24 November 2006
Shimla, Nov 24 (IANS) Fourteen animals, including a horse, were charred to death when a cowshed in a Himachal Pradesh village caught fire.
The fire in the remote village of Sail in Chamba valley, 400 km from here, was discovered only the next morning, media reports said Friday.
The owner Khayali Ram was quoted as saying that he had retired for the night after feeding the animals and the entire family was horrified to find the wooden cowshed reduced to ashes in the morning.
The animals could not escape as they were leashed and the door was bolted. The half burnt carcasses of four bulls, three cows, four goats, two buffaloes and a horse were found in a pile of ash.
London, Nov 24 (IANS) Nine million pounds contributed by the British government as aid for victims of the Asian tsunami have gone missing, according to a House of Commons watchdog body.
The government gave 53 million pounds to charity organisations but 9 million pounds remains "unaccounted for". The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Commons has asked ministers to urgently seek accounts from the charity organisations.
The tsunami, which struck on Boxing Day in 2004, devastated coastal regions in India and elsewhere around the Indian Ocean after an underwater earthquake. Nearly 300,000 people were reported killed.
PAC chairman Edward Leigh praised the Department for International Development (DFID) for its "swift and impressive" response, he added: "It is clear now, however, that the department has some lessons to learn.
"Nearly a year and a half after, it still had no idea whether some 9 million pounds of the nearly 53 million pounds donated to agencies had been spent or not. The department must make sure organisations given grants provide audited evidence that the money was actually spent on the victims of the disaster."
However, a DFID spokesperson said: "For the aid delivered to help victims of the tsunami, we know how that money was spent. Two and a half million pounds of unspent aid money has been returned.
"And we have agreed with some partners that any unspent money is now reallocated towards longer term humanitarian projects."
Tehran, Nov 24 (NNN-IRNA) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Islamic countries must establish independent political, economic, and cultural organizations, and through co-operation with one another, provide new ways of administering their countries.
In a meeting here Thursday with visiting Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, he stressed that failures of the capitalistic and materialistic Western world to bring hope and prosperity to humanity made it necessary for Islamic countries and organisations to play a larger and more effective role in this field.
Pointing to the plentiful resources and tremendous potential of Islamic nations, President Ahmadinejad said the advancement of any Islamic country is a step forward for the entire Islamic world.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Ahmadinejad said Iran and Malaysia are two of the most advanced Islamic countries, and stressed that Tehran imposes no limits on expansion of co-operation and ties with Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian foreign minister said Iran provided a great role-model for other Islamic nations to emulate, and stressed that through co-operation and unity of Muslims, the light of Islam will illuminate the entire world.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The civil aviation ministry has asked all domestic airlines to reschedule their flights in view of foggy conditions that set in every winter and inform passengers well in advance of changes.
"The government has issued certain guidelines to ensure comfort for passengers during the winter season as flights often get delayed due to foggy conditions in the airport," Director General Civil Aviation K. Gohain told reporters Friday on the sidelines of the India-European Union aviation summit here.
Airlines have also been asked to provide food and water to passengers stranded at airports if flights get delayed for too long. This applies to low cost carriers as well.
A number of flights get delayed every year during winter resulting in a large number of passengers getting stranded at north Indian airports. The fog reduces visibility to minimum, making it difficult for aircraft to take off, especially during morning and evening hours.
"This year the situation is expected to be no different as most private airlines don't have enough pilots trained in working under CAT-II and CAT-III systems, which can help airplanes take off or land even under foggy conditions," a senior aviation ministry official said.
By Gyan Varma
Nithari (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 24 (IANS) The safe recovery of the son of a top corporate executive does not bring a smile on the face of Sunita, who runs a small laundry here on the edge of New Delhi. She awaits the return of her 10-year-old daughter who was kidnapped 15 months ago.
Sunita is not the only parent angry with police inaction: 38 children, mostly girls, in the age group of 3-11 years have gone missing in the past one-and-a-half-years, according to villagers.
The situation in this overgrown village of 25,000 people shows no signs of improvement. Aarti, an eight-year-old daughter of Durga Prasad, a driver, was kidnapped a few weeks ago.
Kidnappings do not make news any more in much of the rural belt of Noida, adjoining the Indian capital. Every month around two children are being abducted while playing outside their homes.
Most people here have migrated from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, earning their livelihood as domestic help, drivers and vendors of vegetables and fruits.
"Police only want money from us, we do not think they want to look for our children. They will work only for the rich and the influential who can speak to ministers and get their work done," said Sunita, tears rolling down her eyes as she remembered the last time she saw her daughter.
"We only get abused and beaten by the cops every time we go to enquire about our missing children. This has happened for the past 15 months and it will continue," she said while sitting in her makeshift laundry shop at the corner of the main road.
Furious at the inefficiency of the Noida police in tracing the kidnapped children, another resident of the village, Pappu Lal, said: "We fear that our daughters might have been forced into prostitution by the kidnappers. What else could be the reason for targeting girls?"
His daughter, Rachna Kumari, 8, went missing April 10 while playing outside her house.
"We have gone to far off places like Jaipur, Mumbai, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Lucknow, Varanasi and Allahabad in search of our children," Pappu Lal added.
Said Ram Kishan, a driver whose three-year-old boy Harsh Dhanuk was kidnapped in February: "We came all the way from Bihar to earn a living and not to lose our children.
"I know my child must be in trouble - he is too young to take care of himself. But I am helpless as I cannot do anything," said Kishan. "It is hard to even eat a meal when you are aware that your child might not have food."
The Noida police denied the villagers' claim that 38 children were missing.
"There are only 11 complaints of missing children and we have managed to find six of them. Only five children are missing now," said Rajesh Kumar Singh Rathore, a senior superintendent of police.
"We had formed a special investigation team to find these children. Our team is currently in Mumbai looking for them," said Rathore.
Responding to the allegation that police served only the high and mighty, he said: "This is completely baseless. We are diligently working to trace these children and we hope to find them. I am worried for the five missing girls because I fear they might have been forced into prostitution. We are sensitive enough to realise the plight of the parents."
Berlin, Nov 24 (NNN-IRNA) The anti-Muslim Dutch Freedom Party caused a major political earthquake, winning unexpectedly nine of the 150 seats in the parliament, the German press reported Thursday.
Headed by Islamophobic politician Geert Wilders, the Dutch party campaigned against Muslims and immigrants in Holland. Wilders was an independent lawmaker in the last parliament.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Christian Democrats (CDA) finished as winners in Wednesday's Dutch general election, taking 41 of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament, according to results based on 97 per cent of votes cast.
The main opposition Labour Party (PvdA) took 32 seats. The third-largest force was the Socialist Party, which climbed to 26 seats from nine in 2003. Balkenende's coalition partner, the liberal VVD, lost votes to secure 22 seats.
The electoral commission reported voter turnout at 80.1 per cent of 12.3 million people eligible.
Coalition talks are expected to drag on for several weeks.
The early elections were brought forward from May, 2007 following the collapse of Balkenende's three-party coalition government in the summer.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and there is nothing to debate about this. But India should not do anything to raise tensions with China, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday.
An agitated Mukherjee, replying to an almost an hour long impromptu discussion in the Lok Sabha over Chinese ambassador to India Sun Yuxi's statement that Arunachal was China's, also rejected opposition leader L.K. Advani's demand for a resolution in parliament denouncing the envoy's remarks.
"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India... The house (Lok Sabha) had passed a resolution in 1962 clarifying our stand on Arunachal Pradesh, which is part of history," Mukherjee said.
"It is not a debatable issue at all," the minister thundered. "This continues to remain the position of parliament and successive governments. There is no change in this position."
Raising the issue, Adavani expressed concern over the ambassador's statement on the eve of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to India. He alleged that the government did not react sharply to the claim by the ambassador.
A few days before Hu's visit, Sun's remarks claiming Arunachal Pradesh to be a part of China had created a furore.
"'In our position the whole of the state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory. Tawang is only one of the places in it. We are claiming all of that. That is our position,'" Sun had said.
Mukherjee said the issue should not spoil relations between the two countries.
"Two special representatives were appointed and eight rounds of discussions were held (to resolve the border dispute). Let's not create a situation that heightens the tension.
"Over the years we have developed our relations. Ice has been broken; the process began in 2001 and the trade relations have improved," Mukherjee said, adding that he was giving the credit to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's National Democratic Alliance government.
Mukherje also pointed out that there was Chinese transgression on the Actual Line of Control on the Sino-Indian border in June 2003 when Vajpayee was visiting Beijing.
"It has happened in the past. China does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh. We have never accepted that position," he said.
The house witnessed acrimonious scenes when members from various parties voiced anguish over the Chinese ambassador's claim.
Arunachal Pradesh MPs Tapir Gao and Kiran Rijiju also spoke. Gao said: "People of Arunachal have expressed their love and affection towards India. There is not even a separatist movement in our state. We are proud of it."
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Expressing concern over reports of atrocities on Hindus in Kazakhastan and Sikhs in Afghanistan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday asked the government to exert diplomatic pressure on the two countries to stop these incidents.
"The BJP is deeply concerned over the recent media reports about demolition of a temple in Kazakhastan and atrocities on Hindus there. This is a cause of worry for the whole nation," BJP chief Rajnath Singh told reporters here.
