250 militants killed in Iraq

Washington, Jan 29 (DPA) A major battle between US-backed Iraqi government forces and militants has left at least 250 insurgents dead, an Iraqi military source said.

Colonel Ali Nomas, a spokesperson for government forces in the central Iraqi city of Najaf, said Sunday that over 250 bodies had been counted on the battlefield, at a village about eight kilometres north of the city, US-based Fox News reported.

Another Iraqi Army officer said that government forces captured 10 fighters, one of whom is Sudanese.

The battle occurred when Iraqi security forces reportedly confronted several hundred insurgents, who were gathering outside Najaf with the apparent goal of attacking Shia Muslim clerics in the holy city.

US military air support was called in during the battle. One US attack helicopter was apparently shot down, and the two-member crew killed.

The government and the US-led military coalition have been bracing for insurgent violence in the area as a huge flood of Shia pilgrims are arriving in the neighbouring holy city of Karbala to observe the sect's festival of Ashura beginning Monday.

A force of 25,000 policemen and troops are in Karbala to secure the celebrations amid Iraq's continuing sectarian violence.

Accenture India to surpass US operations in headcount

Bangalore, Jan 29 (IANS) Accenture India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the $16.65-billion global management consulting and outsourcing firm, will surpass its US operations in headcount by the end of August 2007, the company's CEO said Monday.

"By the end of our financial year (Aug 31), we will have 35,000 employees in India, surpassing the 30,000 in our US operations. We are adding about 8,000 people this year in the subcontinent to the present strength of 27,000 employees," Accenture chairman and CEO William D. Green told reporters.

Of the total employees in India, about 10,000 will operate in the BPO (business process outsourcing) space and the remaining (25,000) people in the business consulting and systems integration and technology divisions to serve global clients.

The hiring in India will represent an increase of 52 percent over the last fiscal (2006) during which the headcount went up by 40 percent.

"Even in our global delivery network division, which will have about 65,000 people by August, the largest number of employees will be in India. Though we continue to hire in other locations too, the recruitment will be the highest in the subcontinent, as India has become a critical part of the Accenture world and integral to our growth strategy," Green said.

Worldwide, the company will have a total of 160,000 employees by August as against 146,000 people currently. Of the total number of employees (27,000) in India, about 23,600 work in its global delivery network centre. With 15,000 employees, the Bangalore facility is Accenture's largest operation in the subcontinent.

As an integral part of its 44 global delivery networks operating in 29 countries, Accenture considers India as one of its largest developing domestic markets, serving about 275 global clients, including Fortune 1000 firms, with operations in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

Incidentally, Accenture's fourth technology lab is in Bangalore, with two in the US and one in France.

Green, however, declined to share details on the investments being made in India or revenues generated from its operations in the subcontinent.

"We invested about $700 million globally in training our people and about $300 million in research and development (R&D) activities worldwide in fiscal 2006. Having built into a powerful global brand, we intend to be an employer of choice in India," said Green.

Akali Dal goes 'modern' ahead of polls

Chandigarh, Jan 29 (IANS) In what could be called the first major political makeover of the 21st century, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is shunning its image of a Jathedars' party and is donning a new outlook - it now wants to be seen as the modern Akali Dal.

At the helm of the party's modern outlook is the 44-year-old US-educated MP Sukhbir Singh Badal. Badal Junior, as he is referred to in press notes of the ruling Congress in Punjab, is leading the party from the front as it takes on the Congress in a decisive election to the 117-member assembly in the state Feb 13.

"We are now the modern Akali Dal. We will not let anyone beat us in politics because of our earlier image," said Sukhbir, a masters in business administration from California State University, recently while hosting a lavish, multi-cuisine brunch for mediapersons at the Taj hotel here.

The venue, ironically, is the favourite eating haunt of Congress leader and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

In the last few months, Sukhbir has assumed centre-stage in Akali Dal politics - leaving behind senior leaders to emerge as the political scion to his father, Akali Dal president and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The 'kakaji' (as spoilt brats of powerful Punjab politicians are called) image has gone with Sukhbir being the man in command as his party tries to come back to power. But observers already see signs of political arrogance in him.

From holding rallies, deciding Badal senior's itinerary, choosing advertisements in a full-scale advertising war on the ruling Congress, securing nominations for younger leaders, hobnobbing with alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to calling the shots with Punjab's bureaucracy and police officials - Sukhbir is all over.

At party rallies, his photographs are as big as his father's - making it amply clear that even party candidates realise his importance.

A two-time MP, Sukhbir was a central minister of state for industries in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government a few years ago.

The 'modernity' of the Akali Dal gets reflected in the party engaging professionals to run their media and advertising campaigns, rallies being covered and recorded using the latest equipment and getting camera trolley lifts to show all angles. It is also seen using top brands of vehicles during campaigns and, of course, hovering around in choppers and airplanes across the state.

Anaesthetics may cause brain disorder in elderly

By Jatindra Dash,

Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (IANS) An Indian origin scientist in the US has reiterated that some general anaesthetics used in long operations may cause brain disorders in elderly patients.

A study led by Pravat Mandal of the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, US, found that halothane and isoflurane - two anaesthetics that are inhaled - and the injected drug propofol cause symptoms of brain disorder.

These anaesthetics encourage the clumping of proteins in the brain that cause Alzheimer's, a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to reason and make judgments, said Mandal.

"I work on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and dementia with Lewy body disease using the NMR scan and brain imaging. I do not know in particular what anaesthetics are used in India. However, the gaseous method is popular due to its cost," Mandal told IANS on e-mail.

"They may cause harm to elderly people," said Mandal, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the university and did his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.

Anaesthetics are used to temporarily reduce or take away sensation so that surgical procedures can be performed without causing pain. They can be induced by drugs injected into a vein or through gases inhaled by the patient. These methods are often combined.

Mandal's study also found that halothane interacts directly with beta amyloid - the major constituent of amyloid plaques in the brains of people afflicted with Alzheimer's - to change its shape and increase the rate at which it binds with nearby proteins.

Just six hours of exposure to halothane was enough to trigger protein clumping similar to that seen in people with Alzheimer's, says the study that involved animals and laboratory tests.

"If the same thing occurs in humans, anaesthetics could lead to more amyloid plaques which may lead to earlier memory problems."

For long-term anaesthesia, physicians must pay attention to biophysical (non-clinical) research, he said.

While Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech, dementia is progressive deterioration in intellectual function and other cognitive skills, leading to a decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living.

Similarly Lewy body disease is a kind of dementia caused by damage in the brain. It is similar to Alzheimer's.

The research by Mandal's team has also appeared in the New Scientist magazine.

Army alerted in Pakistan for Muharrum

Lahore, Jan 29 (IANS) Pakistan was on high alert Monday and the army asked to stand by in Lahore, declared "the most sensitive city", in view of Muharram and the suicide bombing in Peshawar two days earlier.

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said the province's 23 districts had been declared sensitive, the Daily Times reported Monday.

Crisis management centres have been set up across the province and the army could be called in the event of an emergency, he said.

The media Monday reported the arrests of a large number of radicals suspected to be linked to sectarian violence.

Elahi clarified that the suicide attack in Peshawar Saturday, in which 14 people were killed, was not part of sectarian violence. Shia and Sunni scholars were cooperating to maintain peace and tranquility during Muharram.

He said "anti-state elements" were trying to instigate sectarian hatred.

Asia-Pacific emerges top 'malware' source

Singapore, Jan 29 (DPA) The Asia-Pacific region has overtaken the US as the top contributor to malicious software or 'malware' - the cyber world's biggest headache, an IT security specialist's report said Monday.

Asia also emerged second to the US in spreading unsolicited e-mails, said Sophos' Security Threat Report 2007, fuelled predominantly by China.

Countries in Asia took four out of the top 10 spots in the rankings of countries that hosted the most Web-based malware in 2006.

The breakdown in The Business Times showed the US was first on the list and played host to nearly 34.2 percent of malicious Internet programmes.

China followed at 31 percent, Taiwan at 1.7 percent, Hong Kong at 1.0 percent and South Korea at 0.9 percent. When combined, the four economies accounted for 34.6 percent.

"Web-hosting companies in the US and elsewhere need to step up their policing of published content, and ensure that malicious code is quickly removed before innocent users get hit," said Carole Theriault, Sophos senior security consultant.

More spam was sent from the US and China than any other country, the report said. The US transmitted nearly 22 percent of all unsolicited e-mails. China, including Hong Kong, was second at 15.9 percent.

Ban on mobiles in Taj Mahal lifted

Agra, Jan 29 (IANS) Tourists visiting the Taj Mahal can now carry their mobile phones inside the world heritage site but have to keep them in switched off mode, an official of the paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said here Monday.

Earlier a total ban on mobile phones was in place in view of the terrorist threats, said CISF Deputy Commandant Khamo Singh.

Tourists can now carry biscuits and other snacks but they should not litter around, she said.

"People would not be permitted to organise picnics. They must ensure that the used packets were not thrown around but dumped in the dustbins provided," Singh added.

"We expect the travel agents to brief tourists what they could carry and what they were not supposed to do in the Taj Mahal. This will also help us better monitor security checks and perhaps reduce some burden on our personnel," she said.

British Muslim youths more religious than parents - poll

London, Jan 29, IRNA ,
British Muslim youths are more religious and are much more likely to be politicized than their parents, according to a new poll published Monday.

A survey, carried out for the right-wing Policy Exchange think- tank, found that 37 per cent of Muslims between the ages of 16 and 24 said they would prefer to live under sharia law in Britain compared with 17 per cent of over-55 year olds.

Three out of four youths also wanted Muslim women to "choose to wear the veil or hijab," almost three times more than among their parents' age group.

There was also preference to send their children to attend an Islamic school among 37 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds compared to only 19 per cent of over-55s.

Among the Muslim population as a whole, the poll found that 86 per cent felt that their religion was the "most important thing" in their life. Some 58 per cent also believed many of the world's problems are "a result of arrogant Western attitudes."
In its report 'Living Together Apart: British Muslims and the Paradox of Multiculturalism,' Policy Exchange suggested that there was a "rapid rise in Islamic fundamentalism amongst the younger generation" and blamed the government's multiculturalism policy.

"The emergence of a strong Muslim identity in Britain is, in part, a result of multi-cultural policies implemented since the 1980s," said Munira Mirza, one of the authors of the report.

The policies have "emphasised difference at the expense of shared national identity and divided people along ethnic, religious and cultural lines,"Mirza said.

The right-wing Daily Telegraph said the findings showed a "bleak picture of a generation of young British Muslims radicalised by anti-Western views," while the Daily Express described it as "shocking evidence."
But in a contrasting interpretation, Muslim Labour peer Baroness Uddin said that, unlike their parents, "our young people feel this is their country and are saying why we are being told we do not belong here."
"There is also a problem of a lack of opportunities. Some people have been brutalised by their experiences with the police and this war on terror," Uddin was quoted saying by the Telegraph.

Other findings in the poll included 62 per cent of 16-24 year olds saying they have as much in common with non-Muslims as Muslims and even a higher 71 per cent agreeing among 55+ year olds.

Some 84 per cent of Muslims also believed that they had been treated fairly by British society, but 20 per cent criticized authorities for not doing enough not to offend Muslims.

