14 June 2006
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) Stating they had made "good progress" during their talks here on the modalities of the India-US civilian nuclear deal, officials of the two countries said Wednesday they would meet "fairly soon" for another round of discussions.
Neither side, however, released an official statement on the three-day talks that concluded Wednesday.
The two countries had made "good progress to reach an agreed text" on what is termed the 123 Agreement, officials said.
The 123 Agreement requires a cap on future nuclear tests by India. New Delhi feels this should be voluntary and not imposed.
The agreement gets its name after Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954 that first calls for a bilateral cooperation pact before a comprehensive nuclear deal with another country.
The two sides had "productive discussions" on this, the officials said.
The Indian side at the talks was headed by Joint Secretary (America) S. Jaishankar and included officials from the Department of Atomic Energy that is under the direct charge of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The three-member US side was led by Richard J.K. Stratford, director, Office of Nuclear Energy Affairs at the US State Department, and includes officials from the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The officials also discussed the draft agreements exchanged in London last month when India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran met US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns.
India and the US had pledged to cooperate in civilian nuclear energy in a joint statement after a meeting in Washington in July last year between US President George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh.
This intent was formalised during Bush's visit to New Delhi in March, based on which plans were worked out for separating India's civil and military nuclear facilities.
The US Congress also needs to approve an amendment in its nuclear legislation, which prohibits nuclear trade with any country that is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - an accord that New Delhi calls discriminatory.
The US Congress has to approve the amendment by the end of this month since it goes into recess in the first week of July after which preparations will start for mid-term elections in November, diplomatic sources said.
Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) Pope Benedict XVI has the authority to take up the cause of persecuted Christians in India and it did not amount to interference in the internal affairs of the country, Cardinal Ivan Dias of Bombay has said.
Some politico-religious groups "unnecessarily" raised hue and cry over Pope's recent remarks on freedom of religion in India, Cardinal Dias told reporters here Tuesday.
The newly appointed head of crucial Vatican's Congregation for Evangelisation of Peoples also said the important dual role of the Pontiff had to be understood clearly as head of the Holy See - the Vicar of Christ on earth - on the one hand, and as head of the Vatican City-State on the other.
The Pope had recently told India's new ambassador to the Vatican Amitava Tripathi that "the disturbing signs of religious intolerance which have troubled some regions of the nation ... must be firmly rejected".
Cardinal Dias said Pope's remarks were wrongly interpreted as intruding into the internal affairs of a sovereign nation.
"The Holy See has existed ever since St Peter was mandated by Christ to take care of His flock, which is the whole human race. The Vatican City-State exists only since 1929. It would, therefore, be wrong to attribute to the Pope as head of the Vatican City-State the statements he makes in virtue of his authority as Christ's Vicar on Earth (Holy See)," the prelate said.
He said the Pontiff's observations were all the more relevant considering the deep yearning of the Indian soul as expressed in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: "From untruth lead me to the truth, from darkness lead me to the light and from death lead me to immortality" (1.3.28).
Father Anthony Charanghat, spokesman of the Bombay Archdiocese, told IANS: "The Pope is a highly revered spiritual leader and his concerns expressed from time to time regarding violation of fundamental rights and deprivation of religious freedom cannot be construed as a threat to the political governance of any country."
By Syed Zarir Hussain, Guwahati, June 14 (IANS) The flood situation in India's northeast has turned critical with hundreds of villages submerged overnight, taking the death toll to 12 and displacing nearly 160,000 people, officials Wednesday said.
Assam and Tripura are the worst hit by floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains, officials said.
"The flood situation has worsened with nearly 3,000 villages submerged forcing an estimated 150,000 people to take shelter in raised platforms and makeshift tarpaulin tents," Assam Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman told IANS.
The minister said four people were drowned Tuesday in separate incidents, taking the toll in the floods in Assam that began May 31 to seven.
Thousands of people in the worst hit districts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi were caught unawares late Tuesday with floodwaters entering their homes following breaches in embankments and dykes.
"All major rivers are flowing menacingly with breaches reported in many places," Cachar district magistrate Gautam Ganguly said on telephone.
Government authorities have set up nearly 1,500 makeshift shelters for flood-hit victims with the main Brahmaputra river cutting a swathe across the state.
"We are providing relief materials like rice and other essentials, besides medicines and healthcare facilities," the minister said.
Road and rail communications have been hit in some parts of Assam with floodwaters overtopping highways and breaching rail tracks.
In the adjoining Tripura state, five people died in landslides and an estimated 10,000 people were displaced by floods.
"The situation is still very grim and we are taking all measures to provide relief to the affected people," a Tripura government official said.
According to a Central Water Commission bulletin, the Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level in at least eight places in Assam. "The Brahmaputra and its major tributaries are in full spate with a rising trend recorded," a government statement said.
The 2,906-km long Brahmaputra is one of Asia's largest rivers that in its first stretch traverses 1,625 km in China's Tibet region, the next 918 km in India and the remaining 363 km through neighbouring Bangladesh before converging into the Bay of Bengal.
Every year the floods leave a trail of destruction, washing away villages, submerging paddy fields, drowning livestock, besides causing loss of human life and property.
The monsoon was scattered in Assam last year thereby sparing millions of people from the ravaging floods. In 2004, at least 200 people died and more than 12 million were displaced in the floods.
Dubai, June 14 (IANS) The Bank of Baroda (BoB), India's fourth largest bank, is planning to open a branch in Qatar, the Gulf Times reported.
BoB chairman and managing director Anil K. Khandelwal met Qatar Central Bank (QCB) governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and explored the possibility of opening a full-fledged branch in Doha, the daily said.
"We are quite optimistic of a presence in Qatar in the 2006-07 financial year. Nevertheless, I cannot say right now whether it will be a full-fledged branch or not," it quoted Khandelwal as saying.
Stating that BoB had six full-fledged branches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and three in Oman, Khandelwal claimed that his bank knew the Gulf region "much better than any other Indian bank".
Referring to Qatar's booming economy, he said, "This is a place of real happening. It makes sense for us to be here now. Major Indian companies, including ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd) Videsh, L&T and Essar are already here. And they are our customers as well."
He added that if there were delays in procuring a licence for a full-fledged branch, BoB would try for a tie up with a local bank or operate through the Qatar Financial Centre.
Regarding non-resident Indians (NRIs), he said the bank, which has 59 branches and offices outside India, had specialised divisions for NRIs.
"We are now getting into third party products such as mutual funds, stock broking and insurance products... We are also in tie up with international consultancy Mckinsey for strengthening our wealth management portfolio. Hewlett Packard is helping us to strengthen our IT platform," Khandelwal said.
He added that his bank would be able to serve NRIs better when its branches in the UAE and Oman get connected to its online network by July.
Earlier this month, there were reports about the Union Bank of India, India's fifth largest public sector bank, planning to tie up with a local bank in Qatar to start retail operations in that country.
As of now, UBI is awaiting approval from the QCB to open a branch in Doha, to cater mainly to corporate clients.
Bangalore, June 14 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a coalition partner in Karnataka, has opposed the takeover of the Rs.28.5-billion Bangalore-Mysore infrastructure corridor (BMIC) project from a consortium.
BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Y.S. Yediyurappa Wednesday said the party had conveyed its stand to its coalition partner, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), which has been pressing for a legislative bill to take over the project.
"We are not in favour of taking over the corridor project at this stage. Instead, we are inclined to recovering the 'excess' land and return it to the farmers from whom it was acquired by the state government for building a township along the corridor near Bidadi," Yediyurappa told reporters.
Admitting the BJP did not see eye-to-eye with the JD-S over the proposed bill, Yediyurappa said as a national party the coalition partner had to factor the implications of such a decision would have in other states.
"We are not against the corridor project per se. There are certain issues that need to be addressed and resolved with the NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise) consortium. Taking over such a huge project by the government at this juncture will only complicate the matter and delay it further," Yediyurappa pointed out.
At the same time, he allayed fears that the government's rethinking on the project would send wrong signals to investors or would amount contempt of court, saying it was within the government's rights to protect the interests of farmers whose lands were acquired but were found to be in excess of the area needed for the main project.
Serious differences between the ruling coalition partners on the project takeover came to the fore late Tuesday when the cabinet failed to take up the draft legislation for deliberation after the BJP ministers opposed introducing it in the ensuing monsoon session of the state legislature beginning June 19.
The war of words between the government and NICE has increased over the alleged delay in handing over the remaining 2,450 acres of land for completing the first phase of the mega project, despite a directive to that effect by the Supreme Court in April.
JD-S spokesman Y.S.V. Datta said while there was consensus on taking back the "excess" land, there were divergent views between the coalition partners on the proposed legislation to take over the entire project from the promoters.
"Our party is in favour of nullifying the agreement with NICE and take over the project. There are several court rulings upholding the prerogative of the state legislature in nullifying such agreements and taking over the project," Datta told reporters here.
Of the total land (5,350 acres) required for the first phase, the state-owned Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has already transferred 2,900 acres to the consortium, formed by the Kalyani group of Pune, with the US-based VHB and SAB construction majors as partners to execute the project.
The first phase, estimated to cost Rs.12.5 billion, consists of 41 km peripheral road connecting national highway no. 7 with national highway no. 4, 9.1 km link road connecting the expressway with the state highway 17, 12 km elevated expressway and a 2,600-acre integrated township near Bidadi, about 20 km from Bangalore.
The BMIC project, which includes five townships at a later date between the two cities, runs through Kanakapura, a former parliamentary constituency of JD-S chief H.D. Deve Gowda and Ramanagaram, the assembly constituency of Chief Minister and Gowda's son H.D. Kumaraswamy.
Though the country's largest corridor project was awarded to NICE a decade ago, inordinate delays in land acquisition, red-tape and five-year legal battles pushed the original cost by Rs.6 billion from Rs.22.5 billion, with steep rise in construction inputs, especially steel and cement.
Berlin, June 14 (DPA) Kaka's 44th-minute screamer lifted Brazil to a 1-0 victory over Croatia in their World Cup opener, but the five-time defending champions generated little magic and a lumbering Ronaldo was pulled off midway through the second half.
With 70,000 fired-up fans packing Berlin's Olympic Stadium Tuesday, the match was drifting into a lull when Brazil broke it open with an explosive move helped by a rare lapse in Croatia's iron defence.