"There are also reports of atrocities and humiliation of Sikhs in Afghanistan. There is a miniscule minority of Sikhs left in Afghanistan now, as most of them had migrated to India in the face of the Taliban atrocities.
"It is reported that there were several incidents of atrocities on Sikh in Kandahar in recent days."
Criticising the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for not taking up these issues with the governments of these countries, Singh said: "It is strange that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or his government was unable to even register a protest on this issue to Afghan President Hamid Karzai who had just visited India."
"Even in the case of the temple demolition, British Prime Minister Tony Blair had expressed his anguish to the Kazakh government while the UPA government remained a mute spectator."
He urged the government to seek a proper report on the situation from the Kazakh government.
"The government should also exert strong diplomatic pressure on the Afghan government to ensure the safety of the Sikh community."
Kolkata, Nov 24 (IANS) Britain Friday pitched in for infrastructure projects on PPP (public private participation) model in West Bengal.
British firms have the capability to deliver top quality budget infrastructure on time, Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs Ian McCartney said at an interactive session with the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here.
McCartney, who met West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya at the state secretariat Writers' Buildings Thursday, said the government here has great plans for rejuvenating the city and the state and the British companies can help in the process.
He said the British companies can provide skills if the state builds airports.
"With 21 international airports, Britain is a global air transport hub. We know how to build and manage first class airports. The outstanding airports at Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong wouldn't have been there without the British input," he said.
The minister also showcased British firms in development and management of ports.
"British firms lead the way in design and management of ports, including port security. British companies also provide services like deep sea container, passenger terminals, fishing ports and gas terminals," McCartney said.
He said the British companies could provide input for development, planning and operation of water and waste water services.
"British firms are already in discussion with the municipal bodies here to help improve the delivery of water, waste water and solid waste services in the city," the minister said said.
He also highlighted British expertise in construction and regeneration of heritage structures.
McCartney said Britain has risen to PPP funding mechanism and last year 780 PPP projects worth 53 billion pounds had been signed.
Another 26 billion pound worth of deals were in the pipeline over the next four years, he said.
Hamburg, Nov 24 (DPA) Three English Premiership sides and Scottish club Glasgow Rangers sailed in to the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.
Tottenham and Newcastle United both made it three straight wins in the tournament group stage Thursday while Blackburn and Rangers picked up draws, which also proved to be enough to advance to the last 32 with a game to spare.
Dinamo Bucharest meanwhile remained second in the group on four points after a 1-1 draw at Club Brugge.
Newcastle came from behind to defeat Spain's Celta Vigo 2-1 to extend their lead in Group H.
Turkey's Fenerbahce sank Serie A high-fliers Palermo in Istanbul with goals from Ghana striker Stephen Appiah (20), Uruguayan defender Diego Lugano (62) and Tuncay Sandi (83).
Blackburn progressed thanks to a goalless draw against Feyenoord in a Group E encounter in Rotterdam. The point proved enough after Basel and Nancy finished 2-2.
Glasgow Rangers qualified with a 2-2 draw at Auxerre in Group A while in the same group Maccabi Haifa earned a 1-0 win over Partizan Belgrade to edge closer to qualification.
Czech side Slovan Liberec claimed their first victory of the group stage with a 4-1 drubbing of Grasshoppers Zurich in Group C.
Alkmaaar, who were without a game, stay top of the group on six points, ahead of Spain's Sevilla who move second on four points thanks to a 2-0 win over Braga, Luis Fabiano and Chevanton scoring in each half.
Hapoel Tel Aviv boosted their hopes with a 4-2 win at Paris St. Germain to move second in Group G, two points behind Panathinaikos, who were not playing.
Salim Toema scored two early goals and Walid Badir and Elyaniv Barda were also on target after the break for the Israel side.
Spain's Espanyol stormed to the top of Group F with a 6-2 thrashing of previous leaders Zulte-Waregem, with Luis Garcia scoring a hat trick and Walter Pandiani a brace.
Sparta Prague meanwhile picked up their first point in three matches with a goalless draw against visiting Ajax. Espanyol and Zulte-Waregem each have six points, with Ajax two points adrift.
Kathmandu, Nov 24 (Xinhua) A parliamentary committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Nepal has approved a citizenship bill that will facilitate the distribution of citizenship certificates to thousands of people living in the country, The Rising Nepal said on Friday.
"The bill has been passed by the parliamentary committee as per the historic agreement" between the government and the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)), said Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula.
Problems related to the citizenship would be solved within two months after the approval of the bill by the parliament, he added.
The committee expressed its confidence that the passage of the bill by the Nepali parliament would resolve the problem of citizenship that had become a subject of dispute in the country for a long time.
There are about 50,000 people living in Nepal who have not received their citizenship certificate, leading to agitation in some part of the country, particularly in the Terai region adjoining the Indian border.
Under the bill, citizenship certificate would be provided on the basis of heredity, naturalisation and birth in Nepal.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Delhi High Court Friday directed Uttar Pradesh to release all impounded buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and asked the two states to resolve their dispute by Dec 1.
It also directed the Delhi government to allow compressed natural gas (CNG) buses of Uttar Pradesh to enter the capital for refilling.
A division bench comprising judges Vijender Jain and Kailash Gambhir said if the state governments failed to settle the dispute through talks, their chief secretaries would be present in the court in person to explain the matter on Dec 1.
The directions came on a petition by the Noida branch of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) seeking directions to the Delhi government to immediately allow its CNG kit-fitted buses to enter Delhi at least for refilling gas.
The petitioner submitted that thousands of commuters staying in Noida and Greater Noida area were facing a great deal of hardship due to the arbitrary act on the part of the Delhi Government.
The present standoff started Nov 16 when the Delhi government barred buses of the UPSRTC from entering Delhi in pursuance of an apex court order not to allow non-CNG vehicles in the capital. The Uttar Pradesh government in retaliation barred DTC buses from entering the state and seized 122 buses.
The petitioner also accused the Delhi government of violating a 2004 agreement permitting it to run CNG-operated city buses to and from the capital.
The Uttar Pradesh government had allowed the transport department of the Delhi government to ply its city buses in the state without permit and the DTC had been maintaining a bus depot in Noida for the past 20 years, the petition stated.
Karachi, Nov 24 (IANS) Cricket is unlikely to be inducted in the Olympic Games in the "foreseeable future", said Jacques Rogge, president of International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"ICC itself has not applied for Olympic membership and the game is unlikely to get entry into the IOC community though I myself am fond of cricket," Rogge was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper Friday.
"I have to persuade other heads of state and government to work for promotion of sports but here both the president and prime minister of Pakistan are lovers of sports and as such are keen for sports promotion," said the Belgium-born Rogge.
On the inclusion of squash, a sport Pakistan has traditionally dominated, the IOC chief said a decision to include it in Olympics would be decided in 2009. He pointed out that he was keen to include the sport in the 2016 Olympics.
"The host city of 2016 Olympics would be decided in 2009 and at that time the sports to be played in 2016 Olympics will also be decided," said Rogge.
He added that he would extend all help to Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) in the tough task of development of women sports in this country.
Rogge said Asia would have the largest representation at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) A leading private hospital here Friday claimed it has performed 100 liver transplants in five years.
"The liver transplant programme started in 2001 and so far we have completed 101 cases. Of these 58 cases were performed in 2006 only. This achievement makes us the first hospital in South Asia to perform such a large number of operations," said B.K. Rao, chairman of the board of management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
"In the past five years, India witnessed nearly 350 cases of liver transplant of which Ganga Ram Hospital is credited with the bulk of work," Rao told reporters.
The hospital is carrying out almost two to three such cases in the past few months.
It gets patients from many foreign countries including Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Holland and Dubai.
"We have operated upon eight Pakistanis and eight Myanmarese so far. We get the maximum number of foreign patients from these two countries," said A.S. Soin, the leading liver transplant surgeon of the hospital.
For a transplant, Soin said, they charge Rs.1.8 million for adults and Rs.1.2 million for children.
The procedure takes over ten hours and at least two operation theatres are used at the same time to complete the task.
"Out of the 101 cases only five were cadaver transplants (organs taken from the brain dead people). The rest were live donor transplants," said S. Nundy, another leading surgeon.
He said people in India do not usually donate their organs for medical purposes.
"If organs are readily available the operation can be completed in less time and cost."
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 24 (IANS) A near day-long road blockade on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at three places by angry DMK workers ended Friday after the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) top brass met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the Mullaperiyar dam issue.
Trouble erupted on the border at three places - Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Thekkady - when the DMK supporters waylaid vehicles Thursday afternoon after divers of the Indian Navy were asked to dive into the dam to find out about the increasing water level at Mullaperiyar. The dam, though located in Kerala's Idukki district, is owned and maintained by Tamil Nadu and irrigates large tracts in that state.
As soon as news of the divers being requisitioned by the Kerala government spread, irate DMK workers started stopping the movement of goods into Kerala state.
The stoppage resulted in serpentine queues of trucks and buses Friday at Palakkad, on the border with Tamil Nadu, extending to more than 20 km. The same was true at Thekkady and the state capital.
"Forty buses belonging to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) were held up at various places in Tamil Nadu and buses were stoned at two places," said KSRTC managing director T.P. Senkumar.
The issue was resolved after CPI-M leader Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury discussed the issue with Karunanidhi.