Twice as many, 40 per cent, said that US President George W Bush had done more to damage the name of Islam than even al-Qaeda, 20 per cent.

A net of 87 per cent also said that they disagreed with the statement that "I admire organizations like al-Qaeda that are prepared to fight the West," compared with only 7 per cent that agreed.

Cancer fears plummet egg sales in Vietnam

Hanoi, Jan 29 (DPA) Sales of duck and chicken eggs in southern Vietnam have plummeted after tests showed that many had been tainted with large amounts of a carcinogenic agent, media reported Monday.

"Today we could only sell 50,000 eggs compared to 400,000-500,000 normally," Pham Thi Huan, head of a Ho Chi Minh City egg supplier, told the Thanh Nien online newspaper.

The drop in sales as well as prices came after the department of science and technology in Ho Chi Minh City announced it had found dangerous amounts of sudan, an industrial solvent, in egg samples.

Several eggs tested contained more than 12,000 micrograms of sudan per kilogram. Anything higher than 500 micrograms is considered unsafe.

Not only have some consumers stopped buying eggs but commercial food processors have cancelled their orders.

Carjackers shoot dead two US aid workers in Kenya

Nairobi, Jan 29 (DPA) Two US women and an employee of an international aid organization were shot dead in two separate incidents over the weekend in and around Nairobi, sources said on Monday.

Both shootings occurred on Saturday, with the suspected killers of the US women, who were travelling in a car with diplomatic license plates, allegedly shot dead by police later, the independent Daily Nation newspaper reported on Monday. On Saturday around 20 km west of Nairobi, these two US women were stopped by carjackers bearing rifles.

According to police, at least one woman was shot because she took too long to leave the car. Five people were travelling in the vehicle, which was then towed to the US embassy, the Nation reported.

The US embassy has declined to comment on the incident.

Meanwhile, on Saturday night, Geoffrey Chege, the regional director of aid agency CARE International was shot dead in a carjacking attempt near one of Nairobi's most upscale suburbs. He was returning from a prayer meeting with his wife, who was not hurt.

Nairobi has gained a reputation for theft and carjackings, which often turn violent.

Last year saw a wave of attacks on foreign diplomats. Between July and September, the Russian ambassador, a Danish diplomat and a US military attache were wounded and robbed in three separate incidents.

Christian prayer meet attacked, Bihar town tense

Patna, Jan 29 (IANS) Tension gripped a Bihar town after a Christian prayer meet was attacked by suspected Bajrang Dal activists, injuring several people.

According to police, a group of armed men Sunday attacked the meet at a Christian missionary in Sasaram in Rohtas district, 200 km from here. They beat up people present there, tore down posters and burnt books and leaflets. Complaints have been filed against nine Bajrang Dal activists.

The injured were immediately admitted to hospital.

Witness said that about 40 masked men attacked the Christian prayer meet and warned against holding similar weekly meetings, said K.K. Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Sasaram).

"The attackers shouted slogans against the conversion of Hindus to Christianity," he added.

Bajrang Dal leaders in the district were apparently unhappy over the missionary converting many Dalits. In the last two months, nearly 50 Dalit families have reportedly converted to Christianity.

Court denies permission to Kolkata book fair

Kolkata, Jan 29 (IANS) Taking note of environmental considerations, the Calcutta High Court Monday refused permission to the Publishers and Booksellers' Guild to hold the 32nd Kolkata Book Fair at the Maidan grounds.

The verdict IS a defeat for West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya who lobbied hard with the defence ministry to obtain permission to hold the fair on the Maidan in the heart of the city.

CPI-M to launch all India stir against price rise from Feb.1

By Pervez Bari

Bhopal, January 29 (IndianMuslims): Concerned by the spiraling prices of essential commodities, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)has decided to hold week-long meetings and rallies across the country from February 1 to 8 to protest the price rise.

While talking to newsmen here on Sunday the CPI-M politburo member Comrade M.K. Pandhe made the above announcement. He said the inability of the Congress-led Federal Government of UPA (United Progressive Alliance) to improve the supply situation by augmenting production and cracking down on hoarding is responsible for the continuing increase in prices of food items.

Pandhe, who is here to attend a two-day meeting, of the party's state committee, that got underway here yesterday, said: "Speculative trading in the commodity futures market has further aggravated the situation," he added.

The party will insist for its demands including banning of futures trading in essential commodities, crack down on hoarding, strengthening government intervention in procurement and distribution of essential commodities, implementation of Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in additional 200 districts and presentation of the Women Reservation Bill in parliament.

''Fuel prices are also on the upward spiral. Finances from the pension fund were invested in the share market and the interest rate reduced on the provident fund. The UPA regime should learn a lesson from the Argentine government and not pump pension fund money into the share market,'' Comrade Pandhe felt.

Opposing a proposal to set up more than 200 special economic zones in India, he added that the it would lead to real estate scams amounting to billions.

''If such zones are to be established, federal laws should be amended in line with the provisions introduced by West Bengal in the context of Singur. The affected people must receive maximum compensation,'' Pandhe said.

Pandhe also accused the government, supported from outside by the Left parties including the CPI-M, of not following the Common Minimum Programme, the agreed agenda of governance.

He accused the rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh government of neglecting interests of the working class and agriculturists, particularly small farmers, and asked it to provide immediate relief to the farmers of 24 drought-hit districts.

Expressing concern over ''increasing'' communalism in Madhya Pradesh, he alleged that communal violence was spurting due to the state government's pro-Hindu agenda.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh unit of CPI today staged a protest demonstration in front of the State Governor Dr. Balram Jakhar's residence here and courted arrest in support of their demands for strict action against communal forces and labor policy for "hamals" (porters)'. However, police denied that arrests were made.

CPI workers led by party leader Krishna Modi took out a rally from Itwara area and submitted a 10-point memorandum to Governor Dr. Balram Jakhar.

Modi told a public meeting here that ''Gujarat experiment'' was being repeated in the state by the administration under the patronage of the Madhya Pradesh Government.

Eating less fats could make kids overweight too

London, Jan 29 (IANS) Eating too little fat may make your kids overweight, says a study that highlights the need for eating the right amounts of fat.

The study conducted by scientists at Goteborg University in Sweden looked at the eating habits and lifestyles of around 200 healthy four-year-olds and found that those who were significantly overweight consumed low amounts of unsaturated fat - the type found in fish, olive oil and vegetables.

Examination revealed that weight increases were due to the body storing too much fat, but those who ate the most fat were not the heaviest. Children who ate less fat had a higher body mass index (BMI) that relates weight and height readings, reported the online edition of BBC News.

"Every third child in the study ate far too little unsaturated fat, above all too little omega-3, mainly found in oily fish such as herring, mackerel and sardines. These children had significantly higher body weight," said dietician Malin Haglund Garemo, who led the team.

The researchers found that the eating habits of many children fell a long way short of healthy diet guidelines. On an average, they ate only 140 grams of fruit and vegetables per day, compared with the recommended 400 grams.

A fifth of the children were getting insufficient calcium, and 70 percent were deficient in iron. One quarter of the children's total energy intake came from sweets, ice cream, biscuits and soft drinks.

A key finding was that children with the highest insulin levels, a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy, had gained the most weight since birth.

The study has been published online by the Swedish Research Council.

Economic growth must be all-inclusive, says Sonia

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Essential to Mahatma Gandhi's passive resistance movement, 'Satyagraha' was economic growth that would lead to "rise of all", Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Monday, emphasising that inequality was "very visible" despite India's spectacular gains.

Inaugurating a two-day international conference to commemorate 100 years of Satyagraha, Gandhi said: "The relevance of Mahatma Gandhi is not the real issue. Our preparedness for him is."

While making Mahatma Gandhi an icon would be easy, it would more infinitely be more exacting to make him the beacon, she said.

In a hard-hitting speech, the United Progressive Alliance chairperson said economic growth could be sustainable only if it was all-inclusive and in harmony with nature and the earth's long-term future.

In what is seen as a strong message to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, which often gets criticised for its free-market economic policies, she said: "Our own country, for instance, has made spectacular gains over the past decades and is being rapidly transformed. But destitution, poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy are still widespread. Inequality is very visible.

"We live in an age of incredible scientific achievement and awesome technological advance. But are not the fruits of this achievement and advance still inequitably distributed?" Gandhi asked a crowd including world leaders like former presidents Lech Walesa of Poland and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Nobel laureates like Bangladesh's Mohammed Yunus.

"Is it not the case that a few enjoy the gains, whole many bear the pains?"

She said economic growth must be accelerated, but we should be mindful of possible adverse consequences of that progress and take steps to deal with them. "Can we not satisfy material wants and aspirations without threatening ecological security and planetary survival?"

"To be equitable, economic growth has to be sustainable. To be sustainable, economic growth has in turn to be all-inclusive. All-inclusive is no longer the greatest good of the greatest number. It is actually Sarvodaya or the rise of all. This Mahatma Gandhi saw as essential to Satyagraha itself," Gandhi said.

Pointing out that India had stood for comprehensive universal nuclear disarmament, Gandhi said: "Yes, India has nuclear weapons. This became a strategic compulsion for us, born out of the failure to persuade the world to abolish nuclear weapons."

She, however, added that India's commitment to nuclear disarmament remained.

Leaders of the Left Front, including Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat, were at the function. The Left Front backs the Congress-led government but has been critical of its economic policies.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, Kaunda, Yunus, former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al Kidwa and Lech Walesa also addressed the inaugural session.

Editors threaten to defy media gagging rule

Dhaka, Jan 29 (IANS) Senior journalists in Bangladesh have told the government that they will not abide by the norms and guidelines gagging the media imposed under emergency law.

The caretaker government did not trust the journalists and trust once lost cannot be restored easily, editors and senior journalists from print and television have informed Law and Information Advisor Mainul Hosein.

Hosein told them that the government had a set of powers under the emergency law but had not framed laws under it "as the media and the people are the source of this government's power".

"It is only a temporary arrangement. The state of emergency was imposed in the context of a dangerous anarchic situation," The Daily Star Monday quoted Hosein as telling the journalists.

Emergency was imposed on Jan 11 and general elections due Jan 22 were cancelled after three months of political turmoil.

Media curbs are part of the emergency regulations that also restrict political activity and engaging in any 'provocative' action.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is greatly concerned about the new regulations imposed by the interim government that severely restrict news reporting, said UNB news agency.

The committee said the Emergency Powers Rules of 2007 announced Thursday restrict press coverage of political news and set penalties of up to five years in prison for violations.

"These rules give authorities sweeping powers of censorship that will deprive Bangladeshi citizens of independent information at this critical time," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director. "We call on the interim government to rescind these repressive rules immediately."

EU Presidency voices "great concern" over inner-Palestinian clashes

Berlin, Jan 29, IRNA ,

The German European Union Presidency on Monday has expressed "great concern" over the latest round of inner-Palestinian violence.

"We emphatically urge all sides to end the violence and enter the negotiation process again. The inner-Palestinian dialogue must have a chance again," German Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jens Ploetner said during the weekly government news conference in Berlin.

He welcomed also Saudi Arabia's efforts to mediate in the ongoing inner-Palestinian conflict.