Cafu slipped down the right wing and centred low to AC Milan's Kaka, who shook off two hesitant Croats and drilled a shot with his weaker left foot into the net from the edge of the area, bringing the entire Brazilian bench to its feet in jubilation.
The victory moves Brazil to three points in Group F to take them level on points with Australia, but the Socceroos still lead the group on goal difference after having earlier beaten Japan 3-1.
But when Croatia stepped up the pace and the pressure after halftime, Brazil's defence wobbled and goalkeeper Dida was forced into a string of saves.
In the end Brazil posted its eighth consecutive opening-game win at the World Cup since 1978, but even Kaka acknowledged that his side failed to meet expectations.
"We really did not have an easy time. But we were not particularly creative today," he said. "We moved too little, failed to open enough spaces."
While Kaka - threatening and inventive - was the man of the match, Ronaldo disappointed throughout, except for a second-half drive just over the bar. He made way in the 69th minute for young Real Madrid teammate Robinho, who added late punch to Brazil's attack.
If the Brazilians stuttered, at least they set a new World Cup record for winning eight consecutive matches at the finals.
"The first game is always very difficult, but it is important to win it," said Brazil's Gilberto Silva, who was benched Tuesday.
The Brazilians stormed ahead from kick-off with an early flurry of light-footed attacks paced by Ronaldinho, but the match soon settled into a tightly knotted waiting game.
Kaka sent the first shot across keeper Stipe Pletikosa's bow within a minute, lifting in a cross that forced Croatia to clear with a nervous header.
A shuffling Ronaldo was caught offside on a high Ronaldinho cross at 10 minutes, one of several weak first-half moments for the star whose weight and physical condition have drawn far more attention than his past glory.
With the Croats highly defensive, Roberto Carlos first tested Pletikosa at 15 minutes with a searing 30-metre drive the Croat keeper pushed over the crossbar.
The son of Croatian coach Zlatko Kranjcar, Niko Kranjcar was the first to seriously threaten Dida's goal after outrunning the Brazil defence in the 23rd minute, but his left-footed shot swirled wide.
When Croatian captain Niko Kovac brought down Kaka at the edge of the area in the 32nd, Ronaldinho slammed the free kick into the wall - but the Croats needed three men to muscle him off the ball on the rebound.
Most Croat threats came over the left side with Glasgow Rangers striker Dado Prso, but Cafu and Brazil's experienced defence largely neutralised him.
Niko Kovac, Croatia's orchestrator and oldest field player at 34, gave up in the 41st after apparently taking a knock to the ribs and was replaced by Jerko Leko.
Croatia came out of the break pressing for the equaliser.
Prso forced Dida into a diving save at 49 minutes with a well-placed drive toward the near post. Three minutes later, Dida controlled an Ivan Klasnic shot from the edge area only on the second attempt.
Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar gambled on a fresh attacker, throwing in experienced Ivica Olic for Klasnic.
Olic was close to equalising in the 66th, but had his selfish shot inside the area blocked while Dario Srna was unmarked in the goalmouth.
Thiruvananthapuram, June 14 (IANS) Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Wednesday said his government would bring up a new bill to regulate the fee structure of self-financing professional colleges in Kerala.
"When you get the copy of the bill that we will bring soon, you can see for yourself what the difference is with the one that the previous Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) brought last year," said Achuthanandan when newsmen repeatedly asked him about the issue.
The new bill is to come up in the assembly session beginning Friday.
Currently, there are 70 engineering and eight medical colleges in the self-financing sector in the state. Besides merit-based seats, these have close to 10,000 seats for engineering and 400 seats for medical for which the management conducts its own tests and charges higher fees.
But Achuthanandan says his government will not allow the institutes to hold separate entrance tests for seats under the management.
"The state government is conducting tests and hence no other tests would be allowed. To discuss the draft of the new bill we are soon having a special cabinet meeting," added Achuthanandan.
The fees to be charged for merit seats in private medical and engineering colleges has also been a vexed issue for the state government.
The managements of these institutions got a shot in the arm when the apex court of the country ruled that self-financing colleges could charge higher fees for merit seats.
The contentious issue had even seen the Left Democratic Front (LDF) take to the streets when it was in opposition. At that time, it had accused the UDF of opening up professional education to the private sector to make some quick money.
By Arun Kumar, Washington, June 14 (IANS) The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a pilot programme to reach out to community leaders from the Muslim, Sikh and a few other select communities across nationalities and rope them in in its fight against global terrorism.
Called the Community Relations Executive Seminar Training or CREST, the programme aims at three things: bridge the trust gap, develop a bond, and build a level of confidence where the FBI and the community leaders believe in each other to have an honest and lasting friendship.
CREST has been launched "because if the threat is now home-grown to a large extent, we have to be looking for it at home," said John Miller, FBI's assistant director of public affairs briefing foreign media on the agency's work with counter terrorism, counter-intelligence, criminal investigation, and cyber crime in New York.
Initially started in New York, Los Angeles, Buffalo and Albany, where there are very vibrant and active Muslim communities, the programme is being expanded nationally to other areas with large Muslim, Sikh and other communities that would play into the cultural diversity outreach.
Since a lot of these communities look on the FBI and the federal government at large with a great deal of suspicion, the FBI wanted to have some kind of insurance," said Miller, who's also head of the Los Angeles Police Department counter- terrorism office.
The idea was to have the kind of tripwires that will make community members, even those that hold the FBI or the federal government with some level of suspicion, cross the line and come forward and say, "I've seen something, I've heard something, I've picked up on something that I'm not comfortable with that may be something you need to know about."
"So rather than wait for them to come to us - well, for instance, with complaints, as they did in some of these other cities - we're going to extend the hand of friendship and say, 'Let's begin to talk, even though we don't have any particular problem,' to again try and achieve that three-step process to get to some place where there is a level of trust and confidence," Miller said.
Unlike 'Citizens Academy', another FBI programme where participants get a real introduction to the FBI from the inside, the CREST programme involves no background check with a community leader to conduct outreach as "it's probably the wrong first step in making friends."
"So we go out to them. It can be a mosque, it can be a meeting hall, it can be a neutral site, it can be a restaurant. It doesn't really matter where; the importance is if you're going to be doing what you call outreach, you should go out, otherwise it's in-reach."
A couple of months ago, a town meeting in New York that brought a large group of the Pakistani community together in a restaurant was broadcast live on local Pakistani television. Despite the heat, there was standing room only.
In Buffalo, town meetings have been broadcast across "Bridges TV," an English language station and an Arab-American set of cable stations. In Los Angeles, FBI put together a town meeting with the Muslim Public Affairs Council and a number of other groups involved in their Cultural Diversity Advisory Board.
Allaying any apprehension among the Muslim communities that rather than wanting and targeting those who are potentially terrorists FBI could be making them targets of entrapment, Miller said he understood the concern, but it should not be a great worry to any legitimate member of the community.
"Speaking in plain terms, if I go to you and say, 'Listen, I've got a great plan that we can blow up a building at 50th and third,' and I keep talking to you about it, your job is to pick up the phone and call the police or the FBI - not to say, 'Yeah, well, what kind of explosives would we use, and where would we get them, and how would we get the money.'
"You might call that entrapment because it's my idea. But when you get down to the bottom line, somebody who has no proclivity towards terrorism or violence can't be sucked into one of these plots without some level of intention."
In Miller's view, the best tool to counter the terrorism threat is community relations, besides increased cooperation between international agencies and local law enforcement partners.
Community relations cannot be looked on as a feel-good piece anymore, he said, because it's not just about community policing or making friends for the sake of making friends. But because one can't just count on the idea that some satellite will intercept it, that some piece of pocket litter found in some safe house three continents away is going to be the key to stopping the attack, Miller said.
GENEVA, June 14 (NNN-Xinhua) The suicide of three inmates at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay was a tragic event which highlights the need to close the controversial facility, the UN human rights office said Tuesday.
"It was a very, very tragic event. It was not completely unexpected that this would happen," said Jose Luis Diaz, spokesman of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"The focus of attention should be on closing Guantanamo. Practically everyone agrees on this," Diaz told reporters in a routine briefing.
"It would seem, judging from statements coming from the US administration, that some in the US administration also believe that this place should be closed," he added.
The deaths, amid a prisoner hunger strike, were described by US officials as the first successful suicides after repeated attempts at the camp, which is located at a US military base in Cuba.
International human rights groups, UN watchdogs and many foreign governments have repeatedly criticised the US for keeping the prison, which was set up in 2002 and still holds more than 400 detainees without trying.
Criticism of the prison surged after guards on Saturday found three inmates--two Saudis and a Yemeni -- hanged from the ceilings of their maximum security cells.
"What we need to do now is reflect collectively on how to facilitate the process of closing down Guantanamo and what's going to be done with the people who are being held there in those conditions," said Diaz.
He noted that the whole UN human rights system had been very engaged in the situation in Guantanamo. Most recently, the UN Committee against Torture made a very strong call for the closing of Guantanamo and made other very specific recommendations
concerning the treatment of prisoners there.
Several Special Rapporteurs have also been following the situation very closely, according to Diaz.
He said the Special Rapporteurs had asked to visit Guantanamo, but had been denied full access to detainees.
The High Commissioner, Louise Arbour, has also echoed concerns about the detention centre publicly, and perhaps more importantly, in this case, privately with the US authorities, Diaz said.
Washington, June 14 (IANS) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei has hailed the US-India civil nuclear agreement as a "creative break with the past" that may help find new strategies to bring in Pakistan and Israel as well in nuclear arms control and the non-proliferation regime.
Thanks to the agreement, "India will get safe and modern technology to help lift more than 500 million people from poverty, and it will be part of the international effort to combat nuclear terrorism and rid our world of nuclear weapons," said ElBaradei.
But "as we face the future, other strategies must be found to enlist Pakistan and Israel as partners in nuclear arms control and non-proliferation," said the winner of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize in an article in the Washington Post Wednesday.
How to deal creatively with the three countries that remain outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) - Pakistan and India, both holders of nuclear arsenals, and Israel which maintains an official policy of ambiguity but is believed to be nuclear-weapons-capable - has been a problematic area, he said.
As none of these three is likely to give up its nuclear weapons or the nuclear weapons option outside of a global or regional arms control framework, the traditional strategy of treating such states as outsiders is no longer a realistic method of bringing them into the fold, he said.
Unless "creative, outside-the-box solutions" were found, the international nuclear safeguards regime will become obsolete, he warned calling for new approaches in a number of areas.