Vegetable vendors at Kochi and here heaved a sigh of relief as the first batch of vehicles carrying vegetables started arriving into the state late Friday evening.
"It was a harrowing time for us as the police and DMK workers started harassing us when we were stopped near the Kerala border," said a lorry driver.
"Prices of vegetables have already shot up. However, the movement would be back to normal in another 12 hours," said officials of the Traders Association at Kochi.
Trouble between the two states began ever since the present water level in the 111-year-old dam rose to above the prescribed level of 136 feet. The current water level is 138 feet.
The rising waters of the dam, situated 240 km from here on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, prompted the local administration last week to alert villagers living on the banks of the Periyar river to move elsewhere.
Meanwhile in New Delhi, Kerala MPs met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention in resolving the issue.
"The prime minister assured us that he would use his good offices to resolve the problem. He said he has already spoken with the Tamil Nadu chief minister," said Suresh Kurup, MP from Kottayam.
The CPI-M general secretary Praksh Karat and politburo member Sitaram Yechury spoke to both the chief ministers and asked them to sort out the differences at next Wednesday's meeting.
Karunanidhi had threatened to pull out of the proposed talks in New Delhi if Kerala went ahead with its move to get naval officers to check the security of the dam without the permission of his government.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Former champions Mohun Bagan will play Dempo Sports Club and Sporting Clube de Goa will clash with JCT Mills of Phagwara in the semi-finals of the 119th Osian's Durand Cup football tournament here Saturday.
In the last quarter-final league match Friday, defending champions Army XI defeated East Bengal 2-1. Both teams were out of the tournament even before this game.
In the other match, Dempo Sports Club and JCT Phagwara played out a 1-1 draw.
The Army XI-East Bengal encounter was just a formality with both teams having missed out on semi-final berths. Vijay Thapa fired the first goal for the Army XI and Alvito D'Cunha of East Bengal levelled the scores in the 54th minute.
Thapa scored his second goal of the match in the 68th minute to help the Army XI to a consolation win.
Earlier, in the first match of the day, both Dempo Sports Club and JCT Phagwara failed to score in the first hour, before Mandeep Singh of JCT broke the stalemate with a fine goal in the 64th minute.
Three minutes later, Dempo equalised through Isfaq Ahmed.
The Mohun Bagan-Dempo semi-final will be played at 12 noon, while the Sporting Clube de Goa-JCT match will take place at 3 p.m.
London, Nov 24 (IANS) Folic acid tablets could prove a cheap and simple way of cutting heart disease and stroke risk, new evidences suggests.
According to a study by heart experts, folic acid could lower homocysteine concentrations - an amino acid in the blood considered to be a cause of cardiovascular disease, reported Newswise wire.
David Wald and colleagues from the London School of Medicine and Barts Hospital, London, examined all the evidence from different studies to see whether raised homocysteine is a cause of cardiovascular disease.
Some studies looked at homocysteine and the occurrence of heart attacks and strokes in large numbers of people (cohort studies), some focused on people with a common genetic variant which increases homocysteine levels to a small extent (genetic studies), while others tested the effects of lowering homocysteine levels (random controlled trials).
The cohort studies and genetic studies yielded similar results, indicating a protective effect from lower homocysteine levels, even though they did not share the same sources of possible error.
The random trials were too small to be conclusive although their results were consistent with the expected protective effects of folic acid.
The conclusion that homocysteine is a cause of cardiovascular disease explains the observations from all the different types of study, say the authors.
Since folic acid reduces homocysteine concentrations, it follows that increasing folic acid consumption will reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, the researchers said.
They were of the view that the evidence was sufficient to justify action on lowering homocysteine concentrations, although it could be reviewed when new evidence from ongoing clinical trials emerge.
By Farooq Ganai
Who killed them and what for they got killed has put a big question mark on the humanity. Yes I am talking about recent grenade attack that killed six innocents and injured more than sixty people including women and teenagers in Pulwama area of south Kashmir, after carrying an attack on a congregation that too on Friday.
Thousands of people lost their lives during all these years of turmoil in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, some of them were brutally massacred by unknown persons whom the government failed to unmask or brought to books.
At every times when such incidents took place the militants or security agencies are blamed each other and when they don’t owe any responsibility then it is given the name of mere attack on Jihad or Nationality.
“All of us are humans having no physical difference�, says Balk Ram of Akhnoor adding that this is kalyug, and human brain has become cruel.
According to a local Pandit, no religion teaches to kill other humans, but those committing such acts are ignoring the teachings. “We all are secular and have maintained it so far� said Mohd Yaseen of Doda. Adding, Jammu and Kashmir is rich in every thing including secularism.
The fact is who got killed is a human being and unfortunately the killer is also human with some consideration. Whether it is Hindu or Muslim, the reality is, all are the sons of Adam the creation of God, and have been given different names for identification and religion to profess.
If, it would not heart any body's sentiment the Kashmir has become a pasture for the people who run their vehicles while using human blood as fuel. So called drivers are of immoral and are also humans but have perhaps lost human sense for want of power and money.
During last sixteen years thousands of people irrespective of cast, creed and colour were allegedly killed either at the hands of militants or security forces. Some people are still missing and the fate of whom is still not known.
The attacks on religious places are carried by some agencies who don’t want that the religious groups of the state should unite. Such types of attacks were previously carried in Jammu region of the state also, targeting the historical Raghunath Temple.
“We don’t know who is behind the attack, but one thing is sure who so ever is behind these inhuman acts won’t be spared by the people�, says Ghulam Mohd, a local resident of Tahab.
Kashmir used to be the heaven but now the situation is like hell and all of us are scared every time, as bullet has over powered ballet said Ali Mohd a fruit grower of south Kashmir, adding that I am sixty one years old and am still able to fight against all social evils.
Elaborating his vision about the ongoing situation in Kashmir, Ali said, “Now God is the only saver and he can only save Kashmiris from this trouble.
Whenever, there is dialogue between the two countries over the Kashmir issue the black sheep’s in the state carries such attacks to destabilize the same. “A particular group carry such activity so that their shops which they open under the garb of power or politics remained open for selling Kashmir.
The important thing is that security forces arrested a young boy who according to them belongs to Hizbul Muhajadin but Hizb also condemned the attack. Situation begs the question : then who is the killer?
History speaks right from 1931 when so ever, Kashmir issue was being taken to its logical end, some or the other problem was created by the people who want to keep the issue alive.
It is immaterial whether the Kashmir issue would be solved or not. Who run the shops of exploitation under the ‘wolfs head’, will never give up their business and will continue to lit their lamps at the cost of human life.
Let all of us again think and pledge that humanity is above all, for all, of all and we should respect to maintain it in letter and spirit.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) In an attempt to break the stalemate over the long-pending pension bill, the government Friday made fresh suggestions to its Left partners, who said they would consider them.
Although Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury confirmed there were new proposals on both the bills - on which the Left had serious reservations - he refused to give out the details.
The Left, which extends support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government from outside, is still firm on their demand for guaranteed returns to employees on their pension.
"We want a judicious mix of both contributory and definite in pension funds," Yechury told reporters.
The Left has opposed the Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill saying it would not support pension money to be invested in stock market.
They had even ruled out government's proposals that it could be entrusted with public fund managers like United Trust of India, State Bank of India or Life Insurance Corporation of India.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Guyana's India-aided Providence Stadium, which has come up where there were cane fields once, will have "green, hard and fast" outfield when it hosts the 2007 cricket World Cup.
World Cup venue development director Donald Lockerbie said the pitch and the outfield have to improve in time for the 16-team tournament that starts March 11.
"Lockerbie expressed satisfaction with the work done so far but made no bones about the state of the pitch and outfield after last Thursday's visit, stressing that component has some way to go," said the World Cup organisers in a statement.
Lockerbie said the best expertise in Guyana and the region would be utilised to get the field "green, hard and fast". This can be done in the required time, he assured.
World Cup managing director and CEO Chris Dehring was, however, pleased with what he saw.
He marvelled at "what was but a cane-field at the Providence site two-and-a-half years ago has become a fantastic stadium". However, he too cautioned there is still a lot to be done.
The stadium, which will stage six second round World Cup matches between March 27 and April 10, has been billed as a symbol of friendship between India and Guyana with India giving the Guyanese government a grant of $6 million.
While stating that Guyanese should see Providence Stadium as a national symbol, Dehring urged the island's local organising committee to continue tackling their challenges and called on its people to support the organisers in their quest to fulfil Guyana's commitment to the World Cup.
On accommodation, Dehring said he was confident that Guyana would meet its requirements.
He said the completion of Buddy's International Hotel is important. That project is aiming for a year-end opening.
Dehring said that till date 1,000 rooms in Guyanese homes have been registered for the tournament's bed and breakfast programme.
The World Cup will be held in nine Caribbean islands between March 11 and April 28.
Islamabad, Nov 24 (DPA) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met Chinese President Hu Jintao here and the sides are due to sign a major package of trade, military and cultural agreements.
Hu, who arrived here from India on a four-day visit Thursday, is expected to reassure Musharraf that Beijing values its long-standing ties with Islamabad despite emerging partnership with New Delhi in trade and nuclear technology.
China and Pakistan are "good neighbours, close friends, trusted partners and dear brothers", Hu said ahead of the talks.