The number of dead in the Palestinian-run territories has risen to at least 25 as scores of people have been injured in clashes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Exhumation ordered after shootout killing in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 29 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir government Monday ordered to exhume the body of a youth who was allegedly killed in a shootout staged by police.

"The exhumation proceedings have been initiated and the Srinagar district magistrate has been approached for the constitution of a team of experts from the National Forensic Laboratory of Chandigarh for DNA testing to establish the identity of the slain person," a senior police officer said here.

Officials told IANS that the team of forensic experts from Chandigarh would arrive here within a day or two.

The family members of the youth - Abdul Rehman Paddar, resident of Larnoo village in Anantnag district - had filed a complaint at the Batmaloo police station in Srinagar on Jan 23, saying the youngster was abducted by unknown people from Batmaloo on Dec 8.

They told police that Paddar had a mobile phone with him when he went missing. Following investigations, police recovered the mobile from a member of the Special Operations Group (SOG) who said a police official had given it to him.

The recovery of the phone led to the possibility that the youth was killed in a shootout in Anantnag district Dec 9 in which SOG had killed a "foreign militant".

Following allegations of the "fake encounter killing", the government had Sunday arrested two policemen and shifted two senior officers.

Farooq Ahmad, the deputy inspector general of police (central Kashmir) entrusted with the supervision of the investigations into the "fake encounter killing", Monday held a meeting of the investigating team to work out a transparent procedure for the enquiry.

Expats in GCC states repartiated 59 billion USD in 2005 – Western Union

Kuwait, Jan 29 (NNN-KUNA) Remittances by expatriates in the Gulf Co-oeration Council (GCC) states reached 59 billion USD in 2005, which represented 24 per cent of the Global Remittance Market, according to the Western Union Regional Vice-President For the Middle East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Jean Claude Farah.

In a press conference held here Sunday, Farah said that Saudi Arabia alone represents 29 per cent of the total GCC remittances, followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia comes in second place in terms of expatriate remittances globally, as remittances from Saudi Arabia account for seven per cent of the world total, he added.

Farah said the bulk of remittances from GCC countries went to Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan and accounted for around 37 billion USD, representing 62.7 per cent of total remittances from the region.

The Indian community is considered the largest working community in GCC states in respect of remittances, estimated at 20 billion USD.

Farah pointed out that the Global Remittance Market in 2005 reached around 249 billion USD and this is expected to reach around 289 billion USD in 2007 because of the increase in the number of expatriate labour.

He said Western Union's share of the total amount of global remittances was around 18 per cent in 2006, a three percent increase from 2005, adding that its branches worldwide executed more than one million transfers a day with an average of 12 transactions a second.

On his visit to Kuwait, Farah said he is here to announce Western Union's new rates for the State of Kuwait which allow customers to send money to the Philippines for only three Kuwaiti dinars (one USD = about 3.46 USD).

The newly introduced rate is applicable for transfer amounts of up to KD 300 for customers living or working in Kuwait and is effective immediately. The rates follow Western Union's new bid to unify transfer fees to the Philippines from all Gulf States, a Western Union press release said.

Expatriates sending money to the Philippines will benefit not only from the reduced fees, but also from Western Union's network of approximately 5,000 agents spread across the nation of over 7,000 islands, it added.

There are 65 locations in Kuwait and Western Union operates through a network of approximately 285,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories.

Fatah, Hamas to hold talks in Mecca

Tel Aviv, Jan 29 (DPA) The Palestinian rival movements Fatah and Hamas have agreed to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah's proposal to hold talks in Mecca to end fighting between the two main factions.

A statement released by the Hamas government Sunday said that it welcomed King Abdullah's "invitation to host the national dialogue in Mecca". Since Thursday night, 26 Palestinians have been killed in internal violence.

"We are ready to cooperate with every effort that contributes to strengthening the interior front," the Hamas statement said.

Ahmed Abdul Rahman, a Fatah spokesperson, said in Ramallah that his organisation "warmly welcomes this noble initiative".

Although violence decreased Sunday, two people, one from Fatah and one from Hamas were killed during gunfights in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Many mutual abductions have also taken place.

An Egyptian delegation based in Gaza has also been trying to bring the two factions back to negotiations after talks were stalled following the latest outbreak of violence starting Thursday night.

An Egyptian-led five-point initiative calls on both sides to end hostilities and release all kidnapped people.

Kayed al-Ghoul, a senior leader in the Popular Front, said that "Fatah accepted the (Egyptian) initiative, and we are waiting to hear Hamas' reaction to the plan".

A spokesperson for Islamic Jihad said that Hamas is likely to accept the initiative.

Talks resumed between the two parties to end violence and form a national unity government after a meeting last week in Damascus between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, and Khaled Mashaal, a senior Hamas leader, but the dialogue broke down following the renewed violence.

Foolproof security for National Games: Gogoi

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) There will be foolproof security for the 33rd National Games in Guwahati next month, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here Monday.

"I can assure you all that there will be foolproof security for the National Games. It will be much bigger than the 32nd National Games that took place in Hyderabad in 2002," said Gogoi at a press conference.

The Feb 9-18 National Games - being held after four years - has been a doubtful starter after separatist group United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) called upon the people of Assam to boycott the games.

ULFA's recent terror attacks have killed more than 80 people. But the chief minister said his government has appealed to the outfit to stop its terror activities.

"There are different groups in Assam who also called for the boycott of the games, but later they withdrew the 'sanctions'. ULFA is the only one that has stuck to its call, and we are still appealing them to withdraw their call," he said.

Gogoi said even if ULFA did not budge from its stand, the government was well equipped to handle the situation. He said it has been decided to deploy 20 companies of additional forces in Guwahati.

The chief minister said preparation for the games is going on in full swing and the organisers are busy giving final touches to the 20 newly built stadiums in and around Guwahati, at a cost of Rs.3.52 billion.

"Our infrastructure is the best in the country and it is also of international standard. It is a big honour for the people of Assam and they have showed that they can do the best," Gogoi said.

He blamed the local media for creating unnecessary hype about the security in the state during the games.

"It is only a handful of local media with vested interests that are blowing things out of proportion. The athletes and the respective states are not complaining about the security," he said.

"This time over 7,000 participants will be there and the number is much more than the Hyderabad National Games."

Gandhian values animate India's foreign policy: Pranab

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Indian foreign policy owes a great deal to Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of peace and non-violence, said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee here Monday.

"Our foreign policy, which is based on Panchsheel propounded by Pandit Nehru, was itself drawn from the Gandhian philosophy of peace and non-violence," Mukherjee said while addressing a two-day international conference to commemorate the centenary of Satyagraha, the movement of truth and passive resistance espoused by Mahatma Gandhi.

The conference is attended by 88 foreign delegates.

"The five principles of peaceful co-existence are respect for each other's territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and peaceful coexistence," Mukherjee said.

"These principles have now become accepted norms of relations between nations and have been recognized throughout the world," he stressed as he generously praised Gandhi for making satyagraha the "soul" of his politics and public life.

Underlining the relevance of Gandhi in the 21st century beset by terrorism and many violent conflicts in the world, the minister said Gandhi put "the human being at the centre of all planning and future development."

Mukherjee also met Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Bhutan's Prime Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk for bilateral consultations on the sidelines of the Satyagraha conference.

Germany to face Spain in handball championship quarters

Hamburg, Jan 29 (DPA) Germany will have to overcome defending champions Spain if they are to progress to the last four of the Handball World Championships after the final round of group matches revealed Tuesday's quarter-final pairings.

Poland pipped the tournament hosts to the top spot in Group I Sunday and a more favourable quarterfinal opponent in the form of Russia with a 38-27 victory over Slovenia.

Germany beat Iceland 33-28 in their final group match to sit level on eight points with Poland, who finish top of the group courtesy of their victory over the Germans in the preliminary round.

Meanwhile, in Group II, Olympic champions Croatia will take on European champions France after finishing top of the group with a 100 percent record, their latest win a 29-28 defeat of Spain.

Russia defeated Hungary in a nail-biting encounter that ended 26-25 but were only assured a place in the last eight when Denmark beat the Czech Republic 33-29.

The result sees the Danes finish second in Group II, meaning a quarterfinal tie against Iceland.

"No one expected us to be so far in front," said Poland coach Bogdan Wenta after his side secured top spot in Group 1 and the match with four-time Olympic champions Russia.

"My team stood right back up after the defeat against France and we are getting stronger day by day."

Marcin Lijewski was top scorer for the Poles who have now won six out of six at the Ostwestfalen arena.

France overcame Tunisia 28-26 in the late game but were already guaranteed a place in the last eight regardless of the result following Slovenia's defeat. However, they will now have their work cut out against Croatia.

Germany celebrated their fourth win in succession in Dortmund as rising star Michael Kraus and goalkeeper Henning Fritz helped the hosts to victory over Iceland.

In Mumbai's name, Thackeray dwells on Hindu theme

By Shyam Pandharipande,

Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) It was to be a campaign speech on how to run Mumbai, India's financial and movie capital. But Shiv Sena's old and ailing chief Bal Thackeray largely spewed venom at a Shivaji Park rally here Sunday.

As he sought votes for yet another term to the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in the coming civic body elections, instead of highlighting the achievements of the alliance he could only exhibit a divisive appeal.

The muffled exhortation to Hindus to forge a strong unity and knock down Islam and a vacuous assertion of Marathi supremacy were the highlights of his short, incoherent speech that he ended abruptly to make way for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who came in late.

He also took potshots at 'Narya', a reference to Sena deserter Narayan Rane, made veiled references to estranged nephew Raj Thackeray's seeming 'concern' for his falling health and lavishly praised the unemployed mill workers of Parel-Lalbag area.

There was no mention - not even a passing one - to the woeful state of Mumbai's basic amenities, no promise of a better civic dispensation and no answer to the repeated allegations of the corrupt nexus between contractors and corporators in the Shiv Sena-BJP administration of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corp (BMC).

The unending bouts of cough punctuating Thackeray's laboured speech naturally evoked a lot of sympathy from the large gathering of his diehard admirers but it had a ring of guilt about it - for having troubled the patriarch to garner votes for a sagging Shiv Sena that he nurtured for 40 years.

That was what Raj Thackeray, leading the Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena's election campaign, had said of Shiv Sena - the party whose awesome writ once ran unchallenged in Mumbai has become so weak that it has no option but to drag its ailing leader into the campaign.

And that is what Bal Thackeray son Udddhav and other leaders of the party know - that the only potent weapon left in their armoury is the old man who ruled Mumbai like a colossus for four decades.

They also know that he can still shore up the sagging fortunes of the party by the sheer love he commands from large chunks of Maharashtrian population of the metropolis.

It is indeed true, though ironical, that the Shiv Sena stands to win something like 70 seats in the Feb 1 civic elections to the 227-member body and find the majority mark at a handshaking distance if its ally BJP musters 40 seats which soothsayers are giving it.

But what does Thackeray's overtly communal appeal mean to Mumbai, poised for a quantum leap to the promised Shanghai level?

Well, if it is the divisive appeal that wins the saffron alliance the votes it needs to come to power once again in BMC, it will mean the communal embers are still alive in the metropolis.

And in that case it augurs ill for the city that NRIs and foreign investors are eyeing, considering the huge funds the central government is pumping in it for further developing its creaking infrastructure.