First, a recommitment to disarmament - a move away from national security strategies that rely on nuclear weapons, which serve as a constant stimulus for other nations to acquire them.
Second, tightened controls on the proliferation-sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle as bringing a multinational control to any operation that enriches uranium or separates plutonium can lower the risk of these materials being diverted to weapons.
A parallel step would be to create a mechanism to ensure a reliable supply of reactor fuel to bona fide users, including a fuel bank under control of the IAEA, he said.
The third area has been more problematic: how to deal creatively with the three countries that remain outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Referring to the controversy over the India-US nuclear agreement, ElBaradei said some insist that the deal will primarily enable India to divert more uranium to produce more weapons, that it rewards India for having developed nuclear weapons and legitimises its status as a nuclear weapons state.
By contrast, some in India argue that it will bring the downfall of India's nuclear weapons programme, because of new restrictions on moving equipment and expertise between civilian and military facilities.
ElBaradei, however, pointed out there is no such thing as a "legitimate" or "illegitimate" nuclear weapons state under the NPT. The fact that five states are recognised in the treaty as holders of nuclear weapons was regarded as a matter of transition ad the treaty does not in any sense confer permanent status on those states as weapons holders, he said.
Moreover, the US-India deal is neutral on this point and it does not add to or detract from India's nuclear weapons programme, nor does it confer any "status", legal or otherwise, on India as a possessor of nuclear weapons, he pointed out.
India has never joined the NPT and it has, therefore, not violated any legal commitment, and it has never encouraged nuclear weapons proliferation, ElBaradei noted.
Also, it is important to consider the implications of denying this exchange of peaceful nuclear technology. As a country with one-sixth of the world's population, India has an enormous appetite for energy-and the fastest-growing civilian nuclear energy programme in the world. With this anticipated growth, it is important that India have access to the safest and most advanced technology, the IAEA chief said.
India clearly enjoys close cooperation with the US and many other countries in a number of areas of technology and security. It is treated as a valued partner, a trusted contributor to international peace and security. It is difficult to understand the logic that would continue to carve out civil nuclear energy as the single area for non-cooperation, ElBaradei noted.
Under the agreement, India commits to following the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an organisation of states that regulates access to nuclear material and technology. India would bring its civilian nuclear facilities under international safeguards.
India has voiced its support for the conclusion of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. The strong support of India and the US as well as all other nuclear weapons states is sorely needed to make this treaty a reality, ElBaradei noted.
Hailing the US-India agreement as "a creative break with the past that, handled properly, will be a first step forward for both India and the international community," he said other strategies must be found to enlist Pakistan and Israel as partners in nuclear arms control and non-proliferation.
"Whatever form those solutions take, they will need to address not only nuclear weapons but also the much broader range of security concerns facing each country. No one ever said controlling nuclear weapons was going to be easy. It will take courage and tenacity in large doses, a great deal more outside-of-the-box thinking, and a sense of realism. And it will be worth the effort," ElBaradei said.
TEHRAN, June 14 (NNN-IRNA) The Iranian Foreign Ministry has delivered a note to the rotating head of the European Union about human rights violation in some European states called for effective measures to stop such violations in these countries.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry Media Department here said that the note expressed regret over the disastrous human rights condition in France leading to resumption of street clashes, imposition of martial law in some French cities facing labour crisis, attacks on Sorbonne University, the horrible condition of prisons, intensive violence of police, torture of prisoners and wrong decisions about migrants.
It also pointed to anxieties over the current terrible situation of the judicial and social system of France.
Turning to the growing trend of cases of human rights violations in Britain over recent years, the note said that the inspector of Britain's prisons has referred to the critical situation of several British jails in her report.
Islamophobia in French and British schools is another item referred to in the note.
It expressed Iran's worries about the condition of Muslim minorities residing in European countries and called on European Union to stop such insults to Islam and Muslims in EU member countries.
The note also called for facilitating the presence of Muslim women, who are dressed according to Islamic code, in various sections of community within the framework of civic and political laws.
Rome, June 14 (DPA) Italy Wednesday began its gradual withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
By the end of June there should be just 1,600 Italian soldiers stationed in the country, Italian state television reported.
Following the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 there were 3,200 Italian soldiers stationed in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who entered office three weeks ago, promised that all the troops would be withdrawn by next spring.
It was a central promise in his election campaign against his predecessor as premier, Silvio Berlusconi, who originally sent the troops to Iraq.
The Italian withdrawal represents another reduction in the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" - Spain withdrew its 1,300 troops in 2004 and the Netherlands 1,300 soldiers a year later.
Ukraine also withdrew its 1,650 troops and Nicaragua, the Philippines and Honduras pulled out their small contingents.
Countries such as Britain and South Korea have also reduced their troop numbers. There are around 138,000 foreign troops in Iraq, the majority being Americans.
Thirty-one Italian soldiers lost their lives in Iraq, 19 of them in a suicide attack in Nasiriyah in November 2003.
Ranchi, June 14 (IANS) The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has given the copyright to Jharkhand to print its textbooks and meet the short supply for the current academic session, officials here said.
The move has also resolved for the time being an ongoing tussle between the state and the centre on using the history book prescribed by the NCERT.
A source in the Jharkhand human resources development (HRD) department told IANS: "We have learnt that the NCERT has approved the copyright to print the textbooks considering the problems of students."
"We are likely to get formal information in a day or two from the NCERT," he said.
The NCERT reportedly sanctioned the copyright only after Jharkhand agreed to the central HRD ministry's condition that it would use the NCERT history book, which was earlier excluded by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the state on the ground that it was hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community.
The state HRD department had written last month to its central counterpart, urging the grant of copyright for one year (2006-07) for NCERT books. The state faces an acute shortage of NCERT books for its board students.
The row between the two had put the future of four million students in jeopardy. But the matter seems to have been resolved for the time being.
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah arrived here Wednesday on a six-day state visit to not only push bilateral ties with India but also New Delhi's age-old relations with the Arab world.
The emir will be extended a ceremonial welcome Thursday morning at the forecourt of the Rashtarapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, following which he would hold delegation-level talks with the Indian side led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Kuwaiti leader, received at the Palam Air Force Station by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, is also being hosted a banquet in his honour by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Thursday evening.
According to officials, two pacts - on double taxation and legal cooperation in civil and trade issues - will be signed during the emir's visit, which includes a three-day stay in Mumbai, India's commercial capital.
Talks are also expected on a proposal to sign a bilateral pact on labour between the two sides. Kuwait hosts over 500,000 Indian expatriates, and bilateral trade stands at $700 million annually, excluding oil.
"The emir's visit will see further steps in strengthening bilateral ties in different fields including trade and mutual investment," said a statement issued by the mission of the Arab League here.
The emir - who is accompanied by a high-profile business delegation - will also address a joint meeting with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry, the three leading business bodies in the country.
Meetings have been scheduled with Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, opposition leader L.K. Advani and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The emir's visit also comes ahead of a tender to be floated by Kuwait to develop four northern oilfields in the country - Raudhatain, Sabriyah, Ratqa and Abdali - to raise oil output from 500,000 barrels a day to 900,000 barrels in 20 years.
State-run Indian Oil Corp and Oil and Natural Gas Corp have qualified to bid for the tender and want the matter discussed with the ruler who will be accompanied by a Kuwaiti business delegation as well as senior ministers and officials.
Kuwait exports about 11 million tonnes of crude oil and 1.25 million tonnes of oil products to India every year, valued at around $4.5 billion.
The emir arrived here from Thailand where he took part in the celebrations to mark 60 years of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne.
Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) India's largest construction and heavy engineering company Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has signed a joint venture with Kuwait-based Bader Al Mulla group.
To be called 'Larsen & Toubro Kuwait Construction WLL', the new venture will be registered as a local company in Kuwait, L&T informed the Bombay Stock Exchange Wednesday.
The joint venture will primarily focus on electro-mechanical construction. It will also undertake construction projects in oil and gas and power and infrastructure.
"It is expected that the joint venture will enable the two companies to benefit significantly from the construction boom in Kuwait, specifically in the sectors of oil refining and infrastructure development," the statement said.
Bader Al Mulla has a strong business presence in Kuwait. The company will bring to the joint venture its impressive track record and technical expertise in construction projects in various sectors as well as its project management skills.
The joint venture agreement came close after L&T chairman and managing director A.M. Naik led a high-level delegation to Kuwait and expressed the company's keenness on developing long-term relationships with the industry in the Gulf region.
"The government of Kuwait proposes to invest several billion dollars in the development of the hydrocarbon sector and infrastructure. Given Bader Al Mulla's business trusts - including technology, engineering and construction, infrastructure development, power plants and distribution, it is well placed to contribute significantly to Kuwait's growth and development," the statement said.
In the last several years, various divisions of the company have executed major projects in Kuwait. Construction division ECC built the Indian Embassy building a few years ago.
The company's heavy engineering division has supplied various units to the oil and gas industry and has recently bagged a prestigious order of $29.3 million for the supply of an ethylene oxide reactor for Kuwait Olefins Company.
The company's E&C division has successfully executed two sulphur recovery projects for Kuwait National Petroleum Co, for which it has achieved an 'excellent grade' rating - the highest rating on safety performance given to foreign EPC contractors.
Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) Global software, services and solutions leader Microsoft Wednesday announced the India launch of Microsoft LifeCams, a range of web cameras. The range includes LifeCam VX-6000 and LifeCam VX-3000.
"Priced at Rs.5,631 and Rs.2,764 respectively, these next-generation webcams provide ground-breaking video and audio quality that opens the door for richer digital communications," a Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division official said here.
Customers can buy the newly launched webcams from any of Microsoft's 100 retail partners in India.
Said Mohit Anand, country manager, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, India: "We are focused on creating exciting user experiences with our introductory line of LifeCams starting with the LifeCam VX-6000 and LifeCam VX-3000."
The new Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 is a top-of-the-line wired webcam providing the high quality still photography (5.0 megapixels interpolated), high definition video (1.3 megapixels) and 3x digital zoom.
By Azim Ahmad Khan
In 1990, hardly two years after the outbreak of militancy in Kashmir, Zahoor, a school teacher, was invited to a meeting in a village not far from Doda town. He had been informed that some ‘mujahidin’ wanted to talk to influential people of the locality. With a deep sense of religiosity and charged with a passion for freedom from what he and many of his fellow Muslims in Doda were given to believe was ‘Indian occupation’, Zahoor marched to the venue. Before leaving, he did not forget to perform wazu, the ritual washing of the body that Muslims engage in before they say their prayers. This was because he was going to attend not just any ordinary meeting but, rather, to shake hands with people whom he thought of as fighters for a sacred cause.
