TOP STORY OF THE DAY

Report card: Half of coalition ministers lose 12/30/2008 12:41:07 AM Early Times Report Jammu, Dec 29: No one can beat the drum as louder as the Congress-Peoples Democratic Party coalition government, particularly during its last leg, did on its accountability, transparency and performance but in elections the performance of its erstwhile Ministers has blatantly exposed the shallowness and hollowness of their acceptance and credibility in the public eye. Going by the performance chart, which coalition leaders, particularly from Congress read out at hundreds of elections meetings, the members of their erstwhile council of ministers should have returned to the assembly by getting rewards from the public. As the public holds key at end of the day, majority of the men who held key positions in the coalition government have been sent back packing. Most of the former Ministers who lost elections were not actually in the fray as they finished at poor third or fourth place. The Congress has been blaming the Amarnath land row for its trouncing in Jammu regions but this does not seem to be a cogent reason. At many places the National Conference candidat...   READ MORE

FRONT PAGE STORIES

We have got positive signals: NC 12/30/2008 12:40:27 AM New Delhi, Dec 29: National Conference chief Omar Abdullah on Monday said his party has got "positive signals" from the Congress on forming a government in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Assembly election has returned a fractured verdict. "The NC has got very positive signals from Congress. Otherwise, I would not have come to Delhi," Abdullah, who flew in here from Srinagar for a meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, told reporters at the airport. Asked who would be the Chief Minister in such an arrangement, the 38-year-old leader said he would first hold talks about stitching up an alliance and then discuss the nitty-gritty of the coalition. "We will talk about formation of a c...   READ MORE   Congress: Our Options ere Open Sonia’s talks with Azad, Soz inclusive, to meet PM today 12/30/2008 12:39:48 AM Early Times Report Jammu/New Delhi, Dec 29: As leaders in Jammu and Kashmir get jittery over an earlier confirmation of support from the Congress, the Congress president Sonia Gandhi late this evening elicited views of state leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saif-ud-Din on extending support to either National Conference or the Peoples Democratic. The discussions, however, remained inconclusive. Significantly, almost at the same time when Congress president Sonia Gandhi was holding discussions with Azad and Soz, party’s national spokesperson Manish Tiwari told reporters that all options were still open for the alliance. More significantly, he added, “Jammu and Kashmir is a complex state and ...   READ MORE   Not a word yet from Congress, ‘NC poised to form next Govt’ 12/30/2008 12:39:08 AM Early Times Report Jammu, Dec 29: The National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah today claimed that his party will be forming next government in Jammu and Kashmir after tenth of Muharram –some ten days from today –and that his son Omar Abdullah will be sworn in as Chief Minister. National Conference is hoping for the Congress support to form the government and has almost taken that for granted. Another flip flop from the National Conference leadership was that Dr Farooq Abdullah took his claim to the top seat off overnight and said Omar will be the next Chief Minister. He said, “I thought over the issue all the night and reached conclusion that young Omar should lead the governmen...   READ MORE   6 injured due to land slides at Vaishno Devi Bhawan 12/30/2008 12:38:25 AM Early Times Report Katra, Dec 29: Six people, including one Ponywala were injured at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan, near Manokamana complex, due to landslide at 12.45 p.m. today. According to the Block Medical Officer, Katra, Dr. K. C. Dogra, seriously injured pilgrims Anurudh, age 10, s/o Rajeev of Delhi and Pawan Tiwari, s/o Parmod Tiwari of Ferozabad, UP have been referred to GMC, Jammu for specialized treatment. Mr. Shobat Ali, 23, s/o Nazir Ahmed of Nagrota, Kritika age 36, w/o Rajeev of Delhi, Asha Ram, 58, w/o Kailash Nath of UP and Jomer Lal, 60, s/o Kanaya Lal of Pune, who had suffered minor injuries are under going treatment at Katra Hospital. Earlier, the Shri Mata Vaish...   READ MORE   ‘Will sit in opposition’ 12/30/2008 12:37:57 AM Early Times Report Jammu, Dec 29- Prof. Bhim Singh, Chairman JKNPP, today indicated that his party will play the role of an effective secular opposition both inside and outside the legislature to respect the will and the decision of the voters who wanted Panthers to represent the suppressed and the oppressed voice of the people who have remained deprived of socio- political justice for 60 years. Prof. Singh in his massage to the Panthers Party workers declared, “To oppose, expose and finally depose the communal, criminal and corrupt leadership from the seat of power while playing the role of an effective opposition to save the suffering millions from unjust and undemocratic rule.” ...   