Syria crisis: Heavy clashes in second city of Aleppo

There have been heavy clashes between security forces and rebels in Syria's second city of Aleppo, activists say.

The fighting was centred on the Salah al-Din district, but had also spread to Sakhur and Haydariya, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The rebel Free Syrian Army has gone on the
offensive in Aleppo province in recent days

Aleppo has so far been spared the daily bloodshed seen in other cities since the uprising began in March 2011.

The violence came a day after the UN Security Council voted to extend the UN observer mission for a "final" 30 days.

A resolution stated that after that period the monitors would leave if they were unable to carry out their job of verifying the peace plan brokered by the UN and Arab League's special envoy, Kofi Annan.

Their mandate may be renewed if the use of heavy weapons ends.

The observers' work has been mostly suspended since June because of the escalating violence, which reportedly left more than 300 people dead on Thursday and another 200 on Friday.

On Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to forge a united way forward and exercise its collective responsibility.

Mr Ban also said he would send his Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, to Syria and had asked his top military adviser to take charge of the observer mission.

'Exodus'

Activists said the clashes in Aleppo between troops and members of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) began in Salah al-Din on Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, they had spread into Sakhur and Haydariya.

Aleppo-based activist Mohammed Saeed said the fighting continued throughout the night until Saturday morning, most of it in Salah al-Din.

"Last night was very bad," he told the Associated Press. "There were huge explosions and the gunfire didn't stop for several hours."

"The uprising has finally reached Aleppo," he added.

The governor of Damascus has said all
resistance will be cleared up within five days

Mr Saeed said dozens of FSA fighters had entered from the countryside. Aleppo is not far from Turkey, where the FSA commanders are based.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network, said there had been an "exodus" of Salah al-Din residents "because of fear of a regime bombardment and offensive".

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says fighting in Aleppo is ominous for President Bashar al-Assad's government, since the city has so far stayed out of the uprising.

So too had the capital, Damascus, but those days are now over, our correspondent adds.

Government forces hit back hard on Friday, using all their firepower to retake the southern district of Midan, causing massive damage. Sporadic gunfire and explosions were heard by residents of the city throughout the night.

The governor of Damascus has said all resistance will be cleared up within five days, but not far south of Midan, at Yarmouk, video published online by activists appeared to show the local police station overrun by rebels.

On the other side of the city, in the northern suburb of al-Tal, another video purportedly showed the head of the local Political Security Directorate (PSD) branch and all his staff surrendering to FSA fighters.

There was also a violent and prolonged battle in the rebel-held town of Talbasiya, north of the city of Homs in central Syria. Activists said government forces tried to storm the town then bombarded it heavily.

UN votes to extend Syria observer mission

The UN Security Council has unanimously voted to keep its observer mission in Syria for a "final" 30 days.

However, members agreed the mission could be extended further if the use of heavy weapons ends and fighting eases.

The observers - sent to oversee a ceasefire that never took hold - have suspended their work in the face of escalating violence.

With fighting now engulfing areas of Damascus, thousands of Syrians are fleeing into neighbouring countries.

Government forces in the capital are reported to have launched all-out attacks on rebel strongholds.

They have retaken the Midan district and are believed to have launched an assault on the eastern Jubar area.

As President Bashar al-Assad redeploys troops to quell a growing uprising in the capital, rebels have struck at other targets around the country.

On Thursday rebel fighters took control of crossings on Syria's Iraq and Turkey borders.

And on Friday, fierce fighting broke out in Syria's second city of Aleppo, activists said.

The latest violence comes after an attack on Wednesday that killed four senior members of the regime, including national security chief Hisham Ikhtiar, who died from his injuries on Friday.

'Final extension'

The UN vote came after hours of intense negotiations among security council members.

Russia had threatened to veto the UK-drafted resolution, but Moscow's ambassador Vitaly Churkin finally backed a revised text.

The resolution will end the observer mission in 30 days. The mandate could then be renewed, but only if Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council are able to confirm that both sides are abiding by the terms of the UN-backed ceasefire plan.