‘At the meeting’, he muses, ‘I was overjoyed listening to these people talk passionately about jihad and freedom for Kashmir. Those were the days when raising slogans like Pakistan jayenge, Kalashinkov layenge, Kashmir azad karayenge (‘We will go to Pakistan and bring Kalashinkov and with that the freedom of Kashmir’) was commonplace’. ‘Some enthusiastic youths adjusted their watches according to Pakistani time and even used Pakistani currency for local trade. The entire population was misled by the claims of the jihadist groups that Kashmir’s independence was a matter of only a few days’, he says bitterly. ‘Today, however, many people are disillusioned and think differently’, he says.
Says Naseem, a student from Kishtwar, a town in Doda district, ‘The Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan boosted the morale of jihadist groups. To add to this, the fall of the Soviet Union provided fuel to the idea of establishing Dar ul-Islam in South Asian subcontinent’. ‘Some militant groups in Kashmir’, he adds, ‘started claiming that India was the only evil power in South Asia and that it would be wiped out and that America, the only remaining superpower, would be brought down to its knees’.
Naseem’s family, like that of many other Muslims in Doda, are devoted followers of the Sufis. It was the Sufis, with their message of peace and love, who were instrumental in the spread of Islam in this remote, mountainous part of Jammu and Kashmir. Naseem does not conceal his horror of the version of Islam preached by some anti-Sufi jihadist groups, such as the Lashkar-e-Tayebba, which he condemns as a crude cover-up for terrorism. ‘These groups began re-interpreting and distorting Islam, doing the work of Islam’s enemies, and that is why many people now wrongly think that Islam preaches terror, while actually it teaches peace’, he laments.
Today, many Muslims in Doda are tired of the years of conflict that have taken a heavy toll of lives. ‘In fact’, says Hussain, a shopkeeper in Thathri, ‘many more Muslims have died at the hands of the militants, and, of course, the armed forces, than have Hindus. If we refuse to shelter militants, pay them money, send our sons to join them or dare speak out against them we could easily be killed’, he tells me. Clearly, the prolonging of militancy is paying against militancy itself. ‘People are frustrated. They know that the freedom of Kashmir is a distant dream. They now know about the deadly sectarian violence in Pakistan and the terrible economic conditions there, and have realised that they would be far worse off there than being with India’, Hussain explains. ‘We do not trust Pakistan. It is not a true friend of Kashmir. See the complete turn around in its position on the Taliban, just to curry favour with the Americans’, adds Hussain’s friend Arif. ‘Pakistan uses the Kashmir card for its own benefit. The situation in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, we all know, is worse than the Indian-ruled parts of the state’, he insists.
Salim is an alim, a trained Islamic cleric, in a village in Doda’s Bhadarwah tehsil. He tells me how he was being pressurised by the militants, including his own cousin, for many years to give either his son or a hefty sum of money to the ‘cause’ and how he steadfastly refused. After being an active militant for 13 years, his cousin has now surrendered. ‘What has he gained by the gun?’, asks Salim. ‘He only brought disrepute to the family. Because he was a militant, every member of our family was beaten and harassed by the Indian army.’ ‘Corruption, poverty, state apathy coupled with misinterpretation of religious texts triggered militancy in Kashmir’, he says, ‘and only if these are actively countered can normalcy be restored’.
Ahmad is a police officer in Doda district. His father was killed because he turned down a demand by the Hizbul Mujahidin to either give his younger son to join the ‘cause’ and take up arms against India or else shell out a hefty sum of 5 lakh rupees. ‘Most active militants are illiterate or poorly educated and come from poor families. Poverty and illiteracy are major factors in attracting youth to join the militants’, Ahmad argues. ‘These people have little knowledge of Islam. They’ve been fed with distorted interpretations of it, which makes them easily fall prey to the militants’ hate propaganda that they falsely pass of as true Islamic teachings’.
During my recent trip to Doda, I had the chance to interview two recently surrendered former militants. In their twenties and neatly dressed in shirts and trousers, they seemed like any other youngsters in Doda. They were forcefully abducted, they said, by militants associated with the Harkat ul-Ansar. They did not appear to me to be particularly pious or devout, although the group with which they were associated claims to be struggling to establish an ‘Islamic state’. Certainly, they did not fit the image of the hardened, hardcore fanatic that the media depicts the stereotypical Kashmiri militant to be. Life in the Harkat, as they described it, was obviously not led strictly according to Islamic moral dictates. One of the commanders of their group had abducted a girl from a village and kept her with him as his partner without entering into the mandatory nikah or marriage, this being haram or wholly illegitimate according to Islamic law.
Poverty, rampant corruption, denial of democratic rights, state repression and obscurantist interpretations of religion have all combined to make for militancy in Kashmir. Clearly, then, as these voices from Doda suggest, a broad strategy needs to be worked out on all these fronts if peace is to see any future in the region.
______________________________________________________________________________
The writer is a New Delhi-based human rights activist. He can be contacted on azimsherwani@gmail.com
Jakarta, June 14 (DPA) Muslim militant cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the alleged spiritual leader of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, walked out of jail Wednesday amid Western concerns that his freedom could trigger a fresh round of terror activity.
Wearing a red-and-white shawl and white skullcap, Ba'asyir vowed to continue campaigning for the introduction of strict Islamic law in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Cheered by dozens of fanatical followers, many shouting "Allahu Akbar", Ba'asyir, 68, was released from Jakarta's heavily guarded Cipinang jail shortly after 7.00 a.m. (0000 GMT).
"I'm grateful to Allah for his guidance up to now. I thank Allah that I'm free today," Ba'asyir told reporters. "I call on all Muslims, let us strengthen our Islamic brotherhood with a single aim, to uphold the Islamic sharia (law)."
The aging preacher walked free after completing a 26-month sentence arising out of the 2002 Bali bombings, which left at least 202 people dead. Most of the Bali victims were foreign tourists.
Seen by the West as the spiritual leader of Al Qaeda-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, Ba'asyir was sentenced to 30 months in prison March last year after the court found him guilty of being a part of conspiracy behind the October 2002 bombings of two nightspots on the holiday island of Bali.
The original prison term was reduced because of time spent in detention and an additional reduction Ba'asyir received on the occasion of Indonesia's 60th independence anniversary in August 2005.
Ba'asyir has consistently denied involvement in terrorism and says he is being victimised because he campaigns for the introduction of strict Islamic law in Indonesia.
New York, June 14 (IANS) Two new anti-diabetic drugs are expected to hit the US market within a year, raising hope for the 21 million Americans suffering from the disease, a report says.
As of now, the drugs Januvia (Merck) and Galvus (Novartis) appear to be only as effective as available medicines, but without any side effects. These drugs can also help preserve beta cells in pancreas that produce insulin and often die off in diabetic patients, reported the portal News-Medical.
Separate trials of both the drugs produced impressive results. A comparative trial showed that severely obese patients who took Galvus managed to lose weight also.
Pharmaceutical company Novartis now plans to conduct a series of "mega trials", known as "GLORIUS", to prove the benefits of these drugs over the available medicines. The new drugs are expected to eventually replace medicines such as Glucovance as first-line treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is likely to take a decision on Januvia by October, three months earlier than Galvus.
Although both the drugs are being promoted as once-a-day treatments, experts say Januvia may be a better drug, as one tablet of it is as effective as two tablets of Galvus.
The research on these drugs was presented at an American Diabetes Association meeting in Washington.
New York, June 14 (IANS) Two new anti-diabetic drugs are expected to hit the US market within a year, raising hope for the 21 million Americans suffering from the disease, a report says.
As of now, the drugs Januvia (Merck) and Galvus (Novartis) appear to be only as effective as available medicines, but without any side effects. These drugs can also help preserve beta cells in pancreas that produce insulin and often die off in diabetic patients, reported the portal News-Medical.
Separate trials of both the drugs produced impressive results. A comparative trial showed that severely obese patients who took Galvus managed to lose weight also.
Pharmaceutical company Novartis now plans to conduct a series of "mega trials", known as "GLORIUS", to prove the benefits of these drugs over the available medicines. The new drugs are expected to eventually replace medicines such as Glucovance as first-line treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is likely to take a decision on Januvia by October, three months earlier than Galvus.
Although both the drugs are being promoted as once-a-day treatments, experts say Januvia may be a better drug, as one tablet of it is as effective as two tablets of Galvus.
The research on these drugs was presented at an American Diabetes Association meeting in Washington.
Baghdad, June 14 (DPA) A major new security plan aimed at increasing safety in the Iraqi capital was launched Wednesday with the deployment of 40,000 Iraqi and US-led coalition troops.
The plan, dubbed "Together Forward", was proposed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in an attempt to clamp down on insurgent attacks and secure the city streets.
Despite the plan, however, one car bomb was detonated in the city, al-Arabiya news channel reported. No information on casualties was available.
The new measures involve a ban on carrying arms, a curfew from 8.30 p.m. until 6.00 a.m. and increased security at the entrances and exits of the city. A four-hour ban on driving will also be in place Fridays.
Interior Ministry security chief General Mahdi al-Gharawi had said earlier that the plan also includes search-and-hunt raids in districts such as al-Aadhamiya, al-Doura, al-Ghazaliya and al-Ameriya, which are all Sunni-dominated.
Al-Maliki called on the media to create a "positive atmosphere" for the realisation of the plan.
Iraqi troops and policemen were seen deployed across the city Wednesday, checkpoints were set up on main roads and barricades were erected to control traffic.
Eyewitnesses said many city residents, however, stayed at home in anticipation of retaliatory violence.
The Baghdad security plan follows the killing last week of Al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It also comes at a time when there has been escalation in sectarian violence and random killings in the city.
Wellington, June 14 (IANS) Indian students in New Zealand report low levels of perceived security at school, with some remaining absent as a result, according to a new survey.
The Youth 2000 national survey, conducted by the Auckland Regional Public Health Service and Auckland University, asked 922 Asian students about their mental and physical health, besides experiences at home and school.
Chinese and Indian students made up the majority of students who call themselves Asians. The survey, however, did not include students who spoke limited English and fee-paying non-New Zealand students. Indians comprise a little over one percent of New Zealand's population of around four million.