Pakistan and China also have a long-standing agreement on nuclear cooperation. China is a main supplier of conventional weapons to the Pakistani armed forces.
After unveiling broad plans with the Indian leadership this week to promote bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation and double trade to $40 billion by 2010, Hu stressed that China did not seek any "selfish gains" in South Asia and was ready to facilitate peace between India and Pakistan.
At a reception Thursday evening, Musharraf hailed Pakistan's close links with China as a "shining example of good neighbourly relations".
The president also reaffirmed his country's commitment to defusing tensions with India and ushering in a "new era of peace and prosperity for South Asia".
A raft of documents is due to be signed in Islamabad, including a free trade pact and a Chinese investment package worth up to $5 billion. While bilateral trade totals only about $4 billion a year, the accords are hoped to boost the figure to around $15 billion over five years.
Before he leaves Pakistan Sunday, Hu will also travel to Lahore, Pakistan's cultural centre.
But security concerns will prevent a planned visit to Gwadar in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province where a strategic port is being built with Chinese assistance.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Perhaps for the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) could assist the security forces in anti-terrorist operations at the nation's borders. But the IAF will not use its aircraft and weapons against Maoists and other ultras operating within the country, a senior officer said Friday.
The IAF is also increasingly focusing on precision guided weapons as part of its medium and long term plans to achieve a 24x7 battle capability, Air Commodore Ravi Burli, who heads fighter operations at the IAF's premier Western Air Command (WAC), said at a media interaction here.
"We are readying ourselves for asymmetrical warfare of the future across the spectrum of conflict ranging from low intensity warfare on the borders to counter terrorism," Burli explained, speaking ahead of the annual WAC station commanders' conference.
Commanding officers of the 18 air bases of the WAC will be attending the four day conference Nov 27-Dec 1.
"The conference gives an opportunity to the field commanders to interact with senior WAC officers and to familiarise themselves with the future plans and strategies of the IAF," explained WAC commander-in-Chief Air Marshal A.K. Singh.
Speaking about the IAF's efforts in the war against terror, Burali said the force was "developing the capability of the security agencies to coordinate activities" in areas prone to terrorist activities.
This would be done through an array of measures including the use of unnamed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite imagery, the officer explained.
One UAV has already been placed at the disposal of the Chhattisgarh government to counter Maoist activities in the state.
"We have to take a holistic approach to anti-national activities. In the war against terror, we have to ensure that all the assets of the state are put to best use," Burali maintained.
He replied in the negative when asked whether the IAF would go into operation against Maoists and other terror groups operating in India, saying it would never use its firepower against Indian citizens, no matter how misguided they were.
At the same time, he left open the question of whether the IAF would act against foreign guerrillas operating in states like Jammu and Kashmir.
As for precision-guided munitions (PGMs), the IAF had first used a modified version of these with telling effect during the 1999 Kargil operations against Pakistani intruders in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir. Their effectiveness had spurred the IAF to concentrate on this weapon, Burali stated.
"What we are aiming at is the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) and Destruction of Enemy Air Defences (DEAD)," he added.
Unlike conventional bombs that virtually have to be "nursed" to their targets, a combat jet armed with a PGM can fire its missile at a target and then take evasive action even as the weapon continues toward its target. This ensures not only greater accuracy but also reduces the risk to the aircraft from ground and air fire.
During the Kargil operations, the IAF had drooped 2,000-pounder bombs that were fitted with an Israeli guidance and stabilising system. These have now been further refined.
"During war, there is often need to target urban centres but there is also need to guard against collateral damage. That's where the PGMs come extremely handy," Burali explained.
Doha, Nov 24 (IANS) India has withdrawn from the men's and women's basketball, sepak takraw and fencing events of the 15th Asian Games, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) informed the organisers here Friday.
The Doha Asian Games Organising Committee announced here that that they have been advised by the IOA through a fax from New Delhi that it was withdrawing its basketball teams "due to last minute unavoidable circumstances".
Doubts on India's participation were raised Thursday when the Indian team failed to turn up for its opening match against Bahrain at noon without information. The referee awarded the match to opponents.
There have also been some doubts about the football team's participation.
But an All India Football Federation (AIFF) spokesman said from New Delhi that the team would surely take part, even if the federation has to bear the cost of the passage.
"The team will definitely take part in the games. The IOA has so far not informed us whether it will bear the cost or not," he said.
"But if the IOA or the Indian government refuse to bear the team's passage cost, AIFF will bear the same."
The Indian team is in Dubai where it is training. It is scheduled to fly to Doha Monday and play its opening Group D match against Hong Kong Wednesday.
The Indian sports ministry has so far cleared 387 athletes of 24 sports disciplines, and rejected eight sports, including football. The IOA had proposed a list of 589-strong contingent.
The Asian Games will be held from Dec 1-15.
Washington, Nov 24 (IANS) China obtained secret stealth technology used on B-2 bomber engines from a Hawaii-based Indian American spy in a compromise US officials say will allow Beijing to copy or counter a key weapon in the Pentagon's new strategy against China, according to a local daily.
Details of the classified defence technology related to the B-2's engine exhaust system and its ability to avoid detection by infrared sensors were sold to Chinese officials by former defence contractor Noshir S. Gowadia, an India-born citizen charged with spying in a federal indictment released by prosecutors in Hawaii, the Washington Times reported Thursday.
Additionally, Gowadia provided extensive technical assistance to Chinese weapons designers in developing a cruise missile with an engine exhaust system that is hard to detect by radar, according to court papers made public recently.
He also helped the Chinese modify a cruise missile so it can intercept US air-to-air missiles and helped Chinese weapons designers improve testing and measurement facilities, the court papers state.
Most of the indictment, handed up Nov 8, outlines how the engineer helped China develop a radar-evading stealth exhaust nozzle for a cruise missile engine.
Additionally, the court papers indicated that Gowadia sent e-mails to Israel, Germany and Switzerland in 2002 and 2004 that contained data labelled "secret" and "top secret". These were related to US stealth technology intended for use in the TH-98 Eurocopter and for foreign commercial aircraft.
One computer file found in Gowadia's Maui, Hawaii, home was a file containing the radar cross-sections of US B-1 and F-15 jets and the Air Force's air-launched cruise missile, information that would be useful to countering those systems by anti-aircraft missiles or other air defence weapons.
The case is the second major military technology espionage case involving China. Earlier this year, two China-born brothers in Los Angeles were arrested as suspects in passing Navy warship and submarine weapons secrets to China, the Times said.
In all, Gowadia is charged with making at least six secret visits to China from 2002 through 2005, and being paid at least $110,000 by Chinese officials for highly classified defence technology supplied through January, according to court papers.
Investigators think he was paid as much as $2 million, some of which remains in foreign bank accounts.
Gowadia worked for B-2 developer and manufacturer Northrop Aircraft Inc. from 1968 to 1989 as part of an ultrasecret special access programme for the B-2, and later as a Northrop contractor involved in classified research on missiles and aircraft. He also worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1990s.
He developed the still-secret method used by military aircraft to suppress infrared signals from the engine that blocks heat-seeking missiles from targeting the jet.
US officials familiar with the case said the compromise of the B-2 technology is extremely damaging because it will give China key secrets on the bomber, the daily said.
A defence official cited by Times said the case highlights China's intelligence efforts to counter key weapons systems that give the US strategic advantages over Chinese forces. "The B-2 is at the head of the list of their intelligence targets," said the official.
The Pentagon recently completed a major upgrade of bomber storage facilities on the Pacific island of Guam as part of a new strategy designed to position forces in Asia for a swift defeat of China in a future conflict.
B-2 bombers are regularly deployed for short periods of time on Guam as part of what the Pentagon is calling its "hedge" strategy to be ready to deal with a Chinese threat in the future.
Gowadia has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his son, Ashton Gowadia, told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that the charges against his father are false. A trial is scheduled for July.
Chennai, Nov 24 (IANS) Experts at an European Union (EU)-India Intellectual Property management seminar Friday here said Indian industry must create patent portfolios to manage wealth.
"To create wealth and compete in the global market, the Indian industry must create patent portfolio and should not rely on individual patents," said V. Lakshmi Kumaran, managing partner of Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan.
"The creating of Intellectual Property (IP) requires management's strategic focus to nurture an invention-oriented environment. There must be systems to identify, incubate and reward ideas within the organisation," he said at the seminar organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Multinational companies are increasingly looking for outsourcing their research activities to countries like India to create intellectual properties cost effectively, he pointed out.
S.K. Verma, team leader, IPR component, EU representative in India, said traditionally the small and medium enterprises, and even large Indian corporations were technology-followers.
"They must transform themselves into technology creators leveraging the strong IPR infrastructure of the country," she said.
Vienna, Nov 24 (NNN-KUNA) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General-Manager Mohammad el-Baradei has urged Iran to provide transparency for IAEA to do its duty to ensure the use of atom in peaceful purposes.
Addressing the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors here Thursday, Baradei said he had recently received a message from the Iranian government allowing IAEA inspectors to take some environmental samples from an Iranian technical university to ensure that there are no undeclared nuclear activities.
The IAEA considered the Iranian message a step towards the right direction to address the international community's concerns over Iran's nuclear program, calling on all parties involved to seek a congenial atmosphere for an all-out settlement to the issue.