Britain's UN ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant, said after the vote: "We have said clearly that it is a final extension unless there is a change in the dynamic on the ground, and in particular that there should be a cessation of use of heavy weapons and that there should be a sufficient reduction in the violence to enable UNSMIS [the observer mission] to carry out its mandate."

US ambassador Susan Rice said it was "unlikely" that the violence in Syria would ease enough to allow a continued UN presence.

She said that Washington's "strong preference" would be for a resolution involving sanctions.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western powers on Friday not to take action against Syria outside of the Security Council.

His spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying: "In the opinion of the Russian president, any attempts to act outside the UN Security Council will be ineffective and only undermine the authority of this international organisation."

On Thursday, Russia - an ally of Damascus - and China had vetoed a resolution on Syria for the third time in nine months.

Under that Western-backed motion, Syria would have been threatened with non-military sanctions - under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter - if it failed to move troops and heavy weapons from populated areas.

As the situation on the ground in Syria worsened, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said that thousands of people were crossing the border into Lebanon.

"The refugee situation has become much more dramatic with the spreading of the violence into Damascus," said UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.

"We have figures that there could be anywhere from 9,000 to 30,000 that have fled across the border into Lebanon just in the last 48 hours.

"There may be up to a million Syrians displaced within the country and inside Damascus we're seeing people shifting from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, sleeping in parks, in schools."

The UNHCR says there are already 26,900 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, although activists say the real figure is much higher.

A UNHCR spokesman told AFP news agency that about 2,500 people had arrived in Jordan over the past four days, adding to the 35,000 registered Syrian refugees already there.

A spokesman described it as "a steady flow".

About 140,000 Syrians are believed to have fled to Jordan since the uprising against President Assad began in March last year. The Jordanian government is building several refugee camps for them.

Reports also suggested that more than 3,000 Syrians had crossed into Iraq in the past 24 hours.

Some Iraqis, who were returning from Syria, have told the BBC they had been forced to flee their homes near Damascus because of sectarian violence and intimidation. They said they had been targeted by the rebel Free Syrian Army.

Kalmadi should volunteer to skip Olympics, says Sports Minister Maken

Mumbai: Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Friday said that though sacked CWG Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, accused in a Games-related graft case, has been allowed by a Delhi Court to go to London for the upcoming Olympic Games, he should voluntarily desist from going to the mega event.

I don't think he should go unless he is cleared of all charges. He himself should volunteer not to go (to the London Games commencing July 27)," Maken said on the sidelines of NDTV's campaign event "Marks for Sports".

The Minister's response came after Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh allowed Kalmadi's plea to visit London from July 26 to August 13, while ordering him to furnish a bond of Rs. 10 lakh and a surety of the same amount.

The Court made it clear Kalmadi is allowed to visit London for the purpose of the Olympics only.

"Accused no. 1 (Kalmadi) is a member of International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Council and President of Asian Athletics Association (AAA) and arguments on charge on his behalf are already over. The arguments on charge of the other accused in the case are going on and it will take time in concluding.

"Accordingly, the application of Kalmadi is allowed," the Judge said.

Meanwhile the ministry has also written a letter to Sh. Randhir Singh, Secretary General of Indian Olympic Association, requesting them not facilitate or sponsor the visit of Kalmadi to London in any manner including air travel, lodging & boarding.

Seeking the Court's permission to visit the United Kingdom for the Games, Kalmadi had also placed on record the invitation from IAAF Council and the general programme schedule of the Olympics and details of the ticket sent to him by the association's General Secretary Essar Gabriel.

The Lok Sabha MP from Pune and 10 others have been charge-sheeted by CBI under various provisions of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act for "illegally" awarding contract to install Timing, Scoring and Results (TSR) system for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to Swiss Timing, causing a loss of over Rs. 90 crore to the exchequer.

Bharat Bhushan shifted to steel ministry as Additional Secretary

New Delhi: EK Bharat Bhushan, who was unexpectedly asked to quit as the chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this week, has been shifted to steel ministry as Additional Secretary.