But such fears could well prove to be unfounded given the very logic of development that reduces to irrelevance emotive issues and marginalizes the forces espousing them.

And more than anything else it will be the sheer habit of the Shiv Sena-BJP's traditional voters that will drive them to the polling booths, not the communal passion in their heart.

In any case, the Shiv Sena is on a decline with the new leadership, in the shape of Uddhav Thackeray and his aides, unable to rebuild the party, whether they win or lose the coming elections to the civic body.

India to carry forward its "profound" conviction about universal N-disarmament

New Delhi, Jan 29, IRNA,
Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said India would continue to carry forward its "profound" conviction about commitment to comprehensive, universal nuclear disarmament.

"Yes, India has nuclear weapons. This became a strategic compulsion for us, born out of the failure to persuade the world to abolish nuclear weapons," she said, while inaugurating an
International Conference on "Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment" organised by the Congress in commemoration of the centenary of the Satyagraha (Non-violent protest to resist injustice) launched by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa.

Referring to the blueprint for comprehensive, universal nuclear disarmament presented by her late husband Rajiv Gandhi at the United Nations in October 1988, Ms Gandhi said "Just a few days ago, four influential Americans who held very different views while in office, including Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, have drawn attention to his impassioned plea and called for urgent action."
Quoting the words of the Mahatma in the aftermath of Hiroshima that "violence cannot be destroyed by counter-violence...Mankind has to get out of violence only through non-violence", Ms Gandhi said "since then nuclear weapons have become even more of a terrifying reality."
In this context, she pointed that the world's nuclear weapon states had more than adequate atomic arsenal to destroy humanity many times over. "And it is not just clear weapons. We also confront the specter of chemical lad biological weapons."
"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind", she said, while highlighting that these words of the Mahatma had showed that he was decidedly against the idea that violence was the only answer to violence.

Ms Gandhi said the end of the Cold War had not seen a pandemic of peace and pointed out that the 'growth of nationalism, in the guise of building pride, was stoking prejudice with horrifying consequences.' 2160/1771

International stone firms to meet in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Jan 29 (IANS) Over 300 stone companies from across India and countries like China, Russia, Germany, France and Turkey are set to display their products in the fourth India Stonemart 2007 beginning here Feb 1.

Fifteen Indian states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will be represented through official state pavilions at the four-day event at the Export Promotional Industrial Park.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is to inaugurate the expo Jan 31.

More than 100 countries are likely to participate in the exhibition with 30 companies displaying their products in China's pavilion alone.

India Stonemart 2007 would showcase the Indian stone industry in its totality - resources, capacity, capability, and technological advancements - and would also act as a launching pad for new products and technologies.

It would be a platform for different varieties of marble, granite, sandstone, limestone and other decorative building stones, mining and processing machinery, tools and related services.

"India Stonemart will provide international exposure to Rajasthan's stone industry. The local industry will get to see many new technologies and tools that will also help improve productivity and lower production costs," said R.K. Gupta, CEO of the Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS).

The fair is being organised by CDOS in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd (RIICO) is the principal sponsor of the event.

Iraqi student, three teachers "kidnapped" in Baghdad

Baghdad, Jan 29 (DPA) A law student and three teachers were abducted from Nahrein University in Baghdad, a statement issued by Iraq's higher education ministry said Monday.

According to the statement, the academics were "kidnapped" as they were leaving the university in the Shiite Kazimiyah district. The ministry condemned "attacks that target" its employees.

Since April 2003, 185 university professors have been killed by militias, 142 have been captured by security forces and 52 have been kidnapped by armed militants, the ministry said.

"Those who have national values should immediately and firmly push for the release of the kidnapped," the statement said, adding that authorities should "stop the blood spill of Iraq's intellectual minds."

Only last week, higher education minister Abd Ziyab al-Ojeily barely escaped an assassination attempt, after armed men opened fire on his convoy, killing his bodyguard and seriously wounding another.

Jade should not be branded a racist, says Shilpa

London, Jan 29 (IANS) Voted the winner of Channel 4's reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother", Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty forgave fellow housemate Jade Goody whose racist slurs caused outrage in India and Britain.

"Things happen and people make mistakes and we are all human beings and we are all fallible," Shilpa said immediately after winning the show. "I know one thing for sure, Jade really didn't mean to be racist.

"I really don't want to leave England putting anyone in trouble," added Shilpa in an interview on Channel 4, which broadcasts the controversial series.

Shilpa bagged an estimated 100,000 pounds (almost Rs.9 million) in prize money. The results didn't come as a surprise because the leggy Indian star was tipped as the hot favourite to win.

Shilpa thanked the crowd outside as she left the specially designed Big Brother House, where she had been cooped up for 26 days under 24-hour surveillance.

Shilpa, 31, the first Indian to participate in the British TV show, was reportedly paid in excess of 40,000 pounds for her participation.

"She was leading all the betting sites," Shilpa's publicist Dale Bhagwagar told IANS.

Shilpa's being on the show, which started Jan 3, didn't make as much news as the racist slurs hurled against her by her housemates, namely British contestant Goody who was voted out by the audience.

Housemates Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara seemed to have ganged up against Shilpa during her stay. She became the subject of their snide and biting comments because of her svelte figure, poise and charm, good dressing sense and background as a popular Bollywood actor, said some media reports.

The comments against her sparked anger in India and Britain, and the issue figured in the House of Commons. Feminist diva Germaine Greer and even two Indian ministers demanded corrective action.

Shilpa, who made her debut in Bollywood with the 1993 super-hit "Baazigar", which also starred reigning superstar Shah Rukh Khan, never managed to touch the skies as a star. Her slinky dance numbers were more appreciated than her emoting powers.

Other contestants who participated in the show were Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson, A-Team star Dirk Benedict, Donny Tourette of punk band The Towers of London, ex-Steps star Ian "H" Watkins and "Kenny Everett" Show actress Cleo Rocos.

Jaipur to host festival of culture short films

Jaipur, Jan 29 (IANS) Jaipur will host the Feb 11-13 International Festival of Short Films on Culture 2007.

Called the IFFC-2007, it will be organised by the Indian Infotainment Media Corporation (IIMC).

"This would be the first such festival in the world and it would provide an opportunity to witness a cultural extravaganza of short films and documentaries and will motivate the participants to join the film revolution being witnessed all over the world," Devendra Khandelwal, the chief producer and director of IIMC, told IANS.

Besides India, more than 250 entries have come from 30 countries, including

Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the US and others. Selected 100 films will be screened in the festival.

The jury includes renowned people from various walks of life like eminent filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, National Award-winning director G.L. Bhardwaj, former union minister Kumudben Joshi and leading television journalist Barkha Dutt among others.

Legendary filmmakers Manoj Kumar, Madhur Bhandarkar and Aparna Sen have also agreed to attend the festival along with many Indian and international film & TV personalities.

Kenneth Kaunda steals the show in satyagraha conference

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) In a stirring speech punctuated with applause, Zambia's iconic leader Kenneth Kaunda set the tone Monday for Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha centenary commemoration here by lashing out at the US and Britain for unleashing a war in Iraq.

Kaunda, who mesmerised the packed Vigyan Bhavan auditorium here with his powerful speech that ended with a song to purge Africa from the scourge of AIDS, asked all those funding terrorism to channel the money to fight tuberculosis and AIDS.

Zambia's founding president was amongst a galaxy of leaders to address the two-day satyagraha conference that marks 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi's passive resistance movement. Others who spoke were former Polish president Lech Walesa, Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus, former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al Kidwa and Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

All of them emphasised that Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings were still relevant and could not be dismissed as a matter of the past.

Kaunda stole the show as he addressed the gathering that included eminent personalities from 90 countries and said: "I would appeal to (US President George W.) Bush and (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair and their allies to stop the war. No one with sensitivity and humanity can watch that senseless destruction on television."

He said the two countries were less peaceful today than in the pre 9/11 days. "The advantage is only for the arms dealers. Poor in the developing countries are wasted victims today."

Kaunda urged all those who fund terrorism to redirect the money to fight diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. "Militancy does not provide desired results," he said, adding that Islam espoused love and peace.

He also pointed out that there would not be international peace unless there was peace in the Middle East. "It is time to deal with the root cause of conflict... Israel-Palestine conflict is the core of the Middle East crisis... We should give a clarion call to end the war and re-dedicate ourselves for the message of freedom."

Kaunda ended his impressive speech with a song: "In the name of great Africa, we shall fight and conquer AIDS. Always forward, never backward."

Many in the gathering, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who inaugurated the conference, gave him a standing ovation.

Agreeing with Kaunda, former Palestinian foreign minister Al Kidwa said: "The conflict between Palestine and Israel does pose a serious threat to international peace."

For this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Bangladesh's Mohammed Yunus, Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha was aimed at eradicating poverty. "The world has now realized that peace and poverty are closely linked," said the founder of Bangladesh's Grameen bank.

"The systematic exclusion of poor from our financial institutions is economic apartheid... So we should work towards a world which our grandchildren and great grandchildren should be proud of and a world where poverty exists only in museum."

Former Polish president and Solidarity movement leader Walesa said Mahatma Gandhi should not be limited to South Africa and India.

His speech - which was translated into English by an interpreter - evoked some laughter when he said: "There are some communists who can be tolerated."

There was loud laughter when a smiling Sonia Gandhi gestured to the Left leaders - including Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Prakash Karat and Communist Party of India's A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja - seated on the front row.

Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter and South African MP Ela Gandhi also addressed the conference.

Among others attending the conference are Mauritius Prime Minister Navichandra Ramagoolam, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Slovenia President Janez Drnovesk, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Fransesco Rutelli and Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kall.

Law panel initiates efforts to cleanse Indian polity

By Rana Ajit,

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) In a move to rid the Indian polity of criminal elements, a parliamentary panel has initiated moves to ban people charged with certain criminal offences by courts from contesting elections for at least five years.

The parliamentary standing committee on law and justice, headed by Rajya Sabha member E.M.S. Natchiappan, decided last week to examine afresh the issue of criminalisation of Indian politics.

The panel is seeking public opinion on whether such offenders should be banned. The charges would include heinous offences like murder, rape, terrorism, drugs and smuggling framed by a competent court.

The matter was referred to the panel first by Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, an avid supporter of poll reforms, in late 2005. It has begun examining the issue more than a year afterwards.

Shekhawat, in fact, referred the entire set of the Election Commission's July 2004 poll reform proposals to the panel after the law ministry paid scant regard to the commission's comprehensive 20-point proposal.

Soon after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government assumed office in May 2004, former chief election commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy referred a comprehensive 20-point poll reform proposal to the office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 5, 2004.

The Prime Minister's Office forwarded the proposal to the law ministry which did precious little beyond convening an all-party meeting, ostensibly to evolve a political consensus on the issue. And subsequently, the Commission's proposal was shelved on the pretext of lack of consensus.

According to sources, Manmohan Singh was keen to restrict the presence of criminals in politics and this had led the former chief election commissioner to refer the matter to his office.

Krishnamurthy had written to the prime minister: "The Commission urges the government to give immediate consideration to these issues (of poll reforms) and, if possible, undertake necessary legislation so that the same can be made effective well before the next round of elections due in some states."

