PTI, Guwahati, 18 May : Congress leader Tarun Gogoi was today sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam for the third successive term by Governor J B Patnaik at the Raj Bhawan here.The Governor administered the oath of office and secrecy to 75-year-old Gogoi in Assamese at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhawan.
Union DoNER Minister Bijoy Krishna Handique, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhubaneswar Kalita were among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Gogoi, wearing white kurta and pyjama and a waistcoat, came with wife Dolly, son Gaurav and daughter Chandrima at the function.
He is scheduled to visit Delhi to get his list of ministers finalised by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
77 newly-elected Congress MLAs, 12 MLAs of ally Bodoland Peoples'' Front''s led by Hagrama Mohilary, senior civil, police and army officials attended the event.
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More banks in the North East soon, says RBI Gov Subbarao
Agartala, 18 May : Villages in the North East states, with population of more than 2000 would be covered under banking service soon, RBI Governor D Subbarao said here today.Most of the rural areas in the country, especially the North East are out of the cover of banking service, he said, adding that the number of banks in the region was very less.
"Twenty five per cent of the banks in the country should be rural areas but only 5 per cent of rural habitations in the country come under the banking service, which is not good for the banks, for governments or people," he said at the inaugural programme of a RBI sub-office here.
"The banks in the country are facing a big challenge of financial inclusion without which banks cannot be stable.
Financial inclusion is necessary for poverty alleviation and financial stability. န Photo : Parthajit Dutta
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Justice M Muzammel Hossain sworn in as new Chief Justice
Dhaka, 18 May : Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain was sworn in today as new Chief Justice of Bangladesh. President Zillur Rahman administered the oath to newly appointed Chief Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain at a simple ceremony at Bangabhaban.
Earlier, President Zillur Rahman appointed Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain as the 20th Chief Justice of the country to replace Justice ABM Khairul Haque who went on retirement.
Dhaka, 18 May : Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain was sworn in today as new Chief Justice of Bangladesh. President Zillur Rahman administered the oath to newly appointed Chief Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain at a simple ceremony at Bangabhaban.
Earlier, President Zillur Rahman appointed Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain as the 20th Chief Justice of the country to replace Justice ABM Khairul Haque who went on retirement.
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'Bangla Tuli'- an exhibition by B'deshi artists opens in Delhi
ANI, New Delhi, 18 May : As part of the joint celebrations commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, an exhibition of paintings by eight artists from Bangladesh was inaugurated in New Delhi today at the Lalit Kala Akademi.Secretary Culture, Government of India Jawhar Sarkar inaugurated the exhibition Bangla-Tuli in the presence of Mahbub Hassan Saleh, Deputy High Commissioner, Bangladesh High Commission.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarkar said, the whole idea of jointly celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore is that he is part of the common heritage between the two countries- India and Bangladesh.
"Tagore was the first non-white human being to get the coveted Nobel Prize from the sub-continent," he added.
Remembering Tagore as a voice against oppression, Sarkar said with a view to break free the bondage of alphabet, Tagore took up paintings at a later stage.
Describing Rabindranath as the greatest cultural icon in the world, Hassan Saleh said: "The cultural bondage between the two countries are inseparable as it was deeply rooted in our hearts that cannot be divided.
He thanked the Lalit Kala Akademi for holding such camp and hope more such camps would be held in future to bring the artists of Bangladesh and India closer.
The exhibition will continue till 23 May.
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Speaker Meira Kumar unveils Tagore's bronze bust in Seoul
PTI, Seoul , 18 May : Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar unveiled a bronze bust of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Seoul today, marking the growing Indo-Korean relations.
Kumar, who is in Seoul for the G20 Speakers' Conference, conveyed India''s appreciation to President of Republic of Korea Lee Myung-bak for the friendly gesture on the 150th anniversary of the poet-philosopher.
PTI, Seoul , 18 May : Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar unveiled a bronze bust of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Seoul today, marking the growing Indo-Korean relations.