READ MORE   Justice Barin likely to be new Chief Justice of J&K HC 12/30/2008 12:37:16 AM Early Times Report Jammu, Dec 29- The first Pusine Judge of Patna High Court, Justice Barin Ghosh, is likely to be the new Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. According to the sources, the newly elevated Chief Justice will take over before the winter vacations of J&K High court. The 56- year old Justice Barin Ghosh a First Pusine Judge of Patna High Court born on June 5, 1952 was enrolled as an Advocate on December 19, 1978 and practiced at Calcutta mainly on Civil, Company and Constitutional matters. He was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Calcutta High Court on July 14, 1995. He joined at Patna High Court on January 7, 2005. JNF ************* ...   READ MORE   Shocks felt in Kashmir 12/30/2008 12:36:49 AM Early Times Report Srinagar: An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude jolted parts of Afghanistan on Monday but it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties or damage, officials said. Parts of the Kashmir Valley also felt the after shocks. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Badakhshan provincial capital Faizabad, 260 km northeast of Kabul. It was also felt in neighbouring Pakistan and Tajikistan. "It was a strong quake but we haven't heard anything of casualties or damage so far," police chief of Badakhshan, Aqa Noor Akintooz, said. Authorities were trying to make contact with remote regions, he added. Mountainous Afghanistan has suffered a series of earthquakes that have kil...   READ MORE   Don’t count us out: PDP 12/30/2008 12:36:23 AM Early Times Report Srinagar, Dec 29: The National Conference has though shown that it was just one step away from the government formation in alliance with the Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party has sounded clearly that it can just not be counted out. Peoples Democratic Party has clearly conveyed to the Congress that elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not just about formation of government but the real need is to sustain the peace process. The party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has been keeping away from the media glare ever since results were declared on Sunday but party president Mehbooba Mufti pointed out that PDP was best suited for carrying the peace initiative forward. "It...   READ MORE   Vohra meet his men, says no substitute to political Govt 12/30/2008 12:35:49 AM Early Times Report JAMMU DEC 29: As he prepared to hand over baton to the elected government in next few days, the Governor N N Vohra, today complimented the State Administration for rising to the occasion and meeting varied challenges in the absence of a political dispensation. Addressing the Administrative Secretaries of the various departments in the State Government here this morning, the Governor observed that the Administration had faced various difficult situations with due devotion and loyalty to the cause. Maintaining that there was no substitute to the political dispensation, the Governor said that his three Advisors, the Chief Secretary, the senior bureaucracy and the emplo...   READ MORE   Pak tones down war rhetoric 12/30/2008 12:34:55 AM Agencies Islamabad, Dec 29: Facing the heat from the US and other major countries, Pakistan's on Monday tone down the war rhetoric and of easing tensions with India and of the need to "de-escalate and avoid conflict". In the first public statement since the Mumbai terror attack, Kayani, the Chief of Army, which is believed to have huge influence over affairs of the state in Pakistan, backed moves for de-escalation of tensions with India. A brief military statement was issued after Kayani met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, who was dispatched here by Beijing to help ease the Indo-Pak stand-off, at the Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi near here. "The Chief of Army Staff...   READ MORE

CARTOON CORNER

E-PAPER PREVIEW

LOCAL NEWS

NC-Congress alliance can prove dangerous: Gupta 4 get HC acquittal in murder case MIER’s quality confab concludes Hassan Mir wants Congress to lead SBI honors Natrang Director Balwant Thakur, his team Faith overruns progress promos After successful polls, cops get Guv’s pat Fida Ali Bereaved 39 promising children of cops impress Khoda, get scholarships 4 die in heater gas leak Women fail to break 1972 record   READ MORE THIS SECTION

OTHER STORIES

2008: The return of ‘military options’ Year of campaign against smoking, junk food Fighting internal corruption: watershed year in judiciary 86 commemorative stamps coming in 2009 Left hand engagements: divorce with UPA, searching new alliances NC can’t afford another term out of power   READ MORE THIS SECTION

ARCHIVE SECTION

Monday, December 29, 2008 Sunday, December 28, 2008 Saturday, December 27, 2008 Friday, December 26, 2008 Thursday, December 25, 2008 Wednesday, December 24, 2008 Tuesday, December 23, 2008

STOCK UPDATE

BSE Sensex NSE Nifty

CRICKET UPDATE