congress accounts for 15 followed by BJP (9), AIADMK and TDP four each and CPI(M) and RJD three each.

The Commission also decided to hold biennial elections to 18 seats, nine each in Maharashtra and Bihar Legislative Councils on the same schedule. (ANI)

Nagpur, Feb.25 (ANI): The Governor of Bihar, R.S. Gavai today disapproved of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) agitation against north Indians in Maharashtra and questioned Thackeray’s claim to safeguard the interests of the Marathi people.

“Thackeray doesn’t seem to have thought about the hostility that Maharashtrians in other states might have to face as a reaction to his hate campaign (against north Indian migrants)… What type of love (for the Marathi people) is this?” Gavai told reporters here.

“In any case such linguistic agitations and hate campaigns are dangerous for the national integrity and will only widen the fissures between various communities in society,” the Bihar governor said, adding that he had spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and also written to him about this.

Last week, Gavai was booed by some opposition members in the Bihar Assembly during his address to its joint session. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb.25 (ANI): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister A. Ramadoss today widened the ambit of reservations, by saying that the Government will introduce quota for SC/ST candidates for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses from this year under the All India entrance examination.

“We have decided to introduce quota for SC/ST students in the Under Graduate courses for the All India examination, Ramadoss told reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi on Monday.

“Last year we had introduced a similar quota for Post Graduate entrance examinations,” he said.

Officials said the Health Ministry has issued directions to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to implement 15 percent reservation for Scheduled Castes and 7.5 percent for Scheduled Tribes in the exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

“Nearly 700 students in both PG and Under Graduate courses would benefit from this year,” he said, adding that the total number of seats would not be increased.

In 2007, the total MBBS/BDS seats were 2,075, which were filled up on the basis of merit exclusively.

The decision was taken after the Supreme Court, hearing an application in this regard filed by the Health Ministry, left it to the Centre to take a policy decision on the matter.

Seats in government medical and dental colleges across the country that are under the All India quota are filled up on the basis of the All India Entrance Examination. (ANI)

Chennai, Feb.25 (ANI): A magistrate’s court here today dismissed former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s petition seeking to discharge her from the 1993-94 Wealth Tax Returns case.

Economic Offences-I (EO-I), Magistrate R Prem Kumar dismissed the petition and said that the next hearing of the case would take place on March 17. He said that on that day witnesses would be examined.

The magistrate accepted the arguments of Special Public Prosecutor K Ramasamy that the evidence has not yet been recorded by examining the witnesses and the documents has not yet been taken in as evidence.

The points raised by the petitioner required appreciation of evidence which could be done only after the examination of witnesses. Hence, the point raised by the petitioner cannot be considered at the beginning stage, the magistrate said.

According to Income Tax department, Jayalalithaa had wilfully failed to file her wealth tax returns for assessment year 1993-94. Hence, an ex-parte assessment order was passed by the wealth tax officer, determining her wealth to the tune of Rs.1.35 crore and the wealth tax payable at Rs.1.91 lakh with interest. A complaint under the Wealth Tax Act of 1957 was filed on December 8, 1997, and the same was pending before the EO-I. (ANI with inputs)

Hobart, Feb 25 (ANI): India will take on Sri Lanka in a penultimate league match of the ongoing Commonwealth Bank tri-series cricket tournament here on Tuesday.

It is a crucial encounter for both the teams. A victory will put India into the Best of Three Finals with 16 points. However, Sri Lanka, who have only six points, face the difficult task of winnining Tuesday’s fixture as well as their next match against Australia to enter the finals. Australia are already in the Final with 26 points.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mani SDhankar Aiyer has welcomed the offer of 100 crore rupees help from BCCI for the development of other sports.

He told reporters in New Delhi that the idea is highly appreciative as it comes from a agency which is solely meant for cricket.

Aiyer said that BCCI President Sharad Pawar hadinformed him about the offer. (ANI)

Hobart, Feb.25 (ANI): The Indian one-day cricket team today filed a written complaint against Match Referee Jeff Crowe about the provocative behaviour of Ricky Ponting’s men, and threatened to take “befitting action” if it was repeated in future.

Young fast bowler Ishant Sharma was docked 15 per cent of his match fee on Monday morning for finger-pointing a departing and abrasive Andrew Symonds from the middle in Sunday’s tri-series game.

It led the Indians to draft a strongly-worded letter to Crowe in which they have mentioned specific incidents of “provocation” by the Australians.

“We accept the match referee’s decision for Ishant to have transgressed the Level 1.6 ICC Code of Conduct,” Indian team manager Vimal Soni said, adding “we also wanted him to have a look at the provocation which Australians have been repeatedly providing in the series.”