Kumar, who is in Seoul for the G20 Speakers' Conference, conveyed India''s appreciation to President of Republic of Korea Lee Myung-bak for the friendly gesture on the 150th anniversary of the poet-philosopher.
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B'desh, Bhutan signs air service modernization agreement
UNB, Dhaka, 18 May : Bangladesh and Bhutan Wednesday signed an agreement relating to the modernization of the air services between the two countries.
Chairman of the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority Air Commodore Mahmud Hossain and Director General of Bhutan’s Civil Aviation Phala Dorji signed the deal at the Civil Aviation Head Office here on behalf of their respective governments. Civil Aviation Minister GM Qader speaking on the occasion said so long Bhutan used to operate four flights a week from Paro to Bangkok via Dhaka. After the agreement Bhutan Airlines will enjoy the facilities to use any airport of Bangladesh. Similarly, Bangladesh will also enjoy the same facilities.
UNB, Dhaka, 18 May : Bangladesh and Bhutan Wednesday signed an agreement relating to the modernization of the air services between the two countries.
Chairman of the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority Air Commodore Mahmud Hossain and Director General of Bhutan’s Civil Aviation Phala Dorji signed the deal at the Civil Aviation Head Office here on behalf of their respective governments. Civil Aviation Minister GM Qader speaking on the occasion said so long Bhutan used to operate four flights a week from Paro to Bangkok via Dhaka. After the agreement Bhutan Airlines will enjoy the facilities to use any airport of Bangladesh. Similarly, Bangladesh will also enjoy the same facilities.
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Several top officials of Left Front regime resign their posts
Kolkata, 18 May : A number of top officials of the Left Front regime have resigned from their posts with the Trinamool Congress-led government coming into power in West Bengal.Among those who have already put in their papers are Subrata Sen, vice-chairman of 'Nabadiganta Industrial township', Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee, 'WEBEL' chairman, Sanat Chattopadhyay, 'Bangla Academy' secretary, Tarun Majumder, advisor of 'Nandan' (West Bengal film centre) and Niranjan Saha, director of 'Calcutta State Transport Corporation'.
Besides, 'West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation' director Sudhangshu Sil, chairman of 'Calcutta Tramways Company' Rajdeo Goala and Director of 'Higher Secondary Council' Subimol Sen have also resigned, according to special secretary in the information and cultural affairs department Niloy Ghosh.
Niloy Babu said among those who have expressed their desire to resign include Satyajit Ray state archive' curator Partha Raha, and Director of 'Mass media Centre' Krishna Dhar.
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Sonia unlikely to attend Mamata''s swearing-in ceremony
PTI, New Delhi, 18 May : Congress President Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to attend the swearing-in of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal Chief Minister in Kolkata on Friday, party sources said today.
Home Minister P Chidambaram is expected to represent the Congress at the function along with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and CWC member Shakeel Ahmed, who is in-charge of party affairs in West Bengal, the sources said. The decision on the issue of Congress participation in the government will be taken by tomorrow, they said, adding the indications are positive.
PTI, New Delhi, 18 May : Congress President Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to attend the swearing-in of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal Chief Minister in Kolkata on Friday, party sources said today.
Home Minister P Chidambaram is expected to represent the Congress at the function along with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and CWC member Shakeel Ahmed, who is in-charge of party affairs in West Bengal, the sources said. The decision on the issue of Congress participation in the government will be taken by tomorrow, they said, adding the indications are positive.
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Binayak gets Korean award, says he always "anti-violence"
PTI, New Delhi, 18 May : Civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen today said he condemns violence by all agencies but opposes branding under the single category of Maoism the multi-hued resistance to "forced takeover of indigenous land" in India.In his acceptance speech after receiving the 2011 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in South Korea, he also said he was "never disloyal" to the people of his country.