The survey said though Indian students perceive low levels of security, they report less bullying than New Zealand European students. At the same time, the survey also found that Indian students in New Zealand suffer worse experiences of bullying than New Zealand Europeans.
Most Indian students plan to stay at school until year 13.
The report said that mental health was a matter of particular concern for Indian students. They report higher levels of depression than New Zealand European students and many students report suicidal thoughts and attempts. It is worse in the case of female Indian students.
Many Indian female students report missing breakfast and being unhappy with their body weight.
What was of particular concern was that Indian students, especially females, report low levels of physical activity. This is a particular concern since Indians face higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes as adults in New Zealand.
According to the report's lead author, Kumanan Rasanathan, young Asian New Zealanders were healthy, but there were some areas of concern, such as mental health and bullying. Poor access to healthcare, particularly among young Chinese, was also worrying.
A report in the New Zealand Herald newspaper quoted Rasanathan as saying that more research was needed to find out why students felt unsafe in schools.
"I can speculate, but it would just be speculation. But we know from some of the overseas literature that children from ethnic minorities often do face more racism, discrimination and often do have problems with acceptance at school," he told the newspaper.
"It's possible that some of those things contribute. What they also face is often a cultural gap between the expectations of their family environment, and the expectations of their peers," he added.
The survey also found that, overall, Indians are a healthy group of students, with most of them reporting positive family environments.
They also report lower levels of risky behaviour than their New Zealand European counterparts. Such behaviours include drunken driving, sexual activity and alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use.
However, the survey found that many Indian students are still at risk from behaviours such as binge drinking. Male Indian students report higher levels of risky behaviours than female Indian students, including not using safety equipment, exposure to drunken driving, alcohol use, binge drinking and marijuana use.
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) The resident doctors who participated in last month's protests against the quota policy will not get any salary for the strike period of 17 days, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said Wednesday.
The health ministry has sent a letter to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and directed it not to pay those resident doctors "who neither worked nor applied for leave" on the days of protests.
"We have to follow the law. And I don't want to set a wrong precedent. However, their pay will not be cut if the Supreme Court says so," Ramadoss told reporters.
The letter was despatched to AIIMS June 12 but the directive will be applicable to all resident doctors across the country who went on strike to protest against the government's decision to implement 27 percent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in institutes of higher learning.
Meanwhile, resident doctors alleged that the move was a violation of the order of the Supreme Court. "Since we called off our strike within the three-day period given by the Supreme Court, the government should also respect the apex court directive against any punitive action," said Kushal Kant Mishra, a resident doctor of AIIMS.
Resident doctors of all five medical colleges in Delhi were contemplating "to take up the issue with the apex court".
By Prasun Sonwalkar,
London, June 14 (IANS) In a unique twist to outsourcing from Britain to India, students in British universities have been paying computer professionals in India to complete their course assignments for a fee.
The newly recognised trend, operating mainly through the Internet, has been dubbed as "contract plagiarism" by British academics who have tracked such malpractices. It is more in vogue among students enrolled in IT courses in British universities.
The modus operandi is simple: A student willing to pay for the course assignment puts on certain websites an offer, giving details of what is required, and invites bids from professionals who are willing to complete the assignment for a fee.
Such online bidding is invariably dominated by IT professionals from India. Due to competitive bidding, students in British universities are able to get their computer assignments done for as low as 5 to 10 pounds - all to high quality and tight deadlines.
According to an investigation conducted by Robert Clarke and Thomas Lancaster of the University of Central England (UCE), the trend has assumed the dimensions of international trade, with offers being made by students in western countries, for which competitive bids are made by professionals in India and eastern Europe.
"It's a little cottage industry," Clarke, a lecturer in the department of computing at the UCE, told The Guardian. Clarke and Lancaster monitored a legitimate website on which small companies advertise for software to be written, but found 12 percent of its business was students asking for bids to write their assignments.
The offers are by students who want, for example, a computer code written, but are incapable, lazy or wealthy enough to pay someone else to do the needful. Over the course of a year, the UCE lecturers found the average student on the site was posting four to seven assignments to be done by someone else.
This meant that they were repeat offenders and had apparently got good results from previous such purchases and had got away with it. They also discovered "subcontractors" offering 50-100 assignments (and in one case more than 200) for bids and acting as middlemen between cheating students and the writers.
Clarke said he was tipped off about the Rent-a-coder website when one of his assignments appeared on it. He was able to track down the student concerned and warned her. He now reportedly tips off other tutors about "contract plagiarism".
Clarke and Lancaster identified 48 students from different universities across Britain trying to cheat by contracting out their assignments. Other students were traced to countries including the US, Canada and Australia.
They managed to trace course leaders at the universities involved and alert them to their students' cheating, which led to some students being thrown off courses in the US.
Lancaster, also lecturer in computing at the UCE, told the media: "This type of cheating is cost effective for students, because many of the suppliers are internationally based and can complete the set assignments for a few dollars a time.
"They go away and produce a piece of work for that student so they're not going to get caught by standard methods of plagiarism detection. A lot of students are looking at this now and think it's a very good investment for very low amounts of money.
"There is a serious concern that, unlike plagiarism, academic institutions are not yet fully aware of the potential prevalence of 'contract cheating' and the measures that can be taken to avoid it."
Clarke and Lancaster are scheduled to present their findings at an international plagiarism conference in Gateshead next week.
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) A day after 19 Congress legislators from Delhi received final notices from the Election Commission on the office of profit issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday said there are more legislators against whom it "will file petitions".
"The Election Commission's decision not to give more time to the 19 MLAs is a welcome move. We know that that at least eight more Congress MLAs holding offices of profit and we are going to file a petition against them soon," said Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan.
"The government tried to bail these people out by passing a bill in the assembly but it is still lying with the home and law ministries. After President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam returned the bill, the home ministry does not have the guts to send the Delhi bill to him," Vardhan told IANS.
"They are holding some college committees," he indicated, without divulging the name of the targeted legislators.
Acting on a petition filed by BJP legislator Vijay Jolly, the Election Commission last month issued a show cause notice to them.
The commission asked the 19 legislators, who had sought more time for filing their replies on the notices, to give final replies by June 21 or face action. The legislators said they received the notices Tuesday.
On May 18, the Sheila Dikshit government had passed the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006 on the office of profit issue and awaited a presidential nod.
The disqualification of these legislators will reduce the Delhi government to a minority. Currently, the Congress holds 47 of the 70 seats while the BJP has 20 members.
However, Congress legislators named in the petition said they are not disturbed over the development.
"We still have a week's time to reply to the Election Commission and we will fulfil the formalities well before that. We have full faith on the commission and will abide by its decision," said Rajesh Lilothia, one of those named in the petition.
"The commission cannot disqualify us so easily. It has to review our replies and follow constitutional procedures before spelling out a decision."
Braham Pal, another legislator named in the petition, said the Congress was "considering legal advisory" to deal with any eventuality.
"I will reply to the commission soon and hope that our state government takes necessary steps to handle the situation," Pal said.
Berlin, June 14 (DPA) All hopes of Ronaldo stealing Gerd Mueller's record of all-time top World Cup scorer seemed to plunge as much as his one shot of the match versus Croatia soared over the goal.
That 56th-minute effort Tuesday, taken clumsily by his standards and blasted over the Croatian bar, was the 29-year-old's only contribution of any note to his side's win in Berlin.
The rest of the time he looked slow, even lumbering and scarcely moved from a small patch up front in centerfield.
When coach Carlos Alberto Parreira finally substituted him for Real Madrid fellow striker Robinho after the 69 increasingly embarrassing minutes, day followed night.
The 22-year-old seemed by comparison to run in five minutes more than Ronaldo had done for his entire time on the field, and Robert Kovac and his fellow Croatian defenders had their hands full again.
Ronaldo needs to score three more goals to lift him from his tally of 12 beyond Mueller's record 14 during the German's World Cup career, and needs only one to take him beyond Pele's 12. But he needs to start running and working too.
"I don't know what happened with him," Kovac said. "He doesn't run, he just stays up front. He must be tired. He had one shot. He didn't touch the ball. He was very easy to play against today."
Ronaldo himself did not face the press after the match.
Parreira admitted the player was "lacking a little bit of sharpness" but would still start their second game against Australia Sunday.
"Ronaldo has not been playing for the last two months and has had only two friendly matches. So it was natural he felt a bit heavy as it was very hot, but I'm sure he will improve as the tournament goes on," he said.
Goal-scorer and man of the match Kaka also jumped to Ronaldo's defence: "Ronaldo has said he has not reached his ideal level of fitness. So let's wait until he improves his performance and is the Ronaldo that we know and like. But, yes, a little more movement from him would be ideal."
There was a further warning to Brazil's future opponents from Croatian defender Josip Simunic: "Don't underestimate him. Ronaldo is the most dangerous player in the world.
"I don't know what everyone's talking about. I'm 100 percent sure he'll score four or five goals in the tournament. Just wait and see," Josip added.
Jerusalem, June 14 (IMI) On all fronts, the Israeli-Palestinian arena is heading towards a catastrophic breakdown, and all players must urgently rethink their policies.
"Palestinians, Israel and the Quartet: Pulling Back from the Brink", the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the deteriorating situation, in which Palestinians are inching towards civil war, Israelis and Palestinians are coming perilously close to resuming all-out hostilities, and the international community continues to deprive the Palestinian Authority of vital assistance.
On the Palestinian side, Hamas has continued to act as an opposition force, resorting to ideological rhetoric rather than pragmatic politics. Fatah, still reeling from its defeat, is behaving as if it remained in power, relying on its partisans’ overwhelming presence throughout the civil service and security forces to thwart the Islamists’ ability to govern.
“The National Dialogue launched in May and the referendum scheduled for 26 July are as much about partisan advantage as strategic compromise�, says Nicolas Pelham, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst. “Today, the only alternative to consensus is chaos and, possibly, civil war�.
Meanwhile, the U.S., Israel and, to a lesser degree the EU and other actors, are banking on financial pressure and diplomatic boycott to ensure Hamas’s experience in power comes to a rapid, unsuccessful end. In so doing, they have chosen to bolster one Palestinian faction against the other, thus exacerbating internal strife. However, punitive measures are likely to generate greater solidarity with Hamas, and prompt radicalism rather than pragmatism.