He also pointed out to the government that the Commission has been raising the issue of criminalisation of politics since 1998.

The present electoral laws ban a person from contesting elections only after his conviction in some criminal offences by a court of law.

But with many criminals winning elections due to their muscle power during the long-winding criminal trial, the commission has proposed a law to bar such people from contesting elections for up to five years on framing of charges by courts in certain offences that entail a jail term of five years or more.

Any proposal aimed at ridding the Indian polity of criminals generally lacks political consensus. Some political parties apprehend that such a law would bar many of their prominent leaders with dubious criminal antecedents from contesting polls.

Others fear that ruling parties, on the eve of elections, could slap false cases against potential winning opposition candidates to prevent them from contesting.

Accordingly, politicians have unequivocally been resorting to the judicial dictum of innocent-unless-convicted to oppose the proposals aimed at curbing criminalisation of politics.

The Election Commission's proposal, however, has factored in the genuine apprehensions of political parties. It proposes barring a person from contesting only after framing of charges against him by a court.

Incidentally, framing of charges by a court, which is an advanced stage of criminal trial, is much different from registration of a case or what is called a first information report (FIR) by the police.

An FIR merely contains the allegations by the complainant or the victim. The police subsequently investigates to verify the authenticity of the allegations in the FIR. On finding the allegations true, the police file a chargesheet in the court, enlisting the evidence to prove the allegations.

The court subsequently makes its own examination of the quality of the evidence and frames charges only after finding reasonable evidence against a person.

Thus the Election Commission's proposal being examined by the parliamentary panel does not merely redress genuine political fears but also revives hopes of a cleaner Indian political system.

Let your genes become your diet expert

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) You do not need to make sudden changes in your diet any more because of any hereditary disease. Nutrogenomics, the latest buzzword in the field of health sciences, can help you have your own personalised diet in accordance with the genetic makeup of your body.

Health expert Dr. Sam Rehnborg, the president of Nutrilite Health Institute, California, says that now one doesn't have to go through the depression of making a sudden change in diet because of hereditary diseases like ailments of the heart or diabetes.

Today, the genetic makeup of a person can be easily determined, leading to detection of genes which can cause certain diseases. Nutrogenomics deals with the same concept of determining a person's genetic makeup and then charting out the diet accordingly, to lower the risks of those diseases.

Other than determining the genetic constitution of a person, nutrogenomics requires a person to give such details as his age, sex, eating habits and his lifestyle for a better diagnosis of a pre-determined problem.

According to Rehnborg, one in every four Indians will suffer from diseases of the heart in another decade. "Lack of exercise, bizarre eating habits, less sleep...our lifestyle is such that we simply invite trouble. Nutrogenomics will hence help in avoiding grave situations," he told IANS.

Already available in the US, this technique will come to India in a few years time.

Marshal Major could be new IAF chief

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Air Marshal Fali Homi Major, a helicopter pilot, could be the new Indian Air Force (IAF) chief when the present incumbent retires March 31, with Defence Minister A.K. Antony favouring past precedent in the selection process, reliable sources said.

The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, retires March 31. Major is the senior-most in line, followed by Air Marshal P.K. Mehra, Air Marshal B.N. Gokhale and Air Marshal Padamjit Singh Ahluwalia.

In normal times, the succession is a smooth affair with the IAF forwarding a list of four senior-most officers on the date the incumbent retires and the cabinet committee on appointments (ACC) approving the name on the top of the list.

This time, however, there have been rumblings in the IAF that Major, even though the senior-most of the quartet, is a helicopter pilot and thus would not be "suitable" for the top job as he would not be able to "fully appreciate" the intricate nuances of fighter operations.

This argument cuts little ice with Antony, who is known to favour going by past precedent.

"As far as he is concerned, it matters little if one is a fighter pilot or not. If seniority has been the precedent, then this should be followed," a senior defence ministry official said.

The ball is thus in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's court, after which the ACC would meet on the issue. The committee has not met during the week gone by, nor is there any meeting scheduled for the next few days.

The timing is important because in the past, the announcement on the IAF chief's successor is made two months before the incumbent retires. This should normally happen Wednesday but is likely to be delayed.

In Major's defence, it is being said that he might not be a fighter pilot, but the Mi-35 helicopter gunship he has flown requires even sharper skills as it is a ground attack machine that has to fly low and slow to be effective and is thus more vulnerable to enemy fire.

Then, there is the Shaurya Chakra, the country's second highest award for gallantry in peacetime, which Major received for the daring rescue of passengers trapped in a stranded cable car in Himachal Pradesh in the 1990s. He was a group captain at the time.

Major has also commanded IAF Kalaikunda, a frontline base that is home to two squadrons of MiG-27 fighters.

Interestingly, the other three officers in line - Mehra, Gokhale and Ahluwalia - were all conferred the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM), the country's highest honour for distinguished service, in the Republic Day honours list announced Thursday. Major had received he medal earlier.

In normal times, this might not have meant much, but is, nonetheless, a clear pointer they could also have a shot at getting the top job.

And, with Ahluwalia Thursday assuming charge of the prestigious New Delhi-based Western Air Command (WAC), the oldest and most operationally sensitive of the IAF's seven commands, this has fuelled intense speculation he could be elevated to chief - in spite of being the junior-most of the quartet.

This is because, apart from being a fighter pilot, tradition has it that the chief should have commanded either WAC or the sensitive Gandhinagar-based South Western Air Command (SWAC).

Mehra currently heads SWAC, while Gokhale is the IAF vice chief. Major heads the Shillong-based Eastern Air Command (EAC).

In at least the past four decades, there has been only once instance when a non-fighter pilot headed the IAF. This was in the early 1980s, when Air Chief Marshal I.H. Latif was elevated to the post.

In justification for this, it was contended that Latif flew Spitfires during World War II and had subsequently converted to transports.

Officially, the IAF will not comment on the issue, but not too long ago Tyagi himself indicated he was unhappy with a non-fighter pilot succeeding him.

"The records of all contenders are available with the government. It is the prerogative of the government to chose the military leaders they want," Tyagi had said at a press conference here Oct 5, 2006, ahead of the Oct 8 IAF Day celebrations.

"The IAF chief has no role (in the selection process). It is not my call," he added for good measure.

Pressed on the issue, Tyagi said: "My opinion is of no consequence. The government is not obliged to consult a serving chief on his successor."

Asked about the seniority issue, he stated: "This, the government has to be asked. Let a decision be taken and then we can debate on it."

Maruti to hike prices by Feb 1

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) India's leading car manufacturer Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) Monday said it would hike prices up to Rs.12,000 from Feb 1.

"We will hike the prices by up to Rs.12,000 and we have informed all our dealers about this," Jagdish Khattar, chief executive and managing director of MUL, said on the sidelines of a conference organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

He said the hike would be on almost all the models, and refused to give any further details.

"We will put out a formal statement on this by Feb 1," confirmed a MUL spokesperson.

Mobile services stopped along Tripura border

Agartala, Jan 29 (IANS) Public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has closed down a telecommunication station along Tripura's border with Bangladesh as mobile networks were aiding militants and smugglers.

"Recently Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials had visited the border areas of Tripura to examine the mobile signals and asked to block both the Indian and Bangladeshi mobile signals along the 10 km border," BSNL Chief General Manager (North East Circle One) A.K. Gupta said here Monday.

He said the central home ministry had asked them to close down one of their stations at Mohanpur in west Tripura to prevent mobile signals from across the border.

"We are helpless, it is not possible for us to block the Bangladeshi mobile signals as the mechanism is not available with us," Gupta pointed out.

Signals of various Bangladeshi mobile networks, including GrameenPhone, are available deep in bordering areas in Tripura.

"The union home and defence ministries are not allowing BSNL to set up BTS (Base Terminal Stations) within 10 km of the international border," he said. "The only exception is in the case of Agartala, where the BTS were allowed due to public and political pressure."

Agartala is just two kilometres from the international border with Bangladesh.

According to Gupta, only 11 of the state's 40 block areas were given mobile network facilities, as the Indian government is not allowing the services in the remaining blocks owing to their proximity to the international border.

"The BSNL would observe 2007 as the 'Year of North East' to increase the region's overall tele-density," the official said.

"A special economic bonanza is expected to be announced by the union government during the year for the over development of the telecommunication of the land-locked region."

Modi, Joshi dropped in new BJP team

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) In a major reshuffle in the Bharatiya Janata Party Monday, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and controversial organising general secretary Sanjay Joshi were dropped from the party's powerful parliamentary board.

Rajnath Singh, who was elected unopposed to the post of party president for a three-year term recently, announced his new team here.

Singh has replaced Joshi with Ram Lal, a senior functionary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - the ideological mentor of BJP.

"In view of the request made by Sanjay Joshi, general secretary (organisation), to relieve him of his responsibility, the BJP has relieved him and appointed Shri Ram Lal at this post," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

The newly announced BJP team has nine vice-presidents - Kalyan Singh, Balasaheb Apte, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar, tribal leader Jual Oram, Madhya Pradesh leader Kailash Meghwal and Chhattisgarh MP Karuna Shukla.

Former central ministers Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar, former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde, former Bajrang Dal chief Vinay Katiyar, Thawarchand Gehlot and veteran leader Om Prakash Mathur are general secretaries.

The new team has nine secretaries. Ram Das Agarwal has been appointed treasurer of the party while Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javadekar and Rajiv Pratap Rudy will be spokespersons.

The party also announced a newly constituted national executive, which includes 13 women, six members from scheduled castes and five of schedule tribes.

In addition to former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and former party chief L.K. Advani most senior leaders have been re-nominated.

The list includes Bollywood stars of yesteryears - Shatrughan Sinha and Hema Malini - cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu and Varun Gandhi, nephew of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Musharraf to seek support for Middle East peace initiative

Jakarta, Jan 29 (Xinhua) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will seek support from Indonesian president for his initiative to find a solution to the Palestinian conflict during his two-day visit here this week.

Indonesian foreign ministry's director for Central and South Asia affairs Mohamad Asruchin said Musharraf will arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday and meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday.

"It is part of his series of visits to several countries in the Middle East and other Muslim countries to ask for support," Asruchin was quoted Monday by English daily The Jakarta Post as saying.

Myanmar crackdown on northeast rebel bases kills 15

By Syed Zarir Hussain,

Guwahati, Jan 29 (IANS) A dozen Myanmarese soldiers and three militants died in fresh fighting when Myanmar launched a massive military crackdown to evict anti- India guerrillas from its soil, a rebel leader said here Monday.

A spokesman of the S.S. Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) said Myanmar's military junta had burnt down the outfit's general headquarters and two other camps in that country's northern Sagaing Division.

"Heavy fighting is going on with a brigade (3,000 personnel) of the Myanmarese army with mortars and rocket launchers in a massive assault on our cadres since the weekend," A.Z. Jami, a senior NSCN-K leader, told IANS by telephone.

The NSCN-K, fighting for an independent homeland for the Naga tribe in the north-eastern Indian state of Nagaland, has at least 50 camps with 5,000 guerrilla fighters entrenched in fortified bunkers in the Sagaing Division.

"We have lost three of our cadres and as many wounded in the attacks. In retaliatory strikes, our boys killed more than 12 Myanmarese soldiers and injured many more," the rebel leader said.