"I condemn, unequivocally, all violence by any and all individuals and agencies. I believe that violence is an invalid and unsustainable approach to achieving goals, whether these are the goals of the state or the goals of individuals operating outside the law," he said. "Because the state is sworn to uphold the Constitution, I believe we are entitled to hold agents of the state to a higher standard than we hold outlaws," Sen, recently freed on bail by the Supreme Court in a sedition case, said.
He said India is considered around the world as a rapidly developing country. But eight Indian provinces alone have more poor people than 26 African nations put together. "As a physician what concerns me is that such absolute poverty among such large numbers of people really translates into a major health disaster the proportions of which can only be called genocidal," he said.
Sen said the same section of people who are victims of poverty-induced malnutrition now face the threat as global finance capital embarks on its latest phase of expansion.
"The forced takeover of indigenous land is being met with resistance that is multi-hued, yet the state has chosen to brand it under the single category of Maoist, and has met it with brutality and human rights violations," he said.
Dr Sen also said he was determined to fight the case against him till it is finally established that his actions were always in the interest of justice with equity and were "never seditious in nature".
He also appealed to the people of South Korea to oppose the Posco steel project in Orissa, which he said, "threatens the livelihood of thousands of agriculturists, workers and small businesses in the area besides devastating the local environment and ecology."
The Gwangju prize, which carries a sum of USD 50,000, is awarded each year on May 18 - anniversary of the May 1980 Gwangju democratic uprising - to a person or organisation who has made significant contributions in the field of human rights and democracy. Among past awardees were Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. န File Photo : AP
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Qatar airways launch daily Kolkata-Doha flights from 27July
PTI, New Delhi, 18 May : Premier UAE airline Qatar Airways would launch daily flights between Kolkata and Doha from July this year, taking the number of Indian cities it operates to 12.
The daily flights to Kolkata would begin from 27 July, taking the total number of flights to 95 per week from the present 88 from 11 Indian cities, an airline spokesperson said. The airline''s decision to fly to Kolkata is part of its overall expansion plans for this year when it would launch services to several new routes.
PTI, New Delhi, 18 May : Premier UAE airline Qatar Airways would launch daily flights between Kolkata and Doha from July this year, taking the number of Indian cities it operates to 12.
The daily flights to Kolkata would begin from 27 July, taking the total number of flights to 95 per week from the present 88 from 11 Indian cities, an airline spokesperson said. The airline''s decision to fly to Kolkata is part of its overall expansion plans for this year when it would launch services to several new routes.
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Ghai wants to work again with Rituparno after 'Noukadubi'
PTI, Kolkata, 18 May : After producing Rituparno Ghosh''s film on Rabindranath Tagore''s Noukadubi, to be released on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of the poet, Subhash Ghai said he would like to work with the filmmaker again."I am happy with the way Rituparno, undoubtedly one of the most talented filmmakers of the country, has weaved magic with Tagore''s story on celluloid. I also like the rich imagery the director employed," Ghai told PTI.
Speaking after the music launch of the Bengali version of the film aboard a boat in the Ganga ahead of its release next Friday, Ghai said as part of his endeavour to promote "culturally rich cinema" he would like to work with Rituparno again.Ghai even hinted that talks were already on with the National Award winning director for another film.
"Yes, things can even start by the end of this year or in another year''s time, but I can''t shed more light on the subject or anything else. That will be too premature," said Ghai. He said he was ready to collaborate if approached with good scripts and work with the directorial talents of Bengal and encourage creative efforts. "I want to take good Bengali cinema to a global scale," Ghai, producer of acclaimed films like ''Iqbal'' by Nagesh Kukunoor, said.
Coming to ''Noukadubi'', Ghai recalled that he first saw the film after shooting was over at studio and the imagery, the execution of the complex tale of cross-wired lovers, the boatwreck and the haunting music impressed him immensely.
As for the Hindi version of the film ''Kashmakash'', Ghai said Gulzar had beautifully transliterated the Bengali lyrics of Tagore which he described as one of his best works till date.
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