“Taking the lead in defining the international community’s objectives, the U.S. appears intent on ensuring the new government fails�, says Mouin Rabbani, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst. “That’s a dangerous path: if Hamas feels cheated of its right to govern, it is unlikely to go quietly�.
The escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence and Hamas’s 9 June announcement it was renouncing its ceasefire both underscore the dangers inherent in the current situation.
Missing from all current strategies to dislodge Hamas is a realistic assessment of longer-term consequences. What is required is a more nuanced approach with the following objectives: avoiding inter-Palestinian violence and the Palestinian Authority’s collapse; encouraging Hamas to adopt more pragmatic policies; achieving a sustained Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire; and preventing steps jeopardising a possible two-state solution.
“Starved of resources, confronting an increasingly hostile population and unable to realise its agenda, Hamas may well fail. But with inter-Palestinian confrontation, heightened Israeli-Palestinian violence, and a collapse in Palestinian institutions, it will be hard to chalk up its failure as anybody’s success,� says Robert Malley, Crisis Group’s Middle East and North Africa Program Director. “The time now is for pragmatism, lest all emerge as losers�.
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) Rahul Mahajan, facing charges of drug abuse, was Wednesday granted bail by a special court, nine days after he was arrested from the Apollo hospital here.
Granting the bail, special judge Swarna Kanta Mehra said the accused be released on bail on his furnishing a bail bond of Rs.200,000, with one surety of the like amount. Rahul was also asked to submit his passport to the court.
The judge also said that the accused would not leave the country without the permission of the court, he would not tamper with evidence and he would not meet witnesses in the case.
The court further said that he would remain in New Delhi till filing of the charge sheet.
The judge had Tuesday reserved her orders at the conclusion of arguments by counsel for the accused and the prosecution.
Rahul, 31, son of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, was rushed to the hospital in serious condition early June 2 after a drinks-and-drug party. He was arrested on charges of drug abuse June 5 under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
By Eric Johnson, Prague, June 14 (DPA) Researchers around the globe are looking for connections between osteoporosis, a bone-wasting disease that affects some 25 percent of the world's over-50s, and a host of other ailments from diabetes to Parkinson's disease.
Despite numerous dead-ends and jungles of contradictory data, the hunt has shed valuable light on this so-called "silent crippler" that often goes unnoticed until it reaches a serious stage.
Osteoporosis weakens the skeleton by reducing the density and quality of bone, leading to fractures of the spine, wrist, hip, pelvis or upper arm.
It's well known that a calcium-deficient diet, lack of exercise, smoking and genetic factors can increase a person's risk of contracting the disease, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. And women are at greater risk than men.
Experts at a recently held Prague medical conference noted that clear links have been found between certain diseases and a loss of bone density.
Vladimir Povoroznjuk of the Institute of Gerontology in Kiev said Osteoporosis is "recognised as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis".
Many at the conference of the European Calcified Tissue Society reported finding new disease links.
A study of 64 men and women in Albania, for example, found strong evidence that osteoporosis is connected to hyperthyroidism or excessive hormone production by the thyroid glands. Fifty-five percent of the hyperthyroidism patients also had severe osteoporosis.
"Osteoporosis and osteopenia (a bone condition leading to osteoporosis) is relatively frequent in hyperthyroidism, significantly more than in the normal population," concluded the study by a team from the University Hospital in Tirana.
Greek researchers who studied 151 older women reported a similar link between another gland disorder, hyperparathyroidism, and osteoarthritis - a joint disease that differs from osteoporosis but can be detected and treated in a similar manner.
Another trail led British researchers to conclude that Parkinson's disease, a nerve disorder, apparently increases a person's risk of osteoporosis as well as bone-breaking falls.
Their study at an elderly care centre in Taunton detected the bone disease in 71 percent of the 51 Parkinson's patients examined. The conclusion: "Screening for osteoporosis should be offered to patients with Parkinson's disease".
Other researchers have explored possible ties between diabetes and bone disease.
A team from Sourasky Medical Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel, said the connection "is poorly understood" but found that one-third of 498 elderly hip-fracture patients at the hospital were also diabetic.
"Metabolic abnormalities of diabetes probably affect bone metabolism, structure and mineral density," the study concluded.
In Russia, research teams at the Children's Health Research Centre in Moscow found bone-density losses among 14 percent of children with lung problems but admitted "contradictory" results from the asthma study. Their work continues.
Certainly, scientists have more to learn about the silent crippler, a condition that the osteoporosis foundation says was not precisely defined as a disease until 1994.
By Klaus Marre
Washington, June 14 (DPA) Only a handful of people in President George W. Bush's cabinet knew beforehand of his surprise visit to Iraq, and the length to which the White House went to keep the trip secret shows how volatile the situation in Iraq truly is.
US officials often tout the progress that Iraq is making and blast the media for focusing on the negatives. Bush told US troops in the country Tuesday that "the progress here in Iraq has been remarkable, when you really think about it."
But despite these assurances, there are few signs that more clearly point to the country's security problems than the inability of top US officials to travel there, unless under a cloak of secrecy.
Trips from Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are hailed as "surprise" visits, but that term only masks the fact that the only way these top officials can go to Iraq and Afghanistan is unannounced.
Bush's latest visit to Iraq shows the lengths to which the White House has gone to maintain the secrecy. According to Bush's communications director Dan Bartlett, who briefed reporters about the operation en route to Iraq, Bush made up an excuse to leave a discussion with cabinet officials Monday night, only to make his way to Air Force One.
The trip also came as a surprise to the new leader of Iraq, Bartlett said. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was not informed that he would be meeting Bush in person on Tuesday, and instead had been summoned to appear at the US embassy for a teleconference.
"Obviously, when you're entering into a situation where the enemy is so active we have to be extra cautious," Bartlett told the media during the trip. "But I think the American people and the entire international community are reassured by the fact that the president is making such a personal effort to ensure the success of the new government."
Although the secrecy of the trip shows that Iraq has a long way before it becomes a secure place to go, even for the most powerful person in the world, Bush's trip is likely to yield big dividends abroad and at home.
Bush showed the world that he is personally interested in the development of democracy in Iraq and he got to meet al-Maliki face-to-face. From that perspective, his trip is a powerful gesture.
But the president is also likely to benefit at home ahead of important congressional elections in November. New polls already indicate that Americans are viewing the war more favourably since Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top terrorist in Iraq, was killed last week.
Bush is in dire need of a bump in the polls after his approval rating has hovered near 30 percent in recent weeks.
But the struggle in the Middle East goes beyond election year politics. Iraq is Bush's legacy and what happens there in the future will determine how is presidency is viewed.
"This is a time where the world can turn one way or the other, where the world can be a better place or a more dangerous place," Bush told soldiers Tuesday.
"And the United States of America and citizens such as yourself are dedicated to making sure that the world we leave behind is a better place for all."
DAKAR, June 14 (NNN-APS) Senegalese Christians and Muslims, quoting the Koran and Bible, spoke up here Tuesday of the ''necessity to build a society of peace and tolerance which reject violence and terrorism''.
Christian and Muslim community leaders took part to a conference organised by the Dakar Islamic Institute. A Muslim cleric from the Gambia and the director of the International Islamic Relief Organisation were also among the guests.
The theme of the conference, ''religions and violence'', was an opportunity to claim that both Islam and Christianity have a similar position on peace, love, devotion submission to God. They advocated education, tolerance, fraternity, and the acceptation of differences in a perfect neighbourhood without violence or terrorism.
''There cannot be peace without basic education and the teaching of moral'', they said. Participants also condemned political violence and denounced people who try ''to link Islam with violence and terrorism''.
They said that the causes of violence are ''much deeper''. Some of them have ''a symbolical aspect'' which is beyond politics, others are ''temporary''.
London, June 14 (IANS) Smokers with wrinkles have a higher risk of getting lung cancer than those without wrinkles, a study says.
Researchers, led by Bipen Patel at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, studied 149 current and former smokers in the age group of 45 to 70 from 78 families. They found that middle-aged smokers with heavily lined faces have a five times higher risk of lung disease than their un-wrinkled peers, reported the online edition of BBC News.
Having wrinkles is associated with a group of conditions known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they said.
COPD is an umbrella term for a range of progressive chronic lung diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis, which block the airways and restrict oxygen flow around the body.
More than a million people in the UK are thought to have COPD.
The World Health Organisation estimates that COPD will become the third leading cause of death in the world by 2020.
Smoking is already known to cause premature ageing of the skin.
Patel said: "What this research shows is that those who are prone to COPD are also prone to wrinkles.
"If there is a gene for COPD susceptibility, it may also increase the chance of someone developing wrinkles."
Patel said wrinkles could be seen as a sign that someone was at increased risk of developing COPD.
New Delhi: The "under-representation" of Muslims in public employment and public life was "unacceptable", Congress President Sonia Gandhi said on Monday.
The poor representation of Muslims "retards" the country's overall progress.
"The Constitution protects and upholds their religious, cultural and educational rights. At the same time and as an open and mature society, we need to accept that there is a gap between rights in law and their realisation in practice," she said after inaugurating the India Islamic Cultural Cente in Delhi.
She said that the poor development of a majority of Muslims was a matter of concern in terms of equity and social justice, and "so is its under-representation in a modern society".
"Differentiations of this kind are unacceptable in a modern society. They retard the overall progress of India itself," she said.
Two committees are currently studying the status of Muslims in the country. A committee set up by the Prime Minister will report on their social, economic and educational status and suggest policy interventions.
The Planning Commission Plan will identify areas of special inputs in its 11th Plan.
Sonia Gandhi said the challenge was to generate awareness of the problems that exist, discuss issues rather than brush them under the carpet, explore equitable and cooperative solutions, reduce levels of deprivation and solve the problems of women and children.
The IICC has listed one of its objectives was "to remove misunderstanding about Islam", but this signals a somewhat defensive and limited approach because it puts Islam in the category of the 'other'.
"The country, despite demographic percentages, was neither Hindu, nor Sikh nor Christian nor Buddhist and yet belongs to adherents of each one of these faiths and of many more. This was, as Maulana Azad put it, India's historic destiny".
Institutions like the IICC have to play an important role in promoting this culture and to cooperate with the Government in improving the socio-economic condition of Mulslims and other minorities, said Gandhi.
Source:http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sonia-upset-over-plight-of-muslims/12830-3.html
Speech of Sonia Gandhi at Inauguration of India Islamic Culture Center.