"About 60 of our cadres who were at the general headquarters during the raid managed to flee," he added.

Myanmar's offensive comes a week after India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Yangon and sought the country's help in cracking down on rebels from India's troubled northeast who are seeking refuge across the border.

"The offensive by the military junta has the backing of the Indian government with most of the weapons used in the operation supplied by New Delhi," another rebel leader said.

Mukherjee's visit came after reports from Indian security officials that hundreds of rebels from Assam have fled to Myanmar since New Delhi launched a military operation against the guerrillas earlier this month.

The Assam government blamed rebels from the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for a recent wave of violence in the state that killed 86 people, 61 of them Hindi-speaking migrant workers.

At least four other militant groups from India's northeast, including the ULFA, have training camps in northern Myanmar's thick jungles.

"There could be ULFA camps here and there that might have come in the way of the military attack in Myanmar but we are not very sure," Jami said. "We too have positioned our cadres and would repulse the offensive."

There has been no immediate confirmation of the military offensive from Myanmar.
The NSCN's Khaplang faction has been observing a ceasefire with New Delhi since 2001 although peace talks are yet to begin.

Myanmar had earlier pledged that the junta would not let Indian rebels operate from its soil. Myanmar last year launched a military operation against the NSCN-K and overran several of their bases.

India and Myanmar share a 1,640-km (1,000 mile) unfenced border, allowing militants from the northeast to use the adjoining country as a springboard to carry out hit-and-run strikes on federal soldiers.

The rebels say they are seeking to protect their ethnic identities and allege the central government has exploited the resources in this mineral, tea, timber, and oil-rich region.

More than 50,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the northeast region since India's independence in 1947.

National Seminar on Hybrid Rice

Dr. RB Singh
Former ADG, Asia-Pacific, FAO and
Member - National Commission on Farmers
Chairman - Seminar Organising Committee
Dated: 22nd Jan, 2007

Sub: National Seminar on Hybrid Rice - focus Uttar Pradesh

I am pleased to announce that Food and Agriculture Forum with the support of UP Council of Agriculture Research and the Government of Uttar Pradesh is organising a National Seminar on Hybrid Rice in Lucknow on 11th Feb, 2007. The program is coinciding with an important national agri event in Lucknow, the 5th AgriExpo from 10 - 13 Feb, 07.

As you are aware, the introduction of hybrid rice and its fast adoption by the farmers holds enormous promise for the agrarian prosperity and the national food security. Uttar Pradesh has the distinction of having the largest area under hybrid rice cultivation and accounts for 40% of the total consumption of hybrid rice seeds in the country. The UP Government is well appreciative of the role of hybrid rice in the State's farming economy and is keen to address the policy, research, production, partnership, marketing and exports related issues through collaborative efforts to expand its adoption for improved yields, quality and farmers incomes.

I am confident that the above seminar will address the critical issues facing the hybrid rice cultivation and trade. On behalf of the Organising Committee, I wish to request for your kind participation in the seminar. The details are enclosed.

We look forward to your kind support and participation.

With best regards

(Prof. RB Singh)

No hefty fees for transferring society flats: court

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Delhi High Court Monday restrained group housing societies from charging hefty transfer-cum-entrance fees from new buyers of flats in a society.

"The group housing societies could not have demanded or levied a hefty amount of Rs 100,000 from the new entrants or purchasers," ruled a bench, headed by Chief Justice M.K. Sharma.

The bench, also comprising Justice Hima Kohli, said there was no reasonable justification for demanding such a hefty amount for inducting a new buyer as the member of the society.

The judgement followed a bunch of petitions by several new buyers in various housing societies, including Kusum Lata Gupta, K. Subumaran and Bimla, against the registrar of the cooperative societies, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and various housing societies.

Questioning the rationale behind hefty transfer fees, the court said the business of the society was to construct flats and allocate the same to members, besides providing for and maintaining common facilities to all its members.

The court said there was no bar in transfer of a flat by the original member of a society to a third party.

One killed in poll violence near Amritsar

Amritsar, Jan 29 (IANS) A Shiromani Akali Dal worker was killed and three others injured in poll-related violence Monday in Punjab's Beas town near the Sikh holy city of Amritsar.

Dilbagh Singh, an Akali worker, was shot dead allegedly by activists of the ruling Congress party in this town on the National Highway No. 1 (Grand Trunk Road) after a clash between workers of the two parties.

Majitha police district chief Lok Nath Angra confirmed the death of the Akali worker.

Trouble began when the Akali workers were taking out a procession through the town after getting one of their colleagues released from the local police station.

As they passed in front of the Congress election office, tempers flared amid slogan shouting and then there was firing that killed Singh.

Police reinforcements were rushed to the spot to defuse the situation.

Tension prevailed in the town, 30 km from here, as Akali activists, protesting the killing, blocked the highway for over two hours, leading to huge traffic jams on the busy road that links Jalandhar and Amritsar.

They demanded a case of murder be registered against the Congress candidate from the Beas assembly seat.

Elections for 117 assembly seats and by-election for the Amritsar Lok Sabha will be held Feb 13.

Pakistan hands over 131 arrested Afghans

Islamabad, Jan 29 (Xinhua) Pakistan's law enforcement agencies released 131 Afghanis and handed them over to the Afghan government at Chaman point on Pakistani-Afghan border, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

They were arrested from different areas of southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan, said the report, quoting a law enforcement official.

Cases had been registered against the Afghanis under Foreign Act and they have been released on completion of their sentences, the official said here Sunday.

Pakistani authorities handed over 119 Afghan nationals to Afghan authorities on Jan 16 and another 93 on Jan 20 who had been arrested from various parts of Baluchistan for entering Pakistan without any legal travel documents, according to APP.

Pakistan to consider setting up visa office in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Jan 29 (IANS) The Pakistan high commissioner to India has said his government would discuss a demand from Indian relatives of Pakistanis living here - to set up a visa counter in Hyderabad.

Shahid Malik, who arrived here Sunday, was responding to people's request for a temporary visa office that could issue visas once in three months.

Many complained to Malik, during a dinner hosted by Zahid Ali Khan, the editor of Urdu daily Siasat, that those desirous of travelling to his country to meet their relatives faced difficulties in obtaining visas.

The high commissioner promised to take up the issue with the Indian government.

Malik, who took charge Jan 18, is scheduled to participate in a function at the College of Air Warfare in Secunderabad before returning to New Delhi.

Many people from this city had migrated to Pakistan during India's partition in 1947. In many cases their relatives have not met them for decades due to strained relations between the two countries.

Last year officials of the two countries agreed to increase the number of visa counters from the existing two to three. While India is keen to open a new visa counter in Lahore, Pakistan has said it would set up a counter in Hyderabad.

Pakistani lawmakers demand details of US military presence

Islamabad, Jan 29 (IANS) Pakistan's lawmakers have demanded details of agreements under which the government has allowed foreign, especially US, forces, access to air bases and other facilities in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack.

The government has not been forthcoming.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Sunday demanded that parliament be taken into confidence on the agreements allowing the use of the country's air bases by foreign troops, the revenues received from leasing the air bases and how the revenues have been utilised.

The government has denied the presence of forces, although US media reports have in the recent years indicated so.

The government has told the lawmakers that the country's sovereignty has not been affected. The use of 'select' air bases has been allowed as part of the government's policy of combating terrorism.

The National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) asked for information but the defence ministry declined saying it was not in the purview of the committee.

Earlier, the ministry had refused to answer questions regarding real-estate developers using the name of armed forces, The Daily Times said.

"The self serving refusal to trust the PAC is not only a mockery of the parliament, it smacks of arrogance and raises serious questions on transparency," said PPP leader Farhatullah Babar in a statement here on Sunday.

If the PAC cannot ask questions about revenues generated from leasing air bases and building housing societies in the name of defence services, then who else can, he asked.

Although the country's defence budget is tabled in the National Assembly, it has the symbolic one rupee allocation for parliamentary approval. The system, that has been in force for long was partially changed last year, allowing a measure of parliamentary scrutiny, especially by the PAC.

Peace talk with ULFA was a wrong move: Gogoi

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Indirect talks with the separatist group United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) through the People's Consultative Group (PCG) was an incorrect step, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here Monday.

"It was a wrong move by the central government to continue peace talk with the ULFA. They got their sweet time to regroup themselves and now they are again spreading terror," said Gogoi while addressing a press conference on the 33rd National Games.

The Feb 9-18 National Games - being held after four years - have been a doubtful starter after ULFA called upon the people of Assam to boycott the games. ULFA's recent terror attacks have killed more than 80 people.

Gogoi said he was also to be blamed for the wrong step.

"I am also to be partly blamed for this process because the central government had taken me into confidence for the talks with the ULFA," he said.

Gogoi assured foolproof security for the National Games.

"I can assure you all that there will be foolproof security for the National Games. It will be much bigger then the 32nd National Games that took place in Hyderabad in 2002."

ULFA had set up the PCG, comprising of prominent Assamese citizens in September 2005, to start negotiations with the federal government.

The peace talks broke down last September when the central government refused to extend a ceasefire as ULFA did not give a written commitment to hold direct talks with the former.

Gogoi said nothing could be achieved by gun and by creating terror in the minds of the people of Assam.

He cited the example of a former separatist group Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) who are now a part of his government.

"BLT was also a similar out fit like the ULFA. But we sat down with BLT and they surrendered and also went onto fight elections. Now we have BLT members as a part of our government."

The state government still has its doors open for the ULFA to sit down and talk, Gogoi added.

"But they have to put down their arms first. They are not going to achieve anything by violence," he said.

PM asks auto industry to invest eco friendly technologies

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) The Indian automotive industry must invest in energy efficient and environment friendly technologies, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday.

Releasing a 10-year Automotive Mission Plan 2006-16 at his residence, the prime minister said that in light of growing global concern about climate change, developed countries must accept their due burden as they had been the biggest polluters.

Developing countries cannot be asked to take on the obligations of developed countries and must be helped in addressing the challenge of climate change, he said.

Manmohan Singh expressed the confidence that India would emerge as a major centre for the automotive industry in the coming years.

He complimented the industry for steps taken to improve competitiveness of Indian brands and particularly referred to Tata Motors chief Ratan Tata and Hero Honda Motors's Brijmohan Lal Munjal for their leadership in this regard.

The prime minister assured the gathering, including Heavy Industries Minister Santosh Mohan Dev, that the government would partner development and progress of the industry.

The Mission Plan 2006-16 is the blueprint for growth and prepared by the heavy industries and public enterprises ministries in collaboration with the industry.

Prince Charles receives environmental award

New York, Jan 29 (DPA) Britain's Crown Prince Charles, on a whirlwind US tour with his wife Camilla, received an award here for his work on environmental policies.

Prince Charles received the Global Environmental Citizen Award, given by Harvard Medical School, Sunday evening from last year's winner, former US vice president Al Gore.

The prince, who was "touched" at being honoured, especially by Gore, said the campaign to curb damage done to the planet "had taken on greater urgency".

"Every passing year has seen further evidence emerge of the damage we are doing to this poor old planet, the only one we've got so far that sustains life in such a miraculous and well-ordered way," the prince said.

Earlier, the royal couple attended a play performed at a children's centre here.

