Saturday, November 19, 2011

PM, Julia Gillard meet in Bali, discuss uranium sale

PM, Julia Gillard meet in Bali, discuss uranium sale

PM, Julia Gillard meet in Bali, discuss uranium sale

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 08:26 AM PST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard met in Bali on Saturday for a brief interaction to take forward discussions on selling uranium to India and also to review their strategic partnership. The unscheduled meeting, on the sidelines of the India-Asean and East Asia summits, saw the two leaders interacting for seven-eight minutes. "Prime Minister Gillard apprised on the steps she's planning to take on selling uranium to India," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said. "I am taking the change of policy to my party conference in December," the Australian Prime Minister was quoted as telling journalists after her meeting with the Indian Prime Minister. The issue of Indian students also came up at the interaction on Saturday with Manmohan Singh appreciating how the matter was handled. There had been a spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia in 2009-10 but the problem was curtailed due to a series of measures announced by the Australian government. Manmohan Singh and Gillard had spoken on the phone, a day after the Australian Prime Minister had signalled the plan to lift a long-standing ban on uranium sales to India and pushed her Labour Party to change its stance, citing New Delhi's growing economy and its ambitious atomic energy plans. She had also written to him, citing three points for the proposal - India's growing energy needs, its impeccable non-proliferation record and the strategic partnership between the two countries. The final decision rests with Gillard's Labour party, which will meet next month. Gillard will be under pressure to get her party to agree to her proposal even though India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India had quickly hailed Gillard's move, announced on November 15. "We must, of course, expect of India the same standards we do of all countries for uranium export - strict adherence to International Atomic Energy Agency arrangements and strong bilateral and transparency measures which will provide assurances our uranium will be used only for peaceful purposes," Gillard had written in the Sydney Morning Herald. For the past four years, the Labour government has linked uranium exports to India signing the 1970 NPT. Gillard also held a press conference in Melbourne and pushed her Labour Party colleagues to change their stand on selling uranium to India. She argued that selling uranium to India "will be good for the Australian economy and good for Australian jobs". Gillard went on to add that India plans to increase the share of nuclear power from its current three percent of electricity generation to 40 percent by 2050 - a fact that should benefit Australia, the world's third largest supplier of uranium. Secondly, she said the uranium sale will be "another step forward" in Australia's relationship with India, the world's largest democracy and a rising economic giant. Thirdly, she argued that the US-India civil nuclear agreement has effectively lifted the de-facto international ban on cooperation with India in this area and added that in view of changed global circumstances, "for us to refuse to budge is all pain with no gain and I believe that our national platform should recognise that reality".

Court sentences Sukhram to five years for accepting a Rs 3 lakh bribe

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 08:21 AM PST

Former Telecom Minister Sukhram, convicted for taking Rs 3 lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996 was sentenced by a Delhi Court. Sukhram had pleaded for leniency in the court on grounds of his old age while the CBI called him a "habitual offender" and sought maximum punishment for him.

UP refutes Jaiaram's allegations, says it is the best performing state on NREGA

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 08:10 AM PST

The Uttar Pradesh government has hit back at Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh following the latter's note to Chief Minister Mayawati. In the note - the second he has sent to Mayawati - the minister accused her of protecting those involved in alleged irregularities in implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). In this note, Mr Ramesh listed names of officers alleged to be involved in the scam. He also quoted figures in this connection.

2G case: CBI registers fresh case, raids NDA rule telecom officials & Airtel, Vodafone offices

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 06:51 AM PST

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today registered a fresh case over alleged irregularities in spectrum allocation during late Pramod Mahajan's tenure as Telecom Minister.

CBI calls Sukhram a 'habitual offender', seeks maximum punishment for him in Delhi court

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 06:43 AM PST

Former Telecom Minister Sukhram, convicted for taking Rs 3 lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996, today pleaded for leniency in a Delhi court on grounds of his old age while the CBI called him a "habitual offender" and sought maximum punishment for him.

Nation pays tributes to Indira Gandhi on her 94th birthday

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 03:45 AM PST

The nation today remembered former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 94th birth anniversary with President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari among prominent personalities who paid rich tributes to the leader.

Pak prisoner's family in India to plead for his release

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:38 AM PST

The family of ailing Pakistani prisoner Dr Khalil Chishty has come to India all the way from Karachi to plead for his release. The 78-year old virologist, who is critically ill, is serving life sentence in the Ajmer Central Jail. His mercy plea has been given clearance by the Rajasthan Chief Minister, but he has still not been released.

Talks with Maoists: Interlocutors to meet Mamata Banerjee

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:00 AM PST

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will today meet the interlocutors engaged in a dialogue with the Maoists in the state.

2G scam: How parliamentary panel grilled Vinod Rai on loss figure

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 05:50 PM PST

NDTV has exclusive access to the proceedings of the Joint Parliamentary Committee or JPC, where Congress leader Manish Tewari took on Mr Rai on the amount of loss calculated by him.

Bhanwari Devi case: Former minister Maderna discharged from hospital

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 04:05 PM PST

Sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna, who is the prime suspect in the Bhanwari Devi case, has been released from a hospital in Jodhpur. Mr Maderna is accused of abducting and murdering Bhanwari Devi, an auxiliary nurse and midwife.

Black money probe: MPs ask Govt to release names of tax evaders

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:21 PM PST

Members of a parliamentary panel have asked the Finance Ministry for details on information received from the French government on the accounts held by Indian nationals abroad and the follow up steps taken by the government, sources have said.

J&K custodial death: Govt appoints commission

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 01:19 PM PST

The Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed a commission to enquire into the alleged custodial death of National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf.

Congress holds silent rally in Kolkata against Trinamool

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 11:46 AM PST

In signs of what appears to be a strain in the alliance in West Bengal, activists of the Youth Congress today took out a silent rally in Kolkata in protest against the violent attacks on its supporters by the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Harvest of death on Andhra Pradesh's killing fields

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 11:28 AM PST

The cotton farms in Andhra Pradesh have turned into killing fields for farmers. At least 90 farmers have committed suicide in the last two months; the reason - monsoon failed them and so did the government.
Posted by Harshad at 3:16 AM

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