President of the India Islamic Centre Shri Sirajuddin Qureshi,
Members' of the Board of Trustees
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am happy to be here today, happy to see what was initiated twenty two years back at the time of Smt. Indira Gandhi finally take shape. The architecture of the Centre, and the exquisite tile work on the dome is a welcome addition to the diversity of Styles that is characteristic of the Lodi Road Institutional Area.
Institutions are more than brick and mortar. They are the embodiment of ideas and sentiments, of hopes and aspirations. Establishing them is hard work and I am aware of the commitment and endeavour that has gone into building the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
The challenge of the future, however, is far greater. It emanates from the name itself, in the coming together of 'India' and 'Islamic'. The two terms are not mutually exclusive, nor are they synonymous. Herein lies the uniqueness of India - a country that despite demographic percentages is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Sikh nor Christian nor Buddhist and yet belongs to the adherents of each one of these faiths and of many more. This was, as Maulana Azad put it, India's historic destiny.
Every citizen of this great land is a beneficiary of this heritage. It is a heritage of cultural pluralism, of diversity of faiths, of a tradition of living and thinking together, of the acceptance and tolerance of diversity. Independent India reinforced all this through democracy and secularism. By the same token, it becomes the duty of each of us individually, and all of us collectively, to sustain and promote this legacy.
How is this to be done?
What role can the IICC and similar civil society institutions play in it? In what manner can the wider community assist the process?
The primary objective of the Centre, I understand, is "to remove mis-understandings about Islam and promote an awareness of the ethos of Islamic culture". This, to me, signals a somewhat defensive and limited approach. It puts Islam in the category of the 'other' that has to be constantly explained. In reality, Islam and Islamic culture has been an intrinsic ingredient of the Indian scene for over a millennium. Their interaction in the realm of ideas, art and architecture, language and literature, and above all in social intercourse, has been immensely enriching. The resultant synthesis is distinctive, colourful, truly Indian.
The Muslim citizens of India, numbering about 140 million, constitute the second largest Muslim community in the world. They are as much part of the Indian landscape as the adherents of any other faith. They enjoy the same right to equality, and to equal protection of the law, and all other fundamental rights as any other citizen. The Constitution protects and upholds their religious, cultural and educational rights.
At the same time, and as an open and mature society, we need to accept that there is a gap between rights in law and their realization in practice. The development level of considerable sections of the Muslim population is a matter of concern in terms of equity and social justice; so is its under-representation in public employment and public life. Differentiations of this kind are unacceptable in a modern society. They retard the overall progress of India itself.
Conscious of this ground reality, the UPA government included in its Common Minimum Programme a section on social harmony and the welfare of minorities. Its objective is to address the problems and grievances of all our minorities. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has been established to attend to these matters in a coordinated and focused manner. The Prime Minister's High Level Committee has been set up to report on social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community and to suggest policy interventions. The Planning Commission, busy with the preparation of the 11th Plan, will identify areas of special inputs.
It is our endeavour to move the debate from the general to the specific, and direct effort at producing results in a specified time frame. The challenge is to:-
· Generate awareness of the problems that exist
· Discuss issues rather than brush them under the carpet
· Explore equitable, cooperative, solutions that strengthen our social fabric
· Reduce levels of deprivation beginning with the weakest and the most in need
· Attend specifically to the problems of women and children with a focus on the girl-child.
· Respond to the educational and employment aspirations of the youth
· Widen levels of prosperity and make all sections of the community stake-holders in the new India that is emerging
While the government is committed to deliver in areas of its responsibility, civil society has to shoulder its own share of the burden and assist the process. It is here that an institution like the IICC can play the catalyst to initiate debate, develop awareness and explore options.
Such an approach would add a relevant dimension to the intellectual and cultural activities of this Centre aimed at informing the public about the heritage of Islam and the Indian contribution to it. This contribution must not remain a matter of nostalgia alone. As a living reality, it should be explored to seek ideas and solutions to the problems of under-development in contemporary India.
I wish the Centre all success in its work.
Leipzig, June 14 (IANS) Superior football from a spirited Spain thrashed World Cup rookies Ukraine 4-0, though the latter was down to 10 men for most of the second half.
In the first half, Xabi Alonso headed a corner kick home from the near pole in the 12th minute of the game. Four minutes later, the free kick sent by David Villa hit the head of a defender and the ball was diverted into the net.
The third goal for the Spanish came in the form of a penalty when Villa kicked the ball home. Vladislav Vashchuk was shown the red card for pulling back Fernando Torres.
The Spaniards hit the final nail on Ukraine when Fernando Torres scored the last goal through a meticulously planned move.
Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) Global multi-enterprise collaboration software and services leader Sterling Commerce is all set to invest $10 million in India as the company has identified it as a major growth area.
The worldwide leader, which is offering secure file transfer, B2B application integration, opened a new 116,000 sq ft software development and delivery facility in Bangalore Tuesday.
"With the move into the new facilities in Bangalore, we are about to embark on an exciting new chapter at Sterling Commerce in India," said Sam Starr, president and CEO Sterling Commerce, in a statement here Wednesday.
"Our investment in the India operation is a critical part of our long-term global strategy. Sterling Commerce is in the throes of rapid and very profitable growth, both in our mainstream businesses and through well-executed acquisitions."
Sterling Commerce, a subsidiary of the US-based AT&T Inc, projects that its Indian operations will grow from 82 professionals just over a year ago to almost 500 by the end of 2006.
"The Sterling India team is committed to the tenets of excellence, innovation and an emphasis on continuous learning," said Buck Devashish, managing director of Sterling Commerce's India Operations.
"We have been focused on providing our employees a world-class best practices work environment. The new facility is a tangible example of this vision and evidence of Sterling's commitment to its employees."
The statement further said: "Sterling has made a series of acquisitions in recent times including TR2, Yantra Corporation and Nistevo as it develops a comprehensive suite of best-in-class applications".
Sterling Commerce plays a major role in orchestrating processes for customers in the retail, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and telecommunications industries.
The company provides its customers with an integrated end-to-end solution that improves visibility and control over their entire supply chain. Sterling Commerce's global customer base has today expanded into diverse industry verticals.
Its customers include Citibank, ABM Amro, Wal-Mart, Toyota, Ford, DHL, FedEx, AT&T, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Boeing, apart from others.
Stuttgart, June 13 (Xinhua) France were forced to a 0-0 tie by Switzerland in their 2006 World Cup opener here Tuesday.
While retiring Zidane and some of his teammates were fighting for their final glory in the international stage, the Les Bleus had yet to overcome the spectre from the 2002 tournament when they suffered a shocking early exit in the first round.
The French were sharper to every ball at the very beginning and that good spell of pressure ended with Patrick Vieira mis-hitting for a Sagnol cross in the 14th minute.
In the 36th minute, a slip from Swiss defender Philippe Senderos allowed Frank Ribery to race in on goal.
But the Marseille winger seemed unsure of himself and passed the ball to Thiery Henry instead of going for goal himself.
The Arsenal striker's shot was shut off by an apparent handball of Swiss defender Patrick Mueller, which was not awarded by the Russian referee.
Henry also squandered a couple of chances when his shots went either wide or high or right into the Swiss keeper Pascal Zuberbuehler's fingers.
Switzerland had a real good chance in the 23rd minute, when Tranquillo Barnetta's indirect free kick eluded everyone and came back off Fabien Barthez's left hand post.
Swiss defender Alexander Frei reached the bounce but his shots first hit the post, and then went high off the bar.
The second half proved the same for the French as few opportunities came their way although Franck Ribery was substituted by forward Louis Saha to strengthen offence in the 72nd minute.
Some direct running from Lyon striker Sylvain Wiltord nearly forced an opportunity for the French six minutes from the end.
Berlin, June 14 (DPA) Here's how June 15 has shaped up in World Cup history:
1964 - Michael Laudrup's birthdate. The striker was a member of the Danish team at the 1986 World Cup finals. They convincingly won their group after beating Germany, Uruguay and Scotland. Their fans - known as Danish Dynamite - grabbed their own share of headlines for their peaceful and pleasant support for their team. Spain however ran rings around the Danes in the next round as Emilio Butragueno scored four goals in his side's 5-1 victory.
Laudrup (together with his brother Brian) was also in the Danish squad at the 1998 World Cup, where Denmark advanced to the quarterfinal, losing 3-2 against Brazil in one of the tournament's most exciting matches.
1969 - Oliver Kahn's birthdate. The goalkeeper was a non-playing member of the German squad at the 1994 and 1998 World Cup finals. He played all seven matches in 2002 as Germany surprised everybody by advancing to the final.
Ironically Kahn, who won the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament, gifted Brazil their first goal as the Selecao won their fifth World Cup with a 2-0 victory over the three-time winners Germany. He has since been relegated to second-choice goalkeeper.
1986 - Igor Belanov of the Soviet Union scored three goals for his side, but his team lost the round-of-16 match against Belgium 4-3. Belgium went on to finish third in the competition.
Earlier, Switzerland's Josef Huegi (1954) and Poland's Ernest Wilimowski (1938) also scored three but lost. Wilimowski scored four, but still saw his side lose 7-5 to Brazil.
BANGKOK, June 14 (NNN-Bernama) Two Muslim parties are being set up in Thailand with the main aim of being the alternative political voices of the people in the three Muslim-majority southern border provinces.
The Santiparp Thai (Thai Peace) Party and the Thai Muslim Party are being established by former members of the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party which had failed to break the main opposition Democrats' stronghold in the south.
Former TRT member of parliament Najmudin Umar told the media here that Santiparp Thai Party would serve as an alternative for people in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
He, however, said that the party was different from the Thai Muslim Party being set up by former deputy industry minister Pichate Satirachaval, who is also the secretary-general of the Office of the Chularajamontri, or the State Counselor for all Islamic affairs.
Proponents of the Muslim parties are hoping that the new parties would be able to attract support from Muslims in view of the current political situation, especially in the Muslim-majority provinces in the south like Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Satun where there are 22 parliamentary seats.
In the 2005 general election, the ruling TRT could only win one seat while in the April 2 election that was boycotted by the main opposition parties, including the Democrats, re-elections were ordered in many places after TRT candidates standing alone failed to secure the required 20 per cent votes to be elected.
However, the Constitutional Court had ruled that the April 2 election was invalid. The Election Commission has now fixed Oct 15 for the new election.