However, he called on Iran to suspend nuclear enrichment activities and to allow international inspectors to continue their duty to make clear the unsettled questions of the Iranian nuclear program.
The IAEA had said in a report circulated among the IAEA member countries that there was "no deviation from the peaceful goals of using nuclear materials in Iran", while noting that it could not give final assurances that there were no nuclear materials or activities in Iran as long as Tehran failed to provide required transparency.
Meanwhile, the IAEA chief blasted that 30 IAEA members failed to assume their legal commitments to nuclear non-proliferation, but he did not name these countries.
On North Korea, he said since 2002 the IAEA has not carried out any nuclear inspection activity in North Korea, venting his spleen on its recent nuclear tests.
Baradei called on North Korea to put an end to its nuclear program, arguing that an all-out ban on nuclear tests would be the core aspect in an international non-proliferation and disarmament order.
However, he vowed that the IAEA was willing to help North Korea to address the international community's fears of its nuclear activities.
Tokyo, Nov 24 (DPA) Japan has suspended poultry imports from South Korea after bird flu was suspected to have caused the death of 6,000 chickens at a farm in that country, a government spokesperson said Friday.
In implementing the ban, the Japanese government requested details from Seoul on the deaths at a poultry operation in Iksan, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.
Travellers from Seoul were also expected to sterilise shoe soles upon arrival in Japan to prevent the virus from entering into the country.
Nearly half the 13,000 chickens at the farm died from Sunday to Wednesday, and initial tests indicated they had bird flu, which is highly contagious among birds. However, confirmation and a determination of the strain of the disease is not expected until the weekend, the South Korean agriculture and forestry ministry said.
The surviving poultry stock at the Iksan farm was to be culled and a quarantine was being imposed on an area within a 10 km radius from the affected farm, the ministry said.
Patna, Nov 24 (IANS) A Japanese body is constructing a school for Dalit children in a village near Bihar's Bodh Gaya, the birthplace of Buddhism.
The school is coming up in Nama village in Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago, thanks to the Neem Association of Japan.
"We have started constructing a school for children of the very poor to educate them and create social awareness," said Sane Sumi Inaba, chairman of the Japanese association.
Inaba laid the foundation stone of the school Thursday. "Some Japanese offered free voluntary work by carrying bricks, sand and cement," he said.
The school will be named Japanese-Indian Friendship School. "The project will not only help educate poor children but also strengthen Japan-India relations," he said.
Thousands of poor, mostly from the Musahar Dalit caste, have settled in villages around Bodh Gaya. They have no access to education and health. Moved by their plight, Buddhists from Japan, Sri Lanka and Thailand have initiated projects to help them. Hundreds of Japanese Buddhists visit Bodh Gaya annually.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmmod Kasuri arrives here on a four-day private visit Saturday during which he may have lunch with his new Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.
Kasuri will be in India to attend the wedding of Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's daughter. Indian and Pakistani officials would like a meeting between the two foreign ministers.
External Affairs Minister Mukherjee is likely to host a "goodwill lunch" for Kasuri at Hyderabad House Monday, informed sources told IANS.
If that happens, Kasuri is likely to make a renewed push for demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier - the world's highest battlefield.
Ahead of the two-day foreign-secretary talks that concluded here Nov 15, Kasuri had told Pakistani media that a solution to the Siachen dispute was just a "matter of days".
The Indian foreign office had reacted cautiously to the remark, saying that if Islamabad was ready to accept New Delhi's position on authentication of actual ground position before a proposed withdrawal of troops, it had no problem with the demilitarisation idea.
If both sides stick to their stated positions, there is little likelihood of an imminent breakthrough on the issue.
Mukherjee is likely to visit Pakistan for talks with Kasuri towards the end of this month or sometime in January.
Bhopal, Nov 24 (IANS) Large tracts of Muslim burial land in Madhya Pradesh have been illegally take over, but the state Waqf Board finds itself helpless to get back the land due to legal complications.
The board has received complaints related to land worth millions of rupees and earmarked for burial being encroached upon, officials said.
On Tuesday, the Waqf, which looks after burial grounds, got three complaints - two from Raisen district and one from Katni.
A group of people from Badi village in Raisen district told the state Waqf Board office here about the situation in their village.
"People, including anti-social elements, have usurped large tracts of burial ground and no action is being taken against them despite several complaints to the administration," said Sohail Hashmi, a man.
"A complaint has also been sent to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chohan but no action has been taken," he said.
The problem is apparently not confined to Badi village alone. Burial land has also been encroached upon in nearby Gairatganj and other places.
A similar complaint has come from Katni. The situation in Bhopal too is no different. Large portions of several burial grounds have been encroached upon.
"We are trying to get them vacated," said Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board administrator Omar Farukh Khattani. But as of now, none of the land has again come into the possession of the Waqf authorities.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has postponed his two-day visit to Manipur that was tentatively scheduled for Monday, official sources said Friday.
"The PM wanted to spend two full days in Manipur to make the visit meaningful. But in view of parliament being in session, the visit has been postponed," an official in the Prime Minister's Office said.
"The fresh dates for the visit are being worked out."
The official also brushed aside reports that the visit had been postponed because of security concerns following a grenade attack at Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's official residence in Imphal on Nov 15.
Manmohan Singh - who represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha - had last visited Manipur in November 2004.
Among his other engagements in the state, the prime minister was scheduled to lay the foundation stones for the Tipaimukh dam project near the Mizoram border and the National Sports Academy at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal.
The state chief minister was particularly keen on the prime minister laying the foundation stone for the dam project before the model code of conduct comes into force for the assembly elections scheduled in February, the sources said.
Montreal, Nov 24 (DPA) As Arctic temperatures rise, a long-simmering dispute between Canada and the US over who controls the famed icy Northwest Passage is boiling up again.
The passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, snakes through the remote islands of Canada's Northern archipelago between Baffin Bay, off the west coast of Greenland, and the Beaufort Sea above Alaska.
It was first navigated by Norwegian explorer Roald Admunsen in 1906.
Today, it is rarely used because the sea freezes over for much of the year. Climate change, however, is propelling the issue back into the spotlight as the temperature rises and the ice melts.
Estimates of when the Northwest Passage will be open long enough for safe ship passage year round range from as soon as 15 years to much more conservative long-range expectations.
According to a US government report, "State of the Arctic," released last week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the temperature in the Arctic has risen by five degrees Celsius in as many years.
The level of sea ice has also dropped significantly, the report said.
The changing environment has reawakened debate over the Northwest Passage.
The economic stakes are high. Nearly a quarter of global undiscovered oil and gas reserves are estimated to be located underneath the Arctic Ocean.
Using the passage is also attractive to the international shipping industry. By avoiding the Panama Canal, an estimated 7,000 km are saved on a trip between Tokyo and New York.
No one disputes that the islands of the archipelago are Canadian. It's the status of the water around the islands that is at issue.
Canada claims it has internal jurisdiction over the waterway.
Maritime law gives a country sovereignty over 12 nautical miles, or about 22 km, off its coastline. Anything outside that is considered international waters.
Parts of the Northwest Passage are more than 100 km wide. Canada has argued that a 1951 International Court of Justice decision supports the practice of treating an archipelago or series of islands as one solid land mass.
They also assert that Inuit hunters, indigenous to the region, traverse the ice and use it for their hunting camps, making the area a de facto land mass.
If the shipping lanes were to open outside their authority, Canadian officials argue, there would be no way to regulate the behaviour of ships passing through Canadian waters, or to prevent a potentially catastrophic oil spill in the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
But the US is adamant that the passage is international waters, and have challenged Canada's claim to the waters on several occasions.
In 1969 and again in 1970, the American-registered SS Manhattan, an oil tanker specially re-inforced for arctic sailing, travelled through the passage without Canadian permission to test the viability of the passage as a shipping route for companies drilling in the Arctic oil fields.
Even though Canada was not asked, the government granted permission and provided a military escort until it reached undisputed waters.
In 1985, the American icebreaker Polar Sea travelled through the waters, again without asking. The incident led to a 1988 deal where the US agreed to always ask and Canada agreed to never say "no".
Despite the agreement, American submarines have allegedly travelled through Canadian waters underneath the ice pack, using nuclear power to stay submerged for extended periods of time.
Canada does not have nuclear-powered submarines and is unable to detect if someone enters the waters without their knowledge.
The debate was brought up again earlier this month when the former American ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, threw his support behind the Canadian claim.
"I think it's in the security interests of the US and Canada to have the Northwest Passage under the control of Canada," he told a conference in Ottawa.
He said conceding Canada's sovereignty would remove any doubt about who is responsible for policing of the channel once it becomes accessible to more ordinary sea-going craft.
Current US ambassador David Wilkins was quick to distance Washington from Celluci's comments.
"Our position is that the Northwest Passage is a strait for international navigation. That's been our position and will continue to be our position," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken an aggressive stance and has pledged to strengthen Canada's military presence in the North to defend the claim.
"You can't defend arctic sovereignty with words alone," he said in an August speech in Iqualit, the capital of the Northern Canadian territory of Nunavut.
"It takes a Canadian presence on the ground, in the air and on the sea and a government that is internationally recognised for delivering on its commitments."