Mr Bhushan will take over as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser (AS&FA) in the Steel Ministry, swapping postings with Machendranathan, who would join the Civil Aviation Ministry as the DGCA chief. Both Mr Bhushan and Mr Machendranathan belong to the 1979 batch of the IAS, though the former belongs to the Kerala cadre and the latter to the Tamil Nadu cadre.

The government had given no explanation as to why Mr Bhushan, an officer known for his integrity and clean image, had been asked to step down as head of the body which supervises safety and implementation and other civil aviation regulations, and that too just days after his tenure had been extended by six months. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had only said that there were procedural lapses in Mr Bhushan's appointment.


Mr Singh had reportedly asked the civil aviation regulator to resign, leading to questions if he, as the Aviation Minister, is empowered to do so.

Sources had said that Mr Bhushan may have been relieved due to what is believed to be a sour relationship between him and the Civil Aviation Ministry. Many within the ministry believed that Mr Bhushan was a little too straightforward for the liking of the government.

There has also been speculation that Mr Bhushan's recent warnings to Air India and Kingfisher Airlines to pay dues to their employees may have gone against him.

Mr Bhushan is widely known as one of the cleanest officers in the ministry and the man who unearthed the fake pilot scam last year. As the Director General of Civil Aviation, he brought in stringent measures to prevent airlines from compromising on safety matters on account of their financial trouble.

During his 20-month tenure as the head of the aviation regulatory body, the 57-year-old Bhushan handled a series of major cases of flouting of aviation rules, including the fake pilots scam and fudging of records by flying schools.

Prime Minister sets up panel on GAAR

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday set up a four-member committee to look at the General Anti-Avoidance Rules.

The panel will be headed by tax expert Parthasarathi Shome and will submit its report on 30 September


The committee will meet all stakeholders and address investor concerns across the board.

The development comes after finance ministry officials met tax consultants last week and held discussions on the tax reform.

N. Rangachary, former IRDA chairman; Sunil Gupta, joint secretary, tax policy and legislation, department of revenue, and NIPFP professor Ajay Shah will be the other members of the committee, said a release from the Prime Minister's Office.

The committee will have time till end-July to receive comments from stakeholders and the general public, and will have until August 31 to rework the guidelines based on these recommendations and submit a second draft, the release said.

"While these steps (the draft guidelines released last month) are good in themselves, a need was felt for far more widespread consultations. There is a need to have greater clarity on many other fronts. With this in view, the Prime Minister has constituted this expert committee which will bring transparency and a high degree of technical expertise to the consultation process," the release added.

GAAR, which was announced in the Union Budget, aims to target tax evaders, partly by stopping Indian companies and investors from routing investments through Mauritius or other tax havens for the sole purpose of avoiding taxes.

According to estimates released in May, Indian markets have lost $10 billion worth investments from the overseas funds and ultra-rich foreign individuals over a period of little more than one month on taxation worries.

These investors, who mostly invest through P-Notes (participatory notes) in the Indian markets have either pared their exposure to the Indian securities or have deferred their investments ever since India proposed GAAR late in March 2012.

Vice-President poll: Key UPA meeting today

New Delhi: The UPA allies will meet in the evening today to discuss their candidate for the Vice-President's post. The Congress along with a majority of its allies has seemingly set its mind on fielding Hamid Ansari for the post. And it seems to have enough numbers in support, despite the fact that estranged ally Mamata Banerjee is not on board for this election either.

She is reportedly unhappy with Mr Ansari's likely candidacy, much as she was with that of Pranab Mukherjee, the UPA's candidate for President. Ms Banerjee is reportedly not in favour of Mr Ansari getting a second term as he was the original choice of the Left parties.

At today's meeting, though Ms Banerjee would be  missing, the Trinamool Congress would be represented by Railway Minister Mukul Roy and he is expected to put forward their own choice. According to reports, the Trinamool is keen on Former West Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi or Krishna Bose, a relative of Netaji Subhas Bose.


The Congress, however, is keen on Mr Ansari and has sought support from Left, Janata Dal Secular, Bahujan Samaj party and the Samajwadia party among others.