More than 1,200 people have died in violence in the southern provinces. Insurgency in the provinces erupted again in January, 2004, after decades-long silence by militants fighting for independence from the central government.
Officially, there are four million Muslims in the 64-million population, with 82 per cent living in the south while large Muslim populations are also living in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The move to set up Muslim parties has also raised eyebrows, especially among Muslim leaders who were divided over the plan.
The Muslim Youth Association of Thailand chairman Nimanase Sama-ari said he was suspicious of the real aim of establishing Muslim parties.
Nimanase said he believed that the Thai Muslim Party was a nominee of TRT and was being set up to win support from the Muslim population after the ruling party's failure to garner support in the election.
Some Muslim leaders are worried that Muslims would be subjected to lots of suspicions and allegations with the setting up of an exclusive party for Muslims in view of the southern conflict.
A seminar on setting up Muslim parties will be held at the Prince Songkhla University Thursday.
Geneva, June 14 (DPA) A group of UN human rights experts repeated calls Wednesday for the immediate closure of the detention camp at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, after three prisoners committed suicide last week.
The five experts, who have been monitoring the base, said the apparently simultaneous suicides had been "to a certain extent foreseeable in light of the harsh and prolonged conditions of their detention".
The US military Saturday discovered the bodies of two Saudis and one Yemeni hanging in their cells. The three men left suicide notes.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the European Parliament this week called for the Guantanamo camp to be closed.
The problems of some of the inmates had been highlighted in a report in February produced by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, a group of human rights experts led by Algerian judge Leila Zerrougui.
In it they had pointed out the "profound deterioration" in the mental health of some of the detainees as a result of the "inhuman and degrading nature of the conditions" in which they were being held.
They said in some cases their treatment was tantamount to torture.
They had also called for the detainees to be given the right to a fair trial before an ordinary tribunal.
The US Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming days on a legal challenge to the government's attempt to try foreign terrorist suspects in military tribunals brought by a Guantanamo detainee.
The decision is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the protection of human rights in cases affecting national security.
The UN experts said many of the detainees continued a prolonged hunger strike to protest against their conditions while others have attempted to commit suicide.
--DPA
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) In a bleak appraisal of the Manmohan Singh government, Left parties Wednesday said it had failed to protect the interests of the common man, uphold India's traditional foreign policy and maintain communal harmony.
In a nine-page note delivered to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Left Front alleged that the government had distanced itself from the promises in the common minimum programme (CMP), the agenda for governance for the coalition.
"The Left is very unhappy with the two-year performance of the government. They failed to do justice to CMP," a senior leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front told IANS.
"It failed to check inflation, contain communal clashes and evoke confidence among ordinary citizens," the leader said. "We are asking the government to stick to CMP."
The Left Front shores up the multi-party United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The note was delivered to the prime minister a day ahead of the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting Thursday.
At the meeting, leaders of the four Left parties - CPI-M, Communist Party of India (CPI), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc - will meet Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to discuss their apprehensions about the government.
The leaders will bring unfulfilled promises to the notice of the government.
In the elaborate note, which had been prepared after extensive discussion among the four Left parties, the leftists reiterated their apprehensions over the government's disinvestment policies, airport modernisation, foreign direct investment in retail and taxation.
The leaders urged the government to bring down the pace of liberalisation that "has not been taking care of the interests of the majority of citizens".
They also asked the government to introduce capital gains tax, which according to them would check the market instability caused by the wavering of foreign industrial investment, and increase corporate tax and other taxes for the rich.
"We tried to convince the government that modernisation of the airports could be done by the Airports Authority of India instead of privatising it," said a communist leader.
The Left parties also criticised the government's foreign policy for its alleged tilt towards the US.
The Left has accused the government of siding with the US on major international issues, particularly on the Iran nuclear row.
New Delhi: While Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students across the country celebrated their success recently, for some in the Muslim community there was absolutely no reason to rejoice.
Fourteen-year-old Sanaah Isaah is far removed from the celebrations that her classmates have been busy with. After she failed her Class 10 examination this year she is now spending her summer holidays attending English coaching classes.
"If I had books in Urdu I would have managed to pass my examinations. Last year there were no science and maths books in Urdu. That’s why I couldn't study and couldn't pass," says Sanaah.
But she is not the only one facing the brunt. Students taking their exams in Urdu medium have no textbooks.A few translations come only six to eight months after the English and Hindi books hit the market, which is the reason why CBSE schools in Delhi following Urdu medium have only seen a 20 per cent pass result.
In fact some Urdu medium schools did not even have a single successful student.
"There are no books for Urdu medium. Students who have passed have either opted for English medium or got help from teachers who translated texts for them," says a teacher at Anglo Arabic School, Maqsood Ahmed.
"I had opted for the English medium. That has more opportunities. I would have never managed to pass if I was still with Urdu medium,� says the topper of Anglo Arabic School, Syed Muntazir Mehdi.
It is a claim that even the National Committee for Monitoring Minority Education agrees with, but little is being done to change that.
Caught between a paucity of teachers and the lack of textbooks, the future for Urdu medium students is bleak and options are few; a combination that will continue to force them to drop out of school
Source: IBN Live
Kabul, June 14 (Xinhua) The US-led coalition forces, in a new bid to wipe out Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan, will soon launch a new offensive in the volatile southern region, the US army said Wednesday.
"Over the next month, coalition forces and Afghan forces will be conducting Operation Mountain Trust," spokesman Toms Collins told a press briefing.
The new operation is being launched while another operation, "Mountain Lion", is still in full swing in the eastern region.
The latest operation will attack Taliban militants in areas from where they are currently operating.
Collins said the aim of the new operation was not just about killing and arresting the militants. It was very much about establishing the conditions where the government of Afghanistan can extend its authority.
However, he declined to disclose the exact date of launching the operation or the number of troops involved.
He further added: "I want to clarify that Operation Mountain Trust is a coalition operation and could take several months."
The US-led coalition forces have in the past conducted several anti-Taliban and Al Qaeda network operations mostly in the southern region, but failed to achieve the desired outcome as militancy has been on the constant rise.
About 800 people have lost their lives in Taliban-linked insurgency since the beginning of this year, with some 500 of them killed in the past two months.
--Xinhua
Kolkata, June 14 (IANS) More Indian students will get visas to the United States in 2006 than last year, a US Embassy official said Tuesday.
"There has been an increase in student visa applications this year, and we hope to surpass last year's total of 18,000 student visa applicants processed," said Sally Ironfield, non-immigrant visa chief at the US Embassy in New Delhi.
"There are currently 80,000 Indian students studying in the US. There are a lot of Masters and Doctoral candidates applying for visas, and this year we are having a sharp increase in applicants wishing to pursue undergraduate studies," she told reporters here on a live Internet chat session from New Delhi.
She said: "There is no congressionally mandated limit for issuance of student visas. Possibilities are limitless. Sponsoring schools register with the Departments of State and are then authorised to issue I-20s for international students.
"The number of Indian students going to the US has steadily increased over the last 10 years, although there was a small dip in applications following the 9/11 attacks."
Prior to the boom in the technology industry in India, many graduates remained in the US after their studies, adjusting their visa status to H1-B, but now an increasing number of students are returning to India to join hi-tech firms or establish their own companies, she said.
"We are confident that the India of today will continue to attract the return of its graduates. Working in the US on an H1-B visa further enhances their marketability in India," she added.
Asked about the chances of non-rich Indian students obtaining a visa, she said the student's financial status was no bar to eligibility if a deserving student could show that there were sufficient funds to pay for his studies.
Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) India's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology firm Wockhardt Ltd Wednesday said it has received an approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the US for its anti-epileptic drug Divalproex Sodium.
The patent for Divalproex Sodium expires Jan 29, 2008. The company's US subsidiary Wockhardt USA Inc will launch it on the first day of the patent expiration in the US market.
"The market for the product in the US is $802 million, as per IMS data, Divalproex Sodium is the generic version of Abbott's Depakote DR tablets," a Wockhardt official said here.
"Approval for an NDDS (novel drug delivery system) product by the FDA is a tribute to the technical skills of our research and regulatory teams," said Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala.
Divalproex Sodium will be manufactured at the active pharmaceutical ingredient facility at Ankleshwar in Gujarat and the tablets at the formulation plant in Aurangabad, both certified by the FDA.
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) Violence at work, ranging from bullying and mobbing to threats by psychologically unstable co-workers, sexual harassment and homicide, has reached epidemic levels in some countries, says a new study of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
"What is more, the global cost of workplace violence is enormous and causing millions of dollars of losses in other countries," the study released Wednesday says.
Even professions once regarded as sheltered from workplace violence such as teaching, social services, library services and healthcare are being exposed to increasing acts of violence, in both developed and developing countries.
The study 'Violence at work' (third edition) is prepared by Vittorio Di Martino, an international expert on stress and workplace violence, and Duncan Chappell, past president of the New South Wales Mental Health Review, Australia, and the Britain's Commonwealth Arbitral Tribunal.
"Bullying, harassment, mobbing and allied behaviours can be just as damaging as outright physical violence," the authors say.
"Today, the instability of many types of jobs places huge pressures on workplaces, and we are seeing more of these forms of violence."
In addition, the authors also address growing concerns about terrorism, calling it "one of the new faces of workplace violence contributing to the already-volatile mix of aggressive acts taking place on the job".
The report says women represent approximately 61 percent of all victimised workers because of their concentration in jobs considered high-risk for assault.
In developing countries, the most vulnerable workers include women, migrants and children.
In Malaysia, 11,851 rape and molestation cases at the workplace were reported between 1997 and May 2001.
Widespread sexual harassment and abuse were major concerns in South Africa, Ukraine, Kuwait, Hong Kong and China, the report said.
Developed countries, too, are not free from the problem. A 2000 survey of the then-15 member states of the European Union showed that bullying, harassment and intimidation were widespread in the region.
In Japan, the number of cases brought before court counsellors totalled 625,572 between April 2002 and March 2003.
On a positive note, the study cited reduction in the workplace violence in Britain and the US.
Growing awareness of the need to tackle workplace violence has spawned the development of new and effective prevention strategies.
The study highlights a number of "best practice" examples from local and national governments, enterprises and trade unions from around the world that have successfully implemented "zero tolerance" polices and violence-prevention training programmes.
Many countries have now explicitly recognised violence in their national occupational health and safety legislation, according to the study.
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Poland and Sweden have recently adopted new legislation or amended existing laws and regulations to address violence at work.