At Children's Zone, a centre for disadvantaged youth in the city's Harlem district, a predominantly minority neighbourhood, the royal couple watched a performance by children, broadcaster NY1 News reported.

Charles also shot basketballs with some Harlem residents.

The royal couple flew Saturday to nearby Philadelphia, where they visited historical and cultural sites and met with students before continuing by train to New York.

To save energy and reduce pollution emissions from their travels, Charles and Camilla flew to the US by regular airline flight rather than private jet. Their brief US tour is focused on youth, urban renewal and environmental issues.

Qadir to lead Pakistan veterans against India

Karachi, Jan 29 (IANS) Former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir will captain a star-studded veterans' team against an Indian veteran side next month.

Pakistani veterans will visit India in February to play three one-dayers against the Indian veterans led by former captain Mohammad Azharuddin, according to the Dawn.

The Pakistani team is likely to comprise of pace legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis besides having former wicket-keeper Rashid Latif behind the stumps.

This will be the third series between the two veteran sides as Pakistan toured India in December 2005 while India paid their return visit in April last year.

Quran becomes top selling book in Denmark

Berlin, Jan 29, IRNA ,
The holy scripture of Islam - the Quran - has become the top selling book in Denmark one year after the blasphemous caricature crisis shook up the Danish society and the Muslim world, the Munich-based Focus news magazine reported Monday.

The Quran was ranked second during the important Christmas book sales period.

Buyers of the Quran include many young Muslims who grew up in Denmark but do not speak Arabic.

The Danish government has stepped up efforts in recent months to reach out to the Muslim community by hosting international Islam conferences and holding inter-religious dialogue seminars.

RSS plans religious centres in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Jan 29 (IANS) The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) is planning to impart lessons in Hinduism by conducting classes in temples in Madhya Pradesh.

Samskrit Bharati, an RSS affiliated organisation, has been entrusted with the task in this Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state.

"We will open Sanskar Kendras to instil our cultural values in children. Education pertaining to our culture will be given at these centres. The scheme is, however, in the initial stage", said Laxmi Narayan Pande, secretary of the Madhya Pradesh unit of Samskrit Bharati.

Added a source close to the organisation: "A detailed scheme envisaging opening of at least one such school, designated 'Samskrit Bharati Kendra', at a temple in each district has been submitted to the state government for permission and assistance.

"Also, of the 50,000 Samskrit Bharati members, at least 1,500 active workers have been asked to go door to door convincing people to send their children for studies at the centres once they are opened. This will also help us estimate the number of students we would be getting initially," the source said.

There are more than 12,000 temples looked after by the state and 9,780 priests on government rolls. It remains to be seen if these priests would be employed for the teaching job or fresh appointments would be made.

Classes at these centres will be of two hours each in the morning and evening after Aarti.

"Classes on Hindutva would be held in various temples across the state where the students would be taught about Hindu 'pujas' and rituals. Studying Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata will also be part of the curriculum. The students will also learn Sanskrit and do some social service," said a Samskrit Bharati worker.

The proposal for religious teaching centres follows the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's announcement last week of a 'yoga policy', envisaging constitution of a council for practising yoga in the state, provision of facilities required for setting up yoga centres, selection and appointment of yoga teachers.

Russia to upgrade aircraft fleet

Moscow, Jan 29 (RIA Novosti) A government military-industrial commission will devote its first session Monday to the expansion and modernisation of Russia's commercial air fleet.

The commission, chaired by Vice Premier and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, will focus on measures to meet major Russian airlines' demand for modern aircraft, said ministry spokesman Sergei Rybakov.

"Discussions will deal specifically with resuming serial production of modern airliners, which are currently put out on a small scale - about a dozen long-haul and regional aircraft a year - as well as launching production of new planes that would meet international standards and airlines' requirements for reliable, economic, safe and comfortable carriers," he said.

As part of efforts to renovate Russia's ageing airliner fleet and raise the industry's global competitiveness, the government has recently launched several ambitious projects, including plans to build SuperJet-100 and MS-21 regional medium-haul airliners.

Serial production of the SuperJet-100, a regional airliner in the 60- to 95-seat category with an average flight range of 1,750 km, will begin in 2008.

The MS-21, designed to seat between 130 and 170 passengers and to fly up to 5,000 km, enters service in 2012.

Last year, major Russian aircraft manufacturers, including Sukhoi, Tupolev and Ilyushin, were consolidated into the state-controlled United Aircraft Building Corporation.

Sheen Kaaf Nizam presented Indian National Iqbal award

By Pervez Bari

Bhopal, January 29 (IndianMuslims): Noted Urdu poet Sheen Kaaf Nizam received the prestigious National Iqbal award 2006-07 at the hands of Madhya Pradesh Governor Dr. Balram Jakhar here at a glittering function at Ravindra Bhavan.

Nizam was presented with a citation, a shawl and Rs 100,000. The Governor also presented the 'Rashtriya Mahatma Gandhi Samman' to Hardwar's Divya Prem Sewa Mission on this occasion. Mission founder Ashish Gautam received the award on behalf of the organization. The award carries a citation and prize money of Rs. 500,000.

Dr. Jakhar, who was the chief guest, congratulating the awardees for significant contribution to the society, said recognizing groups like the Divya Prem Mission, which are dedicated to social causes like eradicating leprosy - is a honor for the Madhya Pradesh Government.

He emphasized the mission of ridding the families and dependants of leprosy-afflicted patients of curse of the disease while treading on the path of Mahatma's 'Vaishnav Jan To ..Peer Parayi Jane Re' was inspirational with regard to the fact that this section still remains stigmatized and marginalized in the society.

Praising Nizam's role in enriching the Urdu literature, the Governor expressed his desire to 'arrest' the poet for an exclusive rendition for himself.

Thanking the State Government, Gautam said he was accepting the honor as a representative of the organizations working for eradicating leprosy from the society. He laid stress on the four qualities of "Samata" (equality), "Mamta" (affection), "Namrata" (politeness) and "Kshamta" (capability) needed to serve the society.

Sheen Kaaf Nizam also regaled the audience with his thought provoking deliveries. He emphasized that poetry was not confined to any religion or language. "It is symbolic and that is why it manages to achieve instant connectivity with the soul," said Nizam.

Sheen said the award not only shows acceptance of fresh possibilities for the government and also burdened him with great responsibility to 'think better and create better'.

Gautam said the award showed administrative sensitivity to ailing leprosy patients. "Only proper awareness among the youth can abolish the dreaded disease. And this governmental aid by way of prize will further help us in taking the required steps towards this goal," he said.

Shiv Sena candidate shot dead in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) A Shiv Sena candidate for a civic body election to be held this week was Monday shot dead by unidentified assailants in Thane, police said.

Ashok Bhoyar was shot in the satellite township of this metropolis while he was in his car that was stationary. He died within minutes, police said.

The assailants, whose number could not be ascertained, fled the spot before anybody could identify them.

Preliminary investigations suggested that the murder was not connected with politics, police said.

Bhoyar, a Shiv Sena candidate for the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) elections to be held Feb 1, had contested a previous TMC poll on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket.

Taslima hopeful of Indian visa extension

By Sujoy Dhar,

Kolkata, Jan 29 (IANS) Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, whose residential permit in India expires on Feb 17, is pinning all her hopes for a longer stay in the country on a visa extension by the central government.

"I hope that my application for extension of visa will be accepted," Nasreen told IANS here.

"I cannot go back to Bangladesh in the near future because whoever wins the elections - either of the two main political coalitions led by Sheikh Hasina or Khaleda Zia - would not want me there," she said.

"I always wanted to stay in Bangladesh but since I am not allowed in that country, Kolkata is the second best option. The cultural affinity, the language, the food are the same here and in Bangladesh, and so there cannot be a better place to live outside my home country," she said.

Nasreen had said earlier that Bangladesh needed a new secular leadership.

"We can only hope that people, who are pushed to the brink, would hit back with a revolt. There is a need for a new secular leadership to take the country forward," she said.

"Fundamentalism has destroyed the country. And unfortunately you cannot blame the fundamentalists alone. They are supported by the political parties. There is now hardly any difference between the so-called secular and non-secular groups," said the author of "Utal Hawa" (wild wind) and "Amar Meyebala" (my girlhood).

Nasreen is kept busy by her writings in Kolkata.

"The fifth part of my autobiographical account came out recently. I am planning to formally release it in a forthcoming book fair," she said.

The West Bengal government had banned her autobiographical book "Dwikhondito" (split in two), but the ban was lifted after she won a court battle.

Nasreen, who has been living in exile for 12 years, had moved to Sweden after she invoked the wrath of fundamentalists in Bangladesh with her book "Lajja" (shame) in 1993. The book recounted the torturing of Hindus in a Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

She had to leave Dhaka after a 'fatwa' (fatal edict) was issued against her following the release of the book.

The rented apartment in Kolkata's upmarket Rawdon Street, complete with avant-garde paintings and ethnic furniture, is a far cry from the cheap hotel rooms that she inhabited a few years ago and bears testimony to the relative stability in this exiled Bangladeshi writer's tumultuous life.

But with her citizenship plea rejected earlier, Nasreen lives in uncertainty and can only hope that the Indian government will accept her appeal for visa extension.

Tight security in Kerala ahead of Modi visit

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 29 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's three-hour visit here Monday evening has got the Kerala Police on its toes with the state's southern districts put on red alert.

Modi is scheduled to arrive in a special flight from Gujarat at 4.30 p.m. The controversial Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister is set to address a Hindu Mahamela organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He is to fly back by 7.30 p.m.

Nearly 1,500 police personnel have been posted in the capital since Saturday night and a few raids were also reportedly conducted.

While the RSS here is joyous over Modi's trip, youth organisations of the Left parties and Muslim organisations are up in arms against the visit and have declared Monday as a day of protest.

However, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has asked people to desist from creating trouble and cooperate with the security efforts of the state government.

Turkish police detain 48 Al Qaeda members

Ankara, Jan 29 (DPA) Turkish special operations police on Monday arrested 48 suspected members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, the private television station NTV reported.

In a series of coordinated operations, 16 people were detained in Istanbul and 25 in the central Anatolian city of Konya. Other arrests were made in Izmir, Kocaeli and Mardin.

There were no initial reports on whether the suspects had been planning any operations within Turkey or abroad.

A group of Turkish religious extremists with close links to al-Qaeda were behind a series of four suicide bomb attacks in Istanbul in Nov 2003, which left more than 60 people dead.

The suicide bombers drove small trucks laden with explosives into two synagogues on Nov 15, 2003, and five days later attacked the British consulate in Istanbul and the Istanbul headquarters of the London-based HSBC bank.

Two die in Jammu tunnel collapse

Jammu, Jan 29 (IANS) At least two labourers were killed and 12 injured Monday when a portion of a tunnel under construction collapsed in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district.

Six people were missing after a 50-metre slab of a tunnel being dug for the Dulhasti hydroelectric project gave way trapping the labourers, said police here.

Three of the critically injured were airlifted to Jammu, Senior Superintendent of Police Manohar Singh said.

The incident, at the 345 MW project on the Chenab river, has triggered widespread protests in thee area with allegations that construction was of poor quality.

Locals are demanding a judicial inquiry and a statement by either Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Water was channelled through the tunnel a few days ago and locals suspect that this is what led to the collapse.