The election for Vice-President will be held in August. Even without Ms Banerjee, the Congress and its allies have 444 MPs, much more than the 396 votes they need to get Mr Ansari a second term. Stacked against Mr Ansari are the votes of 236 MPs - those of the BJP-led NDA, without the Janata Dal(United), the AIADMK, the Shiv Sena and the BJD. 

The NDA-led Opposition has not spelt out its stand on the vice-presidential polls so far.

Jagadish Shettar faces land denotification trouble

Bangalore: Within hours of being named as Karnataka Chief Minister, a private complaint was filed on Wednesday against Jagadish Shettar in the Lokayukta court alleging irregularities in land denotification by him six years ago.

The complaint filed before Lokayukta Judge NK Sundhindra Rao alleged that Mr Shettar denotified 178 acres in 2006 as Revenue Minister violating rules that caused a revenue loss of Rs.250 crore to the state exchequer.

The complainant, city based social activist SM Chethan, pleaded for action under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act against Shettar, who is to be sworn in as Chief Minister 


Mr Shettar was today appointed as Chief Minister and invited to form the government by Governor HR Bhardwaj after incumbent DV Sadananda Gowda resigned in a change of leadership following intra-party power struggle in the BJP.

The Judge posted the complaint to July 21 for orders on probe.

The complainant alleged that Mr Shettar, without cabinet approval, had denotified 178 acres out of 376 acres acquired in 2006 for establishing a single roof mega farmers market at Dasanapura near Bangalore on applications by some land sharks along with farmers who owned the land.

This caused a loss of Rs. 250 crore to the state exchequer at the present market value of the land, he alleged, but added the project was never implemented.

Mr Shettar along with the then Special Land Acquisition Officer and the then Director, Agriculture Marketing Board stand accused in the case.

Mr Shettar is the latest BJP leader to court controversy over land denotification, which has come to haunt the BJP regime in the state with former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and several ministers and MLAs battling legal proceedings. 

Nitish Kumar likely to support Hamid Ansari for Vice-President, with or without BJP

Patna/New Delhi: The relationship between Nitish Kumar and his ally, the BJP, hasn't exactly been a bed of roses lately. A new thorn that could hurt the BJP is the predisposition of the Chief Minister to support Hamid Ansari for Vice-President.

Mr Kumar reportedly feels that if the BJP decides to back a different candidate, his Janata Dal (United) will not be on board. Mr Kumar and the BJP are already on opposing sides for the President of India. The Chief Minister has decided controversially to back Pranab Mukherjee, the former Finance Minister who is the candidate of the ruling UPA. The BJP is backing former speaker PA Sangma. Though the odds are loaded heavily in favour of Mr Mukherjee, the BJP wanted to put up a fight with its own candidate to prove that it is not an impotent opposition. It tried to convince Mr Kumar to join its effort, but his party said it was obliged to back the better man, in its opinion. 

The PM has already called CPM leader Prakash Karat and today he called CPI's Bardhan and Sudhakar Reddy in an attempt to build support for Mr Ansari.


The Bihar Chief Minister has not yet been consulted by the PM. But his kinship with Mr Ansari is well-known. The Chief Minister, however, wants to take some time to make a formal commitment - he's worried about appearing as a pathological party-pooper for the BJP-led coalition, the NDA, which he belongs to.

For a while, Mr Ansari was running neck-to-neck with Mr Mukherjee as the Congress party's contender for President. When the BJP's Sushma Swaraj said she would not support Mr Ansari because he lacked the stature required for Rashtrapati Bhawan's main resident, Mr Kumar bristled. He made it clear that his party did not echo the views of its partner.  

Mr Kumar came to power in Bihar heavily supported by the state's 15% Muslim population. That votebank will be pleased with his support for Mr Ansari.

In April this year, when Mr Ansari was the chief guest at an official function in Patna, he turned down a lunch invitation from the Governor to eat with the Chief Minister. The gesture was interpreted by some as a breach of protocol, but one that established the close bond between the two leaders.