“Much has happened in recent past and we didn’t want to open up old wounds by making a complaint against the Australians. But we have mentioned specific incidents in the letter to match referee,” Soni said.

The specific incidents, it is learnt, concerned the repeated jabbering which Ponting eportedly kept directing at Harbhajan Singh in Sunday’s game as well as left-handed opener Matthew Hayden being accused of constantly calling Harbhajan a “mad boy.”

The Indian team’s tour of Australia has been marked by a racism row and a series of on-field altercations.

Another incident which came up for mention in the match referee’s hearing this morning was the gloves Dhoni wore in the initial part of Australia’s innings.

Meanwhile, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has been fined 20 percent of his match fee and each of the Australian players fined 10 percent for maintaining a slow over rate during their 18-run triumph over India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Ponting’s side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration in the 10th match of the ongoing tri-series on Sunday.

In accordance with the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct regulations governing over rate penalties, players are fined five percent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

Commenting on his decision, ICC Match Referee Jeff Crowe said: “Prior to the match in Melbourne, I had talks with the Australia team management in which I had again reminded them of their responsibilities regarding over rates. I understand and accept that it was a close and high-scoring match.”

“In such circumstances, getting through their overs in the early stages would assist them to have enough time available to work with the bowlers and set fielding placing when the match enters the last 10 overs or crucial stages,” Crowe added.

The offence is contrary to Section J of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to slow over rates. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today decided to move as many as 54 amendments on President Pratibha Devisingh Patil’s address to the Joint Sitting of Parliament.

The amendments relate to farmers’ suicidal deaths and other agriculture related issues, internal security, demand for a separate state of Telangana, rehabilitation of Kashmiri pundits and minority appeasement.

Briefing the media, party spokesman V K Malhotra said that there is no mention of women’s reservation, the fate of Afzal Guru, convicted in the Parliament attack case and price rise.

The budget session of Parliament began on Monday with the President’s maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.

She said that the UPA Government would step up priority sector lending to minority communities’ development programmes as part of the architecture of inclusive growth.

In her maiden address to the joint sitting of Parliament marking the commencement of the Budget Session, she touched upon various issues pertaining to ‘aam aadmi’(common man) and said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme would be extended to all rural districts of the country from April.

She said the government has taken various steps to mitigate the plight of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and workers in the unorganised sector.

Recalling that Prime Minister’s new 15-point programme for development of minorities aimed at ensuring that benefits flowed equitably to them, Patil said “the proportion of priority sector lending going to minority communities will be stepped up from the present nine per cent to 15 per cent.”

Certain proportion of development projects would be located in minority concentration areas and, wherever possible, 15 per cent of targets and outlays under various schemes would be earmarked for the minorities, she said.

The President said to improve the economic and educational status of the minorities, several programmes have been launched based on the recommendations of the Sachar Committee report.

She said the 11th Plan provides Rs.800 crore for merit- cum-means based scholarship for professional courses, nearly Rs.3,300 crore for post and pre-matric scholarship programmes for minority students and Rs.3,780 crore for the development of 90 minority concentration districts.

Touching on various issues which focused on ‘aam aadmi’ (common man), the President said the government has taken several steps to mitigate the plight of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and workers in the unorganised sector.

For correcting “historical deprivations” of tribal and traditional forest dwellers, the President said the states have been asked to implement expeditiously the provisions of the landmark ST and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act.

Referring to internal security scenario, the President said the overall situation remained “under control” and the government was “fully alive” to the threat of terrorism and Left-wing extremism.

President Patil also that her government hopes that the agreement “becomes possible”.

“It is our hope that civil nuclear cooperation with the USA and other friendly countries will become possible,” President Pratibha Patil said in her maiden address to a joint sitting of Parliament on Monday.

Patil noted that relations with the US have improved in the past few years, and now span a wide spectrum including high technology, space, agriculture, education and trade and other linkages.

The nuclear deal is stuck in political debate with the Left parties, key supporters of the UPA government and the main opposition BJP stridently opposing agreement that seeks to end India’s isolation in global nuclear trade.

Indian negotiators are holding talks with the IAEA in Vienna for a country-specific safeguards agreement, a pre-requisite for operationalising the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Patil said that the Government is giving “high priority” to modernisation of its police and security forces to deal with the threat of terrorism and Left-wing extremism.

Describing the overall internal security situation in the country as “under control”, she said in her maiden address to the joint sitting of Parliament that government was “fully alive” to the threat of terrorism and Left wing extremism.

“Government is helping states affected by Left-wing extremism both on the internal security and the development and social empowerment fronts. Modernisation of the police and security forces and of intelligence gathering systems is receiving high attention,” she said.

Patil said the entire nation stood as one in condemning inhuman acts of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

Patil said that the people of the country have stood as one in rejecting the “politics of hatred” in the face of extreme acts of violence against innocent people, including those near religious places.