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) MPs are increasingly disrupting parliament proceedings to gain media attention, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said Friday.
According to Chatterjee, some political leaders had told him that they preferred disruptions to chances to take up genuine and popular issues because the media noticed uproars more than debates.
"My earnest request to the media is to consider how, as a very important institution in a parliamentary democracy, it can strengthen our constitutional framework by generating people's faith in the system, inviting their participation in the process to remove the aberration and imperfections that have crept in," Chatterjee said.
He was addressing a gathering at the release of a commemorative stamp to mark the completion of 125 years of The Tribune newspaper.
The speaker also urged the MPs to be "ever alert about the criticisms and the growing cynicism among people about the way our institutions of democracy function."
"It is on MPs that the responsibility for sustaining people's faith in democracy rests. Therefore, the institution collectively and individuals who constitute it will have to function as role models," Chatterjee urged.
He reminded newspapers what people were interested in was news, "which should not be coloured by the views of those controlling the newspaper, which can be expressed in editorials or as comments".
"The media is indeed a powerful factor in bringing about positive changes in society by highlighting neglected issues and by giving voice to the voiceless, the vulnerable, the forgotten and the downtrodden."
He praised the Tribune for "shouldering their responsibility with professional concerns and abiding commitment".
Most people in Bihar still believe Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will deliver. Despite the high crime rate, the pathetic roads and poor power supply, their hope for change is still alive as well as the euphoria that accompanied his taking over the state's reins exactly a year ago Friday.
Though the high hopes that people have in him augurs well for Nitish Kumar, he still has to prove his worth at the ground level.
A year after he took over, the dominant sentiment among people in rural and urban Bihar is that they want good results soon.
"Hame Nitish sarkar se abhi bhi umeed hain ki vikash hoga, crime rokega aur road banega. Lekin ab deri hua to logon ka vishwas khatam ho jayega (We still hope the Nitish Kumar government will work for development, check crime and construct roads. If the government fails or delays in delivering then people will lose faith)," said Mahendra Paswan, one of the hundreds of labourers working in the state capital.
From Paswan's words, it is clear that crime continues in the state as usual despite the government's claim of having improved law and order. Even the much-awaited road construction is yet to begin. Nothing has changed for the better in the health and power sector.
However, the state has managed to attract big investments and the attention of a few major corporate houses, including the Tatas, Mahindra and Mahindra and Bharti Telecom in the last 10 months. According to the State Investment Promotion Board, it has approved 61 out of 200 investment proposals worth Rs.253 billion.
"The state, for the first time in the last five decades, cleared investments of over Rs.40 billion in the sugar industry this year. This signals a new beginning for Bihar to make a big leap," said Sugar Development Minister Nitish Mishra.
On Nov 24 last year, when Nitish Kumar took over, he promised to turn Bihar into a crime-free state within three months. It is a different matter that he later admitted that it was not possible. The cases of kidnapping, murder, bank robbery, extortion, loot and atrocities against disadvantage people reported in the last one year indicate the failure of the state government to check and control crime.
But a major achievement has been the speedy trial of criminals initiated by the government that resulted in conviction of over 5,000 people in the last one year. The government has also launched a special drive to nab corrupt officials. Till date, 75 police complaints have been registered against corrupt officials and around 35 officials arrested and sent to jail.
Bad roads continue to trouble. Around 7,700 km of road in districts, 3,629 km of national highways and 3,232 km of state highways are in pitiable condition. This is despite a plan outlay of Rs.15 billion and a non-plan outlay of Rs.2 billion for construction of roads.
On Thursday, the Patna High Court rapped the state government's failure to improve the condition of roads. The court directed the government to start the construction of roads at the earliest.
Last December, the state government announced it would construct roads, but nothing happened. Now Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav has promised that construction would begin this December.
Even the power situation has not improved. People in most of the state's 38 districts except Patna continue in the lantern age. The district headquarters and small towns just get four to eight hours of electricity daily.
The opposition led by Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former chief minister Lalu Prasad is out to turn the situation to its advantage. It is gearing up to play the role of a real opposition, unlike in the past 12 months when it occasionally targeted the government.
Opposition leaders do not miss an opportunity to term the Nitish Kumar government as of "kushashan" (poor governance), contrary to the claims of "sushashan" by the chief minister.
Nitish Kumar's personal honesty and sincerity have impressed the people in the state as well as his measures to attract investors, tackle corruption and initiate development.
"I have to work harder to achieve the targets. Governance is my first priority. I strongly feel that things are moving in the right direction in the state," Nitish Kumar told IANS over telephone Friday.
But leader of opposition and former chief minister Rabri Devi said nothing had changed in the state in the last one year. "Things have gone from bad to worse. People are fed up with the daily promises and no work," Rabri Devi said.
"Nitish Kumar has failed in providing good governance, checking crime and constructing roads," she commented.
According to her, during the first year of the Nitish Kumar government 90,000 incidents of crime, including 24,000 murders, 7,000 kidnappings and 7,500 rapes were reported.
The coming months will be a testing time for Nitish Kumar to make a difference at the ground level.
Berlin, Nov 24 (NNN-IRNA) The number of mosques in Germany has increased from 141 to 159 over the past two years, the daily Bild cited Thursday a survey released by Germany's Islam-Archive Central Institute.
An additional 128 mosques are presently under construction.
The number of German Muslims has risen from 56,000 in the 1980s to "almost one million", said the head of Islam-Archive, Salih Abdullah.
Muslims number around 3.5 million out of Germany's population of 82.5 million.
Meanwhile more and more Christian churches in Germany are forced to close as result of decreasing numbers of worshipers and lower church tax revenues, according to a real estate study released by the Dresdner Bank.
In the diocese of the west German city of Essen, church services in 96 out of 350 churches had to be ceased.
Many churches have been converted for other purposes like housing units, restaurants and also leisure centers.
By Lola Nayar
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Winds of change are set to sweep India's state-owned exploration behemoth Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) as it gears to delayer authority for greater efficiency, transparency and result-oriented approach.
The makeover to inculcate business sense in scientists is set to start with the exploration team followed by all other areas of critical operation including production, drilling, engineering and geo-sciences.
"We are getting back on track to give more thrust to exploration activities backed by definite training programme," said a senior ONGC management official.
"We are planning to induct around 250 people in various streams allied with exploration activities and also trying to get back some of the trained people with good potential who had left ONGC for private companies in the last few years."
ONGC had witnessed higher than normal attrition rate in the last two years with over 300 people quitting, including some of its best technical experts.
Now based on feelers received from some of the old hands, ONGC is planning to advertise by month end and reappoint many of them as regular employees depending on merit and length of break in service.
Based on expertise and proven track record, many of them can hope for better remuneration and more challenging work profile as ONGC plans to delayer authority.
"We are more or less ready to roll out the exercise to delayer process of decision making and give more authority to officials who will be appointed as acreage managers. We are in the process of identifying the people," ONGC Director (human resources) A.K. Balyan told IANS in an interview.
"The principal concept is on target. We are not proposing to restrict this exercise to the exploration but will later extend the initiative to other critical areas like operations, production, drilling, engineering and geosciences."
Provoked by the charge of slipping in its core area of exploration, ONGC is under great pressure to increase its oil and gas production in a scenario where it has not made any significant discovery in India in the last few decades unlike private companies including Reliance and Britain's Cairn Energy.
One of the largest Indian companies by market capitalisation, ONGC is also among eight Indian companies on the Fortune 500 list (158 ranking). Through its overseas arm ONGC holds stakes in over two dozen oil and gas properties in 13 countries including Russia, Sudan, Myanmar and Iran.
Accounting for 80 percent of oil and gas production in the country, ONGC has been investing in technology upgradation in the last few years mainly to stem drop in output from its producing fields including Bombay High.
Now after three months of planning a new management order is to be introduced wherein scores of separate business centres will be created initially in the exploration division.
Each strategic business unit will be headed by an acreage manager, who will be empowered to take all decision related to the acreage.
"The new business model is all set to be rolled out soon. The new structure will see each acreage being put in charge of a manager empowered to take all decisions. He would be free to seek guidance from the basin manager or any of the ONGC institutions," said D.K. Pande, ONGC director exploration.
"The acreage managers will have free powers and be allowed to take decisions. That is the openness I am bringing."
The new system would have provision to allow the acreage manager to directly approach director exploration bypassing the hierarchy if required. In the normal course, the acreage manager would report to the block manager, who in turn will report to the basin manager.
All the seven basin managers will be reporting to the director exploration.
Pandey said various ONGC institutes have also been identified to have definite roles like Keshava Deva Malaviya Institute of Petroleum Exploration (KDMIPE) for concept and ideas development, the Institute of Reservoir Studies (IRS) for development of reservoirs and the Geodata Processing and Interpretation Centre (GEOPIC) for prospecting - such that there is no overlap between them.
According to ONGC sources around 120 officials in the rank of general managers and deputy managers are to be given charge as acreage managers.
By giving them direct access to the director exploration, the aim is to keep him informed of progress at the micro level.
With plans for around 25 percent increase in exploration budget to Rs.60 billion and an incentive based scheme in pipeline, ONGC is hopeful that days of hitting dry wells will become an exception and there will be more oil and gas finds.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 24 (IANS) Visitors to Orissa's Nandankanan zoo will soon be able to see 3-D films on wildlife, thanks to a tie up with software firm Delta Solutions.