Work on the project had started in April 1983 and it was to be commissioned in 1988. But financial constraints, unforeseen geographical challenges and militancy, including the abduction of a French engineer, led to work being suspended on several occasions.

Jammu and Kashmir Power Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora had declared that the project would get commissioned early this year. But the latest accident could cause further delays.

Two soldiers killed in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu, Jan 29 (IANS) Two soldiers were killed and two security personnel injured after a nightlong exchange of fire with militants that continued till Monday morning in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district.

According to officials here, the gunbattle started Sunday evening when army and police launched a joint operation in Kidru area of Doda district, about 250 km from here, after getting information about the presence of top militants.

Besides two soldiers being gunned down, two security personnel, including a policeman, were injured. There was no loss reported from the militants' side.

The security cordon to catch the militants has been widened, an official said.

UN secretary general vows pressure on Sudan over Darfur

Kisangani (Congo), Jan 29 (DPA) On his first official visit as UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon insisted Sunday he would demand concrete commitments from Sudan concerning the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.

"The UN cannot ignore the situation (in Darfur) while millions of people are suffering," Ban told reporters on a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"I will urge (Sudanese) President Omar al-Bashir to make concrete commitments and implement these," he said.

After meeting President Joseph Kabila in Kisangani, Ban told reporters he had discussed the need to address the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo where several rebel groups in the east still had not given up arms.

Ban said he stressed the need to build a society based on good governance. There was a real need to train a professional police force to serve the people, he said.

The Congolese national army has been described by UN officials as Congo's worst human rights abuser. Ban said: "(Congo) is far from having a disciplined army, capable of protecting its people. It needs to be trained to respect human rights."

"The UN will continue to support (the process of maintaining security)," he added.

US asks Sri Lanka to share power with Tamils

Colombo, Jan 29 (IANS) The US Monday asked Sri Lanka to weave a power-sharing formula to talk to the Tamil Tigers in a bid to end the dragging ethnic conflict, saying there could be no military solution.

"We hope Sri Lanka will seize the opportunity to forge a power-sharing proposal that can form the basis for talks with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) that could finally bring an end to (the) conflict," US ambassador Robert Blake told the Sri Lanka Development Forum here.

"Peace," he said, "would invite new investment, accelerate the return of some of Sri Lanka's best and brightest from abroad, and create a virtuous cycle of peace and prosperity."

The US aid agency USAID, Blake said, was working to help Colombo improve democratic processes, encourage transparency, curb corruption as well as help the economy.

But no amount of development assistance could have a lasting impact "without finding a permanent solution to the conflict that has plagued Sri Lanka for more than 25 years.

"We remain unwavering in our conviction that there can be no military solution to this terrible conflict," the ambassador said.

He lauded President Mahinda Rajapakse's efforts to forge "a strong legislative majority that will support a credible power sharing proposal that can form the basis for sustained, substantive negotiations between the government and LTTE".

At the same time, he criticized attempts to curb the activities of aid agencies in the country.

He said USAID and its NGO partners were sometimes denied access to deliver assistance to people who urgently need them.

"Many NGOs have been the target of unsubstantiated allegations in the Sri Lankan peace press that have caused the staff of these NGOs to be subject to physical harassment and intimidation.

"Transparency, good governance and respect for human rights and the rule of law are essential preconditions for economic development and indispensable prerequisites for laying the basis for a lasting peace."

US offers advanced missile system to India

By Gulshan Luthra

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) The US is offering India one of the world's most formidable shipboard missile systems that has the potential of being integrated with the country's indigenous missiles.

There was "some interest" in the Indian defence establishment in the Aegis system but neither has the US made an offer nor has India made any formal request for it, says Royce Caplinger, managing director of Lockheed Martin India, whose US parent manufactures the system.

"I am sure though that if you ask for it, you will get it," India Strategic defence magazine quotes him as saying.

The feelers to sell the Aegis are obviously part of the US government's agenda to help India become what the State Department called in its May 2005 policy statement "a global power."

Apparently, it is also part of the steps that are systematically being taken - like the civil nuclear deal - to draw New Delhi closer to Washington.

Aegis is named after the shield of mythological Greek god Zeus. Its sale, like of most military systems, is governed through government-to-government deals under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or other US programmes. It appears, though, that Lockheed Martin, the world's biggest military vendor, has informal clearance to showcase the system to India.

The integrated combat system can track more than 100 missiles through its supercomputers and engage them according to priority, depending upon their velocity and height, including the sea-skimming attackers.

It is designed for multi-pronged, simultaneous warfare to engage and strike targets in the air, on sea, on the surface, as also sub-surface. Aegis has also been successful in half a dozen tests to intercept ballistic missile targets outside the earth's atmosphere.

Caplinger said Aegis had been successively modified and upgraded in technology over the years and that it was "the most advanced shipboard system" in the world to counter a variety of threats, including from aircraft and ballistic missiles.

Asked if it could be integrated with India's indigenous missiles, including the India-Russian BrahMos, he replied: "Theoretically yes." It could even be matched with the new anti-missile missile that India recently tested, "but that would depend entirely on the Indian scientists and India's requirements."

"The MK 41 Vertical Launching System (that is integrated into the Aegis system) is not currently configured to integrate the BrahMos or Agni, but it can be adapted," Caplinger added.

The fact that the Aegis system could manage vertical launch of missiles was important, particularly as the Indian Navy had a long-term plan to build several ships equipped with the facility to meet its projected requirements.

Its sophisticated SPY-I phased array radar and high-speed supercomputers read each oncoming threat 360 degrees, prioritize them according to their threat value, and then automatically launch appropriate missiles to neutralize them.

The latest version of the system is called Aegis BMD 3.6. In June 2006, it successfully intercepted even the separating warhead of a target missile in a test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility.

The system's command and decision-making core is notable. Its computers differentiate between missiles, debris, and friendly aerial vehicles - and attack only what needs to be attacked.

Thus far, Aegis has only been sold to close US allies, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Norway and Australia. It is deployed on 69 US destroyers and cruisers and is being added on 17 more destroyers.

Thus, it is the mainstay "total weapon system" of the US Navy. According to Caplinger, Aegis was a very powerful system and would give an edge like no other to the Indian Navy.

The Aegis programme was launched in 1969 due to the changing nature of warfare that required transition from guns to missiles.

In 1967, a Soviet-built missile had sunk an Israeli destroyer in the Arab-Israeli war while in 1982, Argentina successfully used an Exocet missile to sink a Royal Navy frigate during the Falklands conflict. In 1988, when two Iranian vessels fired on US ships, the US Navy had used Harpoon missiles to neutralise them.

(Gulshan Luthra can be contacted at gulshanluthra@hotmail.com)

US-based brother disowns Lashker founder Hafiz Saeed

Washington/Islamabad, Jan 29 (IANS) Lashker-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Mohammed Saeed's brother, a US-based cleric evicted from his mosque and fighting deportation, has disowned him.

"I am not his brother," said Imam Muhammad Masood from Boston. He was quoted as saying that some people might suspect him because his brother is one of Pakistan's most notorious radical Muslim leaders.

Jews and various Christian groups in Boston are contributing to his expenses for the legal battle against deportation, The Daily Times said.

"He disavowed any relationship, certainly with his brother's politics," said Deacon Mike Iwanowicz, who represented Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church at an interfaith meeting.

Rabbi Barry Starr of Temple Israel and the Rev Deborah Cayer of the Unitarian Church of Sharon dismissed the family link as "guilt by association".

Two other Massachusetts imams are also related to Hafiz Saeed. Imam Mahmood Hamid of the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester is also his brother and Imam Abdul Hannan of the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell is married to his sister.

While maintaining that he is not Saeed's brother, Imam Masood admits to having known him. He told the group he could not remember the last time he spoke to Saeed.

During a 90-minute meeting with Imam Masood last week, seven rabbis, Protestant pastors and a representative from the local Roman Catholic parish pledged help for the Sharon mosque's former spiritual director - everything from raising money to paying family expenses to a letter of support that will be sent to prominent American lawmakers.

Saeed, who founded the banned militant Lashker-e-Taiba and now heads the Jamaat-ul-Dawa that he claims is strictly a charity organisation, has many brothers, cousins and relations from his wife's side, according to the newspaper Patriot Ledger.

Saeed has been known to send out mercenaries to fight Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. He blames attempts by the Pakistani authorities to curb his activities to India's allegations and US pressures on the Musharraf regime.

V.P. Singh's front Uttar Pradesh's dark horse: BJP survey

By Faraz Ahmad,
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) A new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) survey predicts a victory for the party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls this year but says a coalition led by former prime minister V.P. Singh is fast gaining ground.

The survey puts the BJP ahead of all other parties and gives it around 160 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

At the same time, it says, the V.P. Singh-Raj Babbar-led Jan Morcha, in likely alliance with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the little known Muslim outfit, United Democratic Front (UDF), could be major gainers.

A BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the survey was conducted Jaan 23 simultaneously in three states going to the polls this year, the other two being Punjab and Uttarakhand.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the Samajwadi Party came first by winning 144 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) second with 109 seats and the BJP, which had then been ruling the state, came third with just 87 seats.

The BJP leader said in the previous survey conducted in September-October, the party was trailing in the third position in Uttar Pradesh, with the BSP standing first and the Samajwadi Party second.

But the whole scenario underwent a sea change after the municipal elections in the state in November-December last year in which the BJP won in most major cities, the source said.

The new survey alludes to a change of perception among the people that the BJP is in a position to provide an alternative to the "corrupt, criminal" government of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

But the BJP leader admitted that the most surprising element of the survey was the Jan Morcha-RLD-UDF combine gaining credibility among the people. The report says the coalition could get as many as 50 seats in the next Uttar Pradesh assembly.

In 1993, V.P. Singh, then heading the Janata Dal, had withdrawn from the assembly elections halfway through the campaign to avoid a split in the secular vote right after the Babri mosque demolition.

But after the 2004 general election, he again regrouped his Jan Morcha and after Raj Babbar broke away from the Samajwadi Party, the two got together to campaign vigorously in the state, notwithstanding the former prime minister's debilitating kidney ailment.

As for Punjab, where the BJP is contesting only 23 seats in alliance with the Akali Dal, the survey gives the BJP 17 seats, predicting a complete wipe out of the ruling Congress party. Elections to the 117-seat assembly there are due in February.

A similar scenario has been predicted by the survey in Uttarakhand where it has given the BJP 50 out of the total 70 seats in the February polls. The state is currently ruled by the Congress.

We will take Punjab to new high: Congress

Chandigarh, Jan 29 (IANS) Releasing its manifesto for the Punjab assembly elections, the Congress Monday claimed it had fulfilled all 66 promises made before the 2002 election and promised to take the state to a new high.

Releasing the manifesto here in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and state Congress president S.S. Dullo, Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwiwedi said that the party would seek votes on the good performance of its government in the last five years.

Elections for the 117 assembly seats will be held Feb 13 along with the by-election for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress is pitted against the alliance of Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Amarinder Singh said the Congress would focus on the education and health sectors if it were voted back to power.

"Our agriculture is in a mess due to bad cropping pattern. We need to have agri-based industries to give more income to farmers even in their small land holdings," he said.