An environment of communal harmony and amity prevailed in the country as people refused to be provoked, she said, adding that the Government would always remain vigilant against machinations of anti-national groups.

The President said the Government has also taken several steps to promote modernisation and welfare of the armed forces. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb.25 (ANI): The Defence Ministry has declined to entertain Lt. General H S Panag’s plea to be retained as Commander-in-Chief of the vital Northern Command and cancel the order transferring him to head the Lucknow-based Central Command.

Lt Gen Panag had approached Defence Minister A K Antony to negate the transfer order.

To back his plea, Lt. Gen. Panag had said that as Northern Army Commander he was overseeing inquiries into some purchases made when the present Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor was heading the Northern Command and that his shifting could prejudice the investigations.

Army sources said Lt. Gen. Panag move was seen as an outcome of a spat with the Army Chief.

The sources said the Defence Minister by not entertaining Panag’s plea has sent strong signals that no discontent or controversy would be encouraged at any level.

Panag will have to take over his new appointment by the end of this month after incumbent Central Army Commander Lt. Gen. O P Nanadrajog retires on February 29, 2008.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. P C Bharadawaj, presently commanding the Leh based 14 Corps, has been made the New Army Northern Army Commander.

Lt. Gen. V K Singh of the Armored Corps, who is in line to become the next army Chief after Gen. Kapoor, was named as the new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command.

Major Gen. J P Singh, currently Deputy Commandant of the Armored School and Centre will take over as Corp Commanders of the Second Strike Corps based in Punjab.

Maj. Gen. V K Ahluwalia has been made Commander of the Leh-based 14 corp. (ANI)

Shillong/ Guwahati, Feb 25 (ANI): The Border Security Force has been placed on high alert along the Indo-Bangla border in both Meghalaya and Assam ahead of the ensuing assembly elections in Meghalaya.

BSF Inspector General of Police P K Mishra today said all the troops along the border have been instructed to be extra vigilant to thwart any attempt of infiltration into the country. An appeal has also been made to the people residing in the border areas to be vigilant. Additional patrol bases have been established along the border to enhance the vigil. (ANI with inputs)

Islamabad, Feb.25 (ANI): The Pakistan Government has decided to provide VIP security to Pakistan People’s Party Vice-Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who is tipped to be the country’s next Prime Minister. Police officials said the move was part of a security programme for important political personalities, including former premier Nawaz Sharif, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif.

A senior security official told a newspaper here that the four leaders are getting VIP-level security cover.

Fahim’s car is now accompanied by an escort vehicle equipped with jammers to prevent attacks with remote controlled bombs, and more security personnel have been deployed at his home in Islamabad. (ANI)

Islamabad, Feb.25 (ANI): A top Taliban leader Mullah Obaidullah Akhund believed to e close to Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and part of the inner core of Mullah Omar’s coterie has been arrested in Lahore where he had come to ‘collect’ funds.

Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, a former Defence Minister in the Taliban’s Majlis-e-Shura or executive council, was recently arrested along with two Afghan nationals by intelligence agencies in Lahore, a local daily reported on Monday.

Obaidullah has been arrested for the second time. The Taliban leader was earlier arrested in Quetta in 2006. He was released after nine months and fled to Afghanistan.

Quoting intelligence sources, the report said Obaidullah came to Pakistan in the first week of January to collect funds.

He had contacted several “influential personalities with links to banned militant organisations”.

During his visits to Pakistani cities, Obaidullah “convinced several people to provide funding to support the Taliban’s cause”.

Obaidullah was arrested following a tip-off and taken to an unknown location, the sources said.

The militant leader was the Taliban’s Defence Minister in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when the US toppled the Taliban regime in Kabul. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb.25 (ANI): The Supreme Court has deferred for four weeks the hearing on a petition filed by the West Bengal Government challenging a Calcutta High Court order indicting it for “unjustified” firing which left 14 dead in Nandigran last year.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan adjourned the hearing after it was rought to its notice that rejoinders and counter-affidavits were yet to be filed.

The court on 13th December last year had restrained the CBI from initiating criminal proceedings in court against police officials for the 14th March firing.

However, it had said that the CBI would continue the probe.

The West Bengal Government had challenged the High Court order indicting it for “unjustified” firing on innocent people in Nandigram and directing it to pay a uniform compensation of Rs. five lakh to each of the 14 persons killed and Rs. two lakh and Rs one lakh to those raped and injured in the incidents.

The court had said it was not going to interfere with the findings of the High Court at this stage as the investigating agency was to file its report on 17th December.

Later, the High Court had extended the time for CBI to file the report.

The apex court had issued notice to the NGO, Association for Protection for Democratic Rights, and other respondents on whose plea the High Court had passed its order.(ANI)