"We already have a hall in the zoo. It will be developed as a theatre where at least 20 people at a time would be able to watch movies on wildlife wearing 3-D specs," said zoo director Ajit Patnaik.
"It is being developed through public-private partnership," Patnaik told IANS. Delta Solutions is based here.
There would be 16 shows a day, providing not only entertainment but also creating awareness. The facility would be available from the second week of December.
The 452-hectare Nandankanan zoo, 12 km from here, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1979. It is home to over 1,200 animals of 130 species, including 14 white tigers.
Gaza, Nov 24 (DPA) Palestinian militant factions agreed in principle to a ceasefire with Israel in a meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Haniya in Gaza, a senior Palestinian official said.
Khader Habib, Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza told mediapersons that several representatives of national and Islamist factions met with Haniya and accepted the ceasefire, if Israel also agrees.
"The factions' leaders agreed on a limited ceasefire with Israel, on condition that Israel accepts it," said Habib, but added that the agreement still needed to be accepted by the Fatah and Hamas movements.
Habib said the ceasefire "would be mutual and happens at the same time, where Israel stops its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, while Palestinian militants stop firing rockets at Israel."
It was also agreed that a senior Palestinian official would convey the Palestinian initiative to the Israelis, "and would pressure the Israeli side to accept it," Habib said on Thursday.
Once the agreement is accepted by Israel, the Palestinian factions and militant groups would stop all military attacks and actions against Israel.
The Israeli army Monday launched a large-scale ground military operation in the northern Gaza Strip. The ongoing operation has left 12 people dead and more than 20 injured.
Gaza, NOV 24 (NNN-QNA) In a meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Haniya in Gaza Thursday night, the Palestinian militant factions agreed in principle to a ceasefire with Israel, a senior Palestinian official said.
Khader Habib, Islamic jihad leader in Gaza told reporters that several representatives of national and Islamic factions met with Haniya and accepted the ceasefire, if Israel also agrees.
The factions leaders agreed on a limited ceasefire with Israel, on condition that Israel accepts it, said Habib, but added that the agreement still needed to be accepted by the Fatah and Hamas movements.
Habib said the ceasefire would be mutual and happens at the same time, where Israel stops its military operations in Gaza and the west bank, while Palestinian militants stop firing rockets at Israel.
We are seeking for the highest interest of the Palestinian people, and if this ceasefire is an interest to our people, we welcome it and we are ready to positively react with it, Habib said.
It was also agreed that a senior Palestinian official would convey the Palestinian initiative to the Israelis, and would pressure the Israeli side to accept it, Habib said.
Once the agreement is accepted by Israel, the Palestinian factions and militant groups would stop all military attacks and actions against Israel.
The Israeli army on Monday launched a large-scale ground military operation in the northern Gaza strip. The ongoing operation has left 12 people dead and more than 20 injured.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) In an effort to attract more customers, ADAG's Reliance Communications Friday launched a STD call card worth Rs.675 which will allow customers to call anywhere in the country for free from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Customers using the card will also have the facility to call for Re.1 anytime during the day. Reliance's existing 29 million users can also enjoy this facility.
"This feature will benefit everyone -- from students who stay away from their homes to BPO employees who are active at night and many similar customer segments," said S.P. Shukla, president, personal business, Reliance Communications.
The facility will available for all post-paid and pre-paid users using either Reliance mobile or fixed lines.
Ranchi, Nov 24 (IANS) Unhappy with the transfer of top bureaucrats effected by Jharkhand's Madhu Koda government, a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP from the state has sent his resignation from the Lok Sabha to party chief Lalu Yadav.
Dhirendra Agarwal, MP from Chatra in Jharkhand, sent his resignation letter to Railway Minister Lalu Yadav Thursday and another letter citing the reasons behind his move.
Agarwal said he was unhappy with the transfer of IAS officers effected on Wednesday by the Koda government. The state government, which transferred 22 IAS officers, apparently ignored Agarwal's directives in the matter.
Sources said Agarwal wanted Chatra Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shatrughan Kunwar removed and Birendra Ram to be posted there instead.
But Ram was transferred as DC Giridih and Kunwar was not removed, which irked the RJD MP.
"The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was formed by ousting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to end corruption. But in the UPA, the corrupt bureaucrats are not punished and the state's development is hampered," Agarwal told media persons.
However, sources close to the RJD MP said Koda had agreed to remove the Chatra DC, but during the mass transfer he was not removed.
Even the Congress is reportedly unhappy with the transfers.
The 13 Lok Sabha MPs from the UPA in the state reportedly want DCs and police officials of their choice in their respective districts.
The state government finds it difficult to accept the demand of each MP and legislator. This has caused unhappiness among the allies over the transfer of the IAS and police officials.
The NDA, terming the Mps resignation a drama, alleged that the UPA government was formed to plunder the state and "everyone wants their share of power".
Rio de Janeiro, Nov 24 (DPA) Brazilian star striker Ronaldo has denied plans that he is getting married over Christmas, and insists he has lost weight and is fit to play whenever Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello needs him.
"The coach asked me to lose weight, and I did everything as planned. I weigh 88 kilograms and I am ready to play. There is no ideal weight. My ideal weight is the one that makes me feel good," Ronaldo said in an interview with the Brazilian magazine Veja.
Ronaldo admitted that Capello also thought he was too fat.
He further denied rumours that he planned to marry his girlfriend, model Raica Oliveira during Christmas.
"I have nothing planned for that date, just to spend Christmas with my family (in Rio de Janeiro)," he added.
Commenting on details of the alleged wedding plans published recently in the Italian press, the "Phenomenon" - as he is known in Brazil - said: "Many newspapers talk nonsense, with no commitment to the truth. I never talk about my private life."
The striker, who two weeks ago scored for Real Madrid after a drought of more than eight months, said his priority was to get through the current bad patch in his career and to gain Capello's trust.
"I am motivated to overcome this moment of difficulty that I had never known before. Capello has his preferences. It's a war, and I have to win it, I have to gain his trust," Ronaldo said.
He added that he hoped to be able to play the South Africa 2010 World Cup for Brazil, and then retire.
"I will not play much longer, I don't think I will go beyond 2010. The World Cup is still very far, but I do not rule anything out," said Ronaldo, who became the top scorer in World Cup history when he scored his 15th goal at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
After retirement, Ronaldo said he planned to study sports marketing.
"I want to study, to stay within the football world but without becoming a coach. Maybe I will become an executive," Ronaldo said.
Guwahati, Nov 24 (IANS) Roadblocks were put up and security forces went on alert as a massive security blanket was thrown around this Assam city Friday, a day after a powerful bomb explosion at the railway station killed three people and wounded 10.
"Police and paramilitary troopers have been deployed in strength with roadblocks set up in various entry and exit points to the city, besides conducting a combing operation in some areas," a senior police official said.
Security has been intensified at the railway station. Armed guards began frisking people with metal detectors and also manually checked bags.
"There are reports about ULFA and other jehadi elements trying to attack vital installations," an intelligence official said.
Condemning the blast, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told IANS: "This is nothing but an act of desperation and cowardice. Innocent civilians are being killed in such attacks."
The explosion at the railway station Thursday night killed three of a family, including a child. Police suspect the use of lethal RDX plastic explosives.
Earlier this month, there were two explosions in the heart of Guwahati killing 16 people and wounding 60. ULFA is blamed for a wave of bombings in the past two months in which 20 people have been killed and 106 injured.
The recurring blasts have triggered panic in the state.
"Why is ULFA targeting innocent civilians? Such random bombings do create panic and we are scared no doubt," said Ramani Das, a textile merchant in Guwahati.
ULFA stepped up attacks after New Delhi Sep 24 called off a six-week ceasefire and resumed military operations after the rebels killed a tea planter and carried out extortions.
London, Nov 24 (IANS): The South Asian diaspora's business links with their countries of origin can help influence their governments to iron out political problems for speedier growth and progress in the region, according to noted economist Lord Meghnad Desai.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Business Council-SAARC South Asian Trade and Investment Forum, Lord Desai noted that South Asia holds much promise, but unless political problems were sorted out, the region would not see much growth and progress.
The solution to such problems may lie with the diaspora business, which can urge the South Asian governments to adopt flexible, liberal trade policies. "The diaspora can influence South Asian policies in various capitals," Lord Desai said.
Recalling that the region enjoyed free movement of labour and trade in the first half of the century, Lord Desai said: "And then because of Kashmir, India and Pakistan have deliberately shot themselves in the foot."
He wanted diaspora business to lobby with respective governments and work towards liberalising trade within the region.
Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) director-general Mohan Kaul said: "This Forum takes place at an important juncture in the growth of the global economy, with South Asia emerging as a region on the rise. There is, as the Asian Development Bank pointed out last month, an increasing awareness of a South Asian regional identity.
"Witnessing the evident desire amongst the SAARC countries for stronger regional collaboration, and with the implementation of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) in July 2006, there is an opportunity for faster progress. Business is ready and is keen to see such progress."
According to the CBC, the South Asian region now represents a growing middle class of 450 million people. With an annual economic growth of more than 6-8 percent, the economic potential of the region makes it amongst the most attractive emerging market regions in the world today.
