| ‘Gaddafi could stay in Libya’ Dozens of rebels killed in battle for Brega Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:08 PM PDT 
PARIS: Muammar Gaddafi could remain in Libya if he relinquishes power, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Wednesday, in what appeared to be a fresh drive to find a political solution to the dragging conflict. Juppe, asked during an interview on LCI television whether countries involved in the Libyan crisis could consider letting Gaddafi remain as part of a way out of the crisis, replied: "One of the scenarios effectively envisaged is that he stays in Libya on one condition which I repeat—that he very clearly steps aside from Libyan political life." "A ceasefire depends on Gaddafi committing clearly and formally to surrender his military and civilian roles," said Juppe. Two members of Libya's rebel Transitional National Council were due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Wednesday. France was the first country to publicly recognize the council and the first to launch air strikes against Gaddafi's military machine when now Nato-led operations began in March. Meanwhile, a doctor at a Libyan hospital says more than 50 rebels have been killed in six days of fighting with government forces over the strategic eastern oil town of Brega. The new toll comes after Mohammed Idris, a doctor at the Ajdabiya hospital where the casualties were taken, raised the number killed in Tuesday's fighting to 27, with 83 wounded. Idris said Wednesday that most had been shot in the head and chest. |
| Israel ready to talk in Jerusalem, Ramallah: Netanyahu Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:05 PM PDT 
JERUSALEM: Israel is willing to hold peace talks with the Palestinians immediately, in Jerusalem or even Ramallah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in excerpts of an interview released on Wednesday. Speaking to Arabic-language television station Al-Arabiya, Netanyahu also denied that Israel wanted to see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remain in power, and acknowledged that he had held secret peace talks with Damascus in the past. The Israeli premier blamed a stalemate in talks with the Palestinians on their leadership. "Everything is on the table," he said. "But we need to get to the table." He said the Palestinian leadership had in the past not wanted to conclude negotiations, and now it was unwilling to even restart talks. "I'm prepared to negotiate with president (Mahmud) Abbas directly for peace between our two peoples right now. We can do it here in my home in Jerusalem, we can do it in Ramallah (in the West Bank), we can do it anywhere," he said. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been on hold since late September 2010, shortly after Washington relaunched the first direct negotiations between the two sides for nearly two years. The talks ground to a halt when Israel's partial freeze on settlement construction expired and Netanyahu declined to renew it. The Palestinians say they will not hold talks while Israel builds on land they want for a future state. The prospects for new talks have been thrown into further jeopardy by a reconciliation deal between Abbas's Fatah party and Hamas, which rules Gaza. Netanyahu said it was impossible to seek peace with any group that does not recognise Israel's right to exist. "If people say no, the state of Israel shouldn't exist, it should be wiped off the face of the earth, the way Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas say, there's not much place to go." Asked about Syria, Netanyahu denied media reports that Israel wanted to see the regime stay in power. But he acknowledged that he had held peace talks with Damascus in the past and was concerned that anti-regime protests could lead to a rise in the long-quiet border between Israel and Syria. "We don't intervene in what happens in Syria, but we obviously would like to have peaceful relations," he said. "Several people tried including myself in secret negotiations to move towards a formal peace," he added. |
| Better go to PakistanHasina_ to Khaleda over remarks on constitution Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:03 PM PDT 
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said those who can say they would throw away the national constitution and throw it to dustbin should go to Pakistan, as they do not believe in sovereign and independent Bangladesh. "The opposition leader (Khaleda Zia) has said that she would throw away the constitution and some of her associates have wanted to throw it to dustbins. How audacious they are! They do not believe in the country's independence and sovereignty. They should go to Pakistan," she said. Hasina said these in her opening remarks at the Awami League Central Working Committee meeting held at her official Ganobhaban residence in the afternoon. Strongly commending the opposition leader's remark on the constitution, the prime minister said that if she (opposition leader) would have respect for the constitution, she could not have made such remarks. "She has forgotten that 30 lakh people had sacrificed their lives and two lakh mothers and sisters their honour to attain the constitution of independent Bangladesh," she added. Referring to a condolence message of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia on the death of a Pakistani General, Hasina said that being a prime minister she (Khaleda) had sent a condolence message on the death of a Pakistani General. "We all know where her (Khaleda) heart lies." She alleged that the opposition leader and Jamaat are trying to save the war criminals and the killers of Ivy Rahman and others who lost their lives in the August 21 grenade attack. "But they would never be able to save the killers and the war criminals," she said. The prime minister said that during the Awami League's upcoming sitting with the Election Commission, the party will emphasise on further strengthening it. "The Election Commission is independent now. It will be further strengthened to arrange elections in free and fair manner." She said the Awami league government never tries to influence the Election Commission. Hasina said that with the 15th amendment to the constitution, avenues of grabbing the state power unconstitutionally that had began after the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been stopped forever. She said: "People have got their power back through this (15th) amendment. This amendment has safeguarded the people's empowerment." The premier said the opposition leader is now "crying" for the caretaker form of government, but when the Awami League in the past spoke about this, she (the opposition leader) had commented that none is neutral except a mad person or a kid. Issuing a stern warning against hoarding to increase prices of essentials during the Ramadan, she said: "We are keeping close watch so that none can hoard food to make extra profit at the cost of public suffering." —UNB |
| BNP, LDP to forge greater unity Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:01 PM PDT 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chief Col (retd) Oli Ahmed on Wednesday said his party would join the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party to form a greater unity. "Both the parties have agreed to forge a greater unity and launch a tough anti-government movement," he told journalists after holding an hour-long meeting with a BNP delegation at his residence in the capital. BNP's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led the delegation at the meeting which started at 11.30am. Oli, former BNP leader, said they would wage the movement jointly for the ouster of the government. Terming the discussion successful, Fakhrul said all patriotic parties would join them to form a greater unity. "We are working for it." He said a committee comprising of representatives from both sides had been formed to work out the next course of action. The LDP chief said both the parties also agreed to resolve some issues, including restoration of the caretaker government system. "People may not take it positively so that we have to aware of it," he added. Oli thanked Khaleda for taking a move to hold talks with different political parties aiming to forge a greater unity. BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka and LDP leaders Redwan Ahmed, Mamudur Rahman Chowdhury, Didar Bakht, and Shahadat Hossain were present at the meeting. Earlier on Tuesday, Krishak Sramik Janata League president Kader Siddique agreed to join talks with BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on how to overcome the country's "existing crisis". He made the announcement after a closed-door meeting. ( This news is viewed 38 times ) |
| Koena Mitra completes her shoot for ‘The Story of Naomi’ Posted: 20 Jul 2011 07:09 AM PDT 
 Koena Mitra may not have been able to gather much appreciation in Bollywood but the girl's career in Hollywood has kick started impressively. Our space had informed you that the girl had bagged in a Hollywood project, 'The Story of Naomi' alongside Kevin Sorbo. The latest addition to it that the movie which has been directed by fashion photographer Ash Gupta and produced by Michael Hirshenson has already been completed. Though Koena romances both a man and a woman in the film, she clarifies that it is not a bisexual role. Revealing more about the story of the film, she says, "The story of Naomi is a dark film. I play Kevin's wife in the film. It also deals with another relationship and that's the reason for the tag line Love, Lust, Betrayal." Koena also has two more Hollywood projects in her hand and incidentally both are produced by Karen Armstrong. One of them is an as yet untitled film starring Miles O'Keeffe and another one is titled Dark Romance. |
| Vidya Balan reveals her love for Kolkata Posted: 20 Jul 2011 07:07 AM PDT 
 Though Vidya Balan has been born and brought up in Kerala, the actress has a unique attachment with the city of Kolkata. She not only made her acting debut here with Goutam Halder's Bhalo Theko, but her first Bollywood superhit 'Parineeta' was based here. The actress is also shooting for 'Kahani' which is again set in Bengal. Vidya says, "I don't know. I have stopped trying to understand why. I have just accepted that there is a relation. My mom keeps saying that there might be a relation from a past life because I do not know anyone with so much of love for Bengal. Even the man in my life will have to deal with another love affair, and that is Kolkata." "I know how to sing some songs and rhymes. I keep on learning," says the actress who is often mistaken by people to be a Bengali. "The first time I went to Kolkata, I felt a sense of familiarity," she added. |
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