Indian news & views briefly

New Delhi, Nov. 3: US-based Continental Airlines has launched the first ever non-stop flight service from India to the US, fulfilling a major need for Indian travelers. The airline has started a daily non-stop flight from New Delhi to New York effective Thursday.

The journey from New Delhi to New York will take nearly 16 hours (westward) while the return journey will take nearly 14 hours (eastward). Significantly, the airline has chosen to operate its non-stop flights out of New Delhi instead of Mumbai. �This is not a reflection on the Mumbai market, but our conclusion is that there is a tremendous market waiting to be tapped for non-stop flights to the US from Delhi,� said Continental Airlines senior vice-president John Walker.

The airline is operating a Boeing 777-200ER (extended range) for the flight. The aircraft has a capacity of 283 passengers. There are 48 business class seats while the rest of the seats are economy class.

A return ticket is priced at Rs 45,000. �No other airline is operating non-stop flights from India to the US,� said Mr Walker.

Currently, passengers have to travel via Europe for a stopover enroute to the US. Most airlines break journey in major European capitals for refueling. The non-stop service will be a huge relief for passengers traveling on the India-US route as they do not have to waste time transiting European airports. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)

Left parties' threat to Congress on Iran
Iran nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani (r.), meet with Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, to seek support in Iran's nuclear dispute with Western nations.

Iran nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani (r.), meet with Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, to seek support in Iran's nuclear dispute with Western nations.

NOV 4: India's Left parties have their own balloting plans. They are determined to force a vote in the Indian parliament on the Iran nuclear issue if the government did not change its stand at the next International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting on November 24.

The Left is veering to the view that such a threat is the only way to get the government to retrace its steps on Iran.

The Left parties believe that with more than 100 MPs between them and with the support of the Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal(S) which have joined the Left-sponsored `Committee for an Independent Foreign Policy', they have enough firepower to put the government on the mat in parliament.

While the Left may not withdraw support, one view is that it will scale down its relationship with the UPA government and will henceforth provide only "issue-based support" if it insisted on sticking to its stand regarding Iran's nuclear program.

The Left parties will seek a meeting with the prime minister before the November IAEA meeting.

On October 27, UPA-Left coordination meeting decided the Iran issue would be discussed once Foreign Minister Natwar Singh returned from Moscow, Indian Express reported.

Speaking at the convention held in the capital on the subject of India's independent foreign policy, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Iran issue needed a full debate in parliament as foreign policy issues could not be decided only by the PM and foreign minister.

He said India should abstain from voting in the IAEA and tell the US that Iran should be allowed to develop its nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes. (IRNA)

�Petro bribe� scandal in focus
Natwar Singh

New Delhi, Oct. 3: Two years ago, BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who had raised the issue of the �petro-bribe scandal�, had quoted �various official and press reports from Iraq, claiming Sonia Gandhi�s Congress party was among the list of 46 companies and organizations which received millions of barrels of oil as bribes in return for their support to the Saddam government.� The BJP headquarters on Thursday flashed Mr Naqvi�s press statement issued on February 1, 2003 where he had raised the particular issue.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, demanded a probe and cases against the individuals named in the Volcker report. The BJP also wanted the Prime Minister to sack external affairs minister Natwar Singh. The party will hold a meeting of its general secretaries to decide the course of action it intends to take against the government over the Volcker report.

The press statement issued by Mr Naqvi on 2003 quoted a statement from �Naseer Chaderji, a member of Iraq�s ruling governing council, saying that he would order a probe into the matter.� In Mr Naqvi�s statement, Chaderji was quoted as saying, �These people must be prosecuted.� The press statement also went on state that �Iraq�s oil ministry�s list of bribe receivers has been published by Al-Meda, a Baghdad newspaper, and includes names of various individuals and organizations from India, Russia, China, Austria and a host of Gulf countries.�

It added, �The list says that there are two beneficiaries from India and prominent is the Indian Congress party, one million barrels.� Mr Naqvi had also claimed that �there was another senior Congress leader who received one million barrels of oil as bribe worth Rs 150 crores.�

However, on Thursday, the party vice president, while intensifying his attack on the Prime Minister over the Volcker report, went on to describe him as �bagla bhagat (a shrewd stork which stands on one leg and quietly strikes passing fish)�. For Mr Naqvi, the Prime Minister was trying to give an impression that �nothing much has happened�. He described the �oil scam� as a �national shame�. Mr Naqvi also accused Dr Singh of �protecting the guilty�. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)

�Highest number of UK visas issued to Indians�
Desis in UK

BANGALORE, Nov 1 � Indians account for the highest number of visas issued by Britain, according to British High Commissioner to India Sir Michael Arthur.

Sir Michael Arthur, who was here for the IT trade fair, BangaloreIT in 2005, told reporters that Britain had already issued 300,000 multiple entry visas to Indians till October this year. The figure is expected to reach 400,000 by the end of the year, he said.

�I predict that the visas will go up to 500,000 every year in the next few years�, Sir Michael Arthur said.

Claiming that Britain had liberalized its visa policy to make it more customer-friendly, the envoy said his country offered visas for a minimum of six months up to a maximum of 10 years, depending on the applicant�s requirement and ability to pay. �These are multiple-entry visas, which enable people to enter the country and leave as they like�, Sir Michael Arthur said.

The number of visas being issued to Indians was continuing to rise and Britain had outsourced its visa documentation and application procedures to a private entity. Sir Michael Arthur also claimed that the British Government was �relaxed� about the outsourcing issue.

�It recognizes the outsourcing needs of its domestic companies. If a British company wishes to outsource to a company in Bangalore, we believe it is good for British economy. The government position is clear that interference in these commercial decisions is not the answer�, he said. (Source: Khaleej Times)

China offer on Maoist rebels puzzles India
Maoists eat lunch

KOLKATA, Nov 1 � Beijing�s totally unexpected offer to crush India�s Maoist guerrillas has left New Delhi speechless and foxed leading foreign policy analysts.

Last week, Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi suddenly declared that his country is ready to help India wipe out Maoist insurgents entrenched in several provinces.

India�s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Navtej Sharma, shrugged off the remark when asked if the ambassador�s offer amounted to interfering in India�s internal affairs.

But speaking off the record, other Indian officials said defensively that Yuxi was probably sending an indirect message to Nepal�s king battling Maoists. Maoists �control� half of Nepal and are trying to establish a socialist republic in the Himalayan kingdom.

A foreign policy expert, who did not want to be identified, said: �The remark is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. More so because Beijing had once aided and abetted the Naxalites of yesteryears now on the rampage in their new incarnation as Maoists.�

Another retired senior diplomat added: �Sometimes, Chinese utterances are inexplicable, leaving us in the dark about their real objective � it�s impossible to even read between the lines.�

Significantly, Yuxi said: �If there is any help you (India) expect) from us to to get rid of them (Maoists), we will try to do our best.� He added: �We are also wondering why they call themselves Maoists. We don�t like that. We don�t like that at home. We don�t have any connection with them at home. �If they call themselves Maoists, we can�t stop them. But definitely it (the Maoist

movement in India) does not have any connection with the government of China.� While China has been distancing itself from Maoist guerrillas in India for years, it is the first time a top Chinese official has gone to the extent of saying that Beijing would have no hesitation in providing help to crush the Maoist rebels.

The ambassador said it was possible some of the Maoist guerrillas might possess Chinese weapons. But even that, he said, did not mean that they had any links with Beijing.

He explained that China had supplied a lot of weapons to the anti-Soviet mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan during the 1980s in cooperation with Pakistan and the US. "A lot of them (were) lost in the black market and they spread everywhere. Even some Chinese terrorists were trained in Afghanistan. They went back with the Chinese weapons and they waged terrorist activities inside China.

�So, we were very sorry to see that... If there is anything that we can help to stop them (Indian Maoists), we would do.� (Source: Khaleej Times)