Pakistan's Minister of State for Commerce Hamid Yar Hiraj said: "It took longer to get sugar from India than from Brazil. The trade policies have to be made conducive for intra-regional trade."
The fact that trade was very low within the region was also highlighted by Sri Lankan Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Rohitha Bogollagama. He said: "Currently the trade between South Asian states remains low. In 1995, the year which SAPTA was signed, only 3 percent of all South Asian trade was conducted in the region. Since then improvements in the regional trade have been marginal."
However, he was optimistic about the future, and added: "Although Asia has been slow starter in the area of economic integration, we are now seeing tangible progress being made and steadily gaining momentum.
"If we could accelerate economic integration between SAARC members it would certainly bring Asia closer together and ensure growth to the whole region...a business zone will eventually take shape encompassing South Asia as one production base."
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday asked 19 states to respond within four weeks to a public interest petition seeking implementation of the central government decision making it mandatory for all vehicles to have high security registration plates.
A bench of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justices C.K. Thakker and R.V. Raveendran gave final opportunity to the 19 states to file their counter affidavit failing which the chief secretaries would have to personally explain their reasons for not doing so.
The petitioner, Maninderjit Singh Bitta, sought timely implementation of the 2001 decision. He submitted that the underlying object of the high security registration plates was to curb the increasing menace of car thefts and their use in crimes like rape, murder, dacoity and kidnapping. The system, he said, was devised to ensure public safety and security.
It was basically intended to improve security and to assist law-enforcing authorities in tackling road related crimes.
He contended that despite the scheme having been introduced in 2001, it was yet to be implemented by the central government and the states even after numerous extensions.
Bitta sought a direction for implementing the scheme and against diluting the standards of the high security number plates, specially the requirement of chromium-based holograms.
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday stayed the operation of a Kerala High Court judgement setting aside the 2004 election of P.C. Thomas from Muvattupuzha parliamentary constituency.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justices C.K. Thakker and R.V. Raveendran granted the stay while admitting an appeal by Thomas.
Thomas, who was then with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), challenged the Oct 31 high court verdict that also declared his nearest rival candidate P.M. Ismail of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) elected.
The bench said "pending decision on the appeal, the appellant is only permitted to take part in the proceedings of the House but he will not vote or draw emoluments". The bench asked respondent Ismail to file his response in four weeks and rejoinder in four weeks thereafter.
Ismail had approached the high court alleging that Thomas had raised religious passions by printing his picture along with that of Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa and violated election norms.
The high court passed its order on the ground that Thomas, a former union minister, had made religious and communal appeal to voters.
In his appeal, Thomas said the high court judgement was contrary to the fundamental principles in election law both regarding pleadings and proof. It was based on discrepant evidence, conjectures and surmises.
In August, he had merged his Indian Federal Democratic Party (IFDP) with the Kerala Congress-Joseph, an ally of the Left Democratic Front led by the CPI-M.
By Papri Sri Raman
Chennai, Nov 24 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's visit to India from Saturday has generated a lot of heat in Tamil Nadu, with political parties adamantly opposed to any military alliance between New Delhi and Colombo.
Vaiko's MDMK and S. Ramadoss' PMK, both members of India's ruling coalition, have threatened street protests against the visit to protest against the killing of innocent Tamils in military offensives in the island.
At Ramadoss' call, the mayors of Chennai, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Salem (DMK) as well as Tiruchi and Coimbatore (Congress) will boycott the Asian Mayors' meet in Dehradun Rajapakse is to inaugurate Sunday.
There is no word if Rajapakse will halt in Chennai on his way to New Delhi or while returning to Colombo to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.
During his last visit to India in December 2005, Rajapakse wanted to have talks with then Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalaitha but she refused to see him.
In recent times Karunanidhi has made it clear that the central government's Sri Lanka policy is also his policy. However, in the light of continuing killings of Tamil civilians, he has asked how long India can keep quite on the crisis.
Other parties such as PMK, MDMK and Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) are, however, more vocal and bitterly anti-Colombo.
DPI leader Thirumavalavan has urged Karunanidhi "to take steps" to prevent Rajapakse from coming to India.
He said allowing Rajapakse to visit India with "hands stained with the blood of Tamils would be an insult to the Tamil race". Thirumavalavan is also opposed to training of Sri Lankan airmen in India.
DPI and MDMK have also urged Karunanidhi to put pressure on Colombo through New Delhi to reopen the A-9 highway linking the Sri Lankan mainland to Jaffna to supply food following serious shortages in the peninsula.
Vaiko, jailed by the Jayalalitha government for 19 months for supporting the LTTE, last week courted arrest as part of protests here against the "genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Vaiko saying India had taken great care not to provide Sri Lanka with lethal items of military hardware of the kind that could be used against the civilian population.
Although support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Tamil Nadu, separated from Sri Lanka by a strip of sea, has waned since the 1980s when there was great sympathy for Tamil militants, most political parties bitterly oppose any suffering caused to the island's Tamil minority.
Even the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is vocal on the issue. Its president L. Ganesan says: "India should not provide any arms to Colombo as they use them against Tamils."
Fighting this year between the LTTE and Sri Lankan security forces has killed some 2,500 people, making a mockery of the 2002 Norway-sponsored ceasefire. This year alone over 16,000 Sri Lankan Tamils have fled to Tamil Nadu.
V. Suryanarayan, a veteran Sri Lankan watcher, explained: "For India, Sri Lanka is not just another country. What happens in the island will have consequences in India, especially in Tamil Nadu.
"The role of the Tamil Nadu chief minister in India's Sri Lanka policy is extremely significant."
Added K. Venkataramanan, another Sri Lanka watcher who has just returned from the island: "The military and civilian administration (of the Rajapakse dispensation) is now packed with people with extremist views."
Added retired Colonel R. Hariharan: "President Rajapakse is qualitatively different from his predecessors and has changed the government agenda from the political to military."
No wonder then political parties in Tamil Nadu are dead set against any defence pact between India and Sri Lanka.
Jaipur, Nov 24 (IANS) Three new tiger cubs have been spotted in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, sending officials into a state of elation over the rising numbers.
The three cubs, spotted Thursday by park officials, add to the seven that were spotted in the last six months in the Ranthambore reserve, located 145 km from here.
The new tiger cubs say conservationists is a great achievement and has come as a great relief for the government, which has long been struggling to cope with criticism over the decline in the number of tigers in the state.
The tiger census conducted in May 2005 reported the existence of 26 tigers in Ranthambore. With the 10 new cubs, the number now stands at 36.
"The three new tiger cubs in Ranthambore are the reward of our tiger protection efforts," L.N. Dave, Rajasthan forest minister, told IANS.
"Proper arrangements have been made for the safety and security of the cubs," he said.
Experts believe that the numbers have increased due to the strong security observed at Ranthambore and also due to the favourable steps taken for their reproduction by forest officials.
The state government is planning to conduct a fresh tiger census in Ranthambore.
Special security arrangements have been arranged inside the park with a special Rajasthan Armed constabulary (RAC) force being deployed.
Plans are also afoot to put radio collars on the tiger cubs in order to track their movements.
The decline in the tiger population in the state had become the focus of media attention. The union and state governments constituted task forces to protect the tigers.
During the last three years, the government has arrested over 50 poachers in Sariska and Ranthambore. To give tigers a more natural habitat, the government is also monitoring the movement of tourists in Ranthambore and has increased its staff at the national park.
London, Nov 24 (IANS) Growing Western intolerance and a series of racial attacks have prompted young Sikh youths to shed their hair and turbans.
The trend is a reflection of growing intolerance in the West towards overtly religious clothing - especially veils and turbans - five years after 9/11.
Many young Sikh men who have cut their hair say they did so to escape the humiliation of turban searches at Western airports or to avoid being mistaken for Muslims, according to the Times newspaper.
A growing number of young Sikh men are now unfurling their turbans, shaving their beards and trimming their hair. And this trend is not only confined to the overseas Sikh community but also increasing in India as well.
There have been many instances of Sikhs being targeted for their long hair and turbans.
Balbir Singh Sodi, a petrol station owner, was shot dead in Arizona in the US Sep 15, 2001. His American killer, bent on revenge for 9/11, thought that Sodi's turban indicated that he was an Arab.
Turbans have been banned from French state schools, as have Muslim headscarves, under a 'secularity' law that came into effect in 2004.
"Sikhs in turbans gave their lives by the thousands to defend France and other Western countries in the First and Second World Wars," said Avtar Singh Makkar, member of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the community's top decision-making body. "Why should they be denied the freedom that they fought and died for?"
Last month, a court in Denmark upheld a ruling that an Indian Sikh had broken the law by carrying his ceremonial dagger, the kirpan, in public.
And only last week a Sikh teenager was abused and his hair cut off by a gang of youths in Edinburgh.
Community leaders fear that the turban may now also be banned in Britain, home to about 500,000 Sikhs. The SGPC has already written to Tony Blair and other top European leaders to protect the rights of the Sikhs.
The issue is serious enough to have prompted the SGPC to speak out. "This is a challenge to the traditional Sikh identity," said Singh.
Singh attributed the alarming trend among Sikh youths to the influence of Western culture.
"Young boys are doing this because they want to look smart. They think this because of the influence of modern culture through the Western media," he said. "It is our task to educate them about the sacrifices that have been made for their religion and to bring